Marc Levinson, an economist and former correspondent for The Economist, has written a historical look at the shipping container and its impact on the global economy. Backed by extensive research, ‘The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger’ tells the story of how the ‘father of containerization’ Malcom McLean’s innovation of containerized shipping was revolutionary to the shipping business. The container technology allowed massive savings in freight costs, inventory costs, and allowed supply chains to expand beyond their original limits. As these supply chains grew more and more reliable, the global economy was able to expand at a steady and swift pace. The two most distinct effects of containerization: Asia’s rise as a manufacturing power and influx of low costs goods to America. There would be no Wal-Mart without the shipping container.

“In telling the remarkable story of containerization, this book represents an attempt to fill a historical void. It treats containerization not as shipping news, but as a development that has sweeping consequences for workers and consumers all around the globe. Without it, the world would be a very different place.” The Box

Chapters have been broken down into subjects (such as “The Trucker,” and “The Battle for New York’s Port”) for quick reference. The one complaint with “The Box” are the sections where Marc goes into ‘industry detail’. It may seem a bit monotonous and maybe over the top for the average reader. You won’t lose the big picture though by skipping through these sections and reading ahead. Fans of The Economist will feel at home with Marc’s writing.

More Goodies:

• Video interview with Marc Levinson
• The Box Is King - MSNBC article on how the shipping container has revolutionized commerce
• Getting into the box - ChainLink Research, a supply chain research company interviews Marc

Think Two Products Ahead: Secrets the Big Advertising Agencies Don’t Want You to Know and How to Use Them for Bigger Profits by Ben Mack (Publication Date: January 29th, 2007)

Ben Mack, who is a sales & marketing expert and seasoned ‘ad-man’ provides his insight on the do’s and do not’s of branding. The book is catered to the smaller business owner teaching you how to run brand campaigns on any budget.

From the Inside Flap:

Branding is something you probably only think of in terms of household names and huge conglomerates. But branding isn’t just for the big boys; smart branding is smart business for almost any company, no matter its size. In Think Two Products Ahead, ad agency insider Ben Mack reveals all the branding secrets the pros keep to themselves so you can put branding to work in your business, large or small.

First, Mack destroys the myth that branding is your logo or your color palette. Then, he demonstrates how great branding works, so you won’t waste your money on marketing that gets you nowhere. You’ll learn a practical, commonsense approach to marketing that empowers you to develop your own brand with the same techniques and technologies the big players use—but without breaking the bank. In fact, the less you spend on marketing the more important these tools are to your success.

Branding isn’t magic. Not since Jay Levinson’s original Guerrilla Marketing book has an insider really spilled the beans and taught you how to use the professional grade tools that are so simple they work automatically. Think Two Products Ahead reveals inside secrets that make branding work for marketing budgets of any size—so you can grow your business faster and stronger than you imagined. When it comes to your brand, this insider’s guide proves that if you aren’t thinking two products ahead, you’re hardly thinking at all.

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordan (Publication Date: January 22nd, 2007)

Jon Gordan is an energy coach. Energy Coach? Huh? That was my exact thoughts when I saw the author’s website. Sure enough if you Google ‘energy coach’ his website is the third link listed. What does an energy coach do? They help develop programs like the The Positive Energy Program, which helps parents and teachers develop healthy, positive kids. They also write books such as this one – how to incorporate positive energy into everyday problems. Grab a cup of coffee for this one.

From the books website:

In the mode of other best selling business fables The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home. Everyone faces challenges. And every person, organization, company and team will have to overcome negativity and adversity to define themselves and create their success. No one goes through life untested and the answer to these tests is positive energy—the kind of positive energy consisting of vision, trust, optimism, enthusiasm, purpose, and spirit that defines great leaders and their teams. Drawing upon his experience and work with thousands of leaders, sales professionals, teams, non-profit organizations, schools, and athletes, Gordon infuses this engaging story with keen insights, actionable strategies and a big dose of positive infectious energy.

You Call the Shots: Succeed Your Way– And Live the Life You Want– With the 19 Essential Secrets of Entrepreneurship by Cameron Johnson (Publication Date: January 9th, 2007)

Young serial entrepreneur Cameron Johnson shares his secrets for the entrepreneurial life. Many may have to swallow their pride by taking advice from a 22 year old, but Cameron has started, run, and sold 12 ‘successful’ companies (many of them Internet based) by the age of 21. This book should be an interesting read for those with entrepreneurial dreams.

