Blog Archives
Coachability: The Leadership Superpower
In “Coachability: The Leadership Superpower,” esteemed author Kevin D. Wilde provides a captivating exploration of leadership, coachability, and the secrets to outpacing the competition. Utilizing realistic scenarios to illustrate the significance of exceptional leadership in any context, Wilde offers readers an intimate glimpse into his life and the essence of the book as he introduces each topic.
Wilde’s authenticity shines throughout his writing, as he candidly shares not only his accomplishments but also his own missteps and imperfections. The book is structured in two primary sections: the first establishes the concept of coachability and its vital importance, while the second delves into the art of becoming a highly coachable leader.
Readers will be enthralled by the invaluable strategies imparted by Wilde, the insights gleaned from thorough research, and the compelling stories of various leaders featured in the book. With seven distinct strategies presented across the chapters, Wilde demonstrates how highly coachable leaders can capitalize on these approaches, making them particularly useful for those aspiring to leadership roles.
“Coachability: The Leadership Superpower” comprises seven well-crafted chapters, each elucidating different facets of coachability with utmost clarity. Chapter two stands out as particularly impactful, as Wilde expounds upon the transformative powers of coachability. This essential chapter guides readers through the often unfamiliar territory of coachability, providing a unique perspective that every aspiring leader should experience.
Wilde’s open-mindedness and expertise are evident as he introduces new concepts to readers, taking care to explain any specialized vocabulary or technical jargon. Through “Coachability: The Leadership Superpower,” readers will gain an understanding of how to seamlessly ascend the career ladder and effectively engage with a diverse array of individuals and groups.
The exceptional clarity and distinctiveness of Wilde’s writing make “Coachability: The Leadership Superpower” an especially enjoyable read. By imparting insights on navigating one’s career trajectory and building fruitful relationships with diverse individuals and organizations, this book proves to be an invaluable resource. Highly recommended for those seeking guidance on coaching and leadership, “Coachability: The Leadership Superpower” offers a comprehensive, all-encompassing approach to these crucial topics, ensuring that readers can easily grasp and internalize the key messages presented.
Pages: 162 | ASIN: B0BLT722YQ
Lifeline to a Soul
Lifeline to a Soul is an inspiring autobiographical account of John K. McLaughlin’s journey as an entrepreneur turned teacher. From his humble beginnings to his successful ventures in the business world, the author shares his experiences and lessons learned, culminating in his decision to become a teacher in a prison.
Through engaging prose, McLaughlin provides a vivid depiction of life in prison, sharing anecdotes about the incarcerated individuals he encountered. His unique perspective sheds light on the prison system, offering key information that many may not be aware of. He also provides insight into the harsh realities that prisoners endure, making this book a valuable resource for those interested in understanding the criminal justice system. More importantly, Lifeline to a Soul serves as a source of encouragement for anyone who has experienced setbacks, regardless of the cause. The author’s dedication to those who have broken the law and learned from their experiences sets the tone for the book, emphasizing its deeper purpose beyond simply recounting McLaughlin’s life story. The heart of the book lies in McLaughlin’s experiences as a teacher in a prison, where he imparted valuable life lessons to his students. Through their stories, he showcases the resilience and determination of those who have been able to overcome their circumstances and achieve great things.
Overall, Lifeline to a Soul is a refreshing departure from typical entrepreneurial books, offering a unique perspective on life and success. It is a must-read for anyone looking for inspiration and encouragement, regardless of their personal or professional circumstances.
Pages: 237 | ASIN: B0BX4ZVSF7
Think Like A Kind Spider
What inspired you to write this informative web marketing book, Be a Spider, Build a Web: Sticky Content Marketing for Small Businesses?
I’ve worked with hundreds of small businesses and wanted to give as many people as possible a low cost, accessible map to help their business.
The book started as a full day training event I still run called “MAP IT” where I take small business owners through a marketing action plan.
Over the course of this I developed the analogy of “think like a kind spider” and it grew from there.
I appreciated the frank nature with which you told your story and shared some of the mistakes you made. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
I am more used to it now but writing about my own failure especially when it came to growing then shrinking our team was tough.
First – we had to let people go and that still smarts. I still feel sad about that.
