The DV Weekend Pickup #35

Take The Stairs by Rory Vaden

What I like best:  The take the stairs mindset - focus and self-discipline - to achieving the success you desire is the only route worth taking.  Despite contrary belief it is also the fastest route even in a society obsessed with taking the escalator.  This is an easy to read personal development book.  I often find this genre the most impactful because you can take in so much in such a short period of time.  It's almost like it pushes you into action.

In the book my favorite passage is Rory's philosophy on embracing imbalance or what he calls working "double-time part time for full-time free time."  In a nutshell this is your ability to apply highly concentrated amounts of focus and effort to your top priorities in short "seasons" until you achieve results.  It's best said like this, "balance is not equal time spread across all activities, it's the appropriate time spent on critical priorities."  

Rory is probably a better speaker than he is writer but that's not a knock on his writing, he is a former world champion speaker for Toastmasters International.  I highly suggest you YouTube a few of his talks, quite impressive.  This book is for you if you need a pick me up, quick reminder, or just a fresh approach on achieving the success you desire.  Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Best Quote:  "Attitude is simply the way you choose to see things."

Crush the day!

DV

9 Peter Drucker Quotes That If Applied Will Surely Change Your Life

Peter Drucker was an Austrian born business philospher, educator at NYU for 26 years, and author of 25 books.  His work plays a major role in management philosophy today as well as being a large contributor in the establishment of the modern corporation.  I've curated my top 9 Drucker quotes that if applied will surely change your life...

1. What gets measured gets improved.
2. Meetings are by definition a concession to a deficient organization. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.
3. Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.
4. If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.
5. Doing the right thing is more important than doing the thing right.
6. There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.
7. People who DON'T take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who DO take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.
8. The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.
9. The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #34

You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen

What I like best:  Hot off the press!  Well the book isn't because it was originally written in 1980 but for me it's my most recent read.  Herb Cohen has taught classes at Harvard, UMichigan, and the FBI Academy.  He was an advisor to US presidents and widely considered a master negotiator.  He has participated in thousands of negotiations throughout his career from mergers and acquisitions to hostage and terrorist negotiations. 

In this book he breaks down the three most critical aspects to any negotiation - time, power, and information.  He teaches us how to identify different styles, what to avoid, and what to act on.  Personally I really enjoy how Herb conveys his message in such a simple and conceptually easy to understand manner.

Although you get to hear stories about past presidents like Nixon, Carter, and Reagan there is no political mumbo-jumbo or corporate BS.  It's the negotiator's book on negotiation - very straight forward.  If you want to read a book with negotiation principles you can put to work tomorrow then look no further.  Pick it up and let me know what you think!

Best Quote: "You and I do not see things as they are.  We see things as we are."

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #33

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

What I like best:  This might be the best book I've read all year!  Seriously, if you're not a reader there is a corresponding Ted Talk (wildly popular since its release in 2009 with over 28 million views.)  Either way, engage further with this concept, you must - it's too important.

Whether you're leading your own life, your family, or an entire company starting with WHY is essential.  Sinek does a masterful job showcasing this throughout the book.  My favorite passage is when he discusses the critical differences between the two ways to influence human behavior - manipulation (bad) and inspiration (good) - so impactful.

He presents us with The Golden Circle...

...which is a concept that depicts how people should lead.  The most important leaders and innovators in history like Martin Luther King, the Wright brothers, and Steve Jobs all started with WHY.  The most important companies and organizations of our time all start with WHY.  I believe in The Golden Circle and so should you - lead with purpose, followed by process, and proved by results.  Pick it up and let me know what you think!

Best Quote:  "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe."

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #32

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

What I like best:  This is another literary classic.  It actually holds the title for #1 best selling book of all time on Amazon.com with 26 million copies sold - that's impressive.  The best part is you can read it in one hour!  It is vastly open for interpretation.  However, the general theme is non-negotiable, a book that helps you deal with change.

It's an entertaining tale of 4 characters Sniff, Scurry, Hem, and Haw as they embark on a journey through a maze to find cheese.  You will learn that when four individuals are impacted by the same situations they all seem to handle them completely different.  No matter YOUR cheese - career, money, health, relationship, the big house, etc - you immediately start drawing the correlations in your own life.  By the end your mind has no choice but to realize how you identify.  HIGHLY recommended.  As always let me know what you think!

Best Quote:  "Smell the cheese often so you know when it's getting old."

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #31

The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz, Ph.D.

What I like best:  This book was first published in 1959 and has since sold over 6 million copies - wow!  I really enjoy reading non-fiction classics in general.  It interests me to see how many of the concepts are still relevant today - almost all of them, all the time!  In fact, I often think most ideas are presented in a simpler and more actionable form.  This book follows suit.  