Book Description:

Why work for someone else when you can call your own shots, pursue your dreams, and find success on your terms by starting your own business? So many people end up bored with their jobs, stuck in the corporate grind, never following their true passions. As wildly successful young entrepreneur Cameron Johnson shows, you don’t have to live that way. We’ve entered a new age of entrepreneurship, with the Web making it easier than ever to start and run your own company. As Johnson’s remarkable story reveals, the entrepreneurial way of life is a great way to make sure you love what you do — and it offers the potential to achieve extraordinary success by following your gut instincts and going for what you really want.

The Carrot Principle: How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their Employees, Retain Talent, and Drive Performance by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton (Publication Date: January 2nd, 2007)

Adrian Gostick, an employee motivation expert and managing director of The Carrot Culture Group, a consulting and training division of O.C. Tanner Recognition Company, and Chester Elton a Vice President of performance recognition with the same company have teamed up to promote the ‘Carrot Culture’. What are their principles? That recognition is the most effective way to engage employees, retain talent, and accelerate the performance of teams. I found a useful guide on ‘How to Recognize’ employees on their website. Forward it on to your boss if you are feeling under appreciated!

From the Inside Flap:
The Carrot Principle reveals the groundbreaking result of one of the most in-depth management studies ever taken, showing definitively that the central characteristic of the most successful managers is they provide their employees with frequent and effective recognition (if happen to do the opposite, fail to provide recognition to others, you are following one of the habits which prevents further success. This is discussed in “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” which was last Friday’s giveaway)

This week we are giving away 3 copies of “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall has been an executive coach to over 70 CEO’s and is one of the leading authorities on helping leaders succeed in making positive changes. This is book is a popular item at #30 on Amazon.com’s top selling list.

From Publishers Weekly:

Goldsmith, an executive coach to the corporate elite, pinpoints 20 bad habits that stifle already successful careers as well as personal goals like succeeding in marriage or as a parent. Most are common behavioral problems, such as speaking when angry, which even the author is prone to do when dealing with a teenage daughter’s belly ring. Though Goldsmith deals with touchy-feely material more typical of a self-help book—such as learning to listen or letting go of the past—his approach to curing self-destructive behavior is much harder-edged. For instance, he does not suggest sensitivity training for those prone to voicing morale-deflating sarcasm. His advice is to stop doing it. To stimulate behavior change, he suggests imposing fines (e.g., $10 for each infraction), asserting that monetary penalties can yield results by lunchtime. While Goldsmith’s advice applies to everyone, the highly successful audience he targets may be the least likely to seek out his book without a direct order from someone higher up. As he points out, they are apt to attribute their success to their bad behavior. Still, that may allow the less successful to gain ground by improving their people skills first.

To be entered into today’s book giveaway, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” (3 copies available) answer this question:

Comment by 9pm CST today and be entered to win! 3 winners will be randomly selected.

Update: Winners have been selected!

Adam from Houston, Tx
Rajesh from Cherry Hill, NJ
Liz from San Francisco, CA

Congrats all and thanks to Yolanda from FSB Associates!

It’s no secret that reaching a technical audience is challenging for marketers in the B2B world. Engineers and scientists are skeptical of the typical copywriting fluff that fills up print ads and websites. This group has little tolerance for emotional ads that are intrusive.

So, how do you court this crowd?

Give them information in a straightforward editorial style and cut the marketing hype. Study after study is showing that key decision makers will not only read a white paper but also pass it on to another colleague. This can bring about something you rarely hear anything about…viral marketing for engineers!

Technical white papers are not a new idea but are being reexamined as a way to communicate product information in an editorial voice and in turn generate leads. Michael Stelzner’s Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged offers straightforward tips on how to write a white paper and most importantly ensure that it gets it read.

His chapter regarding interviews is worth a close look, especially for anyone tasked with the difficult challenge of taking the information the product engineers provide and making it into interesting prose. Product specs do not make for easy reading and key decision makers most likely will not have the familiarity or interest for gobbledygook. The skilled white paper writer will know how to blend the conversational and the technical into a decent product.

Stelzner covers the gambit from tricks for research using search engine caches to marketing the white paper itself. Pointers like picking a sticky title and busting through writer’s block are covered as well. A couple samples of white papers close out the book giving the reader a chance to see how everything comes together.

A veteran of freelance technical writing, Stelzner’s blog has multiple tips on how to write for and get along with all clients. Make it part of your morning routine if your in the B2B marketing world.

Winners of the copies of “Made to Stick”:

Michael from Canada
Frank from Seattle, WA
Sarah from Durham, NC
Nicholas from Raleigh NC
Michael from Methuen MA
Ashley from Alpharetta, GA
Sheridan from Dallas, TX
Andrew from Durham, NC
Lauren from DC
Ryan from Somerville, MA

Thanks for everyone participating! And especially thanks to Sabrina from Random House!

