Book Review http://www.businessinsider.com/category/book-review en-us Sun, 09 Mar 2014 23:59:40 -0400 Sun, 09 Mar 2014 23:59:40 -0400 The latest news on Book Review from Business Insider http://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.png Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com http://www.businessinsider.com/life-changing-books-2013-12 7 Books That Will Change The Way You See The World http://www.businessinsider.com/life-changing-books-2013-12 Fri, 20 Dec 2013 11:09:15 -0500 Gretchen Rubin <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52b45d38ecad042109f848cf-480-/man-reading-book-1.jpg" border="0" alt="man reading book" width="480" /></p><p>If you love to see things in a dramatic new light, consider these books.</p> <p><strong>1.</strong> <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195019199/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0195019199&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">A Pattern Language</a> by Christopher Alexander </strong>&mdash; I&rsquo;ve never been interested in interior design or architecture, but this mysterious, strange book taught me how to be aware of why certain spaces are pleasing &mdash; or not. I think about it <em>all the time</em>.</p> <p><strong>2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006097625X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006097625X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">Understanding Comics</a> by Scott McCloud</strong> &mdash; I don't read comics, and reading this book didn&rsquo;t give me an interest in comics &mdash; but it&rsquo;s a fascinating analysis of art and visual communication, and is itself a perfect illustration of the arguments it&rsquo;s making. Hmmm&hellip;this description makes it sound boring, but believe me, it isn&rsquo;t.</p> <p><strong>3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0156949601/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0156949601&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">The Waves</a> by Virginia Woolf</strong> &mdash; This is not a book for everyone. It's demanding. I find it overpoweringly beautiful &mdash; really. I love it, but it makes my head explode to the extent that I can scarcely read it.</p> <p><strong>4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0961392142/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0961392142&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">The Visual Display of Quantitative Information</a> by Edward Tufte</strong> &mdash;&nbsp;I know, with that title, who wants to pick it up? But this book is brilliant and thought-provoking, and made me understand, for the first time, the power of graphs, charts, and the like. Also, it's beautiful.</p> <p><strong>5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312429231/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0312429231&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">Jackie Under My Skin: Interpreting an Icon</a> by Wayne Koestenbaum</strong>&mdash;&nbsp;This book revolutionized my understanding of how a writer could approach a biographical subject. I thought a lot about this book when I was trying to figure out how to approach my biography of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812971442/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0812971442&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">Winston Churchill</a>.</p> <p><strong>6.</strong> <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140275010/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0140275010&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thehappproj-20" target="_blank">Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<span>Mark Kurlansky </span></strong>&mdash;&nbsp;I remember picking this up in a bookstore and thinking, wow, you can really do some crazy things with non-fiction. It helped me understand that I could be a writer without being a novelist or a journalist. This sounds obvious, now, but it was a huge realization for me.</p> <p><strong>7.</strong> <strong><a href="http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/jm-barries-boy-castaways" target="_blank">The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<span>J. M. Barrie </span></strong>&mdash;&nbsp;A story from which almost everything has been eliminated. Crazy genius. This book was so inspiring to me that a friend and I did a huge project based on it, a book of photographs called "<a href="http://gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2010/02/the-extraordinary-happiness-of-completing-a-project-four-to-llewelyns-edge-also-the-weekly-video/" target="_blank">Four to Llewelyn's Edge</a>." (Gold star if you can figure out why we called it "Llewelyn's" Edge.)</p> <p>Looking at this list, I&rsquo;m fascinated to notice this pattern: in all these books, a great deal has been cut out. This is interesting to me, because as a writer, I struggle with the persistent impulse to eliminate, to find structures that permit radical excision. In fact, "<a href="http://gretchenrubin.com/books/the-happiness-project/buy-the-book/" target="_blank">The Happiness Project</a>"&nbsp;was the first major thing I&rsquo;ve written that&nbsp;<em>doesn&rsquo;t</em>&nbsp;do this. What&rsquo;s the lesson there? I&rsquo;m not sure.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/life-changing-books-2013-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/investing-minus-the-glamor-and-flash-2013-11 A Solid Investing Book By A Hedge Fund Manager That Slams Hedge Funds http://www.businessinsider.com/investing-minus-the-glamor-and-flash-2013-11 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:49:18 -0500 Michael <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52937f46eab8eaf32be209b3-480-/investor-11.jpg" border="0" alt="Investor" width="480" /></p><p>Can we invest our own personal portfolio in a sophisticated way, to maximize our risk-adjusted returns, without incurring high costs or having to be financial experts ourselves?</p> <p>In his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0273781340?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=0273781340&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=bankeanony-20">Investing Demystified: How To Invest Without Speculation And Sleepless Nights</a>, Lars Kroijer says yes.</p> <p>Kroijer was a hedge fund manager who argues forcefully against hedge funds, because of their high costs as well as because most active managers claim an &lsquo;edge&rsquo; on markets which they are unlikely to really have.</p> <p><strong>A priest&rsquo;s guide to atheism</strong></p> <p><strong></strong>As he says in his introduction, the irony of his position is not lost on him. It &ldquo;may seem like a priest writing the guide to atheism.&rdquo;</p> <p>As &ldquo;Anonymous Banker&rdquo; of course I am personally all in favor of finance folks criticizing, from their experience, the financial industry&rsquo;s areas of high cost/low value-added.</p> <p>We need the Lars Kroijers of the world to tell us that &ldquo;simple is better,&rdquo; &ldquo;low cost is better,&rdquo; retail investors should avoid complex financial products,&rdquo; and a better solution exists.</p> <p>The author says that he designed his book as the grey Volkswagen, rather than the red Ferrari, of investing.&nbsp;</p> <p>(The jacket cover confirms his sensible/boring/diffident approach, as the grey cover with block letters is unconvincingly enlivened with awkward rainbow-colored arrows all pointing in the same direction. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s not the red Ferrari of jacket covers either.)<br /> <br /><strong>60-Second Version of Investing Demystified.</strong></p> <p><strong></strong>Kroijer helpfully offers a &ldquo;60-second version&rdquo; of his book &ndash; the 4 take-aways to remember:</p> <p>1. We as individuals do not have an &lsquo;edge&rsquo; in financial markets. We should invest accordingly.</p> <p>2. We can construct a cheap and simple optimized portfolio using world-equity tracking indexes and the highest-rated government bonds. We can then choose whether to add a level of complexity by deciding about a) What % of the portfolio should be in our &lsquo;risky&rsquo; equities bucket, and b) Whether adding some corporate bonds or risky governments bonds also makes sense.&nbsp;</p> <p>3. We need to think carefully about personal a) risk appetite b) Tax consequences c) non-investment assets and liabilities such as real estate, income, and debt.</p> <p>4. We should pay attention to investment and transaction costs as these matter a whole lot in the long run.&nbsp;</p> <p>I like Kroijer&rsquo;s 4 lessons because they are correct, simple, easy-to-remember guides to personal portfolio construction that eschew hype. His VW will get you from here to there with minimal cost, minimal risk, and maximum performance.</p> <p>I also like that Kroijer&rsquo;s personal background and professional experience make his advice free of national bias. What he says about personal portfolio construction applies equally to a Belgian, a Brazilian or a Bostonian.<br />International perspective advantage</p> <p>One advantage Kroijer brings to the typical discussion of optimal, low-cost, low-maintenance personal investing is that he&rsquo;s a Dane by birth, a Londoner by choice and profession, and a citizen of the world. As a result, he solves the personal portfolio puzzle differently than your average American who has a US-centric view of the investing universe. He&rsquo;s unmoored from a parochial investment approach.</p> <p>This matters because:</p> <p>Your dominant currency may not be the US Dollar.</p> <p>Your tax regime may not be the US tax regime.</p> <p>Riskless bonds in your portfolio may not necessarily come denominated in your home currency, or from your own national government.</p> <p>The best, low-cost diversified mutual fund from Kroijer&rsquo;s perspective is not a Russell 5000 index tracker therefore, but rather a whole-world equity market tracker. Only through a &lsquo;whole-world&rsquo; index tracker, Kroijer argues, can you achieve the optimal point of an efficient frontier portfolio.</p> <p><strong>Recommendation</strong></p> <p><strong></strong>I would recommend this book to a friend who has a traditional &ldquo;Left Brain&rdquo; orientation with an accounting, engineering, or mathematical background, but who may never have studied personal finance up to this point. For that person, Kroijer&rsquo;s vocabulary and engagement with portfolio theory will be quite gentle, because Kroijer never actually goes too far with technical explanations.</p> <p>For the creative or non-technically inclined, however, Kroijer&rsquo;s grey Volkswagen approach &ndash; and especially the peeks under the hood at the financial theory &ndash; may leave them a bit cold.</p> <p>The practical, diffident, Dane isn&rsquo;t flashy, and he isn&rsquo;t trying to entertain. He&rsquo;s just rational, right, and could help you get wealthy.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/investing-minus-the-glamor-and-flash-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/if-your-money-talked-book-review-2013-11 Your Problem With Money Is Probably Your Personal Relationship With Money http://www.businessinsider.com/if-your-money-talked-book-review-2013-11 Fri, 08 Nov 2013 12:45:43 -0500 Michael <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/526ab6d76bb3f73b1e48a0af-818-613/man-with-a-pile-of-money.png" border="0" alt="man with a pile of money" /></p><p>Gary Sirak&rsquo;s primary insight in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983849102?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=0983849102&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=bankeanony-20">If Your Money Talked What Secrets Would It Tell</a> &ndash; an insight I happen to agree with &ndash; is that the psychology of money, our personal relationship with money &ndash; is usually our biggest personal finance problem.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Financial insecurity often plagues the professional making half a million dollars per year, even while financial sufficiency is possible for a person earning one tenth of that per year.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Whether you love money, or hate money, whether you accumulate it to excess like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Times-Scrooge-McDuck-Com/dp/160886538X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1383755243&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=scrooge+mcduck">Scrooge McDuck</a> or spend it wildly like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000063UR3?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=B000063UR3&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;tag=bankeanony-20">Brewster,</a> the underlying problem starts in our head, not in our paycheck.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Each person&rsquo;s own personal money secret may be what Sirak calls a &ldquo;self-limiting belief,&rdquo; a deeply &ndash; probably unconsciously &ndash; held belief about money.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Self-limiting beliefs, Sirak explains, form at an early age. To overcome self-limiting beliefs we need to commit to self-examination and &ndash; one presumes &ndash; the additional intervention of a financial professional and personal finance books.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I particularly appreciated two things about If Your Money Talked.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><strong>Brevity</strong></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Sirak keeps this short enough to read on a flight between Chicago and New York. Pick this up at the airport bookstore, crack it open upon takeoff, and you&rsquo;ll be done before the wheels touch down, with extra time leftover to solve the easy Sudoku puzzle in your inflight magazine.