New Books to Read and Listen To

I just received three books I'd ordered:

Topgrading by Bradford D. Smart.

This book was recommended as a "must read" by Steve Moore, CEO and President of The Mission Exchange. Jack Welch has been a model I've admired for his emphasis on leader development while CEO at General Electric. Welch's approach to leader development came from Smart, and so I wanted to know as much as I can about the practice.

Blogging for Dummies (3rd edition) by Susannah Gardner

Ii want to know as much as I can about how to be more successful as a blogger. I'm hopeful that this book will provide some additional information and knowledge.

Mind Maps for Business by Tony Buzan

Buzan is the "granddaddy" of mind mapping for organizational  thinking and planning. This is his latest book on the subject.

I also acquired two audiobooks::

Power, Ambition, Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of the Ancient World and Today...and the Lessons You Can Learn. by Steve Forbes and John Prevas


Based on an extraordinary collaboration between Steve Forbes, chairman, CEO, and editor in chief of Forbes Media, and classics professor John Prevas, Power Ambition Glory provides intriguing comparisons between six great leaders of the ancient world and contemporary business leaders.

Great leaders not only have vision but know how to build structures to effect it. Cyrus the Great did so in creating an empire based on tolerance and inclusion, an approach highly unusual for his or any age. Jack Welch and John Chambers built their business empires using a similar approach, and like Cyrus, they remain the exceptions rather than the rule.

Great leaders know how to build consensus and motivate by doing what is right rather than what is in their self-interest. Xenophon put personal gain aside to lead his fellow Greeks out of a perilous situation in Persia---something very similar to what Lou Gerstner and Anne Mulcahy did in rescuing IBM and Xerox.

Character matters in leadership. Alexander the Great had exceptional leadership skills that enabled him to conquer the eastern half of the ancient world, but he was ultimately destroyed by his inability to manage his phenomenal success.

The corporate world is full of similar examples, such as the now incarcerated Dennis Kozlowski, who, flush with success at the head of his empire, was driven down the highway of self-destruction by an out-of-control ego.

A great leader is one who challenges the conventional wisdom of the day and is able to think outside the box to pull off amazing feats. Hannibal did something no one in the ancient world thought possible: he crossed the Alps in winter to challenge Rome for control of the ancient world. That same innovative way of thinking enabled Serge Brin and Larry Page of Google to challenge and best two formidable competitors, Microsoft and Yahoo! (Summary by Audible.com)

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education. by Craig Mullaney


Craig M. Mullaney's education had been relentlessly preparing him for this moment. The four years he spent at West Point and the harrowing test of Ranger School readied him for a career in the Army. His subsequent experience as a Rhodes scholar at Oxford couldn't have been further from the Army and his working-class roots, and yet the unorthodox education he received there would be surprisingly relevant as a combat leader.

Years later, after that unforgettable experience in Afghanistan, he would return to the United States to teach history to future Navy and Marine Corps officers at the Naval Academy. He had been in their position once, and he had put his education to the test. How would he use his own life-changing experience to prepare them?

The Unforgiving Minute is the extraordinary story of one soldier's singular education. From a hilarious plebe's-eye view of the author's West Point experience to the demanding leadership crucible of Ranger School's swamps and mountains, to a two-year whirlwind of scintillating debate, pub crawls, and romance at Oxford,

Mullaney's winding path to the battlegrounds of Afghanistan was unique and remarkable.
Despite all his preparation, the hardest questions remained. When the call came to lead his platoon into battle and earn his soldiers' salutes, would he be ready? Was his education sufficient for the unforgiving minutes he'd face?

A fascinating account of an Army captain's unusual path through some of the most legendary seats of learning straight into a brutal fight with Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, The Unforgiving Minute is, above all, an unforgettable portrait of a young soldier grappling with the weight of his hard-earned knowledge while coming to grips with becoming a man. (Summary by Audible)