Books

  • What Good Interview Questions Are Actually Trying to Discover

    Image representing Seth Godin as depicted in C...Image via CrunchBase

    When you interview someone for a job, what are you trying to find out?

    I've seen and used models that assess how someone likely will fit the Culture, and whether they are Organized, Competent, and Motivated?

    Seth Godin often has an interesting perspective on business.  Here is what he shared about this topic.

    What good interview questions are actually trying to discover.

    • How long are you willing to keep pushing on a good project until you give up?
    • How hard is it to get you to change your mind when you're wrong?
    • How much do you learn from failing?
    • How long does it take you to learn something new?
    • How hard is it for you to let someone else take the lead?
    • How much do you care?

    The rest is merely commentary, either that or they're interviewing someone for a job that's not as good as they deserve. For those jobs, the only question they're really focusing on is, "will they fit in around here?"

    If you like that, you might like this too.

    What Matters Now – eBook from Seth Godin

    The book highlights more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O'Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here.

    Download it here.

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  • Sign of the Times: Toddler Confused That a Magazine Doesn’t Work Like an iPad

    Do 1-year-olds think a magazine is a broken iPad?

    Here is a 1-year-old who apparantly believes all media are touch-screen-enabled. She does not seem to understand that a magazine was not designed to respond to pinching or prodding.
    It is entertaining to watch; here is the video.
     

     

     

    My kids can't understand how I did school-work without a computer or the Internet. Their kids may not believe that people used to do their reading on paper.

     

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  • Sign of the Times: Toddler Confused That a Magazine Doesn’t Work Like an iPad

    Do 1-year-olds think a magazine is a broken iPad?

    Here is a 1-year-old who apparantly believes all media are touch-screen-enabled. She does not seem to understand that a magazine was not designed to respond to pinching or prodding.
    It is entertaining to watch; here is the video.
     

     

     

    My kids can't understand how I did school-work without a computer or the Internet. Their kids may not believe that people used to do their reading on paper.

     

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  • Navigating NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

    NPR solicited the input of its listeners to rank the top science fiction and fantasy books of all time. Over 60,000 people voted for the top picks which were then compiled into a list by their panel of experts.

    The result? A list of 100 books with a wide range of styles, little context, and not much help for you to actually choose something to read from it.

    The folks at SF Signal have, once again, come to the rescue. This flowchart is designed to help you follow your tastes, provide context, and guide you to the right book for you.

    111001 Top 100 Science Fiction Books

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  • Navigating NPR’s Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

    NPR solicited the input of its listeners to rank the top science fiction and fantasy books of all time. Over 60,000 people voted for the top picks which were then compiled into a list by their panel of experts.

    The result? A list of 100 books with a wide range of styles, little context, and not much help for you to actually choose something to read from it.

    The folks at SF Signal have, once again, come to the rescue. This flowchart is designed to help you follow your tastes, provide context, and guide you to the right book for you.

    111001 Top 100 Science Fiction Books

    Related articles
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  • The Magic of Creating Potter

    I went to see the newest Harry Potter movie this weekend.  Apparently a bunch of other people went too, because it conjured up box office records.

     

    110710 Harry Potter Movie Poster 

    The movie was great.  But what left me in wonder was thinking about how it came to be.  The scope and scale of the series is literally amazing.

    Even just for this movie, the number of people listed on the credits was astounding. 

    Yet, think about how many people were involved in producing the movies, books, and merchandising.  And that's not including the theme parks, promotion, and the eco-system that forms to support a project of this magnitude.

    When did it become real ?

    • Was it when the first book came out?
    • Perhaps it was when J.K. Rowling got a contract to have the book published?
    • Even earlier … how about when she finished writing the book … or
    • Did it happen when she started writing it?

    It is arguable that it became real when she started thinking about it.

    On some level, Rowling probably agrees.  Here is a quote she wrote from Dumbledore, in response to Harry asking whether something was real or happening in his head.

    "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry; but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

    The real magic of creation happens in the mind.

    In a very real sense, there is "infinite possibility" … because in every moment there are an infinite number of possibilities.  To a great extent, though, our automatic habits preclude seeing them.  This may seem to make it is easier to focus on the path taken; but it unconsciously limits the future.

    What would have happened if, back in the early 1990s, J.K. Rowling had the idea for Harry Potter … but thought she couldn't write a book (or even if she did, who would read it?).  Her "new world" didn't exist yet, while her "old world" didn't have a path from there-to-here.

    Einstein460x276Einstein spoke to this. He said:

    “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”

    There's magic in choosing a path that energizes you.  Reality is what you bring to it, and what you hold in awareness.