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><strong>Memorable Anecdotes</strong></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Sirak &ndash; just like anyone who has ever written a book like this &ndash; has a set of &ldquo;8 Principles of Money,&rdquo; common sense ideas not unlike ideas from, say, Thomas Stanley&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/book/book-review-the-millionaire-next-door-the-surprising-secrets-of-americas-wealthy/">The Millionaire Next Door.</a></span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>To makes his principles concrete, however, Sirak tells good stories. Over a thirty-year financial-planning career for individuals, Sirak accumulated illustrative anecdotes about people and their unhealthy relationships to money.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">For each of his 8 Principles of Money, Sirak provides a brief and telling sketch from his own financial planning clients as illustration.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Getting tricked by smooth-talking scammers? &ndash; Sirak tells of his own gullibility about a start-up kids&rsquo; sports camp.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Worshipping money? Meet Roger, the &lsquo;successful&rsquo; businessman who literally decorated his home with cash, while neglecting relationships with his wife and 5 year-old son.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Hiding debts from your spouse? &ndash; Sirak describes Ron and Alison, a married couple with totally incompatible spending patterns masked by secretiveness.</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Spending money before you have it? We read about Dr. Allen, the newly minted MD who bought the twin BMWs instead of paying off student loan debt before the ink dried on his first paycheck because he felt he finally &ldquo;deserved to live the good life.&rdquo; Financial woes followed in short order.</span></p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span>Through his own and the mistakes of his clients, Sirak cautions us about common personal finance errors. With a quick series of &ldquo;How Not To&rdquo; stories, Sirak helps us begin to self-examine, exploring our self-limiting factors and money mistakes.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/if-your-money-talked-book-review-2013-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-clancys-first-book-2013-10 This 1985 Article Shows How Insurance Broker Tom Clancy Took The World By Storm http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-clancys-first-book-2013-10 Wed, 02 Oct 2013 11:13:00 -0400 Gus Lubin <p>Tom Clancy was a "37-year-old insurance broker and frustrated writer" when his first novel went turned into a runaway bestseller:&nbsp;<span>"</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunt-October-Jack-Ryan/dp/0425240339">The Hunt For Red October</a>."</p> <p>The book, which would later become a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunt-October-Sean-Connery/dp/B00008K76U">hit movie starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin</a>, told the story of a rogue Soviet nuclear submarine that was either trying to attack the U.S. or defect.&nbsp;</p> <p>Clancy, who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-clancy-dead-celebrated-thriller-author-dies-at-age-66-2013-10">died Tuesday night at the age of 66</a>, would go on to become one of the most successful writers ever, spawning an empire including books (many by ghost writers), movies, and video games.</p> <p>As you can see in the following article from 1985, it was clear from the beginning that Clancy had something special.</p> <p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/524c33566bb3f75c26abf529-834-1077/screen shot 2013-10-02 at 10.50.50 am.jpg" border="0" alt="tom clancy hunt for red october" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;" /></p> <p><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/524c343869bedd190ddc4090-812-1146/00002629.jpg" border="0" alt="hunt for red october tom clancy" /></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-clancys-first-book-2013-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/expert-recommended-book-by-field-2013-6 Here Are The Books Experts Overwhelmingly Say You Should Read http://www.businessinsider.com/expert-recommended-book-by-field-2013-6 Sun, 30 Jun 2013 09:39:29 -0400 Eric Barker <p><em><img class="float_right" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51cc287769beddb003000024-480-/nyc-reading-4.png" border="0" alt="NYC reading" width="480" />Google Reader is being <a href="http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2013/03/powering-down-google-reader.html">shut down on July 1st</a>. Sign up for my mailing list to make sure you don't miss anything. Join <a href="http://eepurl.com/o6uAD">here</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></em></p> <p>So far I&rsquo;ve done interviews with 22 experts on various fields from <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/happiness-gretchen-rubin-interview/">happiness</a>, to <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/">expertise</a>, to <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/">influence</a> and <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-nyt-bestselling-author-dan-ariely-talks/">irrationality</a>.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve asked most of them which books they highly recommend.</p> <p>Which ones got mentioned most often?</p> <h3 style="text-align: left;">The Top Books Experts Recommend:</h3> <ul> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a>&nbsp;(3 times)</li> <li>Dan Pink&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594487154/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594487154&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">To Sell is Human</a>&nbsp;(2 times)</li> <li>Adam Grant&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take</a>&nbsp;(2 times)</li> <li>Daniel&nbsp;Kahneman&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374275637/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374275637&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a>&nbsp;(2 times)</li> </ul> <h3>Books Experts Recommend &ndash; By Topic</h3> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Leadership</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-harvard-business-school-professor-gautam-mukunda-teaches-secrets-leader/">Gautam Mukunda</a>, professor at Harvard Business School and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422186709/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1422186709&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Daniel&nbsp;Kahneman,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374275637/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374275637&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a></li> <li>Victor&nbsp;Frankl,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807014273/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0807014273&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Man&rsquo;s Search for Meaning</a></li> <li>Clayton Christensen,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062102419/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0062102419&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">How Will You Measure Your Life?</a></li> <li>Nassim&nbsp;Taleb,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067936/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1400067936&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Fooled by Randomness</a></li> <li>Marcus Aurelius,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613823037/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1613823037&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Meditations</a></li> <li>Doris Kearns Goodwin,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743270754/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743270754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Team of Rivals</a></li> <li>Roy F.&nbsp;Baumeister&nbsp;and John Tierney,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122231/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0143122231&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Willpower</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>&nbsp;Power</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-stanford-mba-school-professor-teaches-secret-promotions-raises-power/">Jeffrey Pfeffer</a>, professor at Stanford MBA school and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061789089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061789089&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don&rsquo;t</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Networking</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-wharton-business-school-professor-teaches-approach-give/">Adam Grant</a>, professor at Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Liz Wiseman&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061964395/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061964395&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Multipliers</a></li> <li>Dan Pink&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594487154/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594487154&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">To Sell is Human</a></li> <li>Susan Cain&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307352153/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307352153&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Quiet</a></li> <li>Robert Cross&rsquo;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591392705/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591392705&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Hidden Power of Social Networks</a></li> <li>Wayne Baker&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787953091/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0787953091&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Achieving Success Through Social Capital</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Marketing and Advertising</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/02/nyt-bestselling-author-ramit-sethis-explains-manage-money-negotiate-improve/">Ramit Sethi</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761147489/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0761147489&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">I Will Teach You To Be Rich</a>, recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Pratkanis and Aronson&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805074031/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0805074031&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Age of Propaganda</a></li> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a></li> <li>Schwartz and Edelston&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887232981/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0887232981&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Breakthrough Advertising</a></li> <li>Claude Hopkins&rsquo;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IF9ZFE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B009IF9ZFE&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">My Life in Advertising</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1453821082/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1453821082&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Scientific Advertising</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Expertise</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/">Cal Newport</a>, professor at Georgetown and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455509124/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1455509124&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">So Good They Can&rsquo;t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love</a>, recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Daniel Coyle&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055380684X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=055380684X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Talent Code: Greatness Isn&rsquo;t Born. It&rsquo;s Grown. Here&rsquo;s How.