Leadership Training

Who says that nice guys (or gals) finish last? Certainly not Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, co-authors of The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness.

In their national bestseller, the two chief executives of the Kaplan Thaler Group illustrate the surprising power of nice with an array of real-life examples from the business areas as well as from their personal lives. They also include examples of what can be lost when people are NOT nice; for instance:

“A friend recently told us the story of three consulting companies vying for a very large contract. One was summarily dropped, even though the firm did a terrific presentation. Why? they wondered. It turned out that when the prospective client arrived at the airport, an executive from one of the consulting firms neglected to help with her bags. She was miffed at his rudeness and lack of manners, and decided that she didn’t want to do business with them.

Here their team had worked day and night to give the client a knockout presentation, and the entire account was lost over a suitcase.”

I found their book full of great stories and lessons learned, and felt it was a great continuation of the principles taught by Dale Carnegie in “How to Win Friends & Influence People” over 70 years ago. I especially enjoyed the chapter titled “Shut Up and Listen“. Here, not only do they show just how important listening is in business today, but they also share a great story regarding how they ended up winning a huge campaign with Foxwoods just by listening and keeping things simple.

So I highly recommend adding “The Power of Nice” to your book list as well! Ironically enough, the reason I ended up with it was because a Boston University alumnus, Jack Schecter, gave it out as a gift at a College of Communication event held in Los Angeles. The power of nice indeed!

Time for another oldie but goodie here at the Leadership Training recommended book list! First published in 1981, ‘The One Minute Manager’ has gone on to sell over 7 million copies worldwide. Written by Kenneth Blanchard and Spenser Johnson, it’s an extremely quick read (just over 100 pages in large print), but it makes some essential and fundamental points about being an effective and positive manager of people.

The book chronicles the journey of a “bright young man who was looking for an effective manager.” He hears of a ’special manager’ who lives nearby, and asks for an appointment to see him…

As he sat down, he asked, “We’ll you’ve already said that you’re not a participative manager. Just how would you describe yourself?”

“That’s easy,” he {the manager} responded without hesitation. “I’m a One Minute Manager.”

The young man’s face showed surprise. He’d never heard of a One Minute Manager. “You’re a what?”

The manager laughed and said, “I’m a One Minute Manager. I call myself that because it takes very little time for me to get very big results from people.”

…likewise, it will take you very little time to read this excellent book, and get your own very big results from it! Enjoy.

Book List, The One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard, Spenser Johnson, Reading to Lead

We’ve recently highlighted business books that profile leaders and successful business traits.  But if you want some great insight on what NOT to do in a corporate environment, look no further than “The Smartest Guys in the Room” by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind.

McLean and Elkind provide an extensive account of what went wrong with the former Fortune 500 energy company, and how they took out accounting powerhouse Arthur Andersen in the process.  They look at the biographies of all the major players as well, such as:

- CEO Kenneth Lay, whose ‘weakness allowed [his] greedy lieutenants to run amok’.

- Jeff Skilling, the Chief Operating Officer who fatefully introduced the mark-to-market accounting practices that eventually lead to Enron’s demise.

- Andy Fastow, who was named CFO at age 36 by Skilling.  He is described by various colleagues and acquaintances as “unstable emotionally”, a “take-no-prisoners political animal”, and one boss was even quoted as saying, “I don’t know that he [Fastow] ever had a moral compass.“  Just the kind of guy that should have complete control over a company’s finances!

It’s a simply fascinating in-depth look at how greed and pride drove a corporation to completely fabricate it’s books and eventually destroy itself.  Of course, if you don’t have time this summer to read a 400+ page book on the beach, you can always see the documentary film that was made a couple of years ago.  Here’s the trailer:

Enron:  the poster child for what not to do in business.

Book List, Enron, The Smartest Guys in the Room, corporate corruption

“No young kid growing up ever dreams of someday becoming a businessman,” begins Patagonia founder and owner Yvon Chouinard. “I wanted to be a fur trapper when I grew up.”

And while he may have become a ‘reluctant businessman’, heading a retail company that made $270 million in revenues last year, Chouinard has stayed fiercely loyal to his first love; the great outdoors. For decades, Patagonia has been run not just as an environmentally conscious company, but as one that proactively fights to protect mother nature. Both the passion of this remarkable leader and his company are the subject of his autobiography Let My People Go Surfing.

Choinard takes us through his life’s journey, from joining the Southern California Falconry Club when he was 15, to creating his first hiking product in 1957; steel pitons (rope anchors), to the financial crisis he faced with Patagonia in 1991 that forced him to let go of 120 employees. Throughout his journey, we meet the people and events that shaped Chouinard’s life and style of management.

He also describes in detail his business philosophies. No matter if it’s product design, production, distribution, finances, or human resources, Chouinard is always asking pointed questions along the way: “Is it durable? Is it easy to care for and clean? Are we telling the entire story? Are we making this a fun place to work?” Of special note is the fact that Patagonia was one of the first companies to open an on-site corporate child care center back in 1984.

Even more notable is the initiative Chouinard co-founded in 2001 with Craig Mathews (owner of Blue Ribbon Flies in Montana), the 1% For The Planet Alliance. Each company that belongs to this group pledges to donate 1% of their sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. Over 500 companies are currently part of this alliance, and the list continues to grow. Or as Chouinard states in the book’s updated preface, “And so the revolution begins!”

Book List, Yvon Chouinard, Let My People Go Surfing, Patagonia, 1% For The Planet Alliance

mmmmm….forbidden donut! Well, that’s actually author Judith Bowman’s point. Her latest book focuses on the “new rules of business etiquette”, and gives professionals the tools they need to be more confident and correct in any business setting.

Here’s a review care of John Hoover, the New York Times best-selling author of How to Work for an Idiot:

“Proper business etiquette is more than making nice with people you don’t know or don’t like. Bowman demonstrates how treating other people with dignity and respect, especially in business encounters, will pay rich dividends. It’s not about you anyway. It’s about them. It takes so little to make other people more comfortable (ie: cooperative) and it means so much.”

Personally, I was able to takeaway valuable hints in every chapter; introductions, small talk, networking, attire, even travel and international etiquette. Judith even includes a handy tipping guide that can help you out in every business travel situation!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to become more polite and polished in today’s business world.

Book List, Judith Bowman, Don’t Take the Last Donut

Today I’m introducing a new regular segment here at Leadership Training Skills; that being a recommended book list. Continuing to learn throughout your career by reading business and life skills books is essential to long term growth, in my opinion. So on occasion, I’ll be passing onto you some of the books I’ve enjoyed and gained insight from throughout the years (NOTE: I am not being paid or endorsed for my recommendations).

To get things started, we might as well begin with one of the best, which is Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends & Influence People”.

Despite the fact that Mr. Carnegie published this book nearly 70 years ago, his lessons and parables still ring true today just as much as they did back then. Perhaps even more so! Mainly because the book focuses not on how to improve yourself (like most self help books), but rather, how to improve the way you interact with other people.

The book is broken down into the following basic sections:

* THREE FUNDAMENTAL TECHNIQUES IN HANDLING PEOPLE

* THE NINE WAYS TO CHANGE PEOPLE WITHOUT AROUSING RESENTMENT

It’s a great read, and essential to anyone who wants to connect with other people in the most effective and influential ways possible.

Book List, Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends & Influence People