Needed wisdom from one of the best
585509
This is an excellent and accessible account of Just War as it relates to the War on Terror - primarily in Afghanistan.  Should be read even by those unfamiliar with Just War for the clarity it brings to the discussion about American foreign policy and Islamofacism.  A previous reviewer who claimed JBE is in need of more training "in law and morals" is not familiar with her work in the least.  She is one of America's leading public intellectuals, and this work will show you why.
4582851
Practical wisdom is something every new CEO needs. Start With The Answer is like wisdom in a bottle-it's refreshing, easy-to-swallow and ultimately hydrating. I think there's something in it for every leader. I found Bob's "wisdoms" not only insightful, but highly useable.

Chris Foster
CEO
Fallon Worldwide
3825021
great read on a couple of business and personal levels

invaluable insight on how to lead

invaluable advice and a lot of wisdom from the best
185982
Myers has done a good job in this book but has overlooked the contributions of past intellectual giants like Frank Knight ,Joseph Schumpeter, and John Maynard Keynes,as well as the superb work of Gary Klein,on the role of intuition in business and general,practical,everyday decision making. Myers definition of intuition as " our capacity for direct knowledge,for immediate insight without observation or reason " is only half right and only half baked. What should be added to his definition is the following :" based on the sum total of all of our past experiences and past knowledge ".Myers correctly points out that intuition can lead us astray. Unfortunately,he fails to point out that such errors are corrected and incorporated into the corpus of our overall knowledge under the title of "learning from experience".Intuition thus brings into play the concepts of induction,similarity,and creativity. Perhaps a better way of summing up Myers main point is that intuition is knowing without knowing that you know. The interested reader is advised to also take a look at the work on intuition done by Gary Klein. He incorporates a substantial amount of scientific study that is not mentioned by Myers.
4448086
Very good information, but one needs to be a discerning reader. He talks about the importance of letting go of one's ego, but as you go further into the book you can see where, at times, he is writing through his own ego, his need to be "right" rather than accepting that certain internal truths are not the same for everyone.
2538000
I think there is a lot to be learned from Tim Ferriss but I personally could not take some of the ideas to the extreme he has taken them.  I took away some great ideas from this book on how to work smarter at everything I do. Tim Ferriss is a VERY driven individual and has taken all of his dream to the next level.  He is proof anything is possible, if you want it bad enough.
948824
Goulston offers a great reminder: LISTEN.  So many of us don't - and those of us that do are so often not so great at it.  (If you're really interested in the topic of listening, check out Co-Active Coaching and their section on the Three Levels of Listening).

Unfortunately, I can't say there was much "there" there.  Goulston does offer activities and exercises that you really should try.  Some of his lines seem better in a textbook than active use, but others are purely brilliant.  Either way of how you feel, it's worth testing them out yourself.

But, if you've read other books of a similar type, you can probably pass on this one and not miss much.  If you've yet to explore areas like coaching, emotional intelligence, and communication, I'd give it a read, but wouldn't expect to be blown away.  (Plenty of good reviews though, so to each their own!)
729434
My first book of Jack Kornfield, A Path with a Heart, I have read in 1995 and only in retrospect I realize how his writings have been of great influence and help to my life. I can reread his books ( like "After the Ecstacy" or "the wise heart" ) again and again and find new insights. Years later I find advice which in the first reading I did not notice since "I wasn't there yet".

Jack Kornfield has a wisdom and personal experience, which is very humble and selfless and I find him to be one of the best authors inspiring the very practical aspects of spiritual life.

So why only three stars for this book? Two things:

Parts of the book is recycled texts from previous publications, which is a bit dissapointing. But there is another thing, which I found disturbing:

Kornfield has in his previous books very gently and very wisely taken up the issue of betrayal in spiritual communities and the fact that some teachers don't live up to what they promise, often in the areas of sex, power or money. I noticed that Kornfield was over time more open in mentioning this and also had in some books very helpful advice how to deal with such experiences.

Now to my suprise, Kornfield has a long chapter containing enourmous praise regarding Chgyam Trungpa, describing his amazing qualities on full 16 pages. The uninformed reader is left with the impression that Trungpa was absolutelty amazing and almost without any flaw. I am left with the impression, that Kornfield answers an "insider discussion" which only those having more information understand completely. In only one short paragraph he mentions that Trungpa "drank and was a womanizer" -- which seems after all I know quite an understatement. Brad Warner for example describes such issues in a good chapter  "when good spiritual masters go bad", also mentioning Trungpa as "a problematic teacher to say the least",and his even more problematic successor.