</a></li> <li>Geoff Colvin&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842948/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591842948&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else</a></li> <li>David Shenk&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307387305/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307387305&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Genius in All of Us: New Insights into Genetics, Talent, and IQ</a></li> <li>Malcolm Gladwell&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316017930/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0316017930&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Outliers: The Story of Success</a></li> <li>Stephen Johnson&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594485380/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594485380&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation</a></li> <li>Frans Johansson&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844932/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591844932&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Click Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Happiness</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/happiness-gretchen-rubin-interview/">Gretchen Rubin</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006158326X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006158326X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Happiness Project</a>&nbsp;recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Barry Schwartz&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060005696/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0060005696&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Paradox of Choice</a></li> <li>Sonja Lyubomirsky&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143114956/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0143114956&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The How of Happiness</a></li> <li>Jonathan Haidt&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465028020/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0465028020&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Happiness Hypothesis</a></li> <li>John Boswell&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140436626/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0140436626&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Life of Samuel Johnson</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Human Behavior</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/harvard-michael-norton-happier/">Michael Norton</a>, professor at Harvard Business School and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451665067/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1451665067&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Dan Ariely&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061353248/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061353248&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Predictably Irrational</a></li> <li>Danny Kahneman&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374533555/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374533555&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Thinking Fast and Slow</a></li> <li>Adam Grant&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take</a></li> <li>The books of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Malcolm-Gladwell/e/B000APOE98/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1368879042&amp;sr=1-2-ent&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Malcolm Gladwell</a></li> <li>Don Campbell&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761920129/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0761920129&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Unobtrusive Measures</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Influence and Persuasion</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/">Robert Cialdini</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</a>, recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Packard and Miller&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097884310X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=097884310X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Hidden Persuaders</a></li> <li>Daniel Pink&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594487154/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594487154&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">To Sell is Human</a></li> <li>Guy Kawasaki&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591845831/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591845831&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Enchantment</a></li> <li>Adam Grant&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Charisma</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-olivia-teaches-charismatic/">Olivia Fox Cabane</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844568/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591844568&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism</a>&nbsp;recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Irrationality</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-nyt-bestselling-author-dan-ariely-talks/">Dan Ariely</a>, professor at Duke University and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061353248/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061353248&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Chabris and Simon&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307459667/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307459667&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Invisible Gorilla</a></li> <li>Belsky and Gilovich&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439163367/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1439163367&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes</a></li> <li>Jonah Berger&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451686579/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1451686579&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Contagious</a></li> <li>Thaler and Sunstein&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014311526X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=014311526X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Nudge</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>To get my extended interviews with experts, sign up for a free weekly update email&nbsp;<a href="http://eepurl.com/o6uAD">here</a>.</strong></p> <p>Related posts:</p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/interview-negotiation-secrets-learn-top-fbi-hostage-negotiator/">The top FBI hostage negotiator teaches you the 5 secrets to getting what you want</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-ucla-film-school-professor-howard-suber-explains-storyteller/">UCLA Film School professor Howard Suber explains how you can be a better storyteller</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/">Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini explains the best ways to influence people</a></p> <p>The post <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/books-experts-recommend/">Which books do experts recommend the most?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com">Barking Up The Wrong Tree</a>.</p> <p><strong>Read more posts on <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/">Barking Up The Wrong Tree &raquo;</a></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/expert-recommended-book-by-field-2013-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/expert-recommended-book-by-field-2013-6 Here Are The Books Experts Overwhelmingly Say You Should Read http://www.businessinsider.com/expert-recommended-book-by-field-2013-6 Thu, 27 Jun 2013 07:56:53 -0400 Eric Barker <p><em><img class="float_right" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/51cc287769beddb003000024-480-/nyc-reading-4.png" border="0" alt="NYC reading" width="480" />Google Reader is being <a href="http://googlereader.blogspot.com/2013/03/powering-down-google-reader.html">shut down on July 1st</a>. Sign up for my mailing list to make sure you don't miss anything. Join <a href="http://eepurl.com/o6uAD">here</a>.<span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">&nbsp;</span></em></p> <p>So far I&rsquo;ve done interviews with 22 experts on various fields from <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/happiness-gretchen-rubin-interview/">happiness</a>, to <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/">expertise</a>, to <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/">influence</a> and <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-nyt-bestselling-author-dan-ariely-talks/">irrationality</a>.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve asked most of them which books they highly recommend.</p> <p>Which ones got mentioned most often?</p> <h3 style="text-align: left;">The Top Books Experts Recommend:</h3> <ul> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a>&nbsp;(3 times)</li> <li>Dan Pink&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594487154/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594487154&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">To Sell is Human</a>&nbsp;(2 times)</li> <li>Adam Grant&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take</a>&nbsp;(2 times)</li> <li>Daniel&nbsp;Kahneman&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374275637/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374275637&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a>&nbsp;(2 times)</li> </ul> <h3>Books Experts Recommend &ndash; By Topic</h3> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Leadership</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-harvard-business-school-professor-gautam-mukunda-teaches-secrets-leader/">Gautam Mukunda</a>, professor at Harvard Business School and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422186709/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1422186709&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Daniel&nbsp;Kahneman,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374275637/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374275637&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Thinking, Fast and Slow</a></li> <li>Victor&nbsp;Frankl,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807014273/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0807014273&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Man&rsquo;s Search for Meaning</a></li> <li>Clayton Christensen,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062102419/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0062102419&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">How Will You Measure Your Life?</a></li> <li>Nassim&nbsp;Taleb,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400067936/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1400067936&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Fooled by Randomness</a></li> <li>Marcus Aurelius,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1613823037/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1613823037&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Meditations</a></li> <li>Doris Kearns Goodwin,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743270754/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0743270754&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Team of Rivals</a></li> <li>Roy F.&nbsp;Baumeister&nbsp;and John Tierney,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122231/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0143122231&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Willpower</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>&nbsp;Power</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-stanford-mba-school-professor-teaches-secret-promotions-raises-power/">Jeffrey Pfeffer</a>, professor at Stanford MBA school and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061789089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061789089&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don&rsquo;t</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Networking</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-wharton-business-school-professor-teaches-approach-give/">Adam Grant</a>, professor at Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Liz Wiseman&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061964395/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061964395&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Multipliers</a></li> <li>Dan Pink&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594487154/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594487154&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">To Sell is Human</a></li> <li>Susan Cain&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307352153/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307352153&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Quiet</a></li> <li>Robert Cross&rsquo;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591392705/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591392705&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Hidden Power of Social Networks</a></li> <li>Wayne Baker&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787953091/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0787953091&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Achieving Success Through Social Capital</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Marketing and Advertising</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/02/nyt-bestselling-author-ramit-sethis-explains-manage-money-negotiate-improve/">Ramit Sethi</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761147489/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0761147489&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">I Will Teach You To Be Rich</a>, recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Pratkanis and Aronson&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805074031/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0805074031&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Age of Propaganda</a></li> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a></li> <li>Schwartz and Edelston&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887232981/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0887232981&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Breakthrough Advertising</a></li> <li>Claude Hopkins&rsquo;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009IF9ZFE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B009IF9ZFE&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">My Life in Advertising</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1453821082/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1453821082&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Scientific Advertising</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Expertise</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/interview-author-cal-newport-on-how-you-can-become-an-expert-and-why-you-should-not-follow-your-passion/">Cal Newport</a>, professor at Georgetown and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455509124/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1455509124&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">So Good They Can&rsquo;t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love</a>, recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Daniel Coyle&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/055380684X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=055380684X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Talent Code: Greatness Isn&rsquo;t Born. It&rsquo;s Grown. Here&rsquo;s How.