Before I get into my picks and pans for summer reading, I wanted to comment on a couple of items. First of all, many thanks to all of you who attended my recent presentation for the RTC covering "Strategic Planning in a Downmarket". We had almost forty people on a Friday in July - great turnout and I greatly appreciate all of you attending and the fantastic questions I got.
No need to belabor the point, but what a sad fall for Fannie Mae. From one of only 11 companies identified as a Good to Great Company, to the subject of legislation providing a bailout. Just goes to show you how hard it is to sustain greatness. For an excellent breakdown on the recent bailout legislation, check out this post from Dealbreaker. No comments necessary on this, but as a fiscally responsible taxpayer, I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am in this legislation.
For more on the impact of the implosion of the housing market, check out this article from the New York Times on the challenges businesses are facing in getting bank loans. No surprise and I hate to say it, but I think secretly there are many banks happy about this about face. Many will tell you that for too long the easy money that was available was screwing up the balance of power between borrower and lender.
With those out of the way, on to the summer reading list. In providing this list, I'm only going to comment briefly on a couple of books - there are enough sources of reviews out there.
Buying In by Rob Walker. I've just about finished this and I'll be candid - I'm going to need to read it again to fully grasp all the key points about the concept of murketing. Fascinating read and I'm convinced that it will take a place of cocktail conversation starter for the Blink/Freakonomics/Tipping Point crowd.
Outsmart! How to Do What Your Competitors Can't by Jim Champy. This is a nice quick read that profiles a number of different companies, including Smith & Wesson on how they were able to think a little outside the box to gain a competitive advantage. At the end of each chapter the author provides a number of probing questions that I found interesting for assessment purposes.
The Breakthrough Company by Keith McFarland. Can't say that this one wasn't a disappointment as it was hyped as being in the family of Good to Great because of the extensive research that the author and his team undertook. Decent read but doesn't provide the "it moment" that you look for in a business classic. Still, if you got time to kill on the beach its worth giving a read.
In addition to these three, I would also recommend a classic to read. If you haven't read it yet, you must readThe Godfather by Mario Puzo, a classic business book that I refer to a on a constant basis. I'm bringing it with me to the beach this week for another read. In addition to these, I've put togehter an aggressive list for my week away. This includes:
No need to belabor the point, but what a sad fall for Fannie Mae. From one of only 11 companies identified as a Good to Great Company, to the subject of legislation providing a bailout. Just goes to show you how hard it is to sustain greatness. For an excellent breakdown on the recent bailout legislation, check out this post from Dealbreaker. No comments necessary on this, but as a fiscally responsible taxpayer, I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am in this legislation.
For more on the impact of the implosion of the housing market, check out this article from the New York Times on the challenges businesses are facing in getting bank loans. No surprise and I hate to say it, but I think secretly there are many banks happy about this about face. Many will tell you that for too long the easy money that was available was screwing up the balance of power between borrower and lender.
With those out of the way, on to the summer reading list. In providing this list, I'm only going to comment briefly on a couple of books - there are enough sources of reviews out there.
Buying In by Rob Walker. I've just about finished this and I'll be candid - I'm going to need to read it again to fully grasp all the key points about the concept of murketing. Fascinating read and I'm convinced that it will take a place of cocktail conversation starter for the Blink/Freakonomics/Tipping Point crowd.
Outsmart! How to Do What Your Competitors Can't by Jim Champy. This is a nice quick read that profiles a number of different companies, including Smith & Wesson on how they were able to think a little outside the box to gain a competitive advantage. At the end of each chapter the author provides a number of probing questions that I found interesting for assessment purposes.
The Breakthrough Company by Keith McFarland. Can't say that this one wasn't a disappointment as it was hyped as being in the family of Good to Great because of the extensive research that the author and his team undertook. Decent read but doesn't provide the "it moment" that you look for in a business classic. Still, if you got time to kill on the beach its worth giving a read.
In addition to these three, I would also recommend a classic to read. If you haven't read it yet, you must readThe Godfather by Mario Puzo, a classic business book that I refer to a on a constant basis. I'm bringing it with me to the beach this week for another read. In addition to these, I've put togehter an aggressive list for my week away. This includes:
- The Age of Speed by Vince Poscente - sent to me complimentary by the Entrepreneurs Organization. Somebody there thinks enough of it, so I thought I should give it a go.
- The E-Myth Revisted by Michael Gerber - I read this years and years ago when I didn't think it applied to me. Going to try it again now.
- Making Innovation Work by Tony Davila. With all apologies to Clayton Christenson, I'm still searching for a book on innovation that grabs me.
- The Granularity of Growth by Patrick Vigurie - it looked kind of interesting sitting on the bookshelf, so Ithought why not.
And, lest anyone think that all I'm going to do is read about business on my vacation, I am also going to pick up The Guns of August which covers the start of World War I. Enjoy your reading.
