The Headhunter's Edge

The Headhunter's Edge
Average customer rating:

Essential reading for all managers

Do not have to be a CEO to benefit here

Do not have to be a CEO to benefit here

Required Reading

The Headhunter's Edge
Jeffrey E. Christian
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Recruiting on the Web : Smart Strategies for Finding the Perfect Candidate

Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market

The Recruiter's Almanac of Scripts, Rebuttals and Closes

Start Your Own Executive Recruiting Business (Entrepreneur Magazine's Start Up)

Advanced Strategies for Recruiters

ASIN: 0375505431
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Amazon.com

Recruiting and retaining the proper employees is an undeniable key to corporate success, and The Headhunter's Edge offers proven advice for those on either side of the process. Want to attract the best skills to your company, or find the best company for your skills? Jeffrey E. Christian, a high-level search consultant for corporations like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, says we've entered a talent economy in which thinking like an executive recruiter can make the difference whether you're hiring or looking for work. The bulk of the book details suggestions for finding the right people (don't rely too much on academic credentials, do seek résumés displaying upward movement), uncovering the candidates who can sell more than themselves (prepare interviews for specific positions, craft questions that show decision-making and problem-solving aptitude), ensuring that potential employees are who they claim to be (go beyond the references initially supplied, meet personally with critical sources), and retaining those you ultimately select (don't be stingy with compensation, benefits, responsibility, or recognition). Additionally, it shows how to turn this advice around and advance your own career (use well-prepared phone calls to stand out, pay attention to events inside and outside your organization). Packed with loads of such practical and specific tips, this book is recommended for anyone involved on any level in the job market. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

One of the world’s top headhunters reveals his most valuable techniques for getting the best jobs and finding the right people.

The most important thing you’ll ever do if you are trying to build, rebuild, or even turn around an organization is hire the best people—and keep them. Jeffrey E. Christian has learned this lesson by working on hundreds of executive search assignments and building his own headhunting firm into a nationally recognized company, one of the top ten in the nation. In The Headhunter’s Edge, he reveals his secrets for excelling on either side of the desk—as a leader trying to build a great company, or as a job seeker in search of the next big position.

In this practical manifesto, Christian shows how essential it is to have the most talented people on your side. But how do you find the best? And how do you become the best? Christian’s solution: Think like a headhunter. He gives readers the benefits of his twenty years of experience interviewing thousands of CEOs and potential CEOs, and tells you

• how to conduct an interview and spot great leadership qualities in job candidates
• exactly what to do and say to keep a valuable employee from resigning
• how to expand your network to find the best emerging talent
• key strategies and instructions for choosing and getting the most out of a search firm
• what it takes for ambitious and talented people to get noticed and get the next big job or promotion

Practical, impassioned, and wise, The Headhunter’s Edge is an indispensable guide to advancing your career—and making your business more successful and profitable.

Download Description

One of the world's top headhunters reveals his most valuable techniques for getting the best jobs and finding the right people.

The most important thing you'll ever do, if you are trying to build, rebuild, or even turn around an organization, is hire the best people -- and keep them. Jeffrey E. Christian has learned this lesson by working on hundreds of executive search assignments and building his own headhunting firm into a nationally recognized company, one of the top ten in the nation. In The Headhunter's Edge, he reveals his secrets for excelling on either side of the desk -- as a leader trying to build a great company, or as a job seeker in search of the next big position.

In this practical manifesto, Christian shows how essential it is to have the most talented people on your side. But how do you find the best? And how do you become the best? Christian's solution: Think like a headhunter. He gives readers the benefits of his twenty years of experience interviewing thousands of CEOs and potential CEOs, and tells you:

How to conduct an interview and spot great leadership qualities in job candidates
Exactly what to do and say to keep a valuable employee from resigning
How to expand your network to find the best emerging talent
Key strategies and instructions for choosing and getting the most out of a search firm
What it takes for ambitious and talented people to get noticed and get the next big job or promotion.

Practical, impassioned, and wise, The Headhunter's Edge is an indispensable guide to advancing your career -- and making your business more successful and profitable.

Customer Reviews:

Essential reading for all managers.......2005-03-10

This book is called "The headhunter's edge" but Christian's mission is to make any hiring manager "Think like a headhunter"

Now Christian is not just ANY headhunter. He's the founder leader of Christian & Timbers, the pioneer in recuitment firms that focussed on IT industry and was the person who showed Carly Fiorina to HP

In the book, Christian looks at what managers need to do, "look for talent" most of the time and shows that what differentiates good organizations is talent. He seeks to define what talent and leadership is, he says it is NOT a good education or experience but mostly "soft" factors that one needs to sense like integrity, humility, intellectual firepower and others.

