Summary:
Jeffrey Gitomer’s latest book, Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, provides readers with the basic building blocks for developing a lifelong positive attitude. Although one cannot always control the events that happen, one can still control one’s outlook and attitude. This book deals with learning how to deal with people and external events in a consistently positive manner. Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude covers:

• attitude awareness
• actions that result in positive attitude changes
• attitude achievement
• how to continuously maintain a positive attitude

Pros: Effective, easy-to-use tips for readers to begin developing a lifelong positive attitude. Good examples for turning negative events into positive outcomes.

Cons: The book uses a creative variety of font styles and font sizes, including page inserts, which made it difficult for me to discern where one section ends and the next section begins.

Recommendation: Overall, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude is a good motivational work for putting readers on the path to achieving a positive attitude.

The 10th Law (‘The One’):
Simplicity is about subtracting from the obvious,
and adding to the meaningful.

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

“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.

“How do you design an idea that sticks?” – Made to Stick

Think about a moment when you were trying to get an idea across to someone. Think about how you approached the situation, what skills you used, what words you said, and the techniques you used. Were you successful? Was the person responsive to your message? Did your idea ‘stick’ with them?

If your idea didn’t ‘stick’ with your audience then you’ll need to change your technique. You don’t need expensive training or to attend a seminar to learn it either. Your aid can be found in one of the best business books to be released this year – “Made to Stick”.

You face the situation above more than you probably imagine. Every person deals with trying to get a message or idea across to others. If you are a teacher you face the situation weekly. Any time you present new information to students your end goal is to get the idea(s) to resonate with them and not just through rote memorization. You want your information to ‘stick’. You want your students to have “aha!” moments. Moments that change student’s perspectives. In business it’s the same scenario. There are circumstances when you need to ‘sell’ ideas. Bosses, customers, fellow co-workers – there are no boundaries to communicating your message. You need an effective method to craft your ideas. Ministers with gospels to share, historians with facts, cab drivers with advice, the list is endless who can benefit from getting their message to ‘stick’.

“Our interest is how effective ideas are constructed – what makes some ideas to stick and others disappear.” – Made to Stick

After reading the ‘Tipping Point‘ by Malcolm Gladwell two brothers Chip Heath (a Stanford Business school professor) and Dan Heath (a corporate education consultant at Duke) were inspired by Gladwell’s top selling book. Gladwell spoke of the innovations that cause the ‘tipping point’ are due to their ‘stickiness’. The Heath brothers take the extra step to find out what exactly causes ideas to be ‘sticky’. How are they constructed? After extensive research they found that the ideas that ‘stick’ (i.e. Jared from Subway, Urban Legends, JFK’s call to put a man on the moon) all share the following six principles (with a chapter dedicated to each principle):

Simple – Find the core of your idea. This isn’t done by ‘dumbing it down’; this is done by finding what is essential to your message. Strip your idea down to the bare essential.

Unexpected – Get peoples attention. Attract it. Hold it. How? Through surprise. Break people’s ‘guessing machine’ and then repair it.

Concrete – Concrete is memorable. Abstract is not. Make your idea like Velcro. Hook them through concreteness.

Credible – Help people believe. Honesty and trustworthiness should be glorified. Use authorities and anti-authorities. Vivid details boost credibility. If possible, use statistics that generate a human context. Use the “Sinatra Test”.

Emotional – Make people care. Associate ideas with emotions that already exist in others. Bridge the emotional gap between your idea (that they don’t care about – yet) with something they already are emotional or care about. Place emphasis on benefits!

Story – Get people to act. Use stories as stimulation (tell people how to act). Use stories as inspiration (give people energy to act).

There are villains in the whole scheme of creating “sticky” ideas – one of them being The Curse of Knowledge. Once we know something, we find it difficult to recall what it was like not to know. The authors put you in the situation of experiencing the Curse of Knowledge perfectly. Try it yourself. Go get a friend. Think of a song and tap it out with your finger. Ask them to guess the song. To you it seems utterly ridiculous that they can’t guess it. But that’s because you have the song playing in your head. You don’t know what it’s like to be in that situation unless you switch roles. This is the exact situation you face when trying to express your ideas and messages to fresh minds. It’s the Curse of Knowledge. Don’t worry though, the Heath brothers will play superhero and show you how to navigate around this villian.