</a></li> <li>Geoff Colvin&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842948/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591842948&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else</a></li> <li>David Shenk&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307387305/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307387305&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Genius in All of Us: New Insights into Genetics, Talent, and IQ</a></li> <li>Malcolm Gladwell&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316017930/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0316017930&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Outliers: The Story of Success</a></li> <li>Stephen Johnson&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594485380/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594485380&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation</a></li> <li>Frans Johansson&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844932/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591844932&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Click Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Happiness</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/04/happiness-gretchen-rubin-interview/">Gretchen Rubin</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006158326X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006158326X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Happiness Project</a>&nbsp;recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Barry Schwartz&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060005696/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0060005696&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Paradox of Choice</a></li> <li>Sonja Lyubomirsky&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143114956/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0143114956&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The How of Happiness</a></li> <li>Jonathan Haidt&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465028020/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0465028020&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Happiness Hypothesis</a></li> <li>John Boswell&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140436626/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0140436626&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Life of Samuel Johnson</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Human Behavior</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/05/harvard-michael-norton-happier/">Michael Norton</a>, professor at Harvard Business School and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451665067/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1451665067&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Dan Ariely&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061353248/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061353248&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Predictably Irrational</a></li> <li>Danny Kahneman&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374533555/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0374533555&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Thinking Fast and Slow</a></li> <li>Adam Grant&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take</a></li> <li>The books of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Malcolm-Gladwell/e/B000APOE98/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;qid=1368879042&amp;sr=1-2-ent&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Malcolm Gladwell</a></li> <li>Don Campbell&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761920129/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0761920129&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Unobtrusive Measures</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Influence and Persuasion</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/">Robert Cialdini</a>, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion</a>, recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Packard and Miller&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097884310X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=097884310X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Hidden Persuaders</a></li> <li>Daniel Pink&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594487154/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1594487154&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">To Sell is Human</a></li> <li>Guy Kawasaki&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591845831/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591845831&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Enchantment</a></li> <li>Adam Grant&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0670026557/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0670026557&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Give and Take</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Charisma</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-olivia-teaches-charismatic/">Olivia Fox Cabane</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591844568/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1591844568&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism</a>&nbsp;recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Robert Cialdini&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=006124189X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Irrationality</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-nyt-bestselling-author-dan-ariely-talks/">Dan Ariely</a>, professor at Duke University and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061353248/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0061353248&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions</a> recommends:</p> <ul> <li>Chabris and Simon&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307459667/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0307459667&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">The Invisible Gorilla</a></li> <li>Belsky and Gilovich&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439163367/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1439163367&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes</a></li> <li>Jonah Berger&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451686579/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1451686579&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Contagious</a></li> <li>Thaler and Sunstein&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014311526X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=014311526X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=spacforrent-20">Nudge</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>To get my extended interviews with experts, sign up for a free weekly update email&nbsp;<a href="http://eepurl.com/o6uAD">here</a>.</strong></p> <p>Related posts:</p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/01/interview-negotiation-secrets-learn-top-fbi-hostage-negotiator/">The top FBI hostage negotiator teaches you the 5 secrets to getting what you want</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/03/interview-ucla-film-school-professor-howard-suber-explains-storyteller/">UCLA Film School professor Howard Suber explains how you can be a better storyteller</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/robert-cialdini-influence/">Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini explains the best ways to influence people</a></p> <p>The post <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/06/books-experts-recommend/">Which books do experts recommend the most?</a> appeared first on <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com">Barking Up The Wrong Tree</a>.</p> <p><strong>Read more posts on <a href="http://www.bakadesuyo.com/">Barking Up The Wrong Tree &raquo;</a></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/expert-recommended-book-by-field-2013-6#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/book-review-master-math-2013-4 One Book Teaches You All The Math You Need To Know To Manage Your Finances http://www.businessinsider.com/book-review-master-math-2013-4 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:25:00 -0400 Michael <p><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bankeanony-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1435457889&amp;maxX=1&amp;maxY=1" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" /></p><p><img class="float_right" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/511e6b7369beddcf40000009-595-449/screen%20shot%202013-02-15%20at%2012.07.22%20pm.png" border="0" alt="Algebra Linear Equation" width="398" height="300" />I&rsquo;m finishing up teaching an undergraduate course on Personal Finance this month, for which I find the assigned textbook totally useless, so I am on a quest to come up with a useful book to recommend for students as well as Bankers Anonymous readers.</p> <p><strong>What&rsquo;s useful</strong></p> <p>The most impressive strength of <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1435457889/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1435457889&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=bankeanony-20">Master Math: Business and Personal Finance Math</a></em><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bankeanony-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1435457889&amp;maxX=1&amp;maxY=1" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" />&nbsp;by Mary Hansen is that it cuts out all the (mostly) banal &lsquo;advice&rsquo; of a personal finance book, and concentrates instead on how to do the calculations.&nbsp; The math level never rises beyond algebra, which frankly is all anyone needs to know, in order to competently manage their personal or small business finances.</p> <p>I find this a useful guide for a &lsquo;Do-It-Yourselfer,&rsquo; or a person intent on learning exactly how car loan companies calculate APR vs. APY, or insurance companies quote term life insurance.&nbsp; A CFO for a small business or non-profit would also likely benefit from this useful introductory reference.</p> <p>I&rsquo;ve frequently paid but never personally calculated FICA taxes, for example, and it&rsquo;s somewhat satisfying to learn how straightforward the math is.&nbsp; I have personally prepared business balance sheets and budgets, debt to equity ratios, and tracked profitability, but the straightforward presentation would be useful to others who have not done so before, but who need to learn.</p> <p><strong>What&rsquo;s missing</strong></p> <p>Missing from <em>Master Math</em>, however, is my personal pet project: Understanding <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/blog/part-iv-discounted-cash-flows-golden-parachute-or-silk-umbrella/">discounted cashflows</a> and <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/blog/part-ii-compound-interest-and-wealth/">compound interest</a> &ndash; the keys to good personal finance decisions.&nbsp; While the author presents a &lsquo;compound interest&rsquo; table and defines the term (in contradistinction to simple interest), a table does not really cut it.</p> <p><strong>The limitations of print media for personal finance math</strong></p> <p>Reading the book this week has inspired a new thought, however, of which I&rsquo;m increasingly convinced.</p> <p>Personal finance and small business math, while not complicated, requires fluency with a spreadsheet program like Excel.</p> <p><em>Master Math</em> offers good, but somewhat convoluted algebraic formulas to calculate answers.&nbsp; In print, the author cannot show the dynamic changes in personal finance outcomes from changes in variables.</p> <p>Properly set up in a spreadsheet like Excel, by contrast, a change in loan interest rate, for example, alters every monthly payment as well as the total cost of a loan.&nbsp; A small change in automatic monthly withholding, for example, changes everything when it comes to long-term retirement savings. &nbsp;Only by seeing the dynamic effects, I think, can we understand what control we can have over personal financial decisions and outcomes.</p> <p><strong>What is the right media?</strong></p> <p>I know <a href="http://www.khanacademy.com/">Khan Academy</a> has changed everything when it comes to math pedagogy.&nbsp; Although I enjoyed <em>Master Math</em>, I&rsquo;m also sure personal and small business math has to be taught, and learned, through a combination of video, practice problem sets, and acquired fluency with Excel.&nbsp; Static text on a page isn&rsquo;t enough.</p> <p>This is something I&rsquo;d like to work on over the next few years.</p> <p><a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Master-Math-Business-and-Personal-Finance-Math.jpg"><img class="alignleft wp-image-1326" src="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Master-Math-Business-and-Personal-Finance-Math.jpg" border="0" alt="Master Math Business and Personal Finance Math" width="199" height="300" style="margin: 5px; opacity: 1;" /></a><br /> <img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bankeanony-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1435457889&amp;maxX=1&amp;maxY=1" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" /></p> <p>&nbsp; Post read (81) times.</p> <p>Thanks for visiting Bankers Anonymous. Be sure to <strong><a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/contact/newsletter-sign-up/">sign-up for my newsletter</a></strong> so you never miss what's happening on my site. You can also connect with me on <strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bankers-Anonymous/151798891619951?fref=ts">Facebook</a></strong> and <strong><a href="http://www.twitter.com/BankerAnonymous">Twitter</a></strong> to keep the conversation going.