How to get to the Top / How to become a Great Boss Jeffrey J Fox

ISBNs: 978-0-09-193542-9

978-0-09-193543-6

Published by Vermillion

American as apple pie

Jeffrey J Fox is a Harvard graduate and founder of a very successful marketing consultancy. He is part of one of the world’s top business school case studies and a best-selling author. And he is an American. Not that you would doubt it when you read these books.

I know, I’m sounding negative and that may be unfair. But then again …

There is much to commend these books. Plenty of down-to-earth, sensible advice; stories that cut to the root; rules; pithy anecdotes and more. And yet I find him difficult to warm to.

Perhaps some of his chapter titles will show what bothers me:

From ‘get to the Top’:

Juggle like Mom / Don’t put General Patton in Charge of the Mess Hall / Buzzsaw the Buzzwords / Muddy Boots are Money Boots

From ‘Great Boss’:

Groom ‘Em or Broom ‘Em / Turn Termination into Determination / “Quit” is for Scrabble / Take a bullet for the team


See what I mean; it’s all just a bit too … American. Sincerity with added schmaltz.

And the pity is the content is generally genuinely useful. So, if you can stand the style, you will get plenty for your money – 55 tips from ‘get to the Top’ and 50 from ‘Great Boss’. At £7.99 (less on Amazon?) that has to be a bargain.

Sticky Wisdom

Published by Capstone

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

The revolution starts here

How would you like to switch on your ‘creativity’ any time you wanted? Or help everyone in your organisation (your life!) be more creative? According to the unnamed authors (all staff members of the organisation ?What If!) there is a step-by-step how-to-do-it guide – and Sticky Wisdom the book is it!

There are, the book tells us, six behaviours that can be seen in all creative people and teams;

Freshness
Greenhousing
Realness
Momentum
Signalling
Courage

Unsurprisingly, Sticky Wisdom is divided into six chapters (plus an introduction, a ‘call to arms’ and an index) that explore the behaviours and guide the reader towards their implementation.

Is this just another book of to do lists? Not entirely; though it contains lists a plenty. Let’s face it, we would all like a simple template that could be applied and provide instant positive results. Not only for creativity but for all the other challenges that face us in life and business. So the authors have tapped into a universal desire for quick fixes. However they are codifying what their organisation does, very successfully, for a number of impressive clients; Microsoft and ICI for example. While I don’t imagine either of these organisations is completely immune from snake-oil salesman their presence on the client list does make the arguments put forth at least worth spending a little time on.

Like the company the authors work for, Sticky Wisdom is a bit off-the-wall but a good read and with some interesting ideas that could make a big difference if you are prepared to put in the not inconsiderable effort that will be needed. Proving yet again that there is not really any short cut to success beyond winning a lottery, Sticky Wisdom has found a space on my bookshelf.

Drop Dead Brilliant, Lesley Everett

Published by McGraw-Hill

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

So, how’s your brand looking?

“I never really found what I truly wanted to do and what I’m good at until I was 30!” Well, thank goodness that Ms Everett did not stick with the law or software development, two of her earlier careers, because then we would have been deprived of her significant input into the topic of personal branding.

Keynote speaker, media personality and branding coach, Lesley is an international businesswoman who distils the essence of her considerable knowledge into her latest book.

As Lesley says, “You have a brand whether you are aware of it or not.” The job of this book is to help you make the most of that brand.

Nothing is overlooked; from style tips to nasal hair to casual ‘power’ by way of body talk, real talk and self-selling, Lesley leaves no pin ungilded, no shirt unpressed, no shoe unpolished, no stone unturned.

With plenty to think about for both sexes (despite the cover picture this book is for women too), you will learn what to wear and how to wear it for every occasion and how to create, or recreate, your personal ‘package’. You’ll learn about interviews and presentations, including those dreaded TV and videoconference sessions and you’ll pick up some tips on vocal quality as well. There is even advice for dealing with other cultures.

By the end of these 200 pages you will be ready to create a new image, perhaps a new you – you will certainly have all the tools necessary. (Me, forget the business world - I’m really looking forward to not hearing my wife say, “You’re not thinking of going out looking like that, are you?” ever again!)

Branding Your Business, James Hammond

Published by Kogan Page

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

Better brand building

Effective branding is critical; you do have a brand, whether you are aware of it or not – the question is, does your brand enhance your business?

James Hammond is a practical man who has produced a practical book on branding that will actually help the smaller business with little or no budget for something as esoteric as ‘brand building’.

How does he do it? He begins by examining in some depth what a brand really is. This is the beginning of a step-by-step process in which the reader gets to examine his/her current brand and (re)create it to better effect.

Mr Hammond applies his quarter century plus of brand management experience to the task of educating us in the concepts, the language and the practicalities of building a successful brand and communicating it to the client. Frequent references to human psychology and numerous real-world examples make this an interesting as well as informative volume.

Probably the most important idea in the book is the ‘Brand Halo’ – in itself a superb example of branding. Adopting the premise that you don’t have to get everything right all of the time, the author leads us through the creation of the ‘Brand Storybook’, ‘Brand Reflections’, ‘BrandEmotions’ and a few other trademarked expressions culminating in the ‘BrandBite’, a kind of sophisticated elevator pitch.

Persuasively written, well argued and very readable, this is probably the most useful book on the topic I have come across.