June « 2005 « 800 CEO Read

June 20, 2005

Being Old and Loving it

Filed under: Safety, Health, and Wellness — Jack @ 2:30 pm

Today, The Wall Street Journal made my subscription worth every penny. The front page of The Journal Report–Section R–is an article called The Secrets of Successful Aging [sub. needed] and it is loaded with value business stuff, along with some great factoids. The business applications is the fact that we are potentially killing ourselves if you dont, of course, eat right and exercise but what is surprising is the latest studies are showing that stress is also right up there with eating right and exercising to help us live longer. Longevity has less to do with genes and more to do with finding ways of dealing with stress.

Here are a couple of factoids from the article:

11 – The number of additional years a 75 year old man can expect to live.
13 – The number of additional years a 75 year old woman can expect to live.
40 – The waistline measurement, at which risk for heart attack increases dramatically
74 – Average life expectancy for a boy born in 2001
122 – The oldest fully authenticated age to which any human has lived

Read the article and possibly live longer.

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This Week – 6/20/05

Filed under: Misc. — Todd Sattersten @ 9:56 am

Happy Monday to everyone!

As you can see, things have been a little slow here on the blogs. We have been putting up just enough to keep us above water.

There are two things to blame. First, we are really busy right now. We are working on hiring a person to help us out with all of our outlets. We are in the final steps of launching a new website. You should see that in about a month. I am also spending some time on getting ChangeThis back up and running.

The second thing is summer. There is not alot going on with business books right now. Things won’t pick up again until August/September. Of course, people are going to keep reading books and writing reviews, so we will link to those.

These are not meant as excuses. I just wanted to give you a peak into what is going on here at 8cr.

Have a great week!

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June 17, 2005

Tom Peters Essentials

Filed under: Design,Global Business,Human Resources/Organizational Development,Leadership — Todd Sattersten @ 4:28 pm

Tom Peters and DK have taken his most recent book Re-Imagine and broken it into four smaller topic-related books. They are called the Tom Peters Essentials Series. They include:

I like the series. You’ll still find the heavy design of Re-Imagine, but it is toned down. I think it makes it easier to read than the original.

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June 16, 2005

Collins on Front Cover of Fortune

Filed under: General Management — Todd Sattersten @ 5:14 pm

I just got my new issue of Fortune and Jim Collins is on the front cover. The headline is “How To Make Great Decisions, Guru Jim Collins Shares His Secrets“. The article starts:

“…FORTUNE senior writer Jerry Useem (a sometime Collins collaborator) asked him to discuss the art of decision-making, he got so into the idea that he pored over 14 years of research and interviews he had amassed in the course of writing this business blockbusters Built to Last and Good to Great. Then, in a series of conversations, he and Useem explored the intriguing insights he had gleaned from analyzing the processes behind key decisions in business history. For example, lasting excellence in corporations seems to stem less from decisions about strategy than decisions about people, and seeking consensus is not the way to make the tough calls.”

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Publicity: Must Read for Authors and Would-Be Authors

Filed under: Publishing Industry — Todd Sattersten @ 2:17 pm

Jack and I are starting to find The Book Standard a good news source on publishing. They provide a good online alternative to Publishers Weekly. The premium paid edition lets you see a variety of bestseller lists based on BookScan data.

In Enough About Me #12: In Which the Author Learns About Overworked Publicists and Nasty and Often Unrealistic Authors, Adam Langer writes about the mismatch between authors’ expectations about publicity and the reality of the media marketplace.

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June 15, 2005

Blogging and BEA

Filed under: Publishing Industry — Jack @ 10:05 am

When Todd and I met with publishers at this years Book Expo America we constantly said that ALL authors needed to have a blog. In Wednesday June 15, 2005 WSJ, Mossberg takes the mystery out of creating a blog [sub. needed].

Come on all you author types, jump in the waters fine.

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June 14, 2005

The Musts of Resale Value

Filed under: Personal Finance and Investing — Todd Sattersten @ 3:20 pm

The Wall Street Journal has published a book called Guide to The Business of Life. I think it is an interesting compilation of things that have been in the paper. I am going to published the Table of Content in the extended section so you can get a flavor for what is offered.