</p> <p>Tags: <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/tag/algebra/">algebra</a>, <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/tag/compound-interest/">compound interest</a>, <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/tag/discounted-cashflows/">discounted cashflows</a>, <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/tag/finance-math/">finance math</a>, <a href="http://www.bankers-anonymous.com/tag/personal-finance-2/">personal finance</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/book-review-master-math-2013-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/brian-stetler-scathing-nytimes-review-2013-4 Brian Stelter Thinks The New York Times' 'Scathing' Review Of His New Book Was 'An Anomaly' http://www.businessinsider.com/brian-stetler-scathing-nytimes-review-2013-4 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:03:00 -0400 Jethro Nededog <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5177f08fecad047216000020-400-300/brian-stelter.png" border="0" alt="Brian Stelter" width="400" height="300" /></p><p>On Monday, bloggers had a field day when the <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/new-york-times">New York Times</a> published its&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/23/books/brian-stelters-top-of-the-morning-on-talk-show-wars.html?partner=rss&amp;emc=rss&amp;_r=0&amp;pagewanted=all" target="_blank">review</a> of New York Times reporter's Brian Stelter&rsquo;s book, &ldquo;Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV,&rdquo; a day before it was to be released<span>. <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2013/04/23/the-times-slams-brian-stelter-s-new-book.html" target="_blank">The Daily Beast</a> called it "scathing."</span></p> <p>&ldquo;I read it. I thought it was an anomaly,&rdquo; Stelter tells <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/" target="_blank">TheWrap</a>.</p> <p>Ed Bark's review surely would not have gotten as much pickup if it wasn&rsquo;t for the fact that Stelter is a media reporter for the same publication.</p> <p>Bark opens by writing that the book &ldquo;on the nefarious network morning show wars ends up being like a breakfast made not quite to order.&rdquo;&nbsp;<span>He goes on to sum up the book as &ldquo;Edible? Yes. Fulfilling? Not quite.&rdquo; </span></p> <p><span>It goes on to point out Stelter&rsquo;s significant access to &ldquo;GMA&rdquo; over &ldquo;Today&rdquo; (which is understandable, given with what was going on with <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/ann-curry">Ann Curry</a> aka <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/column-post/ann-currys-last-days-today-form-professional-torture-86646" target="_blank">Operation Bambi</a>), and the use of &ldquo;a little overblown prose.&rdquo;</span></p> <p>&ldquo;I expected a tough review from the Times,&rdquo; the writer tells us. &ldquo;I want the Times to give tough reviews. That&rsquo;s partially why I read the Times. But, I&rsquo;m more interested in readers' reviews.&rdquo;</p> <p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been overwhelmed by positive messages from people on Twitter,&rdquo; he points out.</p> <p>Stelter, who set out to document NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s&rdquo; 17-year streak of ratings dominance over ABC&rsquo;s &ldquo;GMA,&rdquo; found himself in the right place at the right time. The <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/abc">ABC</a> show was closing the ratings gap and Curry had a target on her back. What followed was Stelter&rsquo;s unprecedented access to both shows and the players as the morning show landscape was changing.</p> <p>Stelter believes that the tone of the review isn't as bad as the press has made it out to be. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think the review is a significant thing positively or negatively,&rdquo; the 27-year-old says.</p> <p>He has been through something like this before. Stelter, who founded and sold the TVNewser blog to MediaBistro in 2004 while still attending Towson College, appeared in the 2011 documentary, &ldquo;Page One: Inside the New York Times.&rdquo;</p> <p>&ldquo;The review about the Times film was probably the harshest review I&rsquo;ve ever read of a film,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Given that experience when I was in that film, I expected a tough review.&rdquo;</p> <p>Since Monday, more reviews of &ldquo;Top of the Morning&rdquo; have echoed themes in Bark&rsquo;s piece. But, Stelter is probably not paying them any mind either.</p> <p>&ldquo;Frankly, I think the <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/amazoncom">Amazon</a> reviews are going to be so much more interesting for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not just saying that as a line. I really believe it.&rdquo;</p> <p><em>&ldquo;Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning&rdquo; (Grand Central Publishing) is currently available at booksellers nationwide.</em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/brian-stetler-scathing-nytimes-review-2013-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/clay-christensen-how-will-you-measure-your-life-2012-5 Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen Shares His Advice On How To Be Successful http://www.businessinsider.com/clay-christensen-how-will-you-measure-your-life-2012-5 Thu, 17 May 2012 13:31:00 -0400 Aimee Groth <p><span class="il"><img class="float_right" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4ec3d2eeecad04fc4700003c/clayton-clay-christensen.jpg" border="0" alt="clayton clay christensen" />Harvard Business School Professor <a href="http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=bio&amp;facId=6437">Clayton</a></span><a href="http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=bio&amp;facId=6437"> Christensen</a>, one of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-10-thinkers-that-executives-actually-listen-to-2012-2#1-clayton-christensen-10">world's leading business thinkers</a> best known for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Essentials/dp/0060521996">The Innovator's Dilemma</a>, has just put out another book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0062102419">How Will You Measure Your Life</a>?"</p> <p>He uses business case studies &mdash; like how the Honda Super Cub took over America &mdash; to show people how they can achieve personal success.</p> <p>See our interview with Christensen below, edited for clarity.</p> <p><strong>On how to be successful </strong></p> <p>If you don&rsquo;t have any idea of what kind of person you want to become, it&rsquo;s all pointless. You really need to figure out, "What&rsquo;s the purpose of my life? What kind of person does God want me to become? How do I<br /> need to invest my time and energy?" Without that you&rsquo;re in a boat without a rudder.</p> <p><strong>A<strong>nd not go to jail like his former HBS classmate Jeffrey Skilling</strong></strong><br /><br /> Just hoping that you&rsquo;ll become a certain kind of person isn&rsquo;t enough. Hold to your standards all of the time. Every time you have an opportunity where you can depart &mdash; even "just this once under this circumstance"&mdash; well, your life is just an unending stream of "extenuating circumstances." Everyone decides "just this once."</p> <p>To become the kind of person you want to become, you&rsquo;ve got to have discipline. It's easier to keep to your standards 100 percent of the time versus 98 percent of the time.</p> <p><strong>On how to manage your time </strong><br /><br /> Most people have never thought through how they're going to allocate their time. You need to make a decision in advance. I never work on Saturday. I don&rsquo;t ever work on Sunday either. If you make that decision on a macro level once, when all the incremental decisions arise on an incremental basis, life is easier.</p> <p>In a company you have a lot of different businesses. As a manager you ask, "Which products are we going to invest our capital into?" It's called the resource allocation process. In our personal lives we have a lot of businesses going on. I have a profession, I'm a father, a spouse, a good member of my community. How much of my time and energy can I allocate to each of those things? What I allocate becomes the strategy I have for my family, and everything else.</p> <p>We have a bias to allocate based on short-term results. Companies focus on short-term returns vs. long-term returns. People under-invest in family because it doesn't pay off until the long tem.<strong></strong></p> <p><strong>On why people shouldn't try to be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/steve-jobs" class="hidden_link">Steve Jobs</a> </strong></p> <p>In business you have very successful companies like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/apple" class="hidden_link">Apple</a>, and companies that want to be successful want to emulate Apple. People have an idol they want to be like and try to follow what the idols did. But when you do, you find out you&rsquo;re not very successful and you&rsquo;re not very happy. You try to copy these models, and it doesn&rsquo;t yield successful results. The key is not to figure out what the best people are doing and try to emulate it &mdash; rather, figure out what causes people and companies to be successful. <strong></strong></p> <p><strong>On religion </strong><br /> <br /> It&rsquo;s easier if you really believe there&rsquo;s a God. What kind of person does God want me to become? What are those characteristics? ... If you believe in God, you believe you're going to be judged. If you don&rsquo;t believe there&rsquo;s a God, you&rsquo;ll still be judged. Do you want to live a life so that when you die, whoever knew you will quickly forget about you and never refer to you again? Or will people refer to you with great admiration for years and years to come?</p> <h3><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-top-10-thinkers-that-executives-actually-listen-to-2012-2#">Now read about 10 Thinkers That Executives Actually Listen To &gt; </a></h3><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clay-christensen-how-will-you-measure-your-life-2012-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/maneet-ahuja-alpha-masters-2012-4 Meet Maneet Ahuja—The 27-Year-Old CNBC Producer Who's More Connected Than God http://www.businessinsider.com/maneet-ahuja-alpha-masters-2012-4 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:22:00 -0400 Julia La Roche <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4f9e868469beddd74e00003b-376-547/maneet-ahuja.png" border="0" alt="Maneet Ahuja" width="376" height="547" /></p><p>Maneet Ahuja is CNBC's Hedge Fund Specialist/"Squawk Box" producer and she's incredibly connected to the super-secretive hedge fund industry.</p> <p>We sat down to chat with her about her upcoming book&nbsp;<span>"</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Alpha-Masters-Unlocking-Genius/dp/1118065522">The Alpha Masters,"</a>&nbsp;which&nbsp;<span>highlights the stories, insights and lessons of industry titans such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/ray-dalio" class="hidden_link">Ray Dalio</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/david-tepper" class="hidden_link">David Tepper</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/john-paulson" class="hidden_link">John Paulson</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/david-einhorn" class="hidden_link">David Einhorn</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/bill-ackman" class="hidden_link">Bill Ackman</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/jim-chanos" class="hidden_link">Jim Chanos</a> and Dan Loeb, just to name a few.</span><span></span></p> <p><span>Her book takes readers behind the curtain of the industry and gives exposure to the hedge fund sources from her massive Rolodex</span>&nbsp;-- a contact list that would make most financial journalists envious.</p> <p>Even&nbsp;<em>New York Times'</em> reporter and "Squawk Box" co-host <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/andrew-ross-sorkin" class="hidden_link">Andrew Ross Sorkin</a> was recently <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeji45ikli/maneet-ahuja-producer-squawk-box-cnbc-27/">quoted saying she had a deeper Rolodex than him</a>.</p> <p>"It's definitely the first time you're taken inside the room and get the play-by-play from some of the world's most successful investors on some of the world's biggest deals that have taken place over the last ten to fifteen years," she told <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/business-insider" class="hidden_link">Business Insider</a>.</p> <p>For many of the top hedge fund managers -- including names like Paulson, Tepper, Ackman and Einhorn -- Ahuja is considered the go to source when they want to break news.</p> <p>But obviously, unprecedented access to these huge names doesn't come easily.</p> <p><strong>Never Taking 'No' For An Answer</strong></p> <p>Ahuja, 27, told Business Insider that she has been relentless in developing contacts within the industry. &nbsp;</p> <p>"I think with a lot of things you have to be relentless -- You don't get a lot of sleep. &nbsp;You don't take 'no' for an answer," she said explaining that&nbsp;<span>it took her almost three years just to secure an off-the-record meeting with the closely followed Paulson and he still hasn't made an appearance on "Squawk Box."</span>&nbsp;</p> <p>Developing her connections in the industry is also about balance, she explained. &nbsp;</p> <p>"I think it's a balance of recognizing when is too much -- you don't want to be seen as a pest. Reaching out through their PR contacts, researching which conferences they are speaking at or which foundations they are involved with -- I think that's what most journalists do they look and see where their potential subjects are scheduled to be speaking, whether it's at the London School of Economics or on conference calls or investors or other sources that they might know -- maybe an investor or friend that can lend an introduction."