In many ways it represents a lot of the work I am choosing to engage in today which was very inspiring.  Perhaps my favorite section from the book are the tips Dr. Schwartz gives on how to cure ourselves from the many forms of "Excusitis - The Failure Disease" - age, intelligence, health, and bad luck.  So true and so funny at the same time, ha.

Schwartz suggests, "When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to a solution."  He teaches us actionable concepts on how to get the action habit, make attitudes your allies, turn victory into defeat, and of course THINK BIG.  Pick this one up. As always let me know what you think!

Best Quote:  "The mind is what the mind is fed."

Crush the day!

DV

Top 11 Benjamin Franklin Quotes

Benjamin Franklin is most known for being the face of the US one hundred dollar bill. I mean you want to talk about leaving a legacy.  It doesn't get more impactful than having your face plastered on the worlds most coveted monetary note - forever!  But why? How?  Yes, oddly this is where most peoples Benjamin knowledge starts and ends.  I won't go on a huge history rant you can use Wikipedia to catch up on that.  Instead I'll give you a look into his incredible mind through these 11 thought provoking quotes...

1.  "Well done is better than well said."
2.  "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
3.  "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
4.  "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
5.  "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
6.  "You may delay, but time will not."
7.  "Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship."
8.  "Life's tragedy is we get old too soon and wise too late."
9.  "Your net worth to world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones."
10.  "There was never a good war, or a bad peace."
11.  "Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?"

What's your favorite?  Am I missing any good ones?  He has so many classics!

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #30

The second ever documentary to hit The DV Weekend Pickup series. If you love wine or just want to know a little more about it then I highly suggest checking out...

SOMM: Into The Bottle by Jason Wise

What I like best:  It is approachable for anybody and everybody.  Whether you are a wine expert or novice it is likely to be an enjoyable 90 minutes of your time.  SOMM sets up to answer two basic questions - 1) What is wine? and 2) Why does it matter?  You'll meet master sommeliers, wine historians, and key figures in the wine industry as you go on a world journey discovering wines most important regions, vineyards, and anecdotes.  The information is presented under the "10 Stories About Wine" format (making it very easy to take in.)

1. The Winemaker
2. The Vintage
3. The History
4. The Wars
5. The New World
6. The Cost
7. The Barrels
8. The Point Scores
9. The Sommelier
10. The Memory

You can find it on Netflix. Check it out this weekend and as always let me know what you think!

Best idea:  What really goes into each and every bottle of wine?  There is simply so much more than meets the consumers eye. 

Crush the day!

DV

What I've Learned From Bill Belichick

As many of you may know I am avid New York Giants fan so what I am about to say next might surprise some of you.  I admire the New England Patriots.  Okay, so I'll admit it's a little easier to say because we've beat them in two Super Bowls, ha!  However, no way does that takeaway from the importance of this tremendous learning opportunity.  I think that ALL businesses and leaders should be taking note of culture in that organization and more specifically the leadership displayed by their head coach Bill Belichick.  The man behind it all.

In a league where consistency is extremely challenging - roster turnover, injuries, draft structure, age, pay grades, etc - he has been able to provide winning at an uncanny rate. Can you imagine trying to unify a bunch of immature millionaires year in, year out?  In most cases at least 30% being new at the start of each season - it's simply fascinating.  If you are NOT learning from this guy you are missing an amazing opportunity.  Here's a few things he does better than anyone I've ever seen...

1. He is a maximizer - He has guys playing to their peak potential and most times better than they really are.
2. He is a motivator - He has guys believing they are better than they really are.
3. He is a builder - He has built a culture that expects winning and EVERYONE (players, opponents, fans, etc) feels it.

We need to continue getting inside the mind of this guy because there is simply to much to learn - truly remarkable.

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #29

Originals by Adam Grant

What I like best:  Three months back I blogged about this books corresponding Ted Talk by author, Adam Grant.  However the book was so enjoyable and it simply deserved it's own feature.  Grant is both the youngest tenured and highest rated professor (5 years running) at the renown Wharton School of Business - which should be important message all in itself!

In Originals, Grant tackles the question, what makes up an original?  A non-conformist or "shaper" who tackles new ideas, challenges status quo, and moves the world by poking the box.  "It's a myth that originality requires extreme risk taking - original people are actually far more cautious than we realize," suggests Grant. 

The plethora of real life examples - politics, business, sports, etc - is what really makes the book so fun to read.  Whether it's saving Seinfeld from getting cut, investing/creating billion dollar companies, or the floor level employee challenging the almighty Steve Jobs.  Interestingly these people all seem to have a few things in common - they are quick to start but slow to finish, they have fear and doubt, and they've had lots of bad ideas.  He also gives his claims plenty of backbone through the usage of many clever studies.  At 336 pages, it's a bit longer for a non-fiction of this genre but I assure you it doesn't read that way.  Highly recommended.  As always pick it up - let me know what you think!

Best Quote:  "Argue like you're right and listen like you're wrong." 

Crush the day!

DV