    If you are interested in this, pick up a copy of "Do You QuantumThink? New Thinking That Will Rock Your World" by Dianne Collins. I've been reading it and have found a bunch of interesting concepts and useful tools.

    Related articles
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  • The Magic of Creating Potter

    I went to see the newest Harry Potter movie this weekend.  Apparently a bunch of other people went too, because it conjured up box office records.

     

    110710 Harry Potter Movie Poster 

    The movie was great.  But what left me in wonder was thinking about how it came to be.  The scope and scale of the series is literally amazing.

    Even just for this movie, the number of people listed on the credits was astounding. 

    Yet, think about how many people were involved in producing the movies, books, and merchandising.  And that's not including the theme parks, promotion, and the eco-system that forms to support a project of this magnitude.

    When did it become real ?

    • Was it when the first book came out?
    • Perhaps it was when J.K. Rowling got a contract to have the book published?
    • Even earlier … how about when she finished writing the book … or
    • Did it happen when she started writing it?

    It is arguable that it became real when she started thinking about it.

    On some level, Rowling probably agrees.  Here is a quote she wrote from Dumbledore, in response to Harry asking whether something was real or happening in his head.

    "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry; but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

    The real magic of creation happens in the mind.

    In a very real sense, there is "infinite possibility" … because in every moment there are an infinite number of possibilities.  To a great extent, though, our automatic habits preclude seeing them.  This may seem to make it is easier to focus on the path taken; but it unconsciously limits the future.

    What would have happened if, back in the early 1990s, J.K. Rowling had the idea for Harry Potter … but thought she couldn't write a book (or even if she did, who would read it?).  Her "new world" didn't exist yet, while her "old world" didn't have a path from there-to-here.

    Einstein460x276Einstein spoke to this. He said:

    “You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”

    There's magic in choosing a path that energizes you.  Reality is what you bring to it, and what you hold in awareness.

    If you are interested in this, pick up a copy of "Do You QuantumThink? New Thinking That Will Rock Your World" by Dianne Collins. I've been reading it and have found a bunch of interesting concepts and useful tools.

    Related articles
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  • Here Are Some Links Worth Reading This Week

    These are a few of the links and items that caught my eye recently.
     
    Since this is Memorial Day, here is something to think about.
     
    110530 Things to Remember on Memorial Day

    Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:

    Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week

    • Frontline Leadership: How Cadets Learn to Be "Clutch" & Succeed Under Pressure. (HBR)
    • Stephen Fry on "What I Wish I'd Known When I Was 18". (Vimeo)
    • Why Emotional Pain Can Feel Like a Punch in the Stomach. (BodyOdd)
    • E-books Overtake Print Book Sales – Is This the Tipping Point? (CNet &CSM)
    • Do You Know the States? Semi-Mindless, But Fun, Puzzles. (V1 & V2)

  • Here Are Some Links Worth Reading This Week

    These are a few of the links and items that caught my eye recently.
     
    Since this is Memorial Day, here is something to think about.
     
    110530 Things to Remember on Memorial Day

    Business Posts Moving the Markets that I Found Interesting This Week:

    Lighter Ideas and Fun Links that I Found Interesting This Week

    • Frontline Leadership: How Cadets Learn to Be "Clutch" & Succeed Under Pressure. (HBR)
    • Stephen Fry on "What I Wish I'd Known When I Was 18". (Vimeo)
    • Why Emotional Pain Can Feel Like a Punch in the Stomach. (BodyOdd)
    • E-books Overtake Print Book Sales – Is This the Tipping Point? (CNet &CSM)
    • Do You Know the States? Semi-Mindless, But Fun, Puzzles. (V1 & V2)

  • A Business Book Based On The Story of Passover

    Passover is this week, so Jewish people are once again getting ready to teach the story of Exodus to their children.  This happens during the meal featured in DaVinci's Last Supper.

    110417-DaVinci_LastSupper
    Part of the tradition is to present the information in way tailored to the audience.  For example, the wise child, the wicked child, the simple child and the child unable to ask … each perceive the story and how it relates to them differently.

    Coincidently, I just read an interesting book, written by a friend of mine, that weaves the archetypical learners in the Passover Seder into a business fable about communication and persuasion.

    110417 ROAR The book talks about how you tailor your message to those four personality types.  For example, a business might look at creating different messages for wise, cynical,  simple and disinterested buyers.

    The book's title, "ROAR!", is an acronym for the persuasion model:

    • Recognize the type;
    • Observe from their perspective;
    • Acknowledge who they are;
    • Resolve their need.

    The book also provides a strong approach to bringing empathy and differentiation into your value proposition.  This is equally important in an elevator pitch or tough conversation with a stakeholder.

    It’s pretty good stuff and something worth thinking about.  You can check out a video and a couple free chapters here.

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