</p> <p><strong>Starting On Wall Street As A Teenager</strong></p> <p>What's fascinating about Ahuja, a self-described "finance geek" who was recently recognized as one of <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/forbes" class="hidden_link">Forbes</a> </em>magazine's <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eeji45ikli/maneet-ahuja-producer-squawk-box-cnbc-27/">"30 Under 30"</a>, is that she displays a natural curiosity in the hedge fund industry.&nbsp;</p> <p>Her passion for finance is evidenced by her wanting to go work on Wall Street at age 17 (seriously).</p> <p>"I was always fascinated with finance, which is why I started working on Wall Street at 17," she said.</p> <p>Back in 2002, she interned for Citi's financial institutions group working as a credit risk analyst.&nbsp; Her role then included working on modeling and going through financial statements, just to mention a few of her duties.</p> <p>When the woman she was working for at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/citi" class="hidden_link">Citi</a> decided not to return to the bank after maternity leave, a spot opened up for Ahuja.&nbsp;</p> <p>"I was there temporarily just for ten months and I was able to juggle the workload and when she decided not to come back they just kept me on," she said.&nbsp;</p> <p>She stayed at Citi for almost four years before joining Merill Lynch as a global economics and equity research intern.&nbsp; Then, she worked at the <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/wall-street-journal" class="hidden_link">Wall Street Journal</a></em> on the Money &amp; Investing team before leaping to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/cnbc" class="hidden_link">CNBC</a> in 2008. &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Becoming A Hedge Fund Expert </strong></p> <p>It was at CNBC where she really got her start in becoming a hedge fund industry guru.</p> <p>"I was fortunate that one of the first big stories that I covered on 'Squawk Box' was working with David Einhorn when he came on to discuss his book back in 2008. So that was the key introduction, the key experience that helped foster further relationships.&nbsp; David brought on other managers on the show."</p> <p>Some of her noteworthy work at the financial television behemoth includes Tepper's first-ever on-air appearance, Einhorn's warning call on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/lehman-brothers-1" class="hidden_link">Lehman Brothers</a> and Paulson's letter to investors in response to an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/sec" class="hidden_link">SEC</a> investigation into the Abacus deal. &nbsp;</p> <p>These days, Ahuja -- who says she wakes up at 4:30 a.m. on a regular basis -- is anticipating the release of her book next month.&nbsp;</p> <p>Aside from producing "Squawk Box" for CNBC, Ahuja would go on day trips to interview these managers. &nbsp;She even traveled to Paris with Paulson and to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/yale-1" class="hidden_link">Yale</a> School of Management where Chanos teaches a course on detecting fraud and short-selling.</p> <p>Another interesting point is Ahuja spent the last two years working on the book interviewing her subjects, which means she witnessed these top hedge fund managers during the extreme market volatility of 2011.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>"The other really interesting result of the book that wasn't initially planned from the outset was that was when I approached these guys in 2010, most of them were coming off their best year -- Tepper, Paulson, Dalio -- and we were getting to hear how they put together the greatest trades all in one book. &nbsp;As 2011 moved forward and the markets were really volatile we got to see for the first time how they handled turbulence and all that stress and re-shifted their portfolio and dealt with that negative environment, for the first time for some of them."</p> <p>We've already checked out her book and there's definitely something to be learned for investors on all levels or for those who are just curious to learn more about the industry.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ahuja said even her subjects learned something from it.</p> <p>"For actual investors in the market, the managers all read the entire book and I was surprised they all said that they actually learned a lot about how to be better investors. &nbsp;They're all colleagues with each other, but they don't sit and cross examine each other, or their history or some of their big deals -- they read about them in the paper. &nbsp;I hope that investors can put some of their lessons into practice." &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-women-of-cnbc-2012-4"><strong>Meet The Women Of CNBC &gt;</strong></a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/maneet-ahuja-alpha-masters-2012-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-the-fear-barrier-dont-let-fear-prevent-success-in-your-company-2012-4 How Fear Is Paralyzing Workers Across America These Days http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-the-fear-barrier-dont-let-fear-prevent-success-in-your-company-2012-4 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:24:00 -0400 Small Business Trends <p><em>&ldquo;A company&rsquo;s worst enemy is not always the competition. Sometimes it&rsquo;s the fear that lives within its own walls.&rdquo;</em> ~ Breaking the Fear Barrier</p> <p>Fear is universal. It&rsquo;s in our DNA, our basic structure. If it wasn&rsquo;t for fear, mankind wouldn&rsquo;t exist today. It&rsquo;s the fear that makes humans aware there is danger. It tells us to pay attention because there is the possibility that something bad is going to happen. It&rsquo;s one of those emotions that is deeply ingrained inside each of us. It will never change. Although fear is what has kept humans alive, it can also be very disruptive if it permeates every part of your life including work. You can become so fearful that you are not thinking clearly. The fear paralyzes you to the point you can&rsquo;t move forward &ndash; or worse yet, the entire company doesn&rsquo;t move forward.</p> <p>As a business person, fear can either work for you by making you pay attention, becoming better at what you are doing. Or it can work against you because you are so fearful you&rsquo;re unwilling to take any chances, make any decisions.</p> <p><strong>A Must Read for Business Success</strong></p> <p>Every CEO, president and business owner, every entrepreneur or startup founder should read, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Fear-Barrier-Destroys-Companies/dp/1595620540" target="_blank">Breaking the Fear Barrier: How Fear Destroys Companies From the Inside Out And What To Do About It</a> written by Tom Rieger.</p> <p>Why? Because fear permeates through not only our individual, personal lives but also through the hallways of every company to some degree or another. This is not to scare you &ndash; or to put even more fear into you. If you want your company to truly be successful, if you want to run your company with the least stress and the least amount of problems possible, then you need to read this book.</p> <p>Fear acts as an invisible barrier. It can stop your company from closing that next big deal, attracting the right employee talent or developing a product that will allow your company to dominate the marketplace, are just a few examples. As it states in the book:</p> <p>&ldquo;These barriers might seem insurmountable, but they are not. They were built internally, and they can be destroyed internally.&rdquo;</p> <p><strong>The Three Levels of the Fear Pyramid of Bureaucracy</strong></p> <p>The Great Recession may be over but the uncertain economy, divided politics in Washington and the rapid rate of change in our personal and work lives only leads to more fear. That&rsquo;s why it is necessary to identify the fear that exists in your company.</p> <p>The author, Tom Reiger (<a href="http://www.twitter.com/TomReiger" target="_blank">@TomReiger</a>), knows of what he speaks in the book. He has studied fear and its missed expectations. Through his work, he is considered a leader in developing methods and frameworks to identify and remove barriers to success.</p> <p>In <em>Breaking the Fear Barrier, </em>Reiger identifies the three levels of fear and the resulting bureaucracy:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Parochialism</strong>: A tendency to force others to view the world from only one perspective or through a narrow filter, when local needs and goals are viewed as more important than broader objectives and outcomes.</li> <li><strong>Territorialism</strong>: Hoarding or micromanaging internal headcount, resources, or decision authority in an effort to maintain control.</li> <li><strong>Empire building</strong>: Attempts to assert control over people, functions or resources in an effort to regain or enhance self-sufficiency.</li> </ul> <p>Can you relate to any of these in your company? All three levels limit success, stifle employee engagement and, as the book states, infuses a sense of futility across the organization. Fear can literally zap the energy right out of a company.</p> <p>Fear is about perceiving potential loss. In the workplace it can include loss of power, loss of respect, loss of a raise or bonus, or loss of a job. This is what creates the walls or barriers within an organization; which then leads to the company becoming &ldquo;stuck&rdquo; and not as successful.</p> <p><strong>Removing the Fear Can Transform Your Company</strong></p> <p>Reiger shows in his book how identifying and addressing the fear on all levels can bring about extraordinary results such as skyrocketing business, improved service rankings, dramatic drop in turnover, increased sales and improved morale. The author goes on to demonstrate that by rooting out the fear within a company, you can create a culture of confidence, engagement and long-term success.</p> <p>The book is on target. It&rsquo;s what everyone &ndash; and every company &ndash; goes through. Fear is the destroyer of creativity and action. Yet, fear isn&rsquo;t always bad. At times, in life and in business, it keeps you from making mistakes that will be very costly. The key is to know the difference. To do that you need to look fear right in the face and deal with it. If you can eliminate the fear that exists, your business will have an opportunity for growth and success.</p> <p>This book was so interesting that when I was at the library browsing through the recently published books it just jumped right out at me. When I read a few pages, I knew that this was a book I wanted to review and share with the readers of <em>Small Business Trends</em>.</p> <p><em>Breaking the Fear Barrier</em> is easy to read, well organized and well worth your time to improve your business; as well as understand yourself and those you work with. It can be a pathway to transforming your business and taking it to a whole new level of success.</p> <p>From <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com">Small Business Trends</a><br /><br /><a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/04/breaking-the-fear-barrier-book-review.html">Breaking the Fear Barrier: Don&rsquo;t Let Fear Prevent Success in Your Company</a></p> <p><strong>Read more posts on <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/">Small Business Trends &raquo;</a></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/breaking-the-fear-barrier-dont-let-fear-prevent-success-in-your-company-2012-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/hege-fund-mirage-book-review-2012-1 A New Book On The Hedge Fund 'Mirage' Has Some Brutal Facts For Hedge Fund Investors http://www.businessinsider.com/hege-fund-mirage-book-review-2012-1 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:09:00 -0500 Lisa Du <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/4e5e99f0eab8ea6b2b000014/hedge-fund-plate.jpg" border="0" alt="Hedge Fund plate" /></p><p>Financial Times columnist Jonathan Davis made a <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c68c0250-379f-11e1-a5e0-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1iyIJ9XAE">New Year's resolution to stop writing negative articles on hedge funds</a>&mdash;perhaps an ill-advised goal that was made to be broken, <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/11370017/1/its-official-hedge-funds-had-their-worst-year-since-2008.html">as 2011 marked one of the worst years ever in hedge fund returns (and the worst ever since 2008)</a>.</p> <p>In his latest column, Davis reviews <a href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118164318,descCd-description.html">SL Advisors founder Simon Lack's new book 'The Hedge Fund Mirage,' </a>which offers advice on investing in hedges but also outlines a stark truth about the industry's performance.</p> <p>Some <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c68c0250-379f-11e1-a5e0-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1iyIJ9XAE">bitter takeaways from Lack's book, according to Davis</a>:</p> <ul> <li>Hedge fund indices track compounded rates of return over the long-term for hedge funds. which is misleading and doesn't actually represent how much profit has been made and returned to investors.&nbsp;</li> <li>On asset-weighted basis, investors would have made more money investing in government bonds than hedge funds in the last decade.</li> <li><strong>Hedge funds lost more money in 2008 than the entire industry had ever made. <em>Ever</em>.