He also believes that talent is contextual, and that good leaders spend an inordinate amount of time pursuing great talent, or ensuring that great talent does not leave their doors.

So, its not a book just for headhunters, recruitment people or CEOs. Even a manager who has the final decision on who gets on his team will benefit from this book.

I would recommend reading this book with more academic articles on leadership and EQ. Then Christian's examples will put things more into perspective.

What is more interesting is the example of top CEOs who put a great focus on recruitment process for their organizations like Bill Gates, Jack Welch and even VCs like Vinod Khosla.

Do not have to be a CEO to benefit here.......2002-09-29

At first glance, it would seem that this wonderful read was intended solely for those running billion dollar companies (those multi-million concerns can get by without a ferocity for talent). Glance again. Everything Mr. Christian says is just as true for the 150-employee distributor or metal-stamping company as it is for the colossal tech firm. Human beings ARE the corporation. They dictate the momentum a business pushes against or gets swept away by.

In a fell-swoop, Christian validates the entire headhunting industry at its core purpose-to find the MOST appropriate candidate for the position. There is a world of difference between great and irreplaceable. Yes, a small percentage of concerns have the luxury of hiring an "outsider" to find their next star. Yet, this book isn't so much aimed at the IBM and Dell's of the world as it may first appear. Christian implores UNIQUE WIDGETS INC. to do everything in its power to grab, and hold onto, persons who MAKE the company.

Again, this is as much for the corner barbershop as it is for a company bent on cornering the market. No business person can afford to disagree with this man.

Do not have to be a CEO to benefit here.......2002-09-29

Again, this is as much for the corner barbershop as it is for a company bent on cornering the market. No business person can afford to disagree with this man.

Required Reading.......2002-08-29

If you think you will ever switch employers, be promoted, mangage or hire (in other words if you can fog a mirror) this book is required reading.

At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 (America in the King Years)

Average customer rating:

Thank you, J. Edgar
Death & Transfiguration
Must read for students if the civil rights movement
must read for all americans
Bringing Reality to History

At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 (America in the King Years)
Taylor Branch
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Civil Rights & Liberties | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Human Rights | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0684857138

Amazon.com

One of the greatest of American stories has found its great chronicler in Taylor Branch. Beginning with Parting the Waters in 1988, followed 10 years later by Pillar of Fire, and closing now with At Canaan's Edge, Branch has given the short life of Martin Luther King Jr. and the nonviolent revolution he led the epic treatment they deserve. The three books of Branch's America in the King Years trilogy are lyrical and dramatic, social history as much as biography, woven from the ever more complex strands of King's movement, with portraits of figures like Lyndon Johnson, Bob Moses, J. Edgar Hoover, and Diane Nash as compelling as that of his central character.

King's movement may have been nonviolent, but his times were not, and each of Branch's volumes ends with an assassination: JFK, then Malcolm X, and finally King's murder in Memphis. We know that's where At Canaan's Edge is headed, but it starts with King's last great national success, the marches for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. Once again, the violent response to nonviolent protest brought national attention and support to King's cause, and within months his sometime ally Lyndon Johnson was able to push through the Voting Rights Act. But alongside those events, forces were gathering that would pull King's movement apart and threaten his national leadership. The day after Selma's "Bloody Sunday," the first U.S. combat troops arrived in South Vietnam, while five days after the signing of the Voting Rights Act, the Watts riots began in Los Angeles. As the escalating carnage in Vietnam and the frustrating pace of reform at home drove many in the movement, most notably Stokely Carmichael, away from nonviolence, King kept to his most cherished principle and followed where its logic took him: to war protests that broke his alliance with Johnson and to a widening battle against poverty in the North as well as the South that caused both critics and allies to declare his movement unfocused and irrelevant.

