Tag Archives: Reading

Summer Time is Reading Time!

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What’s on your bookshelf for reading this summer?

Here’s a couple of new books for your consideration:

Who’s the Leader of the Club: Walt Disney’s Leadership Lessons, by Jim Korkis

Who's the Leader of the Club

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: From Show Biz to Your Biz, by J. Jeff Kober

DHS from Show Biz to Your Biz

Korkis and Kober are no strangers to the Disney organization – both are former Cast Members, and both have written extensively about various aspects of Disney.

Who’s the Leader of the Club is Korkis’ first venture into a business application of his vast knowledge of all things Disney, and he certainly doesn’t disappoint. He provides a section on Disney and Leadership and then follows that with seven leadership lessons as exemplified by Walt Disney. The final section is a collection of quotes, bad leadership examples, and stories by and about Walt Disney’s leadership.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Kober’s second Disney-specific book with a business theme, and takes the reader “behind-the-camera” to understand and apply the Disney magic to any organization. The book contains over forty chapters of park history, Disney trivia, and business best practices designed to help your organization get ready for its closeup.

Remember: Leaders are Readers!

Read Wide, Lead Deep

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Just returned from my weekly trip to the library; also in the stack are a few new acquisitions to my library.

books032813

It’s a varied list that’s for sure, but I believe that wide reading develops deep leading.

Look for a few short ideas from these books in the next few days.

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

–Haruki Murakami

11 Best Books of 2011

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Continuing an annual tradition, the final posts of the year are devoted to the importance of reading (covered in yesterday’s post) and my best book list for the year.

Making a “Best of” list is always hard – it’s a very subjective process, driven by my personal tastes, professional needs, and plain curiosity. It’s also hard to narrow it down: in 2011, I checked out 107 books from my local library, purchased 91 print books, and downloaded 37 on my Kindle. I also perused dozens of bookstores on my travels, writing down 77 titles for future acquisition. There were also a lot of late releases that I just didn’t have time to take a look at. Be that as it may, here is my list of favorite books published in 2011.

The Zappos Experience, Joseph Michelli

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul, Howard Schultz

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck – Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, Jim Collins and Morten Hansen

Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service, 2nd Edition, Disney Institute

Brilliance by Design: Creating Learning Experiences that Connect, Inspire, and Engage,

Vicki Halsey

The Orange Revolution, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

 

The Experience Economy, 2nd Ed, Joseph Pine and James Gilmore

Blah, Blah, Blah, Dan Roam


Missional Communities: The Rise of the Post-Congregational Church, Reggie McNeal

For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel, Matt Carter and Darrin Patrick

Practically Radical, William C. Taylor

That’s my list for 2011 – if you are unfamiliar with any of the books listed above, I encourage you to check them out.

The new year is just around the corner, and the book releases are lining up already – I wonder what the Best of 2012 list will look like a year from now?

The Airplane Effect (Explained)

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I don’t fly a lot – maybe 4 or 5 times a year. But over the last couple of years, I have been curious about something – flying seems to accelerate my brain.

 Most of my flight involves the eastern half of the US; though occasionally I head west. My typical pattern is to buy a magazine that I would not normally read at the airport while I am waiting to board. Once on the flight, I will read the magazine from cover to cover, including ads. I highlight stories, phrases, and photos – anything that catches my eye and categorize them for later use. I find that the difference in environment stimulates thinking patterns. It also forces me to focus, as there are relatively few distractions on the flight.

Oftentimes, a single phrase, sentence, or photo will form the genesis of a blog post, magazine article, or presentation for a client. Take this illustration from yesterday’s post: a Swiss Army Knife combined with a 2 GB flash drive.

When I saw this item in a magazine, my first thought was – this is really cool! Then, in a stream of consciousness, the following thoughts occurred:

  • The use of a Swiss Army knife (scissors) in the most recent Pink Panther movies
  • The time when my youngest son cut the tip of his thumb nearly off with a Swiss Army knife (that he “borrowed” from his older brother)
  • Dealing with that crisis while simultaneously dealing with my daughter’s broken wrist, which happened 5 minutes before
  • Trying to explain both of these to the ER personnel while avoiding being reported to Family Services
  • The ubiquitous Swiss Army brand and how it is used (my brief case, for example)
  • How did the Swiss Army brand originate?
  • Can you take this item through TSA at the airport?
  • Do we have Swiss Army items in the church?

So, in about 15 seconds thought, I surmised that it was a great idea but maybe not practical for an airline traveler.

That last thought about Swiss Army items in the church was just – weird. But it made me ponder that those two items can’t possibly go together.

Which puts it in the category of a meatball sundae.

Which is for tomorrow’s post.

 

The Airplane Effect

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Yesterday during a flight to Arlington, TX, I finally put my finger on something that had been bugging me: flights  really turn my brain loose. I read parts of three different books (love that Kindle!); took an innovation quiz that measures my innovation aptitude; and completed some editing on a writing project I’m working on.

On a 2 1/2 hour flight.

What’s up? I will be posting more on this topic, but here’s a visual to get you started:

Where does this take your thought process?

Beaches Aren’t the Only Place for Summer Reading

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It’s July – the middle of the summer. Many people are heading out on vacation – to the beach, to the mountains, to a family gathering. I hope your vacation is a safe, relaxing time for you and your family.

Oh, and by the way, take a book – or two.

Summer is a great time for reading – even if you’re not on vacation. Admittedly, I’m biased. I’m a voracious reader – to the tune of 3-5 books per week. For me, reading is a discipline – but it’s also a gift.

You should be a reader, too, because leaders are readers. To explore that thought, click here. Need some recommendations? Here are my favorite books from the past couple of years:

2009    2010

And if you’re really curious, follow this link to my Leader’s Library – a Google Books listing of my library, including books I own, books I’ve checked out of the library this year, books I’m reading now, and books I’m looking forward to reading. Look for an interesting book title – and “check it out” at your local library.

Want to know more about reading, or any of the books mentioned above or in my library? Leave a comment or email me!

So – what are you reading this summer?