A Class with Drucker by William A. Cohen
(Amacom, 252 pages, 2008, $24.95)
The author was the first student to earn a doctorate in the management program under Peter Drucker at Claremont College. The year was 1979. The author started the program in 1975 with eight other people and remained friends with Drucker until he died.
The book details teachings by Drucker that did not make it into his books, but that the management guru discussed with his students, either in the classroom or informally. The titles of some of the chapters are seductive from “What Everybody Knows is Frequently Wrong” to “Approach Problems with Your Ignorance (I know some people who should have no problem with that)”.
Cohen adds some of his own thoughts to Drucker’s, and the book contains many, many examples. This is kind of a “Drucker remembered” book, as far as his teaching life is concerned. But this is a must read for all Drucker disciples.
No Limit by Donald G. Krause and Jeff Carter
(Amacom, 218 pages, 2007, $19.95)
This book portrays Texas Hold ’em as an approach to business. I am not sure if it is more about poker or business. The work is a derivative of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, which is quoted and referred to liberally. This is not a book about teamwork, cooperation, synthesis, and win-win. This is about winning at all costs and how the winners at poker are not those who have the most luck, but the people who execute their system correctly. One funny part is the discussion about weaknesses. The authors point out if you read the five weaknesses and do not have any, you should think about running for Congress—because to be in Congress you have to have the ability to lie to yourself and believe it!
GoGoogle by Greg Holden
(Amacom, 343 pages, 2008, $19.95)
Holden, located in Chicago, has written a very readable, informative book. He covers 20 of Google’s tools that are pertinent to business. Each gets its own chapter. This is really a how-to book for someone starting an online business. Although the author is a cheerleader for Google, it is not overdone, and he does point out some web sites that imply that Google is the new Evil Empire.
Of the many tools that Holden describes, I think some are especially pertinent: getting your web page indexed so you are positioned better on key word surfing, boosting profits with ads, and blogging to improve marketing. Get this book if you are thinking about starting a business and do not understand what Google offers. The best part is a lot of Google services are free.
The New Rules of International Negotiation by Catherine Lee
(Career Press, 272 pages, 2007, $16.99)
This is another Chicago area author, and she has decided to write a book about her 19 years of international experience. Lee has penned a very relevant book for the international traveler or business person. Even if you are not a business person but are traveling to a foreign country, you can benefit immensely from this book. It would even help non-travelers understand better ways to relate to immigrants or to other U.S. citizens from other parts of the country.
As the author points out, there are significant cultural differences between parts of the U.S (besides red and blue states), let alone parts of the world. However, Lee has found that there are certain values and behaviors that cut across almost all cultures. As I read this, it seemed to jar loose some of the cobwebs in my head surrounding my knowledge from my college anthropology class. I do remember that there were a number of norms that transcended cultures, but that the most universal was the taboo against incest.
The author keeps the text going with personal anecdotes, including one major difference between the U.S. and China. There is no taboo against nose-picking in China. This horrified Lee when she first saw it and did not know how to interpret it.
This book can help you no matter where you live or where you are traveling. I think the main thing about the book is it gets you thinking about the other person’s point of view, and that can only make you a better person and communicator. If you are traveling to China, Japan, Russia, Poland, Hong Kong, India, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Venezuela or Brazil, this is a must read.
Nick Dragisic is a former CEO and is a business consultant. Contact him at npdj@aol.com