Branch knows that you can't tell King's story without following these many threads, and he spends nearly as much time in Johnson's war councils as he does in the equally fractious meetings of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Branch's knotty, allusive style can be challenging, but it vividly evokes the density of those days and the countless demands on King's manic stoicism. The whirlwind finally slows in the book's final pages for a bittersweet tour through King's last hours at the Lorraine Motel--King horsing around with his brother and friends and calling his mother (in between visits to his mistresses), Jesse Jackson rehearsing movement singers, an FBI agent watching through binoculars from across the street--that complete his work of humanizing a great man forever in danger of flattening into an icon. --Tom Nissley

Timeline of a Trilogy

Taylor Branch's America in the King Years series is both a biography of Martin Luther King and a history of his age. No timeline can do justice to its wide cast of characters and its intricate web of incident, but here are some of the highlights, which might be useful as a scorecard to the trilogy's nearly 3,000 pages.

King The King Years

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63

May: At age 25, King gives his first sermon as pastor-designate of Montgomery's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. 1954 May: French surrender to Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu. Unanimous Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board outlaws segregated public education.

December: Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott, which King is drafted to lead. 1955

October: King spends his first night in jail, following his participation in an Atlanta sit-in. 1960 February: Four students attempting to integrate a Greensboro, North Carolina, lunch counter spark a national sit-in movement.
April: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee is founded.
November: Election of President John F. Kennedy

May: The Freedom Rides begin, drawing violent responses as they challenge segregation throughout the South. King supports the riders during an overnight siege in Montgomery. 1961 July: SNCC worker Bob Moses arrives for his first summer of voter registration in rural Mississippi.
August: East German soldiers seal off West Berlin behind the Berlin Wall.

March: J. Edgar Hoover authorizes the bugging of Stanley Levinson, King's closest white advisor. 1962 September: James Meredith integrates the University of Mississippi under massive federal protection.

April: King, imprisoned for demonstrating in Birmingham, writes the "Letter from Birmingham Jail."
May: Images of police violence against marching children in Birmingham rivet the country.
August: King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech before hundreds of thousands at the March on Washington.
September: The Ku Klux Klan bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church kills four young girls. 1963 June: Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers assassinated.
November: President Kennedy assassinated.

Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65

November: Lyndon Johnson, in his first speech before Congress as president, promises to push through Kennedy's proposed civil rights bill.

March: King meets Malcolm X for the only time during Senate filibuster of civil rights legislation.
June: King joins St. Augustine, Florida, movement after months of protests and Klan violence.
October: King awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and campaigns for Johnson's reelection.
November: Hoover calls King "the most notorious liar in the country" and the FBI sends King an anonymous "suicide package" containing scandalous surveillance tapes. 1964 January: Johnson announces his "War on Poverty."
March: Malcolm X leaves the Nation of Islam following conflict with its leader, Elijah Muhammad.
June: Hundreds of volunteers arrive in the South for SNCC's Freedom Summer, three of whom are soon murdered in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
July: Johnson signs Civil Rights Act outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
August: Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin resolution authorizing military force in Vietnam. Democratic National Convention rebuffs the request by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to be seated in favor of all-white state delegation.
November: Johnson wins a landslide reelection.

January: King's first visit to Selma, Alabama, where mass meetings and demonstrations will build through the winter. 1965 February: Malcolm X speaks in Selma in support of movement, three weeks before his assassination in New York by Nation of Islam members.

At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68

March: Voting rights movement in Selma peaks with "Bloody Sunday" police attacks and, two weeks later, a successful march of thousands to Montgomery.
August: King rebuffed by Los Angeles officials when he attempts to advocate reforms after the Watts riots. March: First U.S. combat troops arrive in South Vietnam. Johnson's "We Shall Overcome" speech makes his most direct embrace of the civil rights movement.
May: Vietnam "teach-in" protest in Berkeley attracts 30,000.
June: Influential federal Moynihan Report describes the "pathologies" of black family structure.
August: Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act. Five days later, the Watts riots begin in Los Angeles.

January: King moves his family into a Chicago slum apartment to mark his first sustained movement in a Northern city.
June: King and Stokely Carmichael continue James Meredith's March Against Fear after Meredith is shot and wounded. Carmichael gives his first "black power" speech.
July: King's marches for fair housing in Chicago face bombs, bricks, and "white power" shouts. 1966 February: Operation Rolling Thunder, massive U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, begins.
May: Stokely Carmichael wins the presidency of SNCC and quickly turns the organization away from nonviolence.
October: National Organization for Women founded, modeled after black civil rights groups.

April: King's speech against the Vietnam War at New York's Riverside Church raises a storm of criticism
December: King announces plans for major campaign against poverty in Washington, D.C., for 1968. 1967 May: Huey Newton leads Black Panthers in armed demonstration in California state assembly.
June: Johnson nominates former NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court.
July: Riots in Newark and Detroit.
October: Massive mobilization against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C.

