by Paul Simister
on July 3, 2020
The full title of this book by Pete Lindsay and Mark Bawden is
Pig Wrestling: The Brilliantly Simple Way to Solve Any Problem… and Create the Change You Need
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good to Very Good.
Here is my book review.
Are you stuck with people problems?
This is a business fable about problem solving. In the book, an old barista at the coffee stall comes to the rescue of a young manager who has become extremely frustrated. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on March 24, 2019
At the time of writing, Theresa May is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Rarely has the Peter Principle been so visible, so clear to everyone around.
What Is The Peter Principle?
This is the gloomy but often accurate prediction that people are promoted to promoted to their own personal level of incompetence.
Then they are stuck…doing a job badly.
How Does It Work?
A person is recruited into a lowly position. He (or she but I’m going to keep saying he to stop this becoming irritating) works hard and is considered to do a good job. he understands the role and it suits his skills.
An opening arises in the position above. The organisation looks around and wants to reward people for doing a good job and, will often be unaware of the Peter Principle, and promote the person who is doing the best job at the level below.
The new job has new responsibilities and needs new skills. These may be skills the person has already or they may be skills he can learn quickly. Alternatively they may be skills that will present a struggle to master. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on July 16, 2018
The full title of this book by Jerry Toomer, Craig Caldwell, Steve Weitzenkorn and Chelsea Clark is
The Catalyst Effect: 12 Skills and Behaviors to Boost Your Impact and Elevate Team Performance
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book three stars.
Here is my book review.
Not as good as expected
Every now and again I find a book with an interesting theme which gives me high hopes of new insight. Some are insightful but others disappoint.
Sadly this has been a disappointment. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 2, 2018
The full title of this book by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman is
Act On It: Solving 101 of the Toughest Management Challenges
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a rating of Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.
Here is my book review.
A handy reference to keep within arm’s reach
Some may think Google has made this book redundant. If you have a question, you can just go to your favourite search engine and ask “the wise men” out there.
Personally I feel there is still a use for the book. It’s hard to know who is giving the answers on Google and whether they are qualified. Yes you can read three answers but what if they are all fools? [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on February 6, 2018
The full title of this book by Verne Harnish is
“Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t“.
In my review at Amazon.co.uk, I rated it as a FOUR Stars book, meaning that I think its in the range of good to very good.
Here is what I posted.
How you can grow past the normal constraints on growth
This is an interesting book which looks at how you can push past the constraints which stop most businesses from growing.
It’s split into four sections – people, strategy, execution and cash.
I started reading it and throughout the People section, I was convinced this was going to be a five star book but, the more I read, the more I was tempted to knock off one star. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 13, 2016
The full title of this book by Ken Blanchard, William Oncken Jr and Hal Burrows is
“The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey: Free Up Your Time And Deal With Priorities“.
In my review on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a FIVE STARS rating. This means I think the book is excellent.
Here is my book review.
If you’re rushed off your feet, this book might be the answer
When I first read read this book in the early 1990s, it was a huge wake-up call.
No wonder there weren’t enough working hours in the day as I allowed my staff’s monkeys to jump onto my shoulders. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on December 11, 2015
The full title of this book by Bradley J Sugars is
Instant Team Building: How to Build and Sustain a Winning Team for Business Success
In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 2 Stars.
Here is my review.
Better than some Brad Sugars books but still not worth buying
This book turns out to be another skimpy overview of an important subject with a large dose of self promotion of ActionCOACH.
Here is what you get with page numbers so you can imagine the depth of coverage of the issues. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 15, 2007
If you have problems with staff retention and you lose staff you don’t want to lose then you need to read this blog.
In my Partners For Profit newsletter for this week I will be sending out limited time access to a back copy of Better Business Focus from November 2006.
This includes a great article by Ken Blanchard (yes, the Ken Blanchard of One Minute Manager fame) about how to retain your staff called “The Talent Contest”.
In a survey that Ken’s company did, it was discovered that 50% or more of an individual’s job satisfaction depends on the relationship they have with their immediate manager. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on October 1, 2007
Which is your greatest asset – your team of employees or your customers?
Both are vital for any business to succeed.
Both must have a “more than satisfactory” relationship with your business for it to consistently provide a high standard of service.
But have you thought how your team can help win you more sales? [continue reading…]
