SNP Communications

Art’s Picks: Summer 2008

By Art Bell

No better time than summer, with its occasional lazy, uncommitted afternoon, to think reflectively about the big issues. Three books have been extremely helpful to me in understanding the twists and turns of today’s business environment and peeking around the corner to what may lie ahead.

The Future of Management
By Gary Hamel and Bill Breen
Harvard Business School Press, 2007

The authors argue that we are now seeing a shift in management style and assumptions as drastic as the seachange to Darwinism from creationism in the 19th century. Management approaches have a shelf life, Hamel and Breen suggest, and the most successful companies watch for expiration of so-called “best practices” from the past. Company examples of new management practice are drawn from many industry sectors ranging from Google to Gore-Tex. I wouldn’t call this a “light read”—but then we’re all getting a bit tired of one-trick ponies, in terms of business books, that have too little to say in too many pages.

What Were They Thinking? Uncommon Wisdom about Management
By Jeffrey Pfeffer
Harvard Business School Press, 2007

Pfeffer, a well-known Stanford Business School professor, takes a hard look at contemporary management practices and gives many of them failing marks. Trimming compensation and benefits, for example, can backfire badly in terms of retention, morale, and employee creativity. The notion of simply buying out one’s competition through mergers and acquisitions is similarly put under the spotlight, with flaws clearly exposed. Pfeffer goes beyond negative criticism, thankfully, to offer concrete suggestions for new management approaches exemplified at such companies as Whole Foods, Danafer, and Harrah’s.

The Post American World
By Fareed Zakaria
W.W. Norton, 2008

This book begins with the simultaneously reassuring and challenging idea that we are now witnessing not the decline of the U.S. but the “rise of everyone else.” Zakaria points out that the tallest buildings, the biggest dams, the most advanced cell phones, the fastest broadband and dozens of other achievements are now created outside the U.S. He reveals in detail what a post-American world will look like as China, India, Brazil, Russia, and other nations become increasingly influential players in global economics and politics.

FROM OUR SHOP

Here at SNP we have been busy with our partners in completing a number of projects that are now “at a bookstore near you” as well as on amazon.com and other on-line booksellers:

Butterflies Be Gone: A Hands-on Approach to Sweat-free Public Speaking
By Arthur H. Bell, PhD
McGraw-Hill, 2008

Here’s what amazon.com has to say, and then I’ll add a note of my own:

“Proven relaxation techniques to cage those public-speaking butterflies for good! If you’re one of the millions who fear public speaking, then sweaty palms and a churning stomach can seriously spoil your business presentations, interviews, meetings, and even social situations. Conquering these uncomfortable symptoms is critical to success. Butterflies Be Gone gives you the sure-fire techniques to banish these signs of unease and speak with confidence. The book features practice exercises, personalized strategies, a progress workbook, and vital scientific information sure to reassure your anxiety.”

I wrote this book after coaching presentation skills (primarily executives, government officials, managers, and students) for three decades. I’ve observed that the “should’s” of public speaking, including eye contact, gestures, and the rest, have little sticking power in terms of performance until the boogeyman of Speaker’s Nerves is put to rest. At one time or another, we’ve all been there: the shaky voice, sweaty palms, pounding heart, and feeling of impending panic. Butterflies Be Gone offers new ways to think about the problem of speech anxiety as well as proven approaches to rediscovering the power, impact, and downright fun of presenting.

Winning with Trust in Business
By Arthur H. Bell and Richard Cohn
Pelican, 2008

Again, here’s the amazon.com summary of the book followed by a few words of personal commentary:

“Modern business has become a game of politics. Like politicians in Washington, many executives do not write their own speeches, and companies regularly “spin” information to make the corporation look as positive and successful as possible.

Unfortunately, deception has become commonplace in the business world. Too often, companies try to manipulate information within a workforce to increase productive business activity, and employees are encouraged to conceal criticisms or suggestions for improvement and to deny mistakes.

In “Winning with Trust in Business”, authors Arthur H. Bell and Richard G. Cohn follow the effects of these lies from the ground up and reveal how they can affect management systems at the highest levels. Through actual interviews and corporation profiles, they demonstrate how truthfulness and trust can improve companies and help everyone, from executives to interns, succeed in business.”

Richard Cohn and I have worked together of a variety of communication projects over the past 15 years. We spent the last two years thinking through a difficult problem: the absence of candor in American business practices at all levels. In this book, we argue that trust—whether between employee to employee, employee to manager, manager to executive, or customer to company—depends upon clear, honest communications that don’t attempt to “spin” the truth. Several paper-and-pencil instruments (also available as computer surveys) are included to help you measure levels of trust within your organization.

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