March: King joins strike of Memphis sanitation workers.
April: King gives his "Mountaintop" speech in Memphis. A day later, he is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel. 1968 January: In Tet Offensive, Communist guerillas stage a surprise coordinated attack across South Vietnam.
March: Johnson cites divisions in the country over the war for his decision not to seek reelection in 1968.

Book Description

At Canaan's Edge concludes America in the King Years, a three-volume history that will endure as a masterpiece of storytelling on American race, violence, and democracy. Pulitzer Prize-winner and bestselling author Taylor Branch makes clear in this magisterial account of the civil rights movement that Martin Luther King, Jr., earned a place next to James Madison and Abraham Lincoln in the pantheon of American history.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you, J. Edgar .......2007-05-27

This is the third book in Taylor Branch's masterful series on Martin Luther King and his times, but don't feel you have to read the first two before picking this one up. I read the second volume, Pillar of Fire : America in the King Years 1963-65 (America in the King Years) before the first, Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63 (America in the King Years) and managed to survive. Each book stands on its own as a masterful work of historical scholarship and dramatic narrative.
One difference for me is that this third volume is the first in the series that records events I can actually remember. It is astonishing to think of how dramatically America has changed in my lifetime, and how much of that change is the result of Rev. King's courage. In a recent biography of Alexander Hamilton it was suggested that Hamilton may have been the most important American who had never become President, and he was more important than most Presidents. A similar case can be made for King.
Rev. King is obviously central to the book, but the book offers vivid portraits of his colleagues Andrew Young, Julian Bond and the ever ambitious Jesse Jackson; rivals such as Stokely Carmichael and partner/rival Lyndon Johnson as well as Bobby Kennedy.
During the time described in this book, the Vietnam war escalated to such a level that it overwhelmed the civil rights story as the central news story of the day. King grappled with the issue, and with taking on a President he regarded as the "best civil rights president in history". His conflict between his obligation as an advocate of non-violence to speak out against the war and his civil rights work at home make for some of the most compelling reading in the book and show how it tore the movement apart. Newspaper columnist Carl Rowan is seen blasting King for his criticism of the U.S. Army, which was (and perhaps still is) the most effectively integrated institution in the country.
It is impossible to read this book, especially the sections relating to Vietnam, and not reflect on the current circumstances in Iraq. The most startling difference is in the character of the central players in the White House. Johnson's grappling with the issues in Vietnam, struggling to find a solution to stop the killing before eventually realizing the only possible solution involves him standing down, is a startling contrast to our current smirking, self-centered, political hack of a commander-in-chief.
Another contrast with our times is to realize that in many ways, King's civil rights work in the South was a campaign against terrorism. We are so busy patting ourselves on the back with the idea that "it can't happen here" we forget that our history includes numerous homegrown terrorist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan. In general, the book recalls a time when people could look to the federal government to be a problem solver.
Finally, a word of thanks to J. Edgar Hoover, the paranoid cross dresser who seems to have tapped half the phone lines in America during his interminable time as director of the FBI. (Okay, so the book also recalls a time when the feds were an active part of the problem - it is a full, nuanced portrait of a complicated time.) The fact that Branch was able to rely on first hand conversations for so much of his material clearly added a lot to this remarkable book.

Death & Transfiguration .......2007-03-15

This third and final volume of Branch Taylor's trilogy is of all the three the most unambiguously tragic. At times, reading the previous two volumes, I was so heartbroken at the succession of tragic setbacks in the movement that I wondered when and where the great, decisive victories against segregation ended. And ACE is of all the three the one with the most devastating setbacks. It leaves one to ponder if the Civil Rights Movement eventually achieved its immediate goals so sweepingly precisely because the white power structure finally recognized --so to speak--that those goals were compatible with its continued flourishing.

For readers interesting in buying this book: bear in mind that this trilogy is to all intents and purposes a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is NOT a hagiography; Branch frequently mentions the roiling emotions and infidelities of MLK. When contemporary observers remark that a particular appearance or speech fell flat, Branch says so. Perhaps Branch knows this narrative technique is more effective at inspiring admiration than unalloyed praise would have been; perhaps not. But in truth, it's difficult to imagine any sensitive reader not being filled with wonder that such a moral giant like King could even exist.

