Not living without goals entirely, just not letting them dictate your life.

The latest book I am reading.


You can find more books in The WelchWrite Bookstore.

Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, books, education, toread, read, reading, library

Labels: book, books, read, reading

---

A man both pious and scandalous -- brother of famous author Harriet Beecher Stowe and son of one of the most prominant Calvinist preachers of the era, Beecher rose and then fell into the depths of a vicious sex scandal.

I am finding it a great source for this particular era of American history, one that I didn't know much about. I especially like that much of it takes place in Ohio, my home state.




The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More Can you really make money off the nichification of the marketplace? This book has become the darling of the Internet marketing set. I'll finally get a chance to see what all the hubbub is about.



Technorati Tags: book, books, reading, toread

Labels: book, books, read, reading, toread

---

This podcast is well worth a listen for an introduction to Sutton's book and the concepts within.

I have the book on-hold at my library already. Can't wait to read it!

Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Robert Sutton, Author of The No Asshole Rule and the Stanford Professor and author, who has scientific research proving a negative work atmosphere is bad for you. They talk about Sutton's new book which looks at "Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't."

Labels: abuse, book, books, career, careers, harrassment, jerk, job, jobs, work, workplace

---

Treat Your Customers: Thirty Lessons on Service and Sales That I Leaned at My Family's Dairy Queen® Store by Bob Miglani.

I received this signed copy courtesy of the InBubbleWrap book giveaway blog. I have (gently) read it and am now offering it up to Career Opportunities readers and listeners.

For a chance to get the book, email me at career@welchwrite.com with a Subject of Book Giveaway by 11:59pm PST, March 3, 2007. I will randomly draw a name from the entries and mail the book to you.

From Amazon.com...

Customer service is the cornerstone of every successful business, and in Treat Your Customers, corporate businessman Bob Miglani reveals winning strategies for sales and service using anecdotes and analogies from his experiences working at his familys Dairy Queen store. Miglani cuts to the essence of what makes great customer service by sharing clear, concise techniques and guidelines for coping with angry customers, minimizing stress, and making customer service providers feel great about doing their jobs. Both charming and educational, Treat Your Customers will appeal to any business owner, manager, or corporate employee who wants to enhance sales, motivate employees, and keep customers coming back.

Labels: book, books, career, careers, customer, family, giveaway, job, jobs, service, work, workplace

---

I discovered this book through a presentation from Tech Nation with Dr. Moira Gunn, delivered via IT Conversations. She interviews one of the authors Curt Carlson, CEO of SRI International, one of the co-authors. It is well worth a listen and a read.

From Amazon.com....

“Innovation—mystery or mastery? For Carlson and Wilmot, the answer is definitely the latter. Following the example of Deming’s approach to quality—another of those magically powerful substances—they lay out a thoughtful, practical methodology for managing innovation projects through to successful outcomes. Sure, in that one percent inspiration there may be the occasional moment of mystery, but for those of us operating in the ninety-nine percent perspiration part of the field, it’s terrific to finally get a great user’s manual.” —Goeffrey Moore, author of Dealing with Darwin: How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution"

Labels: book, books, carlson, ceo, create, creativity, gunn, innovation, itconversations, sri, tech nation

---

I received another package from InBubbleWrap today and it reminded me that I wanted to tell you about this great web site.


Each day, they hold a free contest to win a book (usually business-related) that they have found to be excellent. Once you set up a free account, you can return each day to read about the book being offered and enter the contest. They also have an RSS feed that allows you to monitor each day's offers. What could be simpler. The book that arrived today is "Treat Your Customers" by Bob Miglani

I have now won about 5 books from InBubbleWrap and even when I don't win I get introduced to a host of new books each month. Many of these find their way into my "Books to Read" list in my journal, to be found at the local library or bookstore.

Free is one of my favorite words (SMILE), with books being a close second, so this site is a daily stop on my Internet travels.

From the InBubbleWrap web site...

1. What is inBubbleWrap?

Well to make a long story short, we love business. We love talking about it and we love doing business. iBW is our way to share this love (wrapped in Bubble Wrap) with you.

iBW is a site dedicated to giving you the opportunity to win FREE business related prizes. Each day (Monday – Friday) brings a new contest with new prizes for you to win. All prizes are business related whether it’s the latest set of business books, nifty office supplies or advice from a business book author.

New offers are launched daily at 9 a.m. (Central Time) and run for 24 hours.

Did we mention that everything is sent in Bubble Wrap? What could be better than free prizes and an afternoon of bubble popping entertainment? Just a note, when in an office cube, try to save all bubble popping until after office hours. Or wait until your coworker falls asleep on his desk as it would make for a good wake-up call (please, for the sake of your career, do not try this with your boss in hearing range).

Technorati Tags: career, job, jobs, work, workplace, creativity, free, toread, read, reading, business, book, web, contest

Labels: book, business, career, contest, creativity, free, job, jobs, read, reading, toread, web, work, workplace

---