February 28, 2013 1 Book Peek

Quick look at a few books

BOOK PEEK

February 28, 2013 2 Book Peek

Contents of Book Peek dated February 28, 2013

Reviews

‘Management Tips: From Harvard Business Review’ – Landmark

‘Digital Companies that Changed the World’ by David Lester

‘Great by Choice’ by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen

‘What Matters Now’ by Gary Hamel

‘The End of Illness’ by Dr David B. Agus

‘The Click Moment: Seizing opportunity in an unpredictable world’ by

Frans Johansson

Short snatches

‘Discover the Gift: It’s why we’re here’ by Demian Lichtenstein and

Shajen Joy Aziz

‘Cell Phone Nation’ by Robin Jeffrey and Assa Doron

‘The Insider’s View: Memoirs of a public servant’ by Javid Chowdhury

‘Ash in the Belly: India’s unfinished battle against hunger’ by Harsh

Mander

‘Dark Diversions: A traveller’s tale’ by John Ralston Saul

‘Don’t Kill Him! The story of my life with Bhagwan Rajneesh’ by Ma

Anand Sheela

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February 28, 2013 3 Book Peek

Success guidance

Get rid of negativity. This is one of the messages in

‘Management Tips: From Harvard Business Review’

(Landmark). Conceding that every organisation, unit, or

team has both good and bad, the authors ask if, as a

boss, it is your job to both accentuate the positive and

eliminate the negative. While the answer may usually be

in the affirmative, a word of caution is that negative

information, experiences, and people have a far deeper

impact than positive ones. A better use, therefore, for your

time and energy is to focus on clearing your organisation of the negatives as

much as you can, the book instructs. “This may mean tearing down

frustrating obstacles or shielding people from destructive behaviour.

Grumpiness, laziness, and nastiness are contagious, and by reducing those

types of negativity, you give your people a better chance of success.”

But that does not mean ‘unilateral thinking,’ which is a trap as the authors

warn. Reminding that to make smart decisions, you need inputs, the

authors rue that if you are like most managers, you may end up seeking

input from people you know best, leading thus to gathering ideas only from

those who share your viewpoints. Watch out: ‘Unilateral thinking is good for

February 28, 2013 4 Book Peek

cheerleading squads, but it’ll get your unit into trouble.’ To avoid this trap,

the book’s guidance is that you make certain your people feel free and safe

to voice opinions and ideas contrary to the prevailing thought in your group.

“Go out of your way to seek alternative approaches to problems – from

maverick thinkers and those you don’t know as well.”

Diversity is a strong asset for a company, because difference of ideas,

methods, and competencies are advantages for teamwork and problem-

solving, the authors underline. They acknowledge, however, that these

differences can also cause stress and strain. Should you, therefore, try to

minimise that tension? No; use it, instead, as a force for productivity and

creativity. “Prepare your employees to understand others without judging

differences; create an inclusive environment where people feel valued for

their skills; and emphasise the complementary skills that diversity brings.

Finally, recognise and reward successes that result from diversity.”

An important insight in the book is that the people in your organisation who

have the largest capacity to add value are not necessarily those who have

the best titles or the most impressive education. “Also, they may not be the

easiest people to manage.”

Imperative read.

February 28, 2013 5 Book Peek

Better life

“This book will prevent illness, revolutionise treatments

and lengthen people’s lives. A tour de force in its delivery

and message.” Thus reads Lance Armstrong’s endorsement

on the cover of ‘The End of Illness’ by Dr David B. Agus.

Keeping that recommendation aside, if you delve into the

book, there are many valuable nuggets. Such as, the

author’s view about diet detoxes, that many of these

protocols have little or no studies to back up their claims.

The body is expertly designed to detox naturally thanks to

your kidneys, liver, sweat glands, lungs, and digestive system, so you don’t

need to take drastic, sometimes dangerous, measures to ‘detoxify’ your

body, he advises. “Don’t experiment on yourself before the real proof is

available and widely accepted by the medical community. Remember, too,

that all the latest studies on vitamin and supplements show no benefit; and,

in some cases, taking them can be hazardous.”

An interesting chapter is ‘Timing is everything: The wonder drug of keeping

a regular schedule’. Pay attention to when you sleep, when you eat, when

you exercise, and how you manage stress, reads the counsel. Not so easy to

do in today’s hyperkinetic world of 24-7 activity, the author accepts. He

February 28, 2013 6 Book Peek

points out that during times of stress, be it related to work or suffering a

passing bug, we tend to throw our schedules far off when we should really

be going in the other direction – maintaining the stricter schedule that our

bodies prefer, and choosing the most nutrient-packed foods per calorie.

“When you break the body’s natural rhythm, you’re no longer performing

optimally – your state has been disrupted. To be healthy, you must respect

and maintain that ideal, rhythmic state.”

Predictability is one of the things that a body loves, the author observes.

For, one of the biggest components of stress for our bodies is not our

finances, our marriages, or the kids – it is regularity of schedule.

An example mentioned in the book is ‘the mundane habit of eating lunch.’ If

you consistently eat at one o’clock in the afternoon, and one day an

unexpected phone call or obligation has you postponing your lunch until

much later, say two or three, your body will not just show signs of hunger in

that waiting period, it will also experience a surge in cortisol, the stress

hormone that tells our bodies to hold tightly to fat and to conserve energy,

elaborates Agus. The number of meals per day means little compared with

the regularity of when you eat, underlines the author.

Prescribed study for a better life.

February 28, 2013 7 Book Peek

Published by: Shrinikethan, Chennai http://bit.ly/ShriMap

Edited by: D. Murali http://bit.ly/dMurali http://bit.ly/TopTalk

February 28, 2013