Don’t forget to check back this Friday (January 26th) we have another great book up for grabs!

It’s tough to escape the complexity we face in our lives. Think about a simple trip to the supermarket. The aisles are filled with store brands, name brands, low fat this, and carb free that. The simple task of finding healthy foods can be overwhelming. While choice in itself is good, too many choices are a hindrance in the decision process. People don’t handle a multitude of options well. If this argument sounds familiar, it is because the theory has been argued in the book The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More.

Too many choices are just one example of the complexity we face in our lives.

In John Maeda’s book, The Laws of Simplicity (Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life) the theme is simplicity equals sanity. These laws are John’s attempt to simplify the various areas of our lives: from the design of the products we use and the technology devices we love to our work and personal lives. A short and simple read (the book is 100 pages), The Laws of Simplicity is for those who seek refuge from complexity.

The 10th Law, titled ‘The One’ (which you will find at the beginning of this post) sums up the entire set of laws. There are three keys to this law. They are as follows:

Key 1:

More seems like less by simply moving it far, far away.

The design of the Google homepage is an excellent example. The simple search input textbox on their homepage is the doorway to the complex world of the Internet.

Key 2:

Openness simplifies complexity.

Innovation can be a complex process. The old top down model of innovation is increasingly becoming marginalized (that is, if you want to stand out from competition). As we learn in Mavericks at Work, companies that democratize the innovation process hold an advantage. Threadless, an online designer t-shirt company, is a model ‘open’ business. They thrive on their community of loyal fans to create the Threadless t-shirt designs. Fans submit designs they have created, the community votes on which ones they like, and the winning designs are applied to t-shirts for sale. They have taken the complex process of design and opened it up to the user community.

Key 3:

Use less, gain more.

A routine practice of the author helps explain this key: instead of powering his laptop through a wall plug, he uses his battery for stand alone power. This will enable you to be at the mercy of the battery charge – and hopefully inspire you to be more productive with the remaining charge you have left. When your battery has less power available to use, the goal is that you will gain more because you will stay on task and not become a victim to procrastination. Try it next time you are pressed to get something done. It could end up becoming an effective way to be productive.

At the end of the book you’ll find suggested readings for each law he has created. That list contains some best sellers such as The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki.

Bottom line: This book would be useful for anyone interested in incorporating simplicity into their lives. It’s one of the few books you can find on this subject. Those with design backgrounds would benefit reading The Laws of Simplicity as well. From time to time, everyone needs the reminder that less is more.

The Laws of Simplicity is a static moment in John Maeda’s effort to master simplicity. He continues this endeavor online at his blog, lawsofsimplicity.com. Check it out for ongoing discussions of simplicity.

More Goodies:

• Maeda’s Simplicity - John’s blog / scratch pad of thought regarding the theme of SIMPLICITY.
• Harvard Book Store Interview - John talks about design and simplification - good read
• Fireside Chat - John Maeda and Diego Rodriguez have a round table discussion on Simplicity

Mass collaboration (think Wikipedia, and the term Web 2.0) on the web is and has been a hot topic for the past few years. Time magazines recent crowning of You as Person of the Year (read the article here) is just one example of media attention this topic is receiving. One thing that is for sure is this social phenomenon is changing the face of business. One of the latest releases on this subject, “Wikinomics” sets out to argue the benefits of the open source, mass collaboration model for businesses.

The authors are now organizing The Wikinomics Playbook: A Peer-Produced Guide to Business in the 21st Century. From the Wikinomics.com website:

“Wikinomics has 11 chapters, but only ten have yet been written. Chapter 11, The Wikinomics Playbook, will be written by you: a community of readers and experts like yourself who will share ideas about how to embed key Wikinomics concepts and principles in 21st century organizations and business enterprises.

Like Wikipedia, The Wikinomics Playbook will run a wiki: a revolutionary piece of software that enables anyone (including relative novices) to collaboratively edit the content of a Web page. Whether you’re a world renown expert in your field or an aspiring business school student you’ll have the opportunity to help write the definitive guide to strategy and value creation in the new era of mass collaboration.”

The wiki is set to open to the public Feburary 5th. Keep that date in mind if you are interested in collaborating.

