- Aftermath: Prepare for and survive apocalypse 2012/ Lawrence E. Joseph
- Aliens: Female war/ Mark Verheiden
- Asimov’s Science Fiction/ March 2011
- Battlestar Galactica: Complete Omnibus V1
- Battlestar Galactica: Ghosts
- Between water and song: New poets for the twenty-first century/ edited by Norman Minnick
- Bicycles: Love poems
- Bloomberg Businessweek/ June 27 – July 3, 2011
- Blue Beetle: Black and blue/ Matthew Sturges & Mike Norton
- Brevity 2: Another collection of comics by Guy & Rodd/ Guy Endore-Kaiser & Rodd Perry
- Buy me: new ways to get customers to choose your products and ignore the rest/ Marshall Cohen
- Buying time: trading your retirement income for income and lifestyle in your retirement years/ Daryl Diamond
- Coach Wooden: The seven principles that changed his life and will change yours/ Pat Williams
- Core strength for dummies, pocketbook edition/ LaReine Chabut
- Digital animation
- Dog fancy/ natural dog (2 issues in 1)/ Aug 2011
- Freakonomics
- Fundsupermart/ 4Q 2009
- Futurama: The time bender trilogy/ created by Matt Groening; story by Ian Boothby
- Gone case/ Dave Chua
- Happiness at the end of the world/ Happy smiley and friends
- Heroes vol 1
- How an economy works and why it crashes/ Peter D. Schiff
- Jack Doe: Anonymous/ Shawn Yap, Gabriel Chua, Xander Lee
- James Robinson’s complete WildCATS
- Jia: a story of North Korea/ Hyejin Kim
- Kato vol 1: Not my father’s daughter/ Ande Parks
- Liquid thinking: Inspirational thinking from the world’s greatest achievers/ Damian Hughes
- Lost Squad/ written by Chris Kirby; art by Alan Robinson; lettered by Kel Nuttall
- Love is the best medicine: what two dogs taught a veterinarian about hope, humility, and everyday miracles/ Dr. Nick Trout
- Mac Life/ May 2010
- Macworld/ April 2011
- Macworld/ May 2011
- Mental floss: genius instruction manual
- Myspace Darkhorse Presents (MDHP) vol 4.
- Northlanders. Book one: Sven the returned/ Brian Wood
- Northlanders. Book two: The cross and the hammer/ Brain Wood
- Relational intelligence: how leaders can expand their influence through a new way of being smart/ Steve Saccone
- Return on engagement: content, strategy, and design techniques for digital marketing/ Tim Frick – Standard
- Six degrees of expatriation/ Maida Pineda
- Small message, big impact: how to put the power of the elevator speech effect to work for you/ Terri L. Sjodin
- Social media metrics/ Jim Sterne
- StarCraft: Frontline. Volume 1.
- Story structure architect: A writer’s guide to building dramatic situations & compelling characters/ Victoria Lynn Schmidt
- Stranded vol 1/ Mike Carey & Siddharth Kotian
- Strategic thinking: a nine step approach to tragedy for marketeers and managers/ Simon Wootten & Terry Horne
- Strength for life: the fitness plan for the rest of your life/ Shawn Philips
- Teenage as a second language
- Terminator: revolution
- The agile enterprise
- The appeal/ John Grisham
- The brain fitness workout: brain training puzzles to improve your memory, concentration, decision-making skills, and mental flexibility/ Philip Carter
- The collected stories of Arthur C. Clarke. Short stories/ Arthur C. Clarke
- The crown and other stories/ Rabindranath Tagore; translated by Ranjita Basu
- The digital handshake: seven proven strategies to grow your business using social media/ Paul Chaney
- The genius machine: the eleven steps that turns raw ideas into brilliance/ Gary Sindell
- The home and the world
- The immortal iron fist
- The past and the punishments
- The Question: The five books of blood/ Greg Rucka et al.