Second – there’s always a fear that people will judge you on your failings and I had to push through that to tell the best story – what we found on the other side of that.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
- Trust is the most important marketing weapon
- Really knowing your values changes everything
- You need to build out the right ‘sticky content web’ for you and then trust the process and be patient. ( there is that trust word again!)
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were starting out in the business world?
Price right from the start as if you’ll one day hire someone to do the same work. Pricing structure and profitability can make or break your business as you grow.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
You’ll learn:
Why you need a trust bridge
How to identify your content anchors
How to narrow your message
How to create a content plan
Why you need different types of content
How to build your own content web
And you’ll experience growth, more sales, and success as you learn and apply the framework to your small business.
About the Author
For over ten years Rachel Klaver has worked with small business owners on their marketing, with a specific interest in content marketing strategy. As a small business owner, often low on time, and with a distinct aversion to admin, Rachel loves helping other small businesses catch the marketing bug. Her insights and personality shine through her weekly podcast MAP IT Marketing, her weekly column in Stuff and her content on any platform they let her have an account!
Swap
In SWAP: Marketing without Money, Therese Tarlinton shares ways of growing your brand and marketing your products in the most professional manner. The author, having a background in marketing, understands the vital areas to cover that will assist the reader. Therese Tarlinton gets the reader to fully comprehend the technical terms by using familiar words and phrases that the average person can identify with. This informative book caters to readers of all levels and is especially helpful to beginners in entrepreneurship and marketing.
The author starts the book by discussing partnerships in marketing. In the first chapter, Tarlinton shares her journey when she began marketing in the 1990s, how she made a successful career in marketing with huge brands, and the different marketing styles and collaborations she used. Tarlinton goes out of her way to share the most impactful experiences in her career and how she has fared over the years. When narrating, she does not leave out any essential details. Instead, she tells it all and tells it in depth. While reading about partnership marketing, you get inspiration as a small business owner as the content the author writes about is applicable.
One of the well-written topics was on the different types of partnerships. I appreciate how the author defined and gave the differences between partnerships and influencer marketing, given how popular the latter has become. The discussions on this subject display another strength in Therese Tarlinton’s writing; her knack for solutions to recurrent branding and marketing affairs. The author gives practical solutions and engages the reader through tables and symbolic questions. Her style of interacting with her readers makes SWAP: Marketing without Money an essential read.
The arrangement of information is flawless. The writing is in prose, with points given in bullet form and others in numbered lists. I like the inclusion of famous quotes from renowned entrepreneurs and moguls in some chapters, as it was refreshing for the reader to start with words of wisdom. Therese Tarlinton mentally prepares the reader for the topic to be discussed before delving deeper into the subject matter. She does this by starting off every chapter lightly, then getting into technical topics where everything is explained to the reader.
This book is the perfect read for individuals looking for light reads that cover everything to do with marketing, branding, and selling yourself and your products. By the end of the reading, you realize that everything is possible if you have the right mindset. You do not need a big budget to become a massive brand; start small with the little resources, and make use of the tips shared by the author, and your business will flourish.
Pages: 170 | ASIN : B09RGSW7V8
I Learned The Hard Way
Pay The Price provides practical advice and wisdom readers will need to find entrepreneurial success through any setbacks. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I thought my business was a no-brainer. I had done all the research, the training. Identified the market need. Launched it straight after business school. But after 10 years of slugging it out without a single pay check and enduring all sorts of challenges from near bankruptcy, humiliating chronic illness, 2 car crashes where the cars were so damaged they had to be written off, moral failure and losing 2 members of my close family, I was on the brink of giving up and sticking to my 9-5 job. But I didn’t, and after a decade, I signed my very first million dollar deal. It turns out that 90% of entrepreneurs face the same challenges but end up giving up too soon. And I felt an indescribable pain every time I walked past a closed small business, or read another story of a business going bankrupt, or met another failed entrepreneur. It sounds like a cliché but I felt deep down I had to do something about it, and this book is a result of that pain, that feeling, that ‘’calling”.
What is one trait that you think any successful entrepreneur must possess?
Resilience. If you believe in your honeymoon period, i.e your dream, your purpose and your passion, success does not come automatically. You need to have the grit, the diehard attitude to stick it out. As I say in the book, its crucial to stick with it if you believe in it.
