Careers Books

If you are wanting excellent and easy reading on marriage, commonications and relationships in general buy any and everything by John Gottman

This book provides excellent advice that is laid out logically, and is easy to understand and implement. A few simple changes can improve how your interact with your spouse.

I use this book in working with couples planning to marry or when couples struggle, and they ALWAYS find answers. Gottman's style is respectable and accessible for "everyman," while still maintaining heady content for professionals. I recommend it for couples looking to learn better fighting styles and communication patterns, for pastors and professionals who work with couples in trouble, and for people trying to set the rules before they actually play the game. Great text!

John Gottman is a respected expert on relationships who has done extensive research with married couples over the past two decades to determine why couples stay together or part. Although Gottman's book is about marriage, it also has some excellent insights for understanding some of the important dynamics of long-term courting relationships. The book provides many exercises, quizzes, techniques and tips to understand and improve courting relationships.

Gottman notes that his years of research show that a lasting marriage results from a couple's ability to resolve the conflicts that are inevitable in any relationship. He also notes that there are three different styles of conflict resolution that healthy couples usually adopt. They are: the validating marriage (couples compromise and calmly work out their problems attempting to satisfy both people), the conflict-avoiding marriage (couples agree to disagree and rarely confront issues head on), and the volatile marriage (couples conflict often and the results are passionate disputes).

John Gottman also discusses what he calls "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse." These are the dangerous ways of interacting that sabotage attempts to communicate. They are criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling.

Well written and informative, Gottman's research has uncovered some worthwhile and thought provoking ideas on long-term relationships. Understanding these concepts can be helpful when trying to understand oneself and when exploring long-term compatibility with a companion.

I found many useful concepts throughout the book. Overall a powerful work on strenthening relationships!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

This book was recommended by our Marriage Counselor. We went through counseling 5 years ago, and have had a wonderful marriage ever since. This book (at least ideas from it), helped tremendously... but you have to read it together, open up your mind to all ideas, take it to heart, and be willing to change.

PERSUASION IQ: THE 10 SKILLS YOU NEED TO GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT comes from an author who has earned a worldwide reputation for knowing which persuasion techniques work, and for helping others in business further their careers by using these techniques. His instrument for measuring the success of persuasion techniques is called 'Persuasion IQ', and his book on the topic tells how to strengthen and observe persuasion techniques for maximum benefit.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Kurt Mortensen's Persuasion IQ book is in one word awesome. I really enjoyed learning the different skills and techniques not only in regards to persuasion/influence, but also in improving your life. Highly recommend it! Great job.
Oscar

Excellent book on the topic of persuasion without a slant toward any one occupation or profession. The principles and illustrations can apply to persuading a teenage son to go to college, to making a presentation to a senior executive, or to developing great website copy.

The author refers to several primary research studies done by his organization. In fact, these are the heart of the book and what I found most intriguing and worth scrutiny for any sales professional, speaker, author, or marketing professional.

Highly recommended.

Someone has finally written a masterwork on the science of how we persuade people.

Historically, most books on persuasion revolve around old-school sales techniques that simply don't work in the 21st century. Mortensen looks at persuasion the way it should be seen, as a set of procedural skills with real evidence behind them. Starting with the inner game of your thoughts and personal beliefs, Persuasion IQ teaches you into ten rules that - surprise - have much more to do with your attitude, competence, and presence with others than selling techniques. Look critically at where you succeed - and if you are brave, where you fail - and you will find that this book's very detailed, structured view of the world will resonate very strongly with you.

I have met Kurt Mortensen, and he is the real deal. He exudes the kind of positive self-confidence and mental toughness that can make anyone successful - but more important, he has boiled down the mechanics of how you and I can be exactly the same way. The result, in the form of this book, is truly a gift for all of us. -Rich Gallagher, author of Great Customer Connections and What to Say to a Porcupine.

When it comes to the science of persuasion, both personal and professional this is not only the best, but also the most important book out there.
Kurt Mortensen talks about how the inability to command influence is a universal personal and professional dilemma. He also explains the common pitfalls such as "The 5 C's of Trust" in an accessible and easy to understand manner.

