BizBook Nuggets

Wrestling Rhinos in the Office

This book is not only very clever in comparing workplace grumps to rhinos, but it is full of useful practical wisdom for "conquering conflict in the wilds of work."

Wrestling Rhinos: Conquering Conflict in the Wilds of Work. Rhoberta Shaler, Ph.D. 2nd Edition 2006 People Skills Press, San Diego CA

Rhoberta is an executive coach, speaker and author who is an expert in communications and conflict management. She is CEO of Optimize! Institute, in Escondido, CA.

Dr. Shaler's no-nonsense insights and plain truths about how to "play nicely together in the company sandbox" show you how to have skills to speak up confidently, teach people how to treat you, and get what you need and want. It's like a manual for taming the rhinos you come into contact with, either in your office, or at home. It also mentions how we can tame our inner rhinos.

"Rhinoceros are often protrayed as aggressive and unintelligent but that is not their true nature. They simply cannot see. That's the case with 'rhino' people as well. They simply do not see. They do not see any other ways to behave, interact, solve problems, or to make their pain go away. So, they lash out in one way or another."

I whole-heartedly recommend this book. It's fun, informative and useful.

The Leadership Pipeline

   The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership-Powered Company by Ram Charan Stephen Drotter and James Noel (2001) Jossey-Bass

The premise of this important book is that it is no longer sufficient to move people up to higher levels of responsibility based on past performance without ensuring they have what it takes to succeed in new and different positions. Of course this makes sense, but few organizations have adequately defined the different requirements in higher levels of leadership.

The analogy of a pipeline with sharp turns is helpful. The authors leave nothing up to chance, nothing is assumed.

This book is a great manual for organizations willing to transform their succession plans from replacement charts to leadership development programs.

I've written an article based on this book, Winning the War for Leadership Talent, available for your newsletters through www.CustomizedNewsletters.com .

Writing Articles to Drive Traffic

A Converstion with Expert Christopher Knight, Article Production Strategies and EzineArticles.com, this Wednesday, March 15, at 8:30 ET. Register here: www.conversationswithexperts.com.

I am a big fan of Christopher Knight. He runs one of the best article directories online, EzineArticles.com. I've learned a lot from his ebook Article Production Strategies. After listening to him on a teleseminar, I boosted my article production from one a month to 5! The secret? Well, I recommend getting the ebook and audio recordings by visiting this link: Article Production Strategies.

Here's a chance to listen in on a conversation we're having with Christopher this Wednesday March 15 at 8:30 p.m. ET: register here.

Article Writing 101 To Create Qualified Traffic

What are the basic article mechanics that help turn your expertise into syndicated original quality content that drives buyers to your website for free? You'll learn about the article syndication model, the basic components that should be included in your articles as well as how to optimize those components.

If you cannot attend the Conversation, you can pre-order the audio program for $4.95. After the Conversation the price will be $9.95. Save 50% and this link to order now: http://snipurl.com/Knight_preorder

Conversations with Experts is held every Wednesday evening and is sponsored by Build a Better Blog, the ultimate guide for creating a professional blog.

How to Get Anyone to Do Anything

Love the title of this book, by R. Philip Hanes: How to Get Anyone to Do Anything (2006, Ten Speed Press). I found it when I was researching biz books about negotiating, and was lucky to get a review copy from the book's publicist, Jeffery Anderson.

As often happens, I arrive at a deadline not having finished reading the book entirely, and I disclose fully that I don't have my homework finished. But that won't stop me from giving you some excerpts from this semi-autobiography with a powerful message.

"You can accomplish anything you can dream, if you can get someone else to do it!" proclaims Mr. Hanes. The former CEO of Hanes Companies has a long history of accomplishments, in business, non-profit agencies, the arts and conservation organizations.

Hanes puts forth four pillars for successful accomplishments: networking, risk-taking, fund-raising, and problem-solving. Over 80 years old, he shares his strategies for seeing challenges as opportunities and enlisting the help of others to get things done.

This is a true memoir, nothing made up here, of an exceptional man who has led an exceptional life. The messages are strong and inspiring, a blueprint for accomplishment through commitment, contribution, and connection.

Here are a few excerpts:

Conversation with Rich Brooks on Internet Marketing

Conversations with Experts presents...

Web Marketing Strategies for Small Business
Wednesday, March 8, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET
Guest Expert: Rich Brooks, author of The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make and 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Web Site.

How can you get more traffic to your Web site? How can you rank higher at the search engines? How can you convert more site visitors into customers?

The age of "if you build it, they will come" Web design is long gone. To succeed in this more competitive arena you’ll need to understand and use the “four pillars of Web marketing.”

You’ll learn:

• Why your competition ranks higher than you
• What small changes to your Web site can increase your search engine ranking
• How to get people to subscribe to your email newsletter, fill out your contact form or make a purchase
• If blogging or podcasting should be part of your Web marketing
• How to get hundreds of great incoming links to your site for $2

Rich Brooks is founder of flyte new media, a Web design and Internet marketing firm in Portland, Maine. He writes about Web marketing for small business in his monthly email newsletter, his blog, and is a regular contributor to Business Blog Consulting an influential resource on how businesses blog. His podcast can be found at http://www.flytecast.com. He is also the “tech guru” on the evening news program 207 on Maine’s NBC affiliate, WCSH.

Register:  www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

If you cannot attend the Conversation, you can pre-order the audio program for $4.95.  After the Conversation the price will be $9.95.  Save 50%.  Use this link to order the audio now.

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by The Blog Squad |Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

Conversations with Experts presents...

Web Marketing Strategies for Small Business
Wednesday, March 8, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET
Guest Expert: Rich Brooks, author of The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make and 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up a Web Site.

How can you get more traffic to your Web site? How can you rank higher at the search engines? How can you convert more site visitors into customers?

The age of "if you build it, they will come" Web design is long gone. To succeed in this more competitive arena you’ll need to understand and use the “four pillars of Web marketing.”

You’ll learn:

• Why your competition ranks higher than you
• What small changes to your Web site can increase your search engine ranking
• How to get people to subscribe to your email newsletter, fill out your contact form or make a purchase
• If blogging or podcasting should be part of your Web marketing
• How to get hundreds of great incoming links to your site for $2

Rich Brooks is founder of flyte new media, a Web design and Internet marketing firm in Portland, Maine. He writes about Web marketing for small business in his monthly email newsletter, his blog, and is a regular contributor to Business Blog Consulting an influential resource on how businesses blog. His podcast can be found at http://www.flytecast.com. He is also the “tech guru” on the evening news program 207 on Maine’s NBC affiliate, WCSH.

Register:  www.ConversationsWithExperts.com

If you cannot attend the Conversation, you can pre-order the audio program for $4.95.  After the Conversation the price will be $9.95.  Save 50%.  Use this link to order the audio now.

Conversations with Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Off-line
Hosted by The Blog Squad |Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff.

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.