- The right decision
- The tarnished angel
- The unwritten: Inside man/ Mike Carey & Peter Gross
- The war that time forgot: Vol 1
- Twitterville: how businesses can thrive in the new global neighborhoods/ shel israel
- What should I do with the rest of my life? True stories of finding success, passion and new meaning in the second half of life/ Bruce Frankel – Standard
- What the dog saw, and other adventures/ Malcolm Gladwell
- Why we run: a natural history/ Bernd Heinrich
- Work’s intimacy/ Melissa Greg
- Yes! 50 secrets from the science of persuasion/ Noah Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, Robert B. Caildini
Read in 2011
December 31, 2011
Annual Read List Leave a comment
Strategic thinking: a nine step approach to strategy for marketeers and managers / Simon Wootten & Terry Horne
December 29, 2011
eBooks, Management & Leadership (DDC 658), Marketing (DDC 658), Non-Fiction 1 Comment
Suggests that one can think strategically if one can think through these 9 steps (involving a combination of thinking, communication, and planning skills):
1. Gather strategic intelligence
2. Make strategic assessment
3. Create strategic knowledge
4. Make strategic predictions
5. Develop strategic vision
6. Create strategic options
7. Take the strategic decisions
8. Create and communicate the market-led strategy
9. Plan and manage projects to implement the changes
Steps 1-3 are to “escape from the past/ create usable knowledge”. Steps 4-6 are to “focus on the present/ Direct present action”. Steps 7-9 are to “invent the future/ improve future performance”.
Cites Charan: strategic thinking involves thinking for yourself as yourself, and as another. Involves thinking clearly and expressing clearly what you think.
That strategic leaders need not necessarily be found at the top of the organization. Leaders have to be prepared to listen.
“Questioning and thinking will feed your thinking… Once you understand, you will need to communicate your understanding.”
Key to comms: 20 minutes max (attention span), 3 things (images, stories, facts etc to reinforce those 3 points).
Comms is one thing; getting ppl to be motivated to move in the same direction is key.
Motivation comes from belief. Belief is based on 2 components: a thought plus a feeling. Left & right brain (I.e. idea with an optimistic emotional image that listener can identify).
Direction of the comms is from the past (story or an experience), via the present (idea or opinion), towards the future (plan or action). Quantify the risk of being wrong; there is always a chance of being wrong. Thinking of the future also requires an imagination of what the future might be; supported by critical thinking to decide if the idea is desirable or feasible.
Five basic thinking skills: memory (use aids; take notes), imagination, empathy and emotion (feeling), numeracy, verbalise (talk it out, think aloud).
That prediction can be aided by talking to experts/ older people, younger/ would-be consumers, broad general knowledge (“luck favours the prepared mind”).
Ethical thinking, use morality as a guide. Quotes Abraham Lincoln: “when I do good things, I feel good. When I do bad things, I feel bad. That is my religion.”
(List of questions that critical thinkers ask)
16 stages for thinking about complex & turbulent situations (see
Horne & Doherty, 2003)
Steps:
1. Strategic Intelligence – What’s changing out there: TEMPLES
Technology
Economy
Markets
Politics
Law
Ethics
Society
2. Strategic Assessment – Considerations for a self-assessment:
money, management, mental muscle
Morales, mores, market reputation
Materials, movement, machines
3. Strategic knowledge = strategic intelligence + strategic assessment
Strategic Predictions: scenario planning; change nothing (assess impact of this on customers, competition, finance etc); worse case scenario.
4. Strategic Vision. Consider CATSWORLD in developing a strategic vision:
customers, actors, transformation, sub systems, “way we do things here”, owners, resources, limitations/ legal, decisions (how they are made).
Create a optimistic view of the future; determine a hopeful strategic direction; set motivating markers, milestones, review points.
Keywords: optimism, positive future, possibilities.
5. Strategic Options:
identify obstacles, worse fears, worse case scenarios, also best hope. Then identify how those may be removed/ reduced; or how obstacles may be removed to get to “best hope” case.
6. Apply creativity in identifying options (this is where ethics come into play). Suggests speaking to individuals in addition to brainstorming.