Well, I'm 14 and perfectly authorized to write a review for this book since it IS for teenagers. The entire freshman class is being required to read this book as a part of our 48 Books Program and some of us like it and some of us absolutely can't stand it. I would give it the fact that it's remotely interesting but it's mean in a way that if you do something wrong you're totally undermining your self-esteem and I think that's just plain wrong. To make this book better he should have put more in that are popular that people actually know about and are funny, not just being used to prove a point. Also, the way he wants us to write in the book and stuff just doesn't appeal to ANY of us because of the way it's phrased before a line to write. Most of us just kind of think about it and go on. It's hard to hold my attention on it for very long because just reading through Habit #2 makes you read over a hundred pages of boring text. My school is in the top 36 elite high schools in the nation and they expect us to read this boring book that's of little or no help to the majority of it's freshmen? I mean, my math teacher thinks it's the best book on the planet, but seriously, he's kind of old. Us teens (who the book was actually written for) think it's not all that great. Whatever. Read it yourself and see what you think, this is only my opinion after all, not that a whole lot of people are going to read it or anything.

This book helps to answer the question- What must I
do to be successful? The author discusses good habits of
highly effective teens, as well as planning and win-win
scenarios. Above all, a teen must be a good listener in
order to influence people. Poor listeners are identified
by the author; as follows:

o Do you pretend to listen?
o Is your listening selective?
o Do you listen to words only or take in other things
like body language?
o Are you empathetic?
o Does your mind wander in another galaxy?

These are all good questions which the author poses.
Each of us has a style. Some students are imaginative,
creative or spatial. Others are investigative or
inquisitive. Still others tend to be realists or
fatalists. A minority of people tend to be too analytical.
This phenomenon is called "analysis paralysis". Our
tendency to over analyze a problem actually gets in the way
of successfully executing a practical solution on an
immediate basis.

Teams have all kinds of people. Some are plodders.
Others are followers. Some may innovate while a minority
of people harmonize the group and aid in its ultimate
cohesion as a unit.

The book is an excellent value, The author poses
questions aimed at getting teens to identify and correct
sloppy habits/predispositions. These negative aspects
may hinder academic performance later on.

This is a very good book for middle and high school age kids. It gives them a direction and a way to plan how they live and interact with other teens and adults. I'd also recommend getting the companion workbook The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Workbook [[ASIN:1929494173 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Workbook. It helps cement the concepts covered in the book

Like many of the reviewers on here, I too was one of the unfortunate teens who had this book thrust upon them in high school. I was always a negativist at heart, so I am naturally critical of self-help programs and feel-good books like this one. But since I was going through a rough patch in my life, I decided to give it an honest chance. Plus, it was given to us at no charge, which I did appreciate.

Unfortunately, this book is only helpful to one of two different types of teens, neither category of which I happened to fall into. First are the type of individuals who are already happy-go-lucky, self-confident, and have already fully developed a sense of identity. Teens who are depressed, have a bad family situation, have financial troubles, or have issues with self-image should forget this book even exists. The second type of rare teenage breed who might actually benefit from this book is the one who has the dedication and the energy to uproot his or her entire life in order to live it according to Sean Covey's strict specifications.

Personally, I found the book to be so overly enthusiastic that it actually sickened me. Covey seems to assume every teenager is of the same mold. He doesn't account for some very important variables which often contribute to teenage stress and hardship (i.e., moving to a new location, domestic violence, the death of a loved one, mental illness, etc.) and the issues he does address are often glossed over in a goofy, unrealistic manner. It's plain to see that Covey, despite his "I-used-to-be-just-like-you" attitude, didn't have too many problems growing up. Perhaps he should have let someone more qualified write this book.

Even the people who might enjoy this text will be turned off by its blatant profiteering. There are copious references to a companion planner that you are supposed to buy, as if all other day planners are somehow incompatible.

My advice for troubled teens: burn this book and keep listening to angry music and playing violent video games. It is far more therapeutic than reading "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens".

I come from a horrible background, my family has no moral structure, they're either on drugs or selling drugs.

My freshmen year of high school was really hard for me, my moms drug use escalated and I felt trapped. I was about to give up and go towards the bad stuff my family did/does. I just wanted to be accepted, I was too weird for the normal kids, but not hardcore enough the kids that let me hang with them.

I had no support, and I felt like I couldn't reach out, after a suicide attempt, I was put into a leadership class and the Curriculum was the Seven habits of highly effective teens

This book helped me:
Over come my family (I moved out when I was 16)
Get better grades (I went from a 1.6-3.8 in one year and graduated with a 2.5)
It helped strengthen my moral goals (and give me some also)
and It helped me take care of myself

I am now 19 a freshmen in college and working towards becoming an abnormal Child Psychologist.

A few good teachers and this book saved me from a life of crime and drugs.

I feel like there are a lot kids out there that need this book, and a few good teachers.


P.s. I still have my copy from my freshmen year, all beat up and highlighted and I re-read it every so often to remind myself of all the awesome stuff in there.

