Archive for category: Books We Love

Crossing the Chasm Book Review

Book Review: “Crossing the Chasm” by Geoffrey A. Moore

In new product marketing, we often talk about the journey of taking new products from Innovators to Early Adopters, then (hopefully) across “the chasm” to the Early and Late Majority where we make can make the most money in the product life cycle before products die off in the hands of the Laggards.

How do we get an up-and-coming product from the hands of a select few customers in the Early Adopter Phase into a much larger market? Whereas it would seem natural to get the product into the hands of multiple markets immediately, Geoffrey Moore argues that a more focused industry approach helps to efficiently gain a firmer beachhead on the other side of the chasm.

What We Like About this Book

The philosophies follow an 80/20 approach within innovation. The argument continues to be that focus breeds efficiency and success. Not that multiple tailored products to multiple tailored customers can’t work, but what really gives the best chance of success?

In particular, the discussion on positioning is extremely relevant. What’s your claim? What’s the evidence for that claim? How will you communicate it? Then adjust based on feedback. This is much easier to do focusing on a narrower market.

Any criticisms?

The examples are often based on software. The topic is extremely relevant in broader markets, but the focus in the book is clearly in that product category.

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First, Break All the Rules Book Review

Book Review: “First, Break All the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

The original book by Gallup on employee engagement and management styles launched the StrengthFinders book series and product.

What might be obvious to most people is not so obvious to others – no two employees are the same. Thus, treating employees the same will fail to get the highest level of engagement and performance from them. That’s the main rule to be broken – treating everyone the same.

End of the day – managers matter. Probably more than any other perk, benefit or development program. Great managers attract, retain and grow great people. People tend to quit managers, not jobs.

What We Like About this Book

The book starts off by looking at the 12 questions for employee engagement. We often come back to them again and again when it seems things aren’t going well with employees, or when we’re trying to take someone to the next level.

  1. Do I know what’s expected of me at work?
  2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
  3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
  4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
  5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
  6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
  7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
  8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
  9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
  10. Do I have a best friend at work?
  11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
  12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Then the book goes into more rule breaking, like spending the most time with your best people versus equally. Or not making everyone follow the same progression and steppingstones.

Any criticisms?

Hard to criticize this one. The chapters break up well, the examples are great and it’s clearly well researched.

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Radical Candor Book Review

Book Review: “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott

Is it best to be really nice to employees? When does pushing people go too far? Kim Scott takes a look at finding the balance between being pushy and being kind. Drawing her two axes for Caring Personally and Challenging Directly, she gives a review of techniques for striking the optimal balance as a manager.

What We Love About this Book

Lots of examples. Lots of techniques. Covers everything from employee meetings to career conversations. From annual reviews to decision making. If there’s a situation you might face at work, there’s likely a great example here of common pitfalls of being too nice or too aggressive and how to land in between the two extremes.

Kim Scott makes a great argument that being too nice is really doing a disservice to your team. She also shows how important it is to actively demonstrate that you care about the person as a person and not as an employee. Striking the balance allows for happy and engaged employees working in a high performing organization.

Any criticisms?

It’s geared mostly to work environments where employees are professional and have a certain level of education. The concepts do apply anywhere, but Kim Scott worked at Google and Apple, so a manager on a shop floor or in a restaurant might not find the same benefit as someone managing a professional office team.

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The Situational Leader Book Review

Book Review: “The Situational Leader” by Dr. Paul Hershey

How do you handle employees at each stage of their career development? How do you handle employees who are very experienced in some areas and then are taking on an assignment in an area much more unknown to them. Dr. Paul Hershey’s framework from 1984 is still taught in employee development programs for Fortune 500 size companies across the world. Finding an actual paper copy of this one can be a little tough, but if you can it’s a quick read loaded with great techniques.

What We Love About this Book

It really systemizes employee supervision based on the employee’s level of confidence and their skill level in what they’re doing. The framework allows directors and VPs to more easily break down employee issues with their managers and guide them through how to handle situations. Conversations like “Are they are R3 or an R4” become common and the management techniques in each situation start to flow naturally.

In addition, the book is only 125 pages with big print and diagrams. Ken Blanchard took this framework and wrote the “One Minute Manager” series, so if you’ve read those books this will look familiar.

Any criticisms?

It is a 40-year-old theory. Although we certainly still need to be more directive with very confident people that lack the skills to complete tasks, the book wasn’t written to address how to do that skillfully with today’s Gen Z and Millennials that might not receive that sort of direction well.

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The Power of Habit Book Review

Book Review: “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg

We live in a world of almost constant change, both personally and professionally. As a result, we need to be nimble and change our habits to meet the needs of today. In addition, as we look to improve our business, how do we get those stubborn folks to change their way of thinking and acting day to day?

What We Love About This Book

Great examples and techniques on driving change in organizations. Text is broken up well with illustrations and diagrams.

The discussion and repetition around cue, routine and then reward helps break down any situation, and the repeated application of that philosophy in multiple stories in the book is extremely powerful. When you feel like you’re stuck trying to break a team’s habit, going back to this always helps understand the source and make a plan to rewire.

You may have read it somewhere else, but the chapter around Paul O’Neill’s transformation of Alcoa working off the foundation of safety is an absolute must read on how to build trust with a non-trusting team.

Any criticisms?

This is a book that’s hard to criticize. The examples and concepts transcend merely business, and we find ourselves applying it in our personal lives as well as businesses. 275 pages of sage advice, with pictures to break it up.

