|
Some
of my favorite things (in no
particular order) |
TiVo
www.tivo.com
|
Brings
enjoyment to television entertainment. The best appliance in our home. We currently own three, including the Sony SVR-3000. |
The
One Number You Need to Grow
www.hbr.com
or www.amazon.com
|
Article by
Frederick Reichheld in HBR: OnPoint. Great insight into how we
should measure customer service. Everything I list on this page is
rated 8-10 on his scale. |
David
Allen
www.davidco.com
|
Author of Getting
Things Done. Follow his advice to add productivity to your life.
Practical advice that tops
Covey's Seven Habits.
|
Microsoft
Outlook 2003
www.microsoft.com/outlook
|
I know it's
fun to bash Bill Gates, but I like this product, a lot. Worth the
money to upgrade with better data organization and the ability to
add pictures. |
Google's
Toolbar
toolbar.google.com
|
An add-on to
Microsoft
Internet Explorer. Fabulous features and great ease of use. See
also Google Services
for other great enhancers. |
Plaxo
www.plaxo.com
|
An add-on to
Microsoft Outlook,
it helps maintain your address book entries, including birthdays and
anniversaries. Also accessible online without double entry. |
Brooks
Brothers
www.brooksbrothers.com
|
Replacing my
old favorite, Nordstrom,
Brooks Brothers has great clothing. My current favorite is their
classic dress shirt. |
Fado
Irish Pub & Restaurant
www.fadoirishpub.com
|
I especially
love the cheese and boxty wedges for an appetizer. Best cheese sauce
I have ever tasted. New: Just discovered, more than one location! |
Coca-Cola
www.cocacola.com
|
One of the
best beverages ever invented. Available near you. |
Bibbentuckers
www.bibbentuckers.com
|
The
Starbucks of dry cleaners; while everyone else is competing on
price, they compete on quality. Dallas area only. |
Zeffirino's
www.ristorantezeffirino.it |
Quite
simply, the best Italian food you can find outsite of Italy. Located
in the Grand Canal Shops at The Venetian (Las Vegas). |
|
Recommended
Reading Material (by topic area) |
| Management |
| The
E-Myth, Revised, by Michael Gerber |
The first book for every entrepreneur.
And a pretty good approach to management consulting, too. |
| The Goal by Eliyahu
Goldratt |
A new way to think about production
lines, with serious implications for management in general. |
| It's Your Ship by
Michael Abrashoff |
Advice based on experience. Article
that started the book. |
| Customer Service |
| The
One Number You Need to Grow, by Frederick Reichheld |
See
comments above. www.hbr.com
or www.amazon.com |
| Leadership |
| Leadership Wired, by
John Maxwell (newsletter) |
Sign-up for this. Lots of
good nuggets. |
| Leadership is an Art,
by Max DePree |
It's always the right time to do the
right thing by your people. |
| The Leadership Challenge
by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner |
One of the classics on the
topic, now in 3rd edition. |
| Project Management |
| Don't Park Your Brain
Outside: A Practical Guide to Improving Shareholder Value With Smart
Management by Francis T. Hartman |
A poor title for a good
book. Used by KPMG. book
link |
| Rapid Development by
Steve McConnell |
Written for software development, it's
applicable to project and general management. |
| Market Segmentation |
| The Clustered World
by Michael Weiss |
Amazing insight into how marketing should
be done be everyone who has a product hitting the consumer market.
See Claritas. |
| Hiring |
| Top Grading, by
Bradford Smart |
The only book you need on the topic, and
you need this book on the topic. |
| Time Management |
| Getting
Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen |
A
comprehensive system for organizing work, home, and other
activities; this is more than just time management. You would be the
better for implementing this advice. |
| Facilitation |
| Winning Through
Participation by Laura Spencer |
Based upon
the method of ICA. Take their class if you need further instruction. |
|
Job Search
|
| Don't Send a Resume
by Jeffrey Fox |
Getting a job is like marketing a
product; have a plan and execute like a salesperson. |
| Rites of Passage by
John Lucht |
Advice on
the executive job search and how to work with headhunters. |
| Knock 'em Dead Series
by Martin Yate |
Separate
books on résumés and cover letters, all worthwhile. book
link |
| Becoming a Better
Employee |
| How to Become CEO by
Jeffrey Fox |
Easy read,
extremely good advice. |
| Personal
Enrichment |
| A
Poem a Day, edited by Karen McCosker and Nicholas Albery |
Trust me on
this one. You'll love this more than you ever imagined you could. book
link |
| On Becoming a Person
by Carl Rogers |
Especially
chapter 7. background |
| Personal
Wealth Management |
| Rich Dad, Poor Dad
series, by Robert Kiyosaki |
I think Cashflow Quadrant is my favorite
of the series. |
| Multiple
Streams of Income by Robert Allen |
Try all the
methods you can, and if you cannot make at least 5 of his 10 steps
work for you, try again. |
| Fiction |
| Ender's
Game by Orson Scott Card |
Everyone I
know who has read this book thoroughly enjoyed it. Give it a try. |