Each chapter contains ‘clinics’ or helpful case studies to show the principle in use. They are the icing on the cake because examples are bountifully placed throughout the text.

You will find “Made to Stick”in the business section of your local bookstore but don’t let its store location fool you. If you find yourself needing to communicate important ideas and messages – no matter what you do in life - this book will no doubt be a benefit to you. The Heath brothers claim that “Made to Stick” is no silver bullet for getting ideas to stick, but it’s pretty damn close!

Some more goodies:

• Made to Stick Blog
• Today Show Interview
• Are you Sticky? - Time article highlighting Made to Stick
• Marketing Made Sticky - Inc. feature

Have you ever attended an industry or networking event where you met lots of people, received a stack of business cards, but did not make any lasting connections? What if you had a compass for establishing rich relationships based on human nature the next time you attended such an event?



Jeffrey Gitomer’s “Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships” provides readers with a step-by-step approach for establishing rich relationships. The author offers a combination of practical advice for connecting with people and more general insight into human behavior.

According to the author, successfully establishing rich relationships involves:

• identifying who you already know
• defining your goals for connecting
• identifying people that can help you achieve these goals
• most importantly, providing value first so that people are inclined to want to connect with you

Once you have identified the people you would like to connect with, the author provides tips how to go about establishing relationships with them.

Pros: Provides a valuable step-by-step approach for establishing rich relationships based on human nature.

Cons: The chapters use a variety of text formats and font sizes, which can take time for readers to get used to.

Recommendation: A must-read for anyone interested in improving their ability to connect with others. Little Black Book of Connections is a great book describing the do’s and don’t of establishing lasting relationships.

After an encounter with a coworker or family member have you ever resorted to silence while thinking, “That person WANTED to hurt my feelings!” Or maybe someone has made a comment that made your blood boil and set you fuming with rage. How did you handle difficult situations? Want to know an efficient way to resolve these conflicts?



The group of Patterson, Grenny, McMilan, and Switzler spells out an amazing method for handling such Crucial Confrontations. Patterson et al argue that poor confrontations happen all the time – but they do not have to be that way. And in case you’re pessimistic, their methodologies are based on over twenty years of research and first-hand experience with the world’s best confrontation and conversation holders.

Their methods boil down to a few key steps:

Work on Me First:
Figure out if the conversation is worth having, and if so, ask yourself, “Why would a reasonable person have said or done what he did?” You may start to understand the other person’s point of view a little better.

Confront with Safety:
The most CRUCIAL part of the process. People can’t be honest and open to change unless they feel safe – maintain a feeling of comfort throughout the confrontation and you’ll be halfway to success.

Stay Focused and Flexible:
Throughout a confrontation, the other person may bring up other issues or concerns. Be ready to field these, and, if necessary, to table current issues to discuss the new one. However, don’t forget the original problem.

Move to Action
Finally, there can be no change without a plan to monitor accountability. Provide clear and concise ways to follow up.

Learn to successfully handle crucial confrontations and you’ll be on your way to better relationships and business success! (For more info, check out the group’s website for some informative materials, including video demonstrations! — CrucialConfrontations.com)

When Americans are asked what their greatest fears entail, public speaking consistently beats out death. Think about that…more people are afraid of talking in front of people than passing from this mortal coil. Yet research shows a direct correlation between income and the amount of presentations a person gives. Overcoming the fear of public speaking and becoming adept at it has a definite financial advantage.



Carmine Gallo’s “10 Simple Secrets of the World’s Greatest Business Communicators” seeks to provide straightforward tips on how to improve everything from your delivery style to nutrition tips. (Yes, even nutrition tips.)

Analyzing the presentation styles of current business rock stars like Apple’s Steve Jobs and Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Gallo points to the importance of using passion and vision to immediately hook audiences. He also advises readers to generously sprinkle in interesting stories as a way to hold an audience’s attention throughout. This dovetails nicely with what Daniel Pink mentions in “A Whole New Mind.”

While the book’s advice is very straightforward, you should read it for the exercises at the end of each chapter. It’s rare for a business book to be an interactive experience - by having to brainstorm and apply the lessons of each chapter you can build a basic presentation skill set and be miles ahead of your peers. Gallo even provides references on his website to some of the world’s best presenters which does wonders by letting you observe a sensei in battle.