Rather than duplicate the effort of the other reviewers (particularly the excellent review by G. Bestick, posted below on January 24, 2006), I want to comment on something that has not been addressed by the others. I believe the single most important theme in the trilogy was the exposition of King's doctrine of "nonviolence." I use quotes because "nonviolence" is such an inadequate word to describe the doctrine. Elsewhere, Branch alludes to King's opposition to "enemy-ism," in which King rejects lines of reasoning that culminate in demonization or vilification of one's adversaries. First, King's doctrine acknowledged the common humanity of all people; humans deviated in different paths of moral conduct depending on reasons that are compelling--perhaps irresistible--at the time. Perpetrators are also victims. Second, the resolution of injustice through violence was untenable; the oppressor in any relationship would always win any challenge that employed violence, if for no other reason than because the victorious liberator would become a new oppressor. Third, the practice of nonviolence required unusual discipline and courage, and King was able to transmit the latter through the force of his oratory.

In POF (please see my review for that, also), the rival doctrine was belligerent posturing as practiced by the Nation of Islam and by the segregationist authorities. The upheaval of the '64 elections tended to reflect the loss of face of an earlier generation of white elites, and their replacement by redneck "enforcers." While the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) remained true to the principles of nonviolence, a major ally, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) repudiated nonviolence in favor of Black Power. The new SNCC was utterly ineffectual and quickly vanished. The Black Panthers was doomed from the start with its scorn of all "white" ideologies and its lack of any coherent replacement. New converts to the ideology of self-defensive violence like Charles Evers could not even bring themselves to target known killers; Byron de la Beckwith, universally known to have murdered Ever's brother Medgar, was never threatened by the SNCC.

White supremacist violence now became endemic; before, there were exceptional cases such as the 9/15/63 bombing of a church in Birmingham; but cases of ambush and murder proliferated dramatically after 1965. The destabilization of white supremacist violence now challenged the very survival of American institutions and Southern police forces increasingly intervened against their former Klan allies.

Looming over everything was the Vietnam War, which for King was the most urgent injustice he faced. Johnson hated the war (Stanley Karnow's *Vietnam* confirms this) but was unable to accept defeat in it; King was unable to compromise with a known evil, and the most conservative 60% of white American public opinion dreaded facing up to an unbeatable foe. Frustration and ambient racism further stimulated conservative support for the war, while the fiscal woes inflicted by the war extinguished every remaining trace of Johnson's Great Society. The failure of progressive initiatives, when void of King's own nonviolent doctrines, was universal and inevitable. At the time of his death, King was not so much defeated or even overwhelmed, as he was offset in a floodtide of squalid reaction.

After King, the depressing deluge; and after that, his stunning achievements, like a field of tulip bulbs, bloomed amid the receding glacier. But the triumph of nonviolence was like the glimmers of lightning in a summer electric storm, flashing without warning in random corners of the sky.

Must read for students if the civil rights movement.......2007-03-03

If you are a student of the civil rights movement in particular or the 1960s in general you must read Taylor Branch's book on Martin Luther King. The book guides you momement by moment through King's hardfought but peaceful successes at Montomery & Selma and throughout the South and as the movement moved north with less than peaceful outcomes in Watts, Detroit, New Jersey, etc. Very interesting and insightful read.

must read for all americans.......2007-02-18

this is one of the best history books i've ever read. in fact, it transcends the history genre. canaan's edge is first and foremost about one of the most courageous men in american history -- martin luther king jr. of course, king didn't lead the 60's civil rights movement by himself -- branch's book shows the courage of many people known and unknown.
it also casts other historical figures in a new light. primary among these, for me, is lyndon johnson, who comes thru in these pages as a brave supporter of civil rights, whose civil rights record was eclipsed by his mistakes with the vietnam war. beautifully written, moving, filled with people and powerful vignettes, this is a must read for all americans.

Bringing Reality to History.......2006-12-06

For many who were young during the turbulent 60s, this era has a mythical feel to it. Great figures have been romanticized, whether it was Kennedy and Camelot or Martin Luther King, Jr. and "I Have a Dream." Taylor Branch has found a way to bring reality to those tales. He refuses to glamorize his subject; refuses to sanitize his main character. For an epic look at a story smack in the epicenter of American history, "At Canaan's Edge" is the place to stand.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction.