7. Strategic decisions. Talks about checklist of areas to consider, aided by intuition.
8. Create & comms the market-led strategy:
A sample of the executive summary provided (which is based on the earlier steps). Talks about how to present.
9. Plan & manage projects to implement the changes.
Managing resistance (suggest at least 70% will resist to some extent). Considerations: has anyone else done this? What is the picture at the end? Who will keep selling the benefits of change? Whose decisions will be crucial? Who owns the change? Who are the main stakeholders of the change?
Resistance to change; sometimes disguised as supportive suggestions., e.g, form working committees.
On project management.
Appendix.
A chart showing a flow diagram. Assessing staff. Delegate to those with high abilities & high motivation. Encourage/ sell/ praise those with high abilities but low motivation. Tell/ direct those with low ability but high motivation. Train those who are low in abilities and motivation.
List of reading references relating to strategic thinking and leadership.
Buy me: new ways to get customers to choose your products and ignore the rest/ Marshall Cohen
December 19, 2011
eBooks, Marketing (DDC 658), Non-Fiction 1 Comment
2010 publication. US-focused.
More descriptive; not quite focused for some chapters, I felt. Some read like opinion pieces.
Context is about consumer purchasing behaviour in a time of thrift and credit consciousness in the wake of the global financial crisis and downturn. Consumers who “think twice about very single purchase”. Also consumers who rely on reviews online, posted by people they don’t know; buying based on need more than wants.
Author calls this the Great Compression (economic squeeze) Vs Great Depression.
The age of thrift.
Analyzing some root causes of the crisis. “false wealth” and “liar loans”; inflated home loans beyond the value of the home and the ability of the borrower to repay; housing bubble.
Price is critical but more so value.
His view was that consumers now expect deep discounts as a given. One problem being that retailers are starting discount periods earlier and earlier before actual holiday seasons. That retailers need to give consumers a dose of “Discount Detox” before consumers feel comfortable about making full-priced purchases again. He provided a few case studies on how some retailers have protected their brand image and still offer discounts or encourage year-long purchase (e.g. anticipate their need for seasonal goods, before the start of each season; maintaining a discount policy for goods that are ready to be “retired”; creating artificial scarcity for products to create perception of high value/ demand & customer satisfaction).
New retail rules
maxims: Stick to product core focus. Size of business does not mean better run. Multi-tier product offerings (different classes of the same product type). Service is a key differentiator. Exceed expectations. Product can “sing solo”. Multiple marketing messages. Offer distinctive products.
Chpt 5 – suggests it’s always better to take a calculated step and deal with the consequences, than to do nothing at all. Note: real estate tends to be the last to be sow signs of recession and also last to show signs of a pickup.
Chpt 6 – the new consumer.
How they are locked into long term payments; some sales tactics tricked consumers with freebies that has them inadvertently agree to paying long term commitment to regular top ups. Or automatically replenishing/ topping up the purchase when consumer’s stocks are low. “make it a given that consumers will be using your products for an extended period of time.” (is that ethical, I wonder)
Chpt 7 – global consumers; case study of Crocs.
Small message, big impact: how to put the power of the elevator speech effect to work for you/ Terri L. Sjodin
December 17, 2011
Business & Finance, eBooks, Marketing (DDC 658), Non-Fiction 1 Comment
www.smallmessagebigimpact.com
Communications; Sales; marketing message
Monroe’s Motivation Sequence:
- Attention – be noticed in a favourable way
- Need – the psychological core of the sequence; use solid evidence to stir minds and feelings
- Satisfaction – provide the audience a solution to the need
- Visualisation – project the audience to a future where they can see themselves enjoying the benefits from adopting the plan
- Action – tell the audience what you want from them; what they have to do to make it all happen
It’s not about scoring each time, but advancing the ball with each “elevator pitch”.
Structure, sound reasoning, a sense of progression (for the listener, in terms of where the speech is going).