I read this book less than two weeks time and entered three poker tournments three weeks later- result 1st tournment third place, 2nd tournment 1st and 3rd tournment 1st place. This book is amazing. Worth the money spent!!!

This book is certainly more relevant today than Caro's dated one. But, like Caro's work, some of the information is delivered as absolute and true, while we all know there are no such things in poker.

Read 'em and Reap has much to offer but everything in it needs a little salt for seasoning.

This is one great poker book. I play a lot of poker and everything else I've ever read about poker tells (even by the famous Mike Caro) has been completely useless. This book paid for itself the first time I played poker after reading it. I now feel like a professional player able to make some great reads.

This might be seen as competition for Mike Caro's excellent _Mike Caro's Book of Tells_ but it is better viewed as a complimentary work, covering different parts of the same theme.

Before we discuss the differences between the two, we have to mention the view that tells are not very important. That view, promoted by people as prominant as Daniel Negreanu, is simply wrong. While tells may not help you very often, a tell can win a very important hand for you or keep you from losing a very large number of chips. As long as tells exist, as Mr. Negreanu will freely admit, they don't have to be seventy percent of the game (a bizarre claim made by the authors of this book)to be important.

This book, in contrast to the Caro book, analyzes very basic neurological reactions, honest tells. In contrast to the "weak means strong" theme of the major tells in the book of tells, this book teaches you to see often subtle but almost always honest indicators of a player's confidence at a particular moment in time. The most important part of this book is the section on not _giving_ information.

The flaws in this book include the above claim that poker is seventy percent driven by reading tells. Most others involve Mr. Hellmuth and his ego and the amount of extraneous bragging that is done by both authors.

Mike Caro's book was revolutionary since it was the first book that categorized all the tells from the poker table. I believe everybody should read Caro's book first if you want to learn about tells, but this books teaches you on how to continue learning how to read tells.

Joe Navarro talks a lot about standard position, this is how people are in their normal state. You have to be observant on how people look like when they aren't under any pressure or stress. Base on this knowledge you will then start trying to read this person on tells. In the end of the book Navarro teaches you how to improve your observation skills with some exercises.
Some reviews says that this is just a copy of Caro's book. I don't believe that's true, you will find information here that you can't find in Caro's book.

I have read many so called business leadership books by titans of industry such as Welch of GE and Gerstner of IBM. Ironically, this christian minister trumps them all with his down-to-earth thoughts on leadership. Indeed, you will not find many pages without at least one good glowing nugget to "takeaway" and "tuckaway" for the future. Please do not be concerned that Maxwell is a minister. He is not "preachy" or evangelical. So far, I have read two of his books. I plan to read them all. This book should be mandatory reading for everyone who is a leader in any human endeavor, ranging from high tech business to Girl Scout cookie sales.

Dr. Maxwell does it again. This book on leadership delivered exactly what I expected - strong thought and practical examples on how to acheive the highest and most efficient dimension in leadership.

I make it a point to read everything John Maxwell writes, and I have to be honest that the last few have left me wanting, a bit. Not Leadership Gold. This book could be Maxwell's best ever! I am currently taking a half dozen leaders through it chapter by chapter. Maxwell displays of level of authenticity and ease of reading that are just great! This one is for the ages!!! Better than 21 laws!

[...]

Matt Keller

This is a great book on leadership. It's full of good nuggets that anyone can benefit from. Whether you realize it or not, you are leading someone. This book will help you to make the most of what you're doing at work and in your home.

I have read most of John Maxwell's previous books and reviewed several of them. In recent years, it seemed to me that he was recycling many of the same ideas, albeit finding new applications for them. In this volume, he offers his perspectives on "years of living in a leadership environment and learning through trial and error what it means to be a leader. The lessons I've learned are personal and often simple, yet they can have a profound impact. I have spent my entire life mining them. I think of each chapter as a gold nugget. In the hands of the right person, they can add tremendous value to their leadership." He hastens to point out that he is still learning, that many others have made significant contributions to this book, that what he learned can also be learned by nearly anyone else, that much of what he shares is the result of leadership mistakes he has made over a period of 40+ years, and that the value of the material will depend almost entirely on the extent to which she or he effectively applies the lessons learned.

In my opinion, this is Maxwell's most valuable book thus far because it combines the strengths of a vivid memory, a keen mind, a caring temperament, unadorned eloquence, and a sincere desire to help enrich the lives of others. He carefully organizes his material within 26 chapters. In each, he focuses on a "golden nugget" of insight. When concluding, he suggests that the danger of a book like this "is that it is easy to breeze through it, understanding the concepts that are contained in it but not actually [begin italics] doing [end italics] anything with them." In this context, I am reminded of Thomas Edison's suggestion that "vision without execution is hallucination."

