A Warrior’s search for Synchronicity

This is a truly enlightening book differentiating the behavior needed for low value sales and high value sales. The most interesting part was experienced high performing sales people stay out of the marketing buzz during new product launch and when the fire dies down they sneak in and identify how the new product fits the customer needs. Also how highlighting features increases the number of objections. A great read for those who really wish to understand different behaviors generating different results

It was with great expectations that I took up this book to read, after picking up the recommendation from an Economist article about digital nomads and technological bedouins, however my antennae missed the fact that this was published in 1997 ( even after seeing the back cover of a lady holding an archaic version of a laptop). As a result most of the ground breaking predictions is reality today. It is  a good account of what were the expectations of a journalist 10 years ago. I am guessing 5 years down the lane any one reading ‘Wikinomics’ may feel the same. Having said that the Andy Grove’s “Only the paranoid survive” – an account of how Intel survived some of the crises that it faced, is relevant and will be relevant even after 20 years. It is funny how some surpasses the test of time and some do not.

Just after reading “Presenting to Win” by Jerry Weissman this book is a natural progression to telling your story and making it interesting and moreover doing without the help of Power point and bullet points. Dan Roam, not only teaches you to tell the story using pictures, he shares the insights of how we see, look and how to show. An amazing book on solving problems and selling ideas with pictures. I listen to Economist audio edition every week and the only article they omitted so far in the last 6 months is one in their Christmas edition ” Charts worth a thousand words” because that could only be conveyed with pictures. The sublimity of Dan’s work can only be conveyed through the simple pictures he has used throughout this magnificent book

Just the mention of the name Jack Welch inspires awe. This started after reading ‘Straight from the Gut’ and listening to ‘Winning’ in his own voice. If you loved both these books and if the words like ‘candor’ , ‘bullshit detector’, stirs you up, ‘Jacked Up’ by Bill Lane is just for you. Bill Lane was Welch’s speech writer and in this book he brings out the explosive side of Jack and his undying passion for clearing out bullshitters and promoting talent. In Bil’s own words “You as the boss, need daily immersion in the “grunt stuff” if you are to claim  that you really run your operation. “You have got to smell the shit,” they told all the lieutenants at the infantry basic course. If you don’t see what the men see and understand what they understand, you’re kind of a fake, a figurehead, a guy walking around with the trappings of an officer taking salutes, but knowing that you are not a real leader”…..a great treat for all those who love and admire Jack

“The most important use of knowledge and education is to help us understand the importance of engaging in more wholesome actions and bringing about discipline within our minds. The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within to develop a good heart. ” – I wonder whether any of the educational institution where we train our children, employ anyone who views education in the same manner

Presenting to Win by Jerry Weissman – unlike most self help books this one is about getting your story right, maintaining your flow, getting to point B, spelling out the “what is in it for you” for the audience, leveraging on your core strengths. The art of story telling is the saw that needs sharpening. If you have your story right, that instills confidence and the delivery emanates that confidence. The main lesson I take away from this book is to minimise eye sweeps for the audience. Any document or presentation you work on if you permit the natural flow of the eye from left to right that is going to have an easing effect and will convey positive message. In movies and dramas, director use this technique allowing the protagonists to enter from the left and the villains to enter from the right.