What is one thing about entrepreneurship that you learned the hard way and how can others do it differently?
The one thing I learned the hard way? Pain. Its inevitable. I dedicated almost a quarter of the book talking about it – even to the extent of devising a brand new Pain Response Model. In that model, I show that there is a part of pain you can minimize or completely eradicate to make the journey a bit easier, to make the price to pay a bit cheaper – the pain of self-sabotage, what I call Red Flag Pain in the book. This is so simple, so ”common-sensicall” that it hardly needs saying. But it’s the one thing that trips up so many entrepreneurs even after they have succeeded. You need to know what yours is, be self-aware and take drastic steps to kill its growth before it kills you and your business in the end. My path to success would have been much smoother, but then I may not have had the ammunition to write this book!!
What research did you undertake to complete your book?
I researched using literally hundreds of books and academic papers, first hand interviews with entrepreneurs across the world, top rated podcasts, my own journals, social media feeds, and articles from dozens reputable websites such as the BBC.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | LinkedIn
Starting a business is tough. It’s even tougher building one with strong ethical foundations. Up to 90 percent of UK and US startups fail by the 10th year. This trend is even worse in developing countries such as in Africa, which incidentally is the most entrepreneurial continent in the world.
Strong foundations are impossible without going through the mill. The process. Highs and lows, shame and pain. This dark side of entrepreneurship is not highlighted enough in the literature, possibly contributing to these high failure rates.
There are plenty of business books about success out there. There aren’t nearly enough business books about failure—and how sustained perseverance through pain and repeated setbacks is often the prerequisite for true, lasting success.
This book is different.
You’ll learn how Passion, Pain, Time and Purpose are vital keys to succeed—with plenty of pioneering insights from unusual sources: music, poetry, chemistry, sport, and stories. It even has its own dedicated Spotify playlist.
In here, you’ll discover:
The Five Principles of Ethical Entrepreneurship
The Three Universal Phases of Entrepreneurship: the Honeymoon, the Formative and the Legacy.
How starting with who, NOT why is crucial for building a successful, enduring, ethical business
Overcoming the FOUR kinds of pain that lead to entrepreneurial failure with a brand new Flag Response Model.
Validating Your Business Model and Partner using real theories in Chemistry.
Earning the best Legacy type, the Pathfinder, out of the FOUR available options and much, much more.
WINX
WINX: The Problem-Solving Model to Win Exponentially with Customers, Employees & Your Bottom Line is the book every entrepreneur needs. Irma Parone has a wealth of knowledge regarding entrepreneurship and how to run small and medium-sized businesses. The author uses her professional experience to discuss crucial issues in entrepreneurship as she shares tips and problem-solving steps. The arrangement of topics in this book is one of the most appealing features of the book. Irma Parone has solutions to problems of all sizes that business owners face.
The author starts the book by guiding the reader on how to use the book, which is a plus as the reader mentally prepares for the content. The introduction part of the book was also excellent as in this part, the author takes the reader through particular mindsets and discusses emotions and influence decision-making before delving into the primary subject matter.
When Irma Parone talks about entrepreneurship, she means business. Her points are precise, and she gets the reader to fully comprehend one topic before moving to the next. In the first chapter, Irma Parone discusses the decisions we make. She writes about the good, bad, ugly, and awesome decisions and how people arrive at each. This chapter is key as it affects everyone. She not only talks to entrepreneurs but also has notes for employees and people that run companies. From using examples like J.K. Rowling and Bill Gates to sharing her personal stories, Irma Parone knows how to engross the reader. Every story shared in the book is engrossing, and every chapter has entrepreneurship lessons that will benefit both novices and veterans.
Apart from problem-solving and building an empire, Irma Parone also discusses imperative subjects like interacting with colleagues, connecting with prospective clients, viewing different angles of a business problem, handling small and large amounts of data, and dealing with failure. WINX is more than just excellent reference material for business owners, as it also has nuggets of wisdom for individuals who are not in business. Each of the 8-step WINX Processes shared in the book is distinct and gives value to both the customer and employee. The conversations in the book were another excellent feature. I enjoyed reading Irma Parone’s thoughts and her exchanges with other people. These conversations made the book engaging and more fun.