I especially appreciate Maxwell's skilful use of two sections that provide "Application Exercises" to complete a self-audit on the key points in each chapter and a "Mentoring Moment" that suggests how to share with others (e.g. direct reports) the lessons learned so that they can also benefit from them. Hopefully, this will help them, in turn, to help others to benefit from "the leadership gold." He also clusters sequences of key points highlighted with bold face. I also appreciate Maxwell's strategic use of dozens of relevant aphorisms from various sources, located in the margins of each chapter. For example:

"Criticism is something you can avoid easily - by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." -Aristotle

"The signs of outstanding leadership appear primarily among the followers." - Max Depree

"The business schools reward difficult behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective." - Warren Buffett

"Nothing else distinguishes effective executives as much as their tender loving care of time." - Peter Drucker

"The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training them and keeping them." - Zig Ziglar

"It's wonderful when the people believe in their leader. It's more wonderful when the leader believes in the people." - John Maxwell

"I am more afraid of an army of one hundred sheep led by a lion than an army of one hundred lions led by a sheep." - Count Talleyrand

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J.K. Rowling

To a much greater extent than in any of his more than 40 other books, Maxwell trains his reader to master the Socratic method (i.e. rigorous, relentless interrogation) by using that method when presenting the "leadership gold" he has mined throughout his life and career thus far. Extending the metaphor, he helps his reader to recognize the "fool's gold" that so many so-called leaders cherish: announce rather than inquire, intimidate rather than encourage, threaten rather than nourish, ridicule weakness rather than recognize strength, etc. These people tend to be what Jean Lipman-Blumen characterizes as "toxic leaders, destructive bosses, and corrupt politicians."

I highly recommend this book to anyone preparing for or who is only recently embarked on a career that could lead to leadership responsibilities. Also, to those who now have such responsibilities and recognize the need to increase their effectiveness as well as the effectiveness of those entrusted to their care. (One of the "toxic" leader's least attractive qualities among many is her or his absolute certainty that there is nothing more to learn.) Those such as I who have already read several of Maxwell's other books will find much that is familiar in this volume. In fact, there are no head-snapping revelations, nor does Maxwell make any such claim. I do not damn with faint praise when suggesting that he presents the "lessons learned from a lifetime of leading" with simplicity. On the contrary that's a compliment. Oliver Wendell Holmes once asserted, "I would not give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity but I would give anything for simplicity on the other side of complexity." So would John Maxwell as he continues to learn, to teach, and to lead.

I found Resume Magic to be very helpful. I had paid a lot of money for a professsional resume that just wasn't workig. I tweaked it with tips from this book and had a new job within 2 weeks. The only negative is there is so much information it could be overwhelming if you are starting a resume from scratch and/or have never built a resume.

This book contains many examples of resumes, including before and after examples.

Information on words to use, as well as a grammar refresher, will help you polish the phrases on your resume and avoid tiresome, overused phrases.

There is also a section on cover letters and a section devoted to making your resume visually appealing so that it stands out.

I found tons of useful information in this book, not just platitudes and superficial advice like some resume books dish out.

I checked this book out of the local library, and realized it was worth buying for long-term reference. The thing I like best about the book is the way it speaks to the basic question "Why do I write a resume?" Most treatments just show you how; this one shows you what you're trying to accomplish with a resume and how best to do that. It has many specific examples, too--so that when you're finished, you have a document that can accomplish what the resume can accomplish in today's world of work.

This book is phenominal! It is simple to read and has a workable plan to constructing a simple resume that works with your cover letter.

The is quite simply the best book on resume writing I've ever read. I've worked in HR for over 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Well worth the money. So far, I've used this book to write four resumes for family and friends, all of which have resulted in jobs.

If I could have given this book 7 stars, I would have.

If you're a practicing copywriter and don't know what a brochure is -- ummmmm...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but perhaps you should consider another career. Yes, this book actually defines what a brochure is. I am shocked to see that experienced copywriters found it useful. The advice is rudimentary at best. I gave it three stars because a) basic information has its place and b) I didn't want to tarnish the rating. It was my mistake to buy it. If you're looking for a book to inspire award-winning creative, get Creative Advertising by Mario Pricken. After devouring it in one sitting, I wrote copy all night long. For fun. On a weekend. And, no, I'm not a sweltering geek. The Kickstart Catalogue is an amazing tool for bringing out your natural talent. It teaches you from the inside out (you'll understand what I mean when you read it).