The Leader's Edge: Using Personal Branding to Drive Performance and Profit

Average customer rating:

A MUST read for EVERYONE, not just leaders
Clear Steps to Improve Your Career
smart book
The Leader's Edge

The Leader's Edge: Using Personal Branding to Drive Performance and Profit
Susan Hodgkinson
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Be Your Own Brand: A Breakthrough Formula for Standing Out from the Crowd
The Personal Branding Phenomenon
Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success
The Brand Called You: The Ultimate Personal Branding Handbook to Transform Anyone into an Indispensable Brand
U R a Brand!: How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success

ASIN: 0595359892

Book Description

Have you ever wondered what comes to mind for your boss, your customers, or your colleagues when your name is mentioned? Every leader, at every level, has a personal brand-an operative reputation. Your brand impacts your ability to achieve extraordinary results, and it either fuels or derails your long-term career success.

Your brand consists of a complex set of characteristics and dynamics that play out in thousands of scenarios each workday. The Leader's Edge provides a clear, practical framework that will allow you to understand what your brand is, how it plays out every day, and how you can seize control of it to positively impact your career choices. Author Susan Hodgkinson presents a proprietary, result-based methodology, the 5 P's of Leadership Brandsm, which has been used in coaching and leadership development programs for thousands of professionals, from the Fortune 50 to significant nonprofit organizations.

Hodgkinson's proven methods have enabled thousands of successful people to increase their authority, their significance to their organizations, and ultimately, their control over their professional destiny. Everyone has a brand at work, and it has everything to do with your ability to succeed. The Leader's Edge will help you determine what your brand is and how to manage it for ultimate success.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST read for EVERYONE, not just leaders.......2007-04-19

Although it's called The LEADER'S Edge, a more appropriate title might be The PERSON'S Edge, as I think it's a must read for EVERYONE over the age of 18. It's a wonderfully easy-to-understand and deeply thought-provoking book about how we show up to the world (which is often quite different than how we think the world sees us) and how, through heightened self-awareness and feedback, we can enhance our personal brand in everyday situations - professional and personal. I've recommended this book to everyone from the leader of a 600+ person practice to administrative personnel, and the reactions have been equally positive and powerful. I can't wait for my children to be old enough to read it themselves. I truly believe the world would operate more effectively if we all invested the time to read this book.

Clear Steps to Improve Your Career.......2006-05-01

This book is very well written. Susan clearly describes steps to take to assess and improve your job skills, then goes on to explain how to market yourself within an existing organization. After reading the book I understand how some people work hard all their careers, but never move to influential positions in a corporation. You won't do that if you read the book!
I am currently loaning the book to young co-workers as a "must read."

smart book.......2005-11-18

This is a smart leader's tool--models, frameworks, examples, case studies. The author has clear real life experience which makes it different than theoretical approaches by those with no practical background.

The Leader's Edge.......2005-09-28

Excellent for leaders at all levels! This is an engrossing,informative & extremely helpful book replete with practical advice, guidance & wisdom. I highly recommend it to anyone in a leadership/management position.

Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists

Average customer rating:

Nothing useful at all.
Great Book
Great buy, Well worth the Money
Amazing book - totally recommended for any and all artists
Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists

Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists
Christopher Hart
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Figure Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Specific Objects | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Drawing Cutting Edge Comics
Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Illustrator's Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms
Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion: American Comics with a Manga Influence
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way
Muscles in Motion : Figure Drawing for the Comic Book Artist

ASIN: 0823023982

Book Description

The follow-up title to the hit title Drawing Cutting Edge Comics, which has been translated into seven languages, this drawing tutorial shows artists how to draw the exaggerated musculature of super-sized figures in action poses. The guesswork is taken out of figuring out which muscles show through to the surface and how muscles appear through clothing. This instructional manual even gives both the Latin and the common terms for particular body parts such as scapula/shoulder blade. Hart covers all aspects of extreme anatomy. The book opens by providing detailed diagrams of all of the various muscle groups, including chest, back, shoulder, arm, and leg muscles. Then he covers many of the various extreme comic book types including good guy, bad guy, insane guy, punk, genius, and brute for men; and the heroine, bad gal, trashy gal, seductress, fighter babe, and cyber chick for women. As an added bonus, this book closes with two invaluable sections to all aspiring comic book artists. One provides a roadmap of all the steps an artist must take if he or she is going to get started in the comic book business, and advice on how the comic book business works. The second section features interviews with people from two of the most significant companies in the world of comics, Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics.