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HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business Book Review

Book Review: “HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business” by Richard S. Ruback and Royce Yudkoff

If you’re thinking about making the move from corporate life to starting your own business, this is definitely worth a read. Just over 20% of new businesses don’t make it past the first twelve months. Buying a business can bring instant customers, cash flow and product/service infrastructure that starting from scratch doesn’t.

What We Love About This Book

It’s very non-HBR. The print is really big, it’s written in very plain English, and still manages to cover all the important technical points to consider. We would suggest that not only is it a great guide for people looking at buying a business, but it’s great when you’re to start acquiring additional businesses.

It’s also a great read to understand the key points to consider when trying to sell your business, particularly if the business is relatively small and your buyer might use the SBA program or ask you to do seller financing.

Also does a nice job of breaking down the math of how working at your job, starting a business from scratch and buying a business might play out for you financially over a 12 month period.

Any criticisms?

You do need to be ready to learn and embrace language like EBITDA, debt, equity, due diligence, etc. The book does a nice job of explaining everything along the way for the non-accounting people, but you’re still going to be learning some technical accounting and finance terms. This isn’t a marketing book – it’s about how to identify and close on the right small business deal.

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The Innovator's Dilemma Book Review

Book Review: “The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clay Christensen

If you’re an emerging business and want a playbook about how to win against your better financed, more well equipped mature competitors, this is definitely worth a read. If you’re a big business, reading this book and understanding the concepts may save you from extinction one day. Harvard University professor Clay Christensen’s look at how innovative upstarts have taken down giants is a must read.

Why Do We Love This Book

We love 80/20 at Peak. Getting focused on acquiring and growing bigger customers with tight product lines is part of our DNA. However, any philosophy, when overapplied can come back to hurt you. Think of this book as the anti-80/20 playbook. Great examples of how large companies focusing on the customers that make them the most money and focusing on giving them more of what they ask for can hurt you. Those customers are generally focused on their mature product lines today.

This book is full of examples of how ignoring product lines and technologies that seem inferior to the leading technology of the day can hit you later like a roundhouse kick to the blindside. Right now, small companies are gaining a foothold focusing on technologies that big companies think isn’t worth their time. You can be the company gaining a foothold or the company getting roundhouse kicked – which are you going to be?

Any Criticisms?

Well, it’s written by a Harvard University professor. Considering that, the stories are great, and it’s fairly readable, but to say this is written in plain “magazine level” English would be a stretch.

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Purple Cow Book Review

Book Review: “Purple Cow” by Seth Godin

Why are you different? What makes you better? If you can’t answer this, your business probably has issues. Seth Godin writes that at the end of the day, having a unique product or service that your customer understands and tells others about for you is the best advertising and marketing strategy out there. We’re overwhelmed with creative advertising every day – working that advertising channel just adds to the noise.

What We Love About this Book

You have to love Seth Godin’s books in general – always short, concise, and to the point. His books are their own Purple Cow in the business book world. Concepts are well laid out, filled with great examples, lots of pictures, and the books wraps up quickly. Godin also provides a checklist to help you on your quest to be different.

Any criticisms?

What do you do about a business in a mature, competitive market with no real differentiation? Some brief examples are given about cheap airlines and Hallmark in the book, but not great answers to solve that dilemma. I guess that’s for a future book.

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Mindset Book Review

Book Review: “Mindset” by Carol S Dweck

How do we respond to challenges and adversity? Are our skills and abilities static, or can we really do anything we set our mind to? How do we handle our legacy and succession within our business? Carol Dweck’s study at our approach to growing ourselves and our team members is an engaging look at the psychology of success.

Why we love this book

It’s well researched, and provides case studies on some well-known names that either created sustained success in their organizations or were a cult of personality leaving a vacuum in their wake. It also provides tactics for finding who has the mindset to grow, who needs an adjustment of perspective and how to get both groups to the best possible place in their lives and careers. Dweck also doesn’t mince words that when it’s clear a mindset shift is unlikely, that it’s best for the team and individual to move on.

The book also breaks up well into easy to cover portions versus long, drawn out anecdotes without breaks. Very readable, especially for a book written by a PhD.

Any criticisms

Would be nice to see a “growth mindset in business” focused version. There’s a lot of ground covered and a ton of examples across sports, parenting, business and relationships. But frankly, that’s part of what makes the concept so compelling and makes this a great read.

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Multipliers Book Review

Book Review: “Multipliers” by Liz Wiseman

Why do some people seem to attract talent wherever they go, and grow talent from the oddest places? Why are other leaders constantly churning through staff who go on to do better things elsewhere?

Liz Wiseman’s heavily researched look at Multipliers vs Diminishers takes a good hard look at why some people make the best of everything and others never seem to figure it out. Along the way, there are often surprising findings about what makes great leaders great.

Why we love this book

The examples, although mostly anonymous, seem to hit home as relevant again and again. Wiseman also illustrates the flywheels of Multipliers and Diminishers extremely well – why what they do well or terrible makes things happen again and again. She also looks at different versions of awesome, describing Multiplier types such as The Talent Magnet, The Challenger and the Debate Maker as well as their Diminisher opposites like The Empire Builder, The Know-It-All and The Decision Maker. She doesn’t pigeon hole one style as great, but draws great parallels between the successful styles.

Any criticisms

Hard to think of any on this one. I couldn’t put it down the first time I read it. I guess it would be nice to know who all the anonymous examples are.

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