This great book opens up with how to formulate your letters and write copy ad. Mr. Bly explains it like if you were a child so you can and will understand it. So many great resources that you can use right away. I would like to encourge any copywriter or anyone in the field of marketing a must have in your library. Plus he works with the man Fred Gleeck the truth on Info Products. Have a great one.

Rashiid Abdullah
Your Focus Marketing Expert[...]

Bly covers everything! Not only will you master a new style of writing, you learn the business of writing, how to pitch yourself, and how to move pass a rejected proposal. It's Brilliant

this book was a gift to a friend, he said he really enjoyed reading it and it gave him some good tips.

Bob Bly presents an excellent resource for anyone interested in copywriting and lays out all the basics to get your started. This book is well-organized and a tool I use often in my day to day writing assignments.

This book is essential for any copywriter's collection.

For anyone that is looking to get into design (or even if you have just started your own line / business), this book is a *must have*. Ms. Gehlhar's breakdown (and overviews) of each category is spot on. I seriously and honestly believe that if this resource had been around when I started my own collection, I would have saved myself a lot of running around and $ in the process. I highly recommend this guide. Plus, it's simply a great read. The insight from other designers profiled is fantastic!

This book is by far the best book I've read. Really helpful step by step guide. I've learned so much from this book. The author also gives insight on the up's and down's of what it is like in the Industry. I highly recommend this book to Fashion Designers. A real, MUST HAVE!!!.

I've read a few books on how to start and run your own fashion design business, and this is one of the best ones I've read so far. Not only is it shorter then a lot of the huge books, but it's too the point and Mary writes in a style that is very easy to understand. She gives great advise and there are good examples and pictures in the book to help you further understand how to do things the best way. I have the first edition that she wrote and that one is great also but this one has new sections and it's a more complete form of the business process.

This book is so easy to implement. I read this a few months ago and forgot about it. One day, just noticed that I was able to create very elaborate designs in my jewelry. Ideas flow smoothly. I realized that when I moved my workbench, I unknowingly (maybe subconsciously) moved it to the creativity corner. Wow.

This book is written perfectly. Structure is very simple and easy to understand. I love this book! I live by it now.
It the best purchase I've made in couple months.

Guide to my first attempt to Feng-Shui. Hard to believe, but things do work better since "I moved my stuff"!You never know until you try it, so give it a try.
Well written, entertaining, perfect for the beginner and the non-fanatic.

I am a classically trained interior designer and have been practicing for over 20 years. A couple of years ago, I decided to learn Feng Shui to mix it up a bit.

Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life is one book I read to learn Feng Shui. I also read others--many of them were too "far out. " Move Your Stuff, however, is a terrific Feng Shui book. Concise and easy to understand is at the core of why this book is so good.

Last year, I used Move Your Stuff and Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet when I moved into my new home. Harmonious Environment is Feng Shui + green living + great design and the books work wonderfully together. The Feng Shui approach is slightly different from the authors and they both make sense.

My home is now gorgeous. The Feng Shui techniques I used helped me land the job of my dreams, brought my husband and I closer and has erased the friction between (some)family members.

I use the techniques on some of my clients, too and have equally as impressive results.

Right on!

Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life : How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness

This little book by Karen Rauch Carter is the best feng shui book I've read. Use it and go to work making the changes that bring love, money, respect and happiness.

Carter's simple power tools are easy to incorporate into your life. She begins with the feng shui toolbox, explaining chi energy, the bagua, cures for what ails your space, etc. and then goes on to explain all aspects of feng shui cures for your home, your life and your well-being.

Power tools for prosperity might be as simple as clearing your clutter and adding something purple to the prosperity corner of your home or a single room or as complex as diagraming your home's layout. Either way, her methods are fun and interesting, and whether you choose to incorporate her ideas or not, you will find the book a fascinating read.

I personally used this book to de-clutter and decorate my home and can attest to the wonderful results.

Very highly recommended.

This helped me out of a parliamentarian predicament. Easy to use. Fairly thorough.

Well worth the $$, if you need to know the rules of order for your meetings then start here!

An excellent reference book to have on hand at club Board meetings and lunches. Simple and easy presentation of a lengthy subject.

Alan does a fabulous job making sense of Robert's Rules. I became a new Chairman of a committee with no experience in the Rules. After reading his book I felt confident I could run the meeting in the proper format. I now keep the book with me at all meetings as a handy reference. Thanks for a great resource. Also, I love the way he gives relevant examples of potential circumstances and how to negotiate your way through the parlimentary maze.

I have purchased this book for many boards and elected officials. I find it is a great source and a learning tool for anyone participating in organized meetings. We use the philosophy even in my book club.