Introduction (the hook; attention step)
the body (three main points; the need, the satisfaction, visualisation)
the conclusion (summary; complete the visualisation step, transit to the close)
the close (action step in Monroe’s sequence; call for action)
Different type of talking points for different audiences:
- 3 questions approach: why choose you/ your pdt; why your company; why act now?
- past-future-present method: discuss where your listener was in the past; what I happening to them now; how their future can be improved/ where can you take them?
Three benchmarks:
- compelling case/ evidence in the message
- creativity (in content)
- authentic delivery
How to make the case more persuasive than informative: presenting the need.
The “so what” test. Six typical cases:
- time
- money
- sanity
- fun
- ease of use
- security
Always conclude; always have a close.
Being creative: using analogies, definitions, statistics, testimonials, hypothesis, alliteration, metaphors, personification. But use them not for their own sake but to fit the message.
“polish comes from practice, charisma comes from certainty”
Prepare a variety of views on the same pitch.
Summary: 10 basic steps to crafting an elevator pitch
1. Define your intention
2. Examine scenario (who are your audience; profiles; needs)
3. Draft core outline
4. Build case (most compelling arguments)
5. Don’t forget to close
6. Be creative
7. Speak in your own voice
8. Write it out
9. Practice
10. Use it
Presents examples of an outline/ preparatory notes. Sample of an evaluation form.
appendix has forms, templates, diagrams referred in the book.
The genius machine: the eleven steps that turns raw ideas into brilliance/ Gary Sindell
December 7, 2011
eBooks, Management & Leadership (DDC 658), Non-Fiction 1 Comment
The book stops short of being prescriptive. Ends with a statement that “the world is full of brilliant ideas left or undeveloped noble causes abandoned. To make a difference in the world ultimately requires understanding how to be an advocate for your ideas or causes”.
In short, the author seems to suggest we must advocate and steadfastly refine what we propose. If not, no one will.
Endleofon (old English for ‘eleven’) system.
Stating what we are trying to do. Being able to state the real root reasons (e.g. May not be to stop talent outflow per se, but root causes why people are leaving).
Define time constraints, be able to define what success looks like in a number of time frames.
“creative thought is looking at what everyone is looking at, or has looked at for years, and seeing something new”
“until we’ve discovered the cause, it will be premature to imagine possible solutions”.
“genius thinkers know who they are and what they are driven to contribute”
Know what we stand for.
(what’s my identity? I am a creator who enjoys the process of discovery and connection. I can create by making things or help others create connections)
“a genius thinker knows nothing exists in a vacuum”
Test ideas. But at this stage, find “advocative early responder” rather than critics, naysayers or devil’s advocates. This stage requires people who can help find distinctions in the idea.
Test the idea. Model it. Test for flaws; against original intent. Record “advocacy hooks”, I.e. instances of significance/ success.
Avoid metaphors. Suggests metaphors trap people into thinking it adequately describes the problem and hence solution. Example: if saying we are in the middle of a game and we need to substitute the led player (CEO) but in reality a CEO cannot be replaced just like that.
Recognizing that we may not have a truly original idea, and verifying that assumption. But not let fear of not sounding original hold us back. acknowledge if we are building on other original ideas.
To avoid the trap of thinking we have the best idea, find out the few doing the best work and compare against them (sounds like benchmarking).
Does it benefit more than its primary intended users?
Can the idea/ product stand on its own?
“the Alexandria test” (know your product well enough to teach, others from the ground up)
Ease the learning curve; make it easier for the user.
The responsibility of the core communication lies with the creators.
Concept of “advocacy hooks”; statements of ideas that resonate. Document them, review.
11 Questions (my paraphrasing)
- how is pdt different/ distinct?
- what is the identity? Why are the ideas important?
- where do the ideas lead to? What can be imagined at the end?
- what are my blind spots? What is missing? (test)
- what has preceded us?
- who needs this most?
- what are the underlying principles/ values? Can I make them coherent?
- is it complete enough so that i or others can propagate the idea/ means?
- am I connecting with the audience?
- what if I succeed? How/ where do the identities of the makers, the users, and the product meet?
- am I advocating my own ideas? Am I walking the talk?