Related Links:

• We Are Smarter Than Me - MIT Center for Collective Intelligence is publishing a collaborative book on how the emergence of community and social networks will change the future rules of business.
• Collective Intelligence blog - Not updated that frequently, but contains information surrounding CI
• What is Web 2.0? - Technology guru Tim O’Reily explains the concepts behind the ‘new’ version of the Internet

Books related to this subject:

• Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge by Cass R. Sunstein
• Collective Intelligence: Mankind’s Emerging World in Cyberspace by Pierre Levy, Robert Bononno
• The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom by Yochai Benkler
• The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few by James Surowiecki
• The Tao of Democracy: Using Co-Intelligence to Create a World That Works for All by Tom Atlee, Rosa Zubizarreta

“Your life is a creation. It is a work of art no less than the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or the giant statue of Gomateshwara at Sravanabelagola. You are the artist. All works of art first come into being in the mind of the craftsman. This book is an invitation to you to explore and define what you want to create.”

The above paragraph that I cited from the Introduction of the book defines exactly what this book is about and what the philosophy it espouses can do for you. This is a truly outstanding book on personal development which can greatly impact your outlook and attitude towards life.

The premise of the book is that our own reality is based on the carefully constructed mental models that we follow. These mental models are merely made up of our perceptions, not facts. Thus by altering our mental models, we can alter our reality, thereby creating a life that is richer and more fulfilling. It is our beliefs and mindset that produce our world and when these variables lie in our hands, why not make our life a truly positive and uplifting experience.

Here is a good definition of what mental models mean from the book. “A ‘mental model’ is a notion we have of how the world works, of how things ought to be done or are done.”

At the outset, let me tell you that absorbing the wisdom of this book will not change your life overnight. The author himself does not proclaim this; however, what it will do according to the author, if you give it a chance, is launch you on a journey of awareness and growth that will take years, decades and maybe even a lifetime. After reading the book, I completely agree with that assessment. There are wonderful exercises in every chapter, which if followed studiously, will set you on path to true growth and self-discovery.

The book is based on a very popular course that Dr Srikumar S. Rao teaches at Columbia business school called “Creativity and Personal Mastery”. You can see the full 63-page syllabus of the course online at course website. It’s possible to get a good sense of what the book is all about by reading the full syllabus. Dr. Rao also maintains a website with his course and the book as the main theme at http://www.areyoureadytosucceed.com.

Below is my futile attempt to capture the essence of the book in a couple of pages. If you go through the syllabus in the link above and it appeals to you, I strongly recommend buying the book. It is worth every penny.

• An Ideal Life.
  The book starts out with a beautiful chapter on ideal life. To highlight the preciousness of life, here is a short paragraph from this chapter.

“Life is short. And Uncertain. It is like a drop of water skittering around a lotus leaf. You never know when it will drop off the edge and disappear. So each day is far too precious to waste. And each day that you are not radiantly alive and brimming with cheer is a day wasted.”

The author identifies three things that we all can contribute towards that will make this world a better place:

1. Individual attitudinal change. Recognition that humankind and the universe are bound together and we do not function in isolation. Personal aggrandizement at the expense of others is counterproductive and that greed is neither good for us or for the society.
2. Organizational Structural change. Deems the current organizational structures as inadequate and unsuited for the modern era of instant multilevel communication and individuality. Hopeful to see something emerge out of the current chaos that lets the employees seek autonomy, personal growth and an ability to revel in their individualities.
3. Societal value change.
   Recommends we as a society change what we honor and look up to the right leaders and models. As an example the author cites that the real change comes when we, as a society, celebrate a teacher who builds championship chess teams from given-up-for-lost ghetto kids more than a drug-ingesting pugilist. The author contends that too many of our business leaders, athletes and politicians are poor role models, interested solely in power and wealth and that our index for measuring success by material accumulation needs to change.

Another underlying theme in the book is against the quest for more in pursuit of happiness. The author contends that there is nothing wrong in seeking more or wanting more or enjoying more, but believing that any of this will bring more happiness is a pervasive myth that most of us believe in.

• It Ain’t Real.
  In this chapter the author explains how we are all prisoners of our own mental models that we accept as the absolute truth and reality. Mental models are merely made up of perceptions, not facts. By changing these mental models you have the ability to step into an alternate reality that is much different than what you are currently experiencing. We know that all persons perceive the world in a unique way and in many occasions we do try to see things from other person’s perspective. The author contends that the real power lies in turning this principle inside out by looking within us to see if there is an alternate truth.

• It’s mental chatter, and it’s real.
  Constant mental chatter is a reality for everyone and in most cases it never stops; it follows you from the moment you wake up to the time you doze off. Most prevalent in this chatter is your voice of judgment, which is constantly judging your own self and others through a critical lense.Your mental model is built based on this constant mental chatter. Being aware of this constant mental chatter, you are more aware of your judgments and distractions and in turn, you are more in control of your perception of reality.