I recommend WINX: The Problem-solving Model to Win Exponentially with Customers, Employees & Your Bottom Line to readers who are unsure if entrepreneurship is for them. By the end of the reading, you will get the confidence you need to run a business and use the practical lessons Irma Parone shared.
Pages: 182 | ASIN : B0B5JS4CZ8
ACTing Now: A New Approach to the Old Techniques of Acting
ACTing Now by Norman B. Schwartz is an enlightening book that provides guidance that will help actors prepare for the demands of the contemporary acting world. The content of this book provides advice on topics beyond acting and includes areas such as commercials, film, and even television. The techniques highlighted in this book are not mere postulations and conjectures as Norman Schwartz has experience as an actor, director, film editor, and teacher of creative writing and he brings that experience to bear in this informative book and shares key principles that will help budding actors get and keep an acting job.
The chapters of this book are grouped into three parts – Acting Then, Acting Now, and Acting Next. This organization is essential as it helps guide the reader, and future actor, on what acting used to be, what it is today, and what it will be in the future. Beyond the keen insights, I enjoyed the historical evolution shared here.
In Acting Then, Schwartz covers some of the techniques that theater actors used as far back as the 1920s such as the Strasberg method which leaned on some of Stanislavski’s writings. Stanislavski is one of the first to offer formal training in theater acting. When the first generation who studied at the American Laboratory Theatre began their study of acting, they also based their variations on the Stanislavski system.
Thus, the system evolved to the present form where there is little accommodation for improvisation to performing monologue exercises, being mindful of camera angles and self-taping. Schwartz covers all these old techniques and suggests new ones that embrace the old ones but also better prepares the actor for the new reality of modern acting with lots of multimedia coverage.
One of the outstanding qualities of this book is that it is as expository as it is suggestive. It focuses on the history that has driven acting to where it is today. For instance, Stella Adler’s disagreement with Strasberg’s methods and teaching of tapping into emotions from one’s personal life as opposed to one’s imagination helps one glean some lessons on how best to trigger an emotional response while on stage.
ACTing Now is a must read book for any aspiring actor as it contains actionable advice that can help their career. This is an illuminating book that will also appeal to performing art students who are interested in the evolution of acting and the industry.
Pages: 163 | ASIN: B0BFPP1N2S
Pay The Price
In Pay the Price, Steven N Adjei shares bits of his life, discussing entrepreneurship and how to be successful. The author has a distinct way of telling stories, sharing experiences and giving lifelong lessons, all the while making them both informative and engaging. The author has written a pragmatic guide for business students and individuals that are enthusiastic about entrepreneurship. The author shares his ups and downs, and gives sharp analysis when it comes to entrepreneurship. Pay the Price is easy to read as the author uses an easy to follow style and arranges topics so that one flows into the next. Every chapter contains actionable advice that I haven’t yet come across in other business books. I admire the simplicity with which the author conveys the information. This makes all the information within the book easily understood by layman, not just seasoned entrepreneurs.
Pay the Price is divided into five major parts, The Introduction, The Honeymoon Period, The Formative Period, The Legacy Period, and The Outro. Everything you need to know about business is in the chapters discussing honeymoon period, formative period, and legacy period. The author leaves no stones unturned when it comes to business matters. The discussions are enlightening but never feel didactic. Periodic questions after every few pages was a great way of engaging with the reader.
To me, there are three elements that make Pay the Price the incredible book it is. The prose that makes up the major part of the book, the poems shared in every few chapters, and quotes from global icons. There is immense wisdom between the three elements to last an entrepreneur a lifetime. In the honeymoon period, Steven N Adjei discusses the purpose, the person and the passion in a business. Every topic is discussed in depth, with the author giving sensible examples for each. The formative period also has gems on pain in business, different kinds of partners and payoff in entrepreneurship. The legacy part of the book was my favorite as the text felt philosophical, and objective.
Pay the Price is one of the best entrepreneurship books I have read this year. The language used is straightforward and easy to follow. Pay the Price is for readers that want to be employers or own their own business. The author gives tips on ethical entrepreneurship, how to be a steward, global markets, being competent, and how to be committed to your cause. Steven N Adjei will give you the push you need to follow your dreams, and give you the information you need to make your entrepreneurial journey a successful one.
Pages: 290 | ASIN: B0BB5PVNW4
LITERARY TITAN 