I am not saying that Trungpa may not have had amazing qualities and that he created much good, as for example establishing Naropa and Buddhism in general in America and the West. But from Kornfield I had expected a more balanced presentation of Trungpa-- his later chapter on the "sex life of gurus" does not ease my uneasiness about the Trungpa chapter. The fact that he is controversial must be clearly stated and discussed in a chapter about Trungpa and not "covered up" in one-sided praise. It simply raises much bigger questions: If some ideals, especially the celibate life, fail so often in spiritual communities, be they Catholic, Buddhist or whatever, one has to honestly ask if these ideals cause more damage and hypocrisy than true help. From Kornfield I am used to see such discussions and I am really puzzled about this chapter on Trungpa, since it does not seem to be Kornfields usual style.

I still find much inspiration in large parts of his book. I do think his previous ones were better and I am disturbed by the Trungpa chapter the way it is written. Maybe since I have had my share of dissappointments in the Catholic tradition I grew up with and had so far thought the Buddhist community would deal better with these things.
3599506
One of a kind author combined with knowledge that might have otherwise been lost.
487306
After reading many volumes by those who loved this man and those who hated him for one reason or another, it is refreshing to learn from his own pen what he really thought, and what motivated him. He freely admits his faults and that he often changed his course as he learned what worked and what didn't. He was very human, but constantly striving to improve not only himself but to provide a smoother road for others through his own experiences. This volume gives some excellent advice on how to improve yourself. Having read some of his other writings, particularly his autobiography, I have gained a great deal of respect for him.
1997138
I intended to buy 'Good In a Room' after listening to the audio version I borrowed from the library because of a couple of important points made that I want to reference in the future.  I think, for example, that the author's discussion about the link between our self confidence and rewarding ourselves for process success is a subtle, but brilliant piece of wisdom.  I also think her discussion on the primacy of rapport in creating successful business relationships is highly valuable and much less obvious to many (if not most) of us.

However, I don't think the price of this book is justified, regardless of the author's celebrity status; the pearls are too few and far between.  The book is largely filled with superficial tactics and `what to say whens' rather than helping the reader understand key principles, perceptions and practices that lead to success in the big game.
603483
Colvin's message in his recent book is very democratic. Everyone can be great. You just have to want it badly enough. And, you have to be smart about how you devote your energy to chasing it.

One of his anecdotes struck home to me in a very personal way. In describing how most people practice golf, he tells the story of his own practice methodology. He goes to the driving range, hits his irons at a pretend green with a fake flag. Takes a bunch of swings. Goes home. The problem with this methodology is it doesn't lead to improvement. You just reinforce your bad habits. And you never get better.
'Contrast that with Tiger Woods' practice routine, where he may take a ball, smash it deep into the bunker, and practice chipping onto the green hundreds of times a week, in the knowledge that a few times a year, that shot could make all the difference. It's tough, and generally no fun practicing for a shot that you might only see a few times a year (and that's for a pro golfer who is playing tons of rounds).

In order to get better (or great) at something, you need to do "deliberate practice", which is quite different from how we typically think of practice. It involves identifying quantitatively and objectively what "better" really is, and following a structured method to achieving that "better." I think his argument carries more weight in fields where "better" can be measured. Sports, for example, where bigger, stronger, faster can all be measured in pounds, seconds and points.

But how does greatness manifest itself in business and finance?

It is especially deceptive in stock picking, as this recent financial meltdown has shown that many great managers, whom we adulated as superstars, were not able to navigate their portfolios in this bear market. So people who were perceived at one time to be great turned out to be not-so-great.

One of my favorite financial bloggers, Trader Mark, has chronicled the performance of erstwhile fund manager extraordinaire Bill Miller, whose investment strategy achieved stellar returns for years before unraveling during the credit crisis.

And so it's clear that performance matters, but also the risk taken to achieve that performance. Modern portfolio theory typically uses volatility of returns as a proxy for measuring risk.