• You can’t kill it and it won’t shut up! The witness is your salvation.
  There is not much you can do about the mental chatter, it is impossible to stop it. The mental chatter and the mental models that we rely on feed on each other to create the reality that we live in. Your ability to witness and be aware of your mental chatter and models is the key to gaining control over your reality. This dispassionate observer of your mental chatter is your witness and having this witness as your constant companion will bring change in your perceptions.

• You can Change the universe.
  The author subscribes to the benevolent universe theory and believes that the universe is a conscious entity. Since the universe is a conscious entity that is intimately intertwined with your own self, when you change, so does the universe. If you reaffirm your faith in the goodness of the universe, it would act to protect you and give you what you desire. The author sums up the way in which you can influence the universe by the law of increase, and it is stated as follows: “Whatever you are truly grateful for and appreciate will increase in your life”. To borrow a phrase I read elsewhere that pertains to the benevolent universe theory, coincidence is what the dictionary calls it; a miracle is how life reads it. This particular chapter is a gem, and grasping the essence of this is critical to understanding the message in this book.

• Your ‘me-centered’ universe creates the stress in your life.
  Building on the concepts of the earlier chapter that espouses a benevolent universe theory, the author exhorts us to get out of our “me-centered” universe in which everything we do is in some way a monument to “I” and “me”. Stress in our lives is due to our expectations on how the universe and others ought to behave and conform to our expectations. The author suggests a solution to this problem by requesting you surrender to the universe by detaching yourself from the outcome of your actions. Moreover the author suggests practicing the notion of “other-centered” universe.

• Freedom and Happiness: They ain’t what you think.
  The author suggests that we expand the notion of freedom from our current connotations of what the concept means. Freedoms to us usually mean the ability to speak, worship, and assemble without fear; the right to bear arms, make up our own minds, chose our mates etc. The author feels we do not pursue an equally worthy freedom, that is ‘Freedom from the constant desire for “more”‘. As for happiness, we all think having certain things will make us happy, like wealth, a great spouse, the ability to travel, good health, fame, power, great sex, interesting work etc.The author dispels this myth and contends that happiness is innate and we do not need any of those things in order to be happy. There is nothing we have to do, or get, in order to be happy; we simply need to let this integral innate nature surface within.

• You always act in your self-interest – Everyone does!
  The author states the law of self-interest as follows: “Everybody, at all times, ALWAYS acts in his or her perceived self-interest.” This truth, according to the author, is a law of nature that is as solid as the law of gravity. By being fully aware of this truth, people can set down the two constant boulders they carry throughout life, namely Guilt and Blame. You can set the boulder of blame down, if you accept this truth, because you know that the people and actions that you blame are nothing but actions taken in their perceived best self-interest. Similarly the guilt and regret you carry will be dropped when you realize that whatever you did in the past was a result of acting in your perceived self-interest. Learn from your mistakes and move on; there is never any turning back on the path of life. In this chapter there is also very valuable information on how you can use these principles to make your work fun and fulfilling.

• You create your world from what is inside you.
  In this chapter, the author asserts the truth that our life is shaped based on what’s inside us. True transformation begins by discarding the painful and poisonous mental models and sticking to healthy ones. The author prescribes a mental model to transform your life, namely”Benevolent Universe Model” where the universe is a conscious and benevolent entity. You cannot forcefully believe or subscribe to new mental models, but you have to consciously cultivate them to the point where you truly believe in them. There are good exercises to set you on that path to believing in the benevolent universe model.

The book ends with a wonderful one year reading list of 12 books to be read at the pace of one a month. There is also a good supplementary list of books that are grouped under various categories like creativity and the new physics, and readings from science, business and management, life-changing books, paradigm busters and thought provokers.

Today we are giving away 5 copies, now 10 copies of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Fail. Brothers Chip Heath and Dan Heath have written an entertaining and useful guide on how to get your ideas/messages to stick with your audience. Filled with countless examples and backed by extensive research, Made To Stick is a top 100 seller on Amazon. Many are predicting it to be 2007’s Freakonomics. This book is sure to ‘stick’ with your attention.

Read our review of Made To Stick.

To be entered into today’s book “Made To Stick” giveaway (10 copies available) answer this question:

Comment and be entered to win! 5 winners will be randomly selected.
Update: now we’ll have 10 Winners! Anyone who gets there ’sticky’ message/idea in by 9pm CST will be entered to win!


Winners will selected shortly…

You don’t want to miss tomorrow’s giveaway. We are giving away 5 copies of recently released and must read book of the year,