Relational intelligence: how leaders can expand their influence through a new way of being smart/ Steve Saccone
December 3, 2011
eBooks, Management & Leadership (DDC 658), Non-Fiction, Philosophy & Psychology (DDC 100) 1 Comment
It’s published by a Christian press, so the book tends to be interspersed with Christian beliefs. Though the principles are really universal, in my view. However, as a non-Christian I found the anecdotes and repeated religious references a bit distracting.
Relational Intelligence Quotient – test at www.relationalintelligence.info
Notes:
The Michael Scott Syndrome (one office manager in “the office” tv comedy).
Treat and value relationships not as a disposable commodity but (as I understand it) with decency.
Treating others with quality will bring about quantities of influence. not about abandoning quantity, but looking at quality with quantity.
Lack of self-awareness is an obstacle to RI (suggests honesty, vulnerability and courage as parts of the cure).
Habit 1: “accessing the perceptions of those around us”. Ask people you trust (though not not always those whom agree with you) how they view us.
Habit 2: “activate the reflective mind within you”. Review. Make right (e.g. Could be offering an apology to make amends”. May cost time, effort and personal pain but will result in less time, effort and pain later.
Habit 3: “write clarifying statements”. Express with honesty and vulnerability. Be self-aware.
Some examples:
“I struggle with becoming easily envious of others’ accomplishments, so I get uncertain about my ability to succeed with other people in my field — even friends — have success.”
“I get easily insecure about my sense of self-worth, so that when not enough attention is on me from my supervisor or co-workers, I feel devalued and internally
weak.”
The brain fitness workout: brain training puzzles to improve your memory, concentration, decision-making skills, and mental flexibility/ Philip Carter
November 28, 2011
eBooks, Non-Fiction, Recreation (DDC 790) 1 Comment
Features IQ test and also a speed IQ test. Also exercises to work the “keenness of mind”, mental speed, numerical abilities, verbal abilities, brain teasers and “3D thinking”.
Answers are provided but not the explanations of why. Didn’t find it useful. Also, on the ebook there are no page numbers, so when part of the book said “go to page 80″, it stumped me.
Was it part of the IQ test?
Jia: a story of North Korea/ Hyejin Kim
November 28, 2011
Contemporary, eBooks, Family/ Relationships, Fiction 1 Comment
When are they going to make this into a full fledged Korean drama serial?
It had the right stuff, I thought.
At the end of the novel, i read that the author won the Korean Novelist Association award for best Korean Drama Scenario. Very engaging read.
Outcasts.
A lost soldier.
To Pyongyang.
Rejection.
Into the orphanage. Picked as a dancer.
Scandal in the hotel. Betrayal, extortion.
Famine.
Desperation. Capture. Torture.
Abandonment.
Escapees.
Pint-sized unexpected help.
Life in the cave.
Almost caught (yet again)!
Neither here nor there.
Betrayal. Abduction.
Enslavement.
A rescue of sorts.
Caught and bailed.
A new identity.
The spy.
The end. Or a new beginning?
“Selling flowers” as a euphemism for prostitution.
Humans are humans. Ideology remain as ideology.
People still fall in love. Love is not rational.
Stomachs still go hungry. Ideology alone cannot feed people’s minds, body and soul.
“I was breathing every moment but I wasn’t alive” – Jia, the protagonist.
Mental floss: genius instruction manual
November 24, 2011
eBooks, Humour, Non-Fiction 1 Comment
Came across like a highly condensed Trivia Pursuit but in a self-depreciating/ irreverent way. Though I didn’t find the humour particularly funny, it’s a quick read of known and lesser-known facts.
Topics covered include events, personalities, concepts/ theories etc from various disciplines, E.g. Physics (Theory of relativity, wormholes, explained in a concise way), economics, technology, business, religion (patron saints).
I liked the chapter covering the greatest literary works (in the Western world) and why they were considered important. The one liner on Hemmingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls was the one thing that I laughed, for some reason (“because it rolls for thee, man”).