</strong></li> <li>The hedge fund industry performed better when it was worth $200 billion, but now that it's worth over $1.9 trillion&mdash;things aren't as sunny. (Bear in mind that <a href="http://www.hfmweek.com/news/882922/hedge-fund-investors-expect-industry-growth.thtml">many hedge fund managers think the industry is poised for more growth</a> and that many investors continue to be attracted to hedge funds because of its unregulated nature.)</li> <li><span>"Once you make adjustments for survivorship bias, fund of funds fees and so on, it is probable... <strong>that hedge fund managers have kept all the money made, and investors have in aggregate received nothing.</strong>"</span></li> </ul> <p><strong><a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c68c0250-379f-11e1-a5e0-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1iyIJ9XAE">Read the FT piece here &gt;</a></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hege-fund-mirage-book-review-2012-1#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/intel-ultrabook-review-2011-12 Intel UltraBook Review http://www.businessinsider.com/intel-ultrabook-review-2011-12 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:50:00 -0500 Christopher Parr <p><em>By Pursuitist Contributor Joshua Linam:</em></p> <p>&ldquo;Slow&rdquo; and &ldquo;clunky&rdquo; &ndash;&ndash; two words that typically come to mind when I think of a PC. The last time I used a non-Mac laptop I was living in a backwoods Texas town, and I was subjected to painfully slow dial-up Internet. Unjustly, I still associate that pesky <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0" target="new">dial-up Internet sound</a> with PCs.</p> <p>So when <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/intel">Intel</a> knocked at my door to unveil its latest tech innovation, I swept my <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/macbook">MacBook</a> under my couch and skeptically let them in.</p> <p>As you can see in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=jItKfR1jwP4">our video</a>, I was shocked the moment I realized that the big, black faux laptop held the Intel-inspired Ultrabook inside. Clearly, this new laptop is more MacBook Air than recycled parts. The Ultrabook&rsquo;s sexy frame stands less than an inch thick. And after moments of tinkering around, I discovered its Intel guts are speedy; its overall performance, sound. Without a doubt, this breakthrough is a win for PCs.</p> <p>The Ultrabook offers everything you&rsquo;d need to file it under the legit category. With probable four-hour battery life, you can stray far from any power hub. The laptop&rsquo;s screen resolution looks shockingly clear. (I find myself browsing photos slightly longer.) It also loads pages super fast and turns itself on and off quicker than most devices you&rsquo;ll find.</p> <p>Yet the Ultrabook&rsquo;s real competitiveness lies in its smaller details. The laptop provides a two-finger scrolling option, so you don&rsquo;t have to click incessantly to move down a page. You can put it to &ldquo;sleep&rdquo; by closing its screen. And it comes equipped with a video camera for Skyping, Chat-Rouletting, or publishing self-made cat films. While Mac users may be familiar with these options, this is new stuff for PCs.</p> <p>I should mention that the track pad takes getting used to. I would liken its sensitivity to test-driving a sports car after you trade in a diesel truck. If you scroll too quick, you might find yourself jumping across a page. Though I got over this after my second day as an Ultrabook owner. Other points of interest: it weighs next to nothing, makes little or no noise, and is small enough to fit in a weekend travel bag or oversized purse.</p> <p>Personally, I use the Ultrabook for recreational reasons. It&rsquo;s so light, I prefer it to my MacBook for beanbag-inspired laptop lounging or typing in bed. Its volume level is also louder than my Mac, so I like it better for <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/itunes">iTunes</a> and <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/spotify">Spotify</a> listening. Honestly, my time with the Ultrabook has genuinely changed my perception of PCs.</p> <p>Will my new love for the Ultrabook prompt me to sell my MacBook? No. (I paid good money for it, and the resale would be tragic.) Yet I do find myself reaching more for the Ultrabook over Mac when it comes to tucking a laptop under my arm en route for <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/starbucks">Starbucks</a>. I am not joking when I say this may be the best PC laptop ever made. Now, if <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/microsoft">Microsoft</a> can just do something about that <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/internet-explorer">Internet Explorer</a>. (Thank god for <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/google">Google</a> <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/chrome">Chrome</a>.)</p> <p><object style="height: 373px; width: 618px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jItKfR1jwP4?version=3&amp;feature=player_detailpage" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jItKfR1jwP4?version=3&amp;feature=player_detailpage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="373" width="618" /></object></p> <p><em><a href="http://pursuitist.com/tech/intel-ultrabook-review/">Intel UltraBook Review by Pursuitist contributor Joshua Linam originally appeared here</a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Read more posts on <a href="http://pursuitist.com/author/christopher-parr/">Pursuitist &raquo;</a></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intel-ultrabook-review-2011-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-lewis-new-book-2011-9 If You're Outraged By Greece Now, Wait Till You Read Michael Lewis' New Book http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-lewis-new-book-2011-9 Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:00:00 -0400 Julia La Roche <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4a6edfded5bf393b1f309eec-400-301/michael-lewis.png" border="0" alt="michael lewis" width="400" height="301" /></p><p></p> <p>Financial journalist and award-winning author <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/michael-lewis" class="hidden_link">Michael Lewis</a> is out with a new book called "Boomerang."</p> <p>And based solely on its RAVE book review in <em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/the-new-york-times" class="hidden_link">The New York Times</a></em>, it sounds awesome and relevant.</p> <p>The new book traces the origins of the European sovereign debt crisis, giving "the reader a guided tour through some of the disparate places hard hit by the fiscal tsunami of 2008..."</p> <p>The prime example of course is Greece. Lewis writes about how Greece rang up massive debt, according to a review by <em><em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/books/boomerang-by-michael-lewis-review.html?_r=3&amp;ref=arts&amp;pagewanted=all">The New York Times</a>:</em></em></p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Greece, Mr. Lewis writes, ran up astonishing debts &mdash; from high-paying government jobs and generous pensions, as well as waste, bribery and theft &mdash; that came to &ldquo;about $1.2 trillion, or more than a quarter-million dollars for every working Greek.&rdquo; In just the last 12 years, he says, &ldquo;the wage bill of the Greek public sector has doubled, in real terms&rdquo; with the average government job now paying almost three times the average private sector job. Those who work in jobs classified as &ldquo;arduous&rdquo; can retire and start collecting pensions, he adds, &ldquo;as early as 55 for men and 50 for women&rdquo;; more than 600 Greek professions have somehow managed &ldquo;to get themselves classified as arduous: hairdressers, radio announcers, waiters, musicians, and on and on and on.&rdquo;</p> <p>Stories of Greece's years-long public sector corruption will no doubt infuriate the public at exactly the right time, as Europe contemplates whether to let Greece default or bail it out.&nbsp;</p> <p>In fact it's written to be read by a broader audience.</p> <p>According to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/books/boomerang-by-michael-lewis-review.html?_r=3&amp;ref=arts&amp;pagewanted=all"><em>New York Times</em></a> book review, the new book "makes topics like European sovereign debt, the International Monetary Fund and the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/european-central-bank" class="hidden_link">European Central Bank</a> not only comprehensible but also fascinating &mdash; even, or especially, to readers, who rarely open the business pages or watch <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/cnbc-1" class="hidden_link">CNBC</a>."</p> <p>"Boomerang" will be available on October 3.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/books/boomerang-by-michael-lewis-review.html?_r=3&amp;ref=arts&amp;pagewanted=all">Read the full review from the New York Times here &gt;&gt;</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-lewis-new-book-2011-9#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/arvind-subramanian-china-eclipse-2011-8 ECONOMIST Visualizes Chinese World Domination By 2021 http://www.businessinsider.com/arvind-subramanian-china-eclipse-2011-8 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:29:08 -0400 Linette Lopez <p><img class="float_right" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4e5683c4eab8ead825000009-400-300/arvind-subramanian.png" border="0" alt="Arvind Subramanian" width="400" height="300" /></p><p>Economist Arvind Subramanian thinks Chinese economic dominance is a sure thing within the few decades. He's a fellow at the Peterson Institue for International Economics, and the <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/08/25/eight-questions-living-in-chinas-shadow/">Wall Street Journal</a> just interviewed him about his book,&nbsp;<em>Eclipse: Living in the Shadow of China&rsquo;s Economic Dominance</em>.</p> <p>The book opens with this scenario (<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/08/25/eight-questions-living-in-chinas-shadow/">via WSJ</a>):</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">It&rsquo;s 2021 and the U.S. president heads across town to the International Monetary Fund to sign a rescue loan package negotiated by the IMF&rsquo;s Chinese managing director. &ldquo;The handover of world dominance is complete,&rdquo; Mr. Subramanian, a former IMF researcher, writes. China is now the world&rsquo;s leading economic power.</p> <p>In a nutshell, his theory is that economic dominance is simply defined as the economic means a country has to get other countries to do what it wants. In his book, Subramanian goes back to 1870 and analyzes the U.S., the U.K. and China based on three factors-<strong> a country's GDP, its trade, and the extent to which it is a net creditor to the rest of the world. </strong>Put together, he said, the U.S. is waning, and China is coming up strong.</p> <p>Subramanian told <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/08/25/eight-questions-living-in-chinas-shadow/">WSJ:</a> "The way economic convergence between the U.S. and China is evolving, the fact that China will catch up is inevitable. At end of 20 years, China will have a GDP per capita of only 40-50% of the U.S. But China has four times the population of the U.S., so the Chinese economy will be much larger overall. The arithmetic is undeniable."</p> <p>By Subramanian's estimation, economic size is economic power. Even now, the country exercises power by undervaluing the yuan. The West needs to bind the country to a multi lateral system, he says, before it becomes to strong.</p> <p>Not to say that he doesn't know China faces serious challenges -- an aging population, overly cheap capital, over developed exports, pollution and more. Because of those, he thinks China's growth will slow to 7% per year.</p> <p>And then there's one more thing. Politics. If class divisions and repressive government policies create massive unrest, "all bets are off."</p> <p>You can check out a paper adapted from the book <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;cd=11&amp;ved=0CCEQFjAAOAo&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.viet-studies.info%2Fkinhte%2FFA_China_Inevitable_Superpower.pdf&amp;rct=j&amp;q=Eclipse%3A%20Living%20in%20the%20Shadow%20of%20China%E2%80%99s%20Economic%20Dominance&amp;ei=FnFWTtvnIJHI0AHWz4i6DA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEo_NRbNh0kFAFVpXkBhmSNucYItw&amp;cad=rja">here.</a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/arvind-subramanian-china-eclipse-2011-8#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/generational-wealth-business-and-investing-guide-to-building-an-empire-book-excerpt-2011-5 Generational Wealth: Business & Investing Guide To Building An Empire [Book Excerpt] http://www.businessinsider.com/generational-wealth-business-and-investing-guide-to-building-an-empire-book-excerpt-2011-5 Wed, 11 May 2011 10:53:00 -0400 LaFoy Orlando Thomas III, Esq. <p><em>Below is an excerpt from Chapter 2<strong>: </strong>The Importance of Economics in <a href="Generational Wealth: Business &amp; Investing Guide To Building An Empire ">Generational Wealth: Business &amp; Investing Guide To Building An Empire</a>. </em></p> <p>How well a particular investment performs is generally influenced by the state of the economy. Before learning about a specific investment, it is essential to learn about the economy and the impact it has on the world of investing. Also, it is very important to know what economic cycle you are in and know how to adjust and react to each climate accordingly.</p> <p>The economy is measured by several economic indicators that take the temperature of the economy, and some indicators even give a future forecast on what is expected of the economy in the future.</p> <p>Of all the economic indicators, some are more important than others. The most important economic indicator is considered by many as the parent indicator, and that is the gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP is the total dollar value of all goods and services produced by labor and property in the United States.