Book/Culture Reviews

Our good buddy Jonathan Fields has a pretty awesome book (Cash In On Your Passion®) coming out through Random House next year. After a bit a of cajoling, his editor has endorsed a competition for the cover. If you have the time, it would be a pretty sweet portfolio piece to have designed the cover of a NY Times Bestseller. Turns out though that the general Independent community decided he was trying to pull off some evil diabolical scheme. So sadly, no luck for you. That said, if you ask me - I’d still go to his site, chat him up and send him an email. It would be a sweet opportunity to get your work on the cover and now that all those grumpy people have removed themselves, it might be yours. But that’s my 2 cents. I happen to know the guy and drink beer with him.

Help Jonathan create the cover of his new book (and win big bucks and cool prizes!)

I’ve always been a firm believer of you are what you eat. It is true with food and more so with social environments. The thoughts, ideas and media you consume shape the way you think. I remember listening to Mike Murdock at a business conference share his passion for books. His friends were giving him grief for having paid $140 dollars for a small 80 page book. Through poor genetics and a short attention span, I’ve pretty much forgotten every word he said that day. And yet over the years, I cannot forget this statement:

The author of this book took his time to put all the lessons he has learned in life into 80 pages. All his frustrations and agonies as well as his joys and tribulations. Wisdom comes from two places mistakes and mentors. If I can learn from this book and avoid one mistake, that was money well spent.

Now I have to admit that I didn’t buy his book that day, but the idea behind his statement is a powerful one. What is the wisdom of a man’s life worth? I’ve been obsessed with reading since I was a child and that obsession has grown to encompass listening to speakers. Today, I had the pleasure of listening to Carly Fiorina as she discussed change and the fundamentals of leadership. Then, I switched over to Scott Kriens, exploring the question of trends and market timing. Two amazing business talks for free.

I was meandering on itunes and finally noticed the iTunesU link (I know its been there forever). What a treasure trove! Access to some of the worlds greatest business minds, their personal stories and insights, all for free. I can’t wait to learn more. I’m so excited I just had to share.

My two favorite series so far:
Business Leaders & Entrepreneurs (38 Episodes)
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (53 Episodes)

Personal Note: I apologize for the slow posting rhythm. We are getting close to the beta of our new project, and also happen to be dragging some good friends, a client and part of our team down to El Salvador for an off site annual business meeting and social gathering. We will be gone from Friday though President’s Day and probably won’t post during that time. Have a great time you all - I’ll catch a wave in your name!

The blogosphere is attracting some great people. In September, I shared the entrepreneur blogs I read. The stuff put together by teams, with editors and money (with a few exceptions). I love those blogs because they represent a phenomenal resource for all of us who are learning how to run a business.

I have a second stash, my little private stash. The people out there writing about life, work, and business, who I personally like. Those sole individual bloggers, just telling us what they think, whether or not we care. Here’s a shout out to all of you who write because it stokes you out.
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Now don’t you feel better?

I’ve always been obsessed with books. You can get 80 years of a person’s condensed wisdom in 400 pages for twenty bucks. Amazing. And now with blogs I don’t even have to wait for the publishing process. There are a lot of people out there who write great content about all kinds of stuff. My personal passion - the process of building a company (big surprise there). As a result, I’ve developed a list of bookmarks I though might be worth sharing. I was going to write a nice little review for each one, but honestly, I’ll let them speak for themselves.
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Want to push a ton of product to a target demographic? Then follow Nike’s lead. Unwilling to settle for just one award-winning, mind-blowing, heart-thumping flash site, Nike has been assembling an armada of flash-based product demos that all come together in their hub site. What follows is a recipe for marketing success in the changing new media landscape.

Let’s say this first: I’m not a Nike rep, I don’t wear Nike shoes, sport Nike golf clubs, or own stock in Nike. I’m just a young, “plugged in” designer who’s been keeping an eye on Nike’s advances into the new media picture via a set of some pretty hot websites. It seems like a month doesn’t go by when I don’t find Nike gathering a new award or developing hype around a new product. It’s not their products that excite me, it’s their strategy.

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When I was just getting started in design, I asked one of my favorite designers what single thing I could do to improve and expand my capabilities as a designer. His answer: “Read. Read everything you can get your hands on, empty your bank account, then read some more”. Looking back on 7 years of designing, I’d have to say that was the single greatest bit of advice I ever received. So, without further ado, here’s my list of recommendations.

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It seems like all the great books I have read in the last month are saying the same things. That probably annoys those executives looking for the magic bullet, that one thing they have never heard before that could turn everything around. I personally find it both delightful and reassuring.

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I’ve been reading “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. The study examines businesses who spent a number of years with mediocre to good results, to then transform themselves into a great company with superior performance for a prolonged period of time. The book covers many elements and I keep finding myself obsessing over the hedgehog concept.
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I have an absolute passion for reading. Books on business, people, psychology, innovation, spirituality and anything that relates to growing myself personally. I often get book recommendations and often forget them a few days later. So I decided to start a list here, where I can’t loose it. Here are the books I want to read, and, eventually, the books I have read and what I thought about them:
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