Customer Reviews:

Nothing useful at all........2007-10-03

This is really a boring book. It does not tell you anything about how to draw the human body at all. No depth, no advice on how large a figure should be, or perception. There is nothing here at all.

Great Book.......2007-09-29

This is a great reference book. I really like it, BUT for any really REALLY serious people who wish to really improve their drawings, Riven Pheonix "Drawing the Human Figure From Your Mind" lessons are key (google it). It shows you how to draw the whole skeleton - from your mind. Then the muscles - from your mind. The fruits are astounding. I completed all 227 lessons and must admit that reference books are much more helpful when you actually LEARN how EXACTLY mucles and bones look the way they look on people.

Great buy, Well worth the Money.......2007-09-18

I'm a beginner to drawing in general but the descriptions and pictures presented make reproducing presented information/techniques easy

Amazing book - totally recommended for any and all artists.......2007-08-24

For starters, this is written by Christopher Hart, so it's probably one of your best options if you are interested in the subject of the book...
This is great for learning how muscle groups work, since it focuses on different parts of the body for both men and women, and how the skeleton structure is set up, not only in general, but in different positions, explaining how muscles move with the different poses, and which ones 'pop' depending on the pose. It's a great book for any beginning artist to start getting a sense of how the body is put together, and great for more advanced artists to make their pictures more and more realistic. Also gives great ideas for characters.
A great buy even if you are not overly enthusiastic about the graphic novel; if you love drawing, you'll love this book!

Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists.......2007-07-24

Great book for muscles... I had problem drawing muscles and this book helped great book

The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success

Average customer rating:

Practical, Easy to Read and Apply to Real Life
Great for People wanting an Introduction on EQ-i
Pleasantly Surprised By Contents
Rated #3 Best Business Book of The Year
Just an "Infomercial"

The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success
Steven J., PhD Stein , and Howard Book
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Success | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Emotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

The Emotionally Intelligent Manager: How to Develop and Use the Four Key Emotional Skills of Leadership
Emotional Intelligence In Action: Training and Coaching Activities for Leaders and Managers
Linking Emotional Intelligence And Performance At Work: Current Research Evidence With Individuals and Groups
Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence
True to Yourself: Leading a Values-Based Business (Social Venture Network)

ASIN: 0470838361

Book Description

A FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER.

What does it take to be a firefighter? Fighter pilot? Top of the heap in the sales department? A brilliant customer service advisor? Esteemed and respected corporate leader?

What does it take to get ahead? To separate yourself from the competition" Lead a less stressful existence? To be fulfilled in personal life and professional pursuits?

What is the most important dynamic of your makeup? Is it your A0 intelligence quotient? Or B0 emotional quotient?

If you picked "A", you are partly correct. Your intelligence quotient can be a predictor of things such as academic achievement. But it is fixed and unchangeable. The real key to personal and professional growth, and happiness, is your emotional quotient, which you can nurture and develop.

The EQ Edge, by Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book, shows you how the dynamic of emotional intelligence works. By understanding EQ, you can build more meaningful relationships, boost your confidence and optimism, and respond to challenges with enthusiasm--all of which are essential ingredients of success.

The book features case studies and fascinating--and surprising--insights into EQ and the workplace. As an HR or line manager, this book will help you determine which personnel are the right fit for job opportunities and who among your staff will be the most promising leaders and drivers of your business. And because CEOs to front-line workers also have other roles--parent, spouse, caregiver to aging parents, neighbor, friend--The EQ Edge also describes how everyone can be more successful in these relationships.

"Finally, a practical and useable guide to what emotional intelligence is all about. This book peels the onions on what EQ really is and teaches the reader to assess their own EQ and how to increase it. This is the holy grail for career success."

--Michael Feiner, Professor, Columbia Graduate School of Business and author of The Feiner Points of leadership

Customer Reviews:

Practical, Easy to Read and Apply to Real Life.......2007-05-29

Useful summary of what EQ is all about. Describes how to understand the connection to success in relationships and business. Practical exercises help learn ways to apply the theories to improve emotional intelligence quotient (EQ).

Great for People wanting an Introduction on EQ-i.......2003-12-18

This books is very easy to read, it goes through all the stages and criteria of being 'Emotionally Intelligent', while showing examples/stories on different situations and how one could handle it with greater EQ-i ability.

Although I have some backgrounds on this subject, I still find this book encouraging, and it's good to refer back to once in a while.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to better their EQ-i or just curious.

