While you were gone, I had been reading!
For the past couple months I had been reading, reading and reading. Hey! its been ages since I finished a book, so...I'll excuse myself for doing something stupid like this :-)
Here is the list of books in the order in which I read them.
The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
- Talks about globalization in 21st century and lists 10 flatteners that make the world flat. Primarily focus is on IT and India. He also then talks about the unflat world. This is quite a read, it talks a lot about history and some interesting facts like UPS employees repairing Toshiba computers on behalf of Toshiba to expedite service. Pretty Interesting!
The 360-Degree Leader by John C. Maxwell
- Liked it. Shows how to emerge as a leader no matter where you are in an organization. Proves titles have no value in leadership. I recommend this to all of you. However, if you read this you must also read the next book The Dilbert Principle so you get the best of both worlds.
The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams
- While John C. Maxwell in The 360-Degree Leader conveys selfless dedication and talent will ultimately be rewarded, Scott Adams says No. Explains "The unskilled get promoted because higher they climb the lesser the risk of causing any problem". Scott Adams talks about his work days and a hypothetical company called OA5 (out at 5) where all employees must leave work at 5 to explain happy employees are more productive. Although written in the dotcom bubble era with unreasonable generalization, it still is interesting and humorous to read.
The Joy of Work by Scott Adams
- This is the book I read last, but probably the least I remember about. Scott Adams talks about boss managing strategies, getting your co-workers to do your work and a few other things so you can live a selfish and happy life. Read this for the humor but don't follow it religiously! Scott warns about it too!
1 comments:
Maxwell and Adams both get a little carried away with their points and overlook the commonality between them. Loyalty trumps most other things.
I would agree with Maxwell so far as the worker works in the interests of their food chain. Bosses want people that execute orders with as little distraction as possible. If they find people like this, they will protect them and give them only work they can handle. Over time they will rise in rank.
Adams comes from a mini-era where highly skilled employees were employed by idea people. Many people were bosses because they bought their way in. Venture capital was fluid and good judgment wasn't.
The key to advancement is both loyalty and the best skills the employee can muster. Loyalty will always come first, but someone that can show loyalty and a high skill level will excel.
This gives me a good idea for a post.
Thanks,
Greg
Greg's Brain
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