One topic I wish the author would have explored in a little more detail is how some of these superstar speakers overcome and deal with their nervousness. Gallo does recommend preparation as the best panacea but I have an upcoming presentation to a tough audience and no matter how hard I’ve worked on it, I still feel a twinge of anxiety every time I think about it.

Gallo finishes out with plenty of encouragement and the idea that a good presenter can be molded over time.

“10 Simple Secrets of the World’s Greatest Business Communicators” is a great book for anyone looking to develop or further hone the all important skill of presenting. If careers can be made in a moment, make sure you are prepared to present your case convincingly.

“Rule #1″, by Phil Town is a great introduction to value investing for the beginning to intermediate investor who is interested in a do-it-yourself approach. Rule #1 is aimed at investors who would have the time (and interest) to research their own stocks. The author describes an approach that combines Peter Lynch’s “buy what you know” principle with Warren Buffett’s and Ben Graham’s value investing approach.



Rule #1 explains how to identify quality companies in industries/areas you are most familiar with to identify target companies to research in more detail. Once you have identified a target list of companies, the author provides a step-by-step approach for evaluating the company’s growth potential and calculating the fair value estimate for the stock. Once you have calculated a stock’s fair price, simply wait for the opportunity to buy it for 50-cents on the dollar, to provide a sufficient safety cushion.

The steps help readers identify the fair value estimate for a stock, and then you can determine if the current asking price (i.e. stock quote) is a good deal or a bad deal.

Pros: Good intro to value investing. Provides more detailed step-by-step explanation than some of the other value investing books out there.

Cons: The author discusses buying and selling stock when the institutional investors do so in order to minimize risk. However, this approach causes investors to incur brokerage commission fees, which can add up over time.

Recommendation: Overall, Rule #1 is a great read for the do-it-yourself investor and a good introduction to value investing.

From time to time I come across some articles which I think are worth a read. This months HBS Working Knowledge has published an article titled “When Not to Trust Your Gut” by Max H. Bazerman and Deepak Malhotra. The article discusses when not to use your intuition when making decisions. We can find our leaders at the highest level of government (President Bush) and corporations basing major decisions on intuition. Bazerman and Malhotra explain the two systems of thought patterns:

“System 1 thought describes our intuition: quick, automatic, effortless, and influenced by emotion. By comparison, System 2 thought is slower, more conscious, effortful, and logical.”

Although the article leans towards negotiation tactics, it lesson applies to all areas in life. Although some intuition shall play in your decision making, you should strive to base the decision from your System 2 thinking and not one System 1.

Sorry for the lack of posts….I’ve been in the aurduous process of moving from NY to IL! Some book reviews are on the way!

Tom Peters (read bio), the biz guru/knowledge broker/sensei of insights, is one of the most respected individuals in the business world. His insights are refreshing, original, and best of all - free. In this day and age of the ’scarcity mentality’, many charge for what he provides at no cost. Don’t cringe when you hear the word PowerPoint either. PowerPoint, the word that has become synonymous with ‘nap time’, doesn’t apply to Tom’s presentations. Read through one and you’ll see what I mean. Here are some of my favorites (all links open up to PowerPoint’s - right click to save):

• Them-Us
• Work Matters - “When was the last time you asked, ‘What do I want to be?’ ”
• Excellence - “It gets back to planning versus acting: We act from day one; others plan how to plan—for months.”
• Mini Presentations - “CEOs have little effect on performance”
• TP’s small business lessons - “Never attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche business and lukewarm customers.)”

More FREE stuff can be found at his site tompeters!.com

Rajesh Setty, author of “Life Beyond Code“, which was reviewed here on BizBookTalk has authored a new e-book, “When You Can’t Earn An MBA: Thoughts On Getting Ahead Without An MBA“. Going for a MBA takes both time and money, and for some, it’s just not feasible. Don’t worry though, many get away without obtaining one and Rajesh offers some insights on how to do so.

Get Rajesh’s ebook here (opens to PDF)

Check out Rajesh’s site for his blog, book information, and other e-books.

“The Power of Charm: How to Win Anyone Over In Any Situation”, by Brian Tracy and Ron Arden can be read in one afternoon, but its lessons can last a lifetime. If you aren’t satisfied with your communication skills, this book is a good primer on areas where you may need tweaking.