But if you look at Nassim Taleb's Rule #4 from his 1997 tome Fooled By Randomness, "Beware of the trader who makes steady income. Those tend to blow up. Traders with very frequent losses might hurt you, but they are not likely to blow you up. Long volatility traders lose money most days of the week." So if you were running a fund and improved your performance by writing put options in a bull market, you look like a champ, until the market tanks and wipes out your years of gains and then some. Or if you're an insurance subsidiary like AIG Financial Products, you write Credit Default Swaps that you have no ability to pay if the trades go bad. In the early years of the bull market, your selling volatility looks like a great trade. You collect steady and consistent premium. So it looks like performance added at no measured risk (no volatility because the options are expiring worthless to the buyer). But, of course, there was risk and the risk comes to roost when the market tanks.

So it makes us ask, what does Colvin's notion of Deliberate Practice look like in the world of investing? I'll pose the question here - and welcome comments to continue that conversation.

From my blog entry:
[...]
331177
J. Krishnamurti found a path with leads generally in the direction of "enlightenment." His books offer a point in the right direction, but, as such, they are only for those who are willing to do the hard work of actually walking the path themselves and observing their consciousness and their word with honest eyes. Intelligence for Krishnamurti was the ability to keep the mind from lazily settling on any one conclusion ("blocking itself"), and maintaining always an open, alert and unending curiosty about everything. Concentration was another key word for Krishnamurti, and he seemed to feel that most people were unable to take concentration to the level of an art-form, which is what he felt it should always be. That said, this book is an excellent career overview of his "work," but, in my mind, intended for those already acquainted with his take on life. I would advise starting with As One Is or Think on These Things.
1722562
I really liked the first part of the book, which is mostly based scientific research. It also gives sound advice: the importance of staying active, of continuing to learn new things, of refreshing, recalling and retrieving old memories, of NOT worrying when you can't find a word (it happens to all of us) etc.

In the second part, though, I got fed up with wise advices as
 'Do:
Give yourself. Take care of others, and care for them
Work at something you love.
Set worthy long-range goals that well take years to achieve
Be open-minded
Have emotional resilience.
Learn from the past, and then put it behind you.
Live for the present
Plan for the future without anxiety, fear or dread
Develop close, warm social bonds

Don't:

Hitch your happiness to external rewards,
Postpone being happy until sometime in the future
Expect someone else to make you happy
Equate happiness with momentary pleasure
Pursue more and more stimulation

And so on. If you have the feeling this helps you further, please read the book. I just couldn't get past the feeling how much good these advices would to somebody who has been gang-raped, for instance. Or who lost his job, house and family due to the financial crisis. 'Plan for the future without anxiety, fear or dread': nice if you can, but what if the past was really dreadful?
2199094
This book has a lot of wisdom, but it's also a lot of wisdom one has heard already by the time your out of your 20's. Still, it's an insightful survey of the state of the field. For instance, the author takes the chronic low wages offered in the profession for granted as sign and symptom of our culture's warped values. Moreover, she poses the question to the reader of whether they can sustain the reality of living and saving on such a wage as a main consideration to counter the sheer, often giddy joy of teaching kids. Also, she raises the issue of how many actors/entertainers view the profession as a "back-up" and don't truly take the duty to heart. Teaching she says is fame-less, often thankless. "Who will know about my good work as a teacher?" If that question bothers you, don't do it. Upon finishing the book, it becomes clear that teaching young children is a *vocation* --like being in the clergy --done for the joy of dedication to life, even in our culture that pays the premium salaries to work that is pillage and destruction of our resources.
2543226
The work is inspirational for those of a religious bent. Well written and informative from a religious as well as historical perspective. However, Nabil, himself made me realize that inspirational writing is not enough as he committed suicide upon the death of his spiritual master. Obviously even his strong faith was insufficient for him to cope with the world.
4187364
Overall I would say this book is both practical and inspirational.  She delicately puts into print truths that many of us would never admit and dispenses advice to reverse those negative ones.

However, I was a little disappointed about how many times she said that it is unfortunate that many teachers are white, middle-class, females because Hispanic and Black students will not be able to relate to them very well.  I also slightly resented the number of times she said that we must recruit more male teachers, especially black.  I'm sorry but these two points make me, a white middle-class female, feel discouraged about even TRYING to reach Hispanic or Black students.  I mean, why try when obviously a man could do a better job than me, and my race means I am too inadequate to teach children of color? I think she is probably well-intentioned, but these statements in themselves seem racist and gender-biased.  If she, and other similarly-minded people, think racism and gender bias are wrong and should be eliminated, she should avoid such statements.