</p> <p><em><img class="float_right" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4dcaa2a1ccd1d58546090000-218-332/general-wealth-and-business-book-cover.jpg" border="0" alt="General Wealth and Business Book Cover" width="218" height="332" /></em>A GDP that is increasing signifies an economic growth cycle that may cause inflation, and a GDP on the decline signifies an economy that is slowing down and may have the potential to cause deflation. Inflation is the rise of prices for goods and services; deflation is the decrease in prices for goods and services.</p> <p>The GDP report measures quarterly activity and has a heavy influence on how people invest and spend their money. The report is released three times each quarter, being revised each time to finally come up with a final report for the quarter during the last month of the next quarter. For example, the final revision of the GDP report for the first quarter (January-March) would be released in June and can be found on the Yahoo! Finance page with all the other indicators.</p> <p>Keeping track of the GDP growth (or decline) numbers should give you a good feel for the state of the economy and also let you know what phase of the business or economic cycle you are currently in. There are generally five phases in the business cycle as outlined below.<br /><br /><strong>Business/Economic Cycle</strong><br /><br />1.) <strong>Downturn:</strong> Starting from the peak in the economy, the downturn starts when the GDP has its first quarter of negative growth and lasts for as long as the GDP report is signifying negative growth. Two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth is officially considered a recession. During a downturn, investors generally get nervous and begin to dump quality investments for less than market value. At this time, investment bargains are usually easy to come by.</p> <p>2.) <strong>Trough: </strong>The trough signifies the end of the downturn or recession. It represents the lowest level in the business cycle. During a trough, because it is the lowest phase in the cycle, reports start to improve and the economy is getting ready to bounce back. In my opinion, this is the best time to invest, especially in real estate and stocks. Due to a lack of consumer confidence at this point in the cycle, investments are usually at their lowest point. Once you&rsquo;re at the bottom, the only way you can go is up, so I advise you to buy all the quality real estate and stocks as possible.</p> <p>3.) <strong>Recovery:</strong> The recovery begins when the GDP growth is positive again. The recovery is over when the GDP level surpasses the previous peak in the previous business cycle, which indicates the start of an expansion.</p> <p>4.) <strong>Expansion:</strong> An expansion occurs when the GDP rate is reaching new heights and continues until it reaches a new peak. At this point, investments normally are costing more than they are really worth. During this phase of the cycle, be careful in what you buy because the peak is coming and on its way. If you buy too close to the top, you may have to sell on the way back down, which will possibly result in a loss.</p> <p>5.) <strong>Peak:</strong> The peak is the highest point in the business cycle. In my opinion, this is the worst time to start investing because once you&rsquo;re at the top, the only way you can go is down.</p> <p>Now that we have a good understanding of the economic cycle, we can now go into depth on the most important economic reports that generally give you a clue in what direction the economy is headed before the GDP report is even released.</p> <p>Although there are many economic indicators viewed and adhered to by Wall Street, there are only six of them besides the GDP report that I find important, and they are listed below. It is important to understand that most economic indicators are subject to monthly revisions; therefore, be aware that the GDP reading is not the only indicator that is subject to changes once more data is received by the source of the economic report.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr /> <p><em>To learn more about Generational Wealth: Business &amp; Investing Guide to Building an Empire, please visit the book&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Generational-Wealth-Business-Investing-Building/dp/1456492918/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1296085829&amp;sr=8-2">Amazon page.</a></em></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/generational-wealth-business-and-investing-guide-to-building-an-empire-book-excerpt-2011-5#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/business-book-review-you-cant-fire-everyone-2011-4 You Can’t Fire Everyone [Book Review] http://www.businessinsider.com/business-book-review-you-cant-fire-everyone-2011-4 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:44:00 -0400 Heather R. 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Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography" /> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading" /> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} --><!--[endif] --><img class="float_right" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/4da4866a4bd7c8ff541c0000/hank-gilman.jpg" border="0" alt="Hank Gilman" />Whether you are a first-time manager or have been supervising others for years, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Cant-Fire-Everyone-Accidental/dp/1591843782/">You Can&rsquo;t Fire Everyone, And Other Lessons from an Accidental Manager</a></em> by Hank Gilman is a must-read. As of this writing, it is the only useful &ldquo;self-help&rdquo; book on management I&rsquo;ve ever read. Ever.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Gilman, deputy managing editor at <em>Fortune</em>, is not a &ldquo;management expert&rdquo; in the traditional sense. He&rsquo;s just a guy who&rsquo;s been managing for more than two decades. The result? A hilariously honest book devoid of management jargon.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Confession: I actually enjoyed the book so much that I pulled an all-nighter to finish it. How many &ldquo;business&rdquo; books can you say that about?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Managing others isn&rsquo;t easy, and Gilman doesn&rsquo;t sugarcoat anything. Even though he&rsquo;s a writer by trade, I was pleasantly surprised at how much he drew me in. I felt as though I was by his side--watching and listening--throughout his entire career. (Take that <em>Journal-Inquirer</em>!)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As an advocate of first-time managers in particular, I asked Gilman to provide me with his favorite tips for newbies from <em>You Can&rsquo;t Fire Everyone</em>. His responses:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Supervising friends: </strong>If you're promoted into a management job, you're going to have to boss around your pals. I realized, soon after my first boss gig, that the good of the enterprise had to come first--and my friends second. It was a little lonelier, to be sure, but the pay was better.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Recruiting: </strong>The most important thing is to have a network of friends in other organizations. That way, you can find figure out the real story about a potential employee. Kind of a board of advisors.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Casting:</strong> Most of the mistakes I've made are the result of bad casting. In other words: Choosing the wrong person for the job. I like to say in my book that we're always asking the short guy to dunk the basketball instead of going for the three-point play. I don't know why managers do this. One of the great mysteries of management life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><img class="float_right" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4da485964bd7c8f054100000/you-cant-fire-everyone.jpg" border="0" alt="You Can't Fire Everyone" /><strong>Hiring sins: </strong>One is ignoring the early warning signs that you hired the wrong person. That's why God invented the probation period.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Firing:</strong> It may seem strange, but I try to make sure I don't make the process worse than it has to be for the employee. For example: I've told a few, to use another lame sports analogy, that we needed a shortstop but they were a better outfielder. I actually meant it--and they left feeling a little better about themselves.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Optics:</strong> You have to pay attention about how things appear to your employees. If you forget to say hello to someone in the hall, they might think you're unhappy with their work. I kid you not. Don't ever come to work with a bad back; who knows what might happen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Good boss behavior: </strong>Pay attention to your employees&rsquo; personal lives. I don't mean really personal, but making sure their work doesn't frequently cut into family time. Your good people will, trust me, find another place to work if their job ruins their home life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>Managing in a crisis:</strong> If you don't handle a big problem well, you'll end up with disgruntled employees. Being honest always helps. During one layoff period, I told workers I just didn't know what would happen next: I might go, they might go, we both might go. It didn't make them cheery, but it sure prepared them for what was coming next. It counted for something.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>No small roles: </strong>This applies to any job, including management. Don't immediately reject jobs or job opportunities that you think are beneath you. If you are asked to do a menial task, do it well. It will say something good about you.</p> <p>For 200 or so pages that outline the path to becoming a great (or at least good) manager, definitely pick up a copy of <em>You Can&rsquo;t Fire Everyone</em> for yourself and your staff. Your employees (and your bottom-line) will thank you for it.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/business-book-review-you-cant-fire-everyone-2011-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/guys-enchantment-2011-4 Guy Kawaski's Enchantment [Book Review] http://www.businessinsider.com/guys-enchantment-2011-4 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:48:00 -0400 John Battelle <p>I'm a <a href="http://www.guykawasaki.com/">Guy Kawasaki</a> fan, so this isn't really a "review" as much as an appreciation for his new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enchantment-Changing-Hearts-Minds-Actions/dp/1591843790"><em>Enchantment</em></a><em>.</em> I read it over this weekend, it's the kind of book you could skim in an hour, or spend a lot of time with. I fell somewhere in the middle, stopping every so often to consider his advice and apply it to situations I find myself in all the time. (Disclosure: Guy works with my company FM in various ways, but I'm writing this mainly because Guy, in his enchanting way, asked me to blog my thoughts here.)</p> <p><em>Enchantment</em> is, in essence, a book of simple advice for succeeding in business, and I found myself agreeing with most of it. Guy is a folksy writer and he loves simple anecdotes, the book is full of them. I rolled my eyes when he encouraged us to "make a checklist," or to smile when meeting someone, and smile with integrity at that. But he's right, and I realized that every time I see Guy, or see pictures of him, he's got the real deal smile working, and it really does work to put whoever he's meeting into an open frame of mind.</p> <p>Another little gem was his advice to get to know the public person you are about to meet with. I tell my sales team this all the time - nearly everyone in our business has a public face - flickr and twitter streams, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, etc. I'm always astounded when folks don't take the time to get to know the people they're trying to do business with. There's almost always a shared story, passion, or anecdote buried in someone's public lifestream, and taking the time to pay attention to that is always appreciated.</p> <p>Guy wraps up all his advice in the concept of being "enchanting," and I get the idea, but it seems to me it comes down to another simple rule: Be a good, highly engaged person, and expect those you work with to be the same. He ends the book with a warning about how not to become enchanted by those who seem to follow his advice, but are in reality just snake charmers. As we all know, there are plenty of those folks out there as well.</p> <p>Many would benefit from reading <em>Enchantment</em> solely for Guy's chapter on managing Twitter, he's clearly a master at it. He follows that with advice on most of the other major platforms (Facebook, blogs, etc), and these alone would justify the purchase, to my mind. Get Guy's book, it's worth the investment.</p> <p><br style="clear: both;" /> <br style="clear: both;" /> <a href="http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=5993bb79f52bab4650f8708523d29968&amp;p=1"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:7Q72WNTAKBA"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:dnMXMwOfBR0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:JEwB19i1-c4"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:2mJPEYqXBVI"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:D7DqB2pKExk"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/JohnBattellesSearchblog?a=44JUKoe3Es8:vGaXRyEn1dc:qj6IDK7rITs"></a></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/guys-enchantment-2011-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p>
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