Here is a piece from Chapter 7 – The Great Game: Buying, Financing, and Keeping A Car In Shape:

The Musts of Resale Value

The time to consider a car’s resale value is when you buy it. Dealers will tell you that some features that you may pay extra for up front are worth it when it comes time to trade in or sell. The big ones:

Bigger engines are usually better. Go for the six cylinder, not the four-banger.

Silver is a classic color. So are black and white.

Power is good. In these days when people are accustomed to powered appliances, make sure your car has power locks operated with a remote, keyless entry; power windows and cruise control. Power seats aren’t a bad idea either.

Tinny FM radios won’t do. Go for the CD player (or on newers models, MP3 players).

Spring for cowhide. Buyers love the smell of leather interiors, and they hold up better than cloth.

Shiny is best. Alloy wheels are popular; they help keep your car looking sharp.

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June 13, 2005

Jack Covert Selects–Indispensable

Filed under: Jack Covert Selects — Jack @ 11:21 am

Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Cant Live Without by Joe Calloway, John Wiley and Sons, 200 Pages, $24.95 Hardcover, April 2005, ISBN 0471703087

I personally love and recommend books that start with a premise I completely buy from the get-go. In fact, I have stated that to anyone who will listen for years. That is also what we as consumers are looking for: places to spend our money where we feel comfortable and like we are getting true value. Once we have made the decision, they become a place we call when we need the service no matter what. I really pity the person who doesnt have Dennis as their mechanic or Gary the eye doctor or Ron as the haircutter etc. Joe Calloway has written a book that explains how you can become one of those indispensable people to your customers. In his research he discovered that the successful companies have five factors in common, which include:

1. Create and sustain momentum
2. Develop habitual dependability
3. Continuous connection
4. Big picture outcome
5. Engage, enchant, and enthrall

Pretty slick list. But remember this: shortly after he first introduces the list he states:
One point that is made throughout the book is that becoming indispensable requires creativity. There is no template for success, nor is there a fill-in-the-blanks 10-step guide or a color-by-numbers picture-painting approach to success. Its not that easy. You have to figure it out

The book has many interesting case studies with interviews and explanations that will give you an idea of what he means by figuring out how to be original. Speaking of: the layout of the book is truly original , alternating the different very interesting case studies with interviews and explanations. Joe Calloway can write. No doubt about that. And he tells great stories that support and illustrate his points. This book is a valuable addition to any business book collection.

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June 10, 2005

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#10)

Filed under: Personal Development — Todd Sattersten @ 4:34 pm

A review by: CLINT SCHAFF (clintschaff at gmail.com), a communications director for a local union in Los Angeles and freelance communicator. His mission is to build communications that help build a movement for international peace and development.

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BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#9)

Filed under: Personal Development — Todd Sattersten @ 9:52 am

Bill Jensen’s latest work What Is Your Life’s Work is a collection of personal letters designed both to inspire you and to help you define your own critical balance point between work and life outside of work. The letters are both thought-provoking and touching, and are organized into five “Discoveries”. These are: Finding Yourself, Finding the Lessons to Be Learned – the Questions to Be Asked, Finding the Choices That Really Matter, Finding the Courage to Choose, and Finding Joy, Serenity and Fulfillment. Each discovery area includes a broad collection of letters that really probe the subject and are sure to generate a lot of personal questions and insights.

The book concludes with a field guide to help you clarify the things in your life which are most important to you. You are then encouraged to begin writing your own letter in order to elaborate your values and pass them on to your loved ones.

Overall, I’d say that this book is a novel concept and is pretty well executed. I would like to have seen a bit more of an overall navigational structure to the book, but this is a minor quibble. The discovery introductions give a brief overview of the general topics of the letters and then let the letters speak for themselves.

Bio: Chris Young is a senior business analyst for a large health care organization. He is an avid reader of business and self improvement books, and enjoys playing golf and guitar in his spare time. Read his blog, Journal This!, at http://cyjournal.blogspot.com.

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