Pleasantly Surprised By Contents.......2001-01-26

I was not sure what to expect when I started to read this book. The second author is a psychiatrist and an organizational consultant. The first author, Steven Stein is a psychologist, but also well known for heading up a very successful test publishing company. Was the book going to be an advertisement for his tests? Would his success as a businessperson enhance the credibility of the message?

The book was very easy to get into. The writing is engaging. It starts with a brief history and definition of emotional intelligence (something Goleman avoids in his first book on the subject). It focuses on Reuven BarOn's definition but also includes Peter Salovey and John Mayer's definition - the originators of the concept.

The book, to my pleasant surprise, does not focus on the test (Emotional Quotient Inventory -EQ-i), but on how to gauge yourself (using exercises provided in the book) and work on improving yourself in the 15 specific areas of emotional intelligence. For the most part the exercises are taken from well-validated methods of cognitive-behavior therapy. As a psychologist I have no problem recommending this book to clients. In fact, there is more data behind this approach than what is proposed in many of the "best-selling" books out there. (For the academically oriented professional, please read the EQ-i test manual.)

Most interesting to me were some of the studies in the last chapter. It is very unusual for self-help books, and books on emotional intelligence to include original research on the importance of the concept. This makes the book great for those people you know who doubt the importance of E.I. To see how E.I. has made a difference to the U.S. Air Force, and companies like American Express and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is impressive.

I've actually reviewed the research on the EQ-i, the test that much of the research is based on. The normative group is bigger and better than many tests in the marketplace: almost 42,000 people in 36 countries. There are also some good scientific publications on it. While there is no "perfect" test of E.I., I haven't found anything that even comes close to this one. In fact, I've come across many tests being used by companies that don't even come close to having the research that this one has. But the book is not about the test. You can't even get the test unless you are a psychologist or qualified management consultant or vocational counsellor.

Was the book an advertisement? Not really. The examples, which are very realistic, cover work and home situations.

Rated #3 Best Business Book of The Year.......2001-01-24

I bought this book because it was rated the #3 best business book of the year in the Globe and Mail (Canada's National Newspaper), Wednesday, December 15. - even higher than "Who Moved My Cheese?".

I was not disappointed. I found it easy to read and quick to get into. The book gives a great overview of emotional intelligence - I now have a better understanding of what it really is. A few different definitions are given, but the focus is on Bar-On's theory.

While the book's research data, presented at the beginning and end, is based on Bar-On's test, it is not the focus of the book. The bulk of the book deals with each of the 15 areas of emotional intelligence - how you can gauge yourself, and how you can improve.

The examples are very good. After I finished the book, my 12-year-old son picked it up. He started to flip through it and ended up reading it - and he doesn't get through too many books.

I've recommended it to a few people at work and they weren't dissapointed.

Just an "Infomercial".......2001-01-05

I was surprised and disappointed to find The EQ Edge was just an "infomercial" for Reuven Bar-On's emotional intelligence test. Steven Stein is the publisher of the test AND the book's senior author. The book's content is largely a series of testimonials and unsubstantiated claims which have the same credibility as the latest diet fad.

I am a practicing Industrial/Organizational Psychologist who would love to have a genuine test of emotional intelligence; but, in my opinion, Bar-On's EQ-i test fails to measure up to basic professional standards of validity.

In a nut shell, it is under researched and over hyped. At this point in it's development, the test is definitely not something I would dare use for real world personnel decisions.

The Erotic Edge: 22 Erotic Stories for Couples
Average customer rating:

Erotic Stories

to many i like

A gag gift at best

I agree with the folks from Santa Monica

Mediocre book with bad, non-erotic stories

The Erotic Edge: 22 Erotic Stories for Couples

Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Human | Sexuality | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Naughty Bedtime Stories

Seductions: Tales of Erotic Persuasion

Seduce Me: Twelve Erotic Stories

Erotic Interludes

Pleasures

ASIN: 0452274648

Book Description

Lonnie Barbach is the acclaimed anthologist of the classic collections "Pleasures" and "Erotic Interludes," two volumes of women's erotica which brought the genre into the mainstream.

Now with "The Erotic Edge" whe turns her attention to arousing fiction for both men and women; stories written by and for both sexes which are designed to bring couples together, broaden their sexual perspective, and deepen their levels of intimacy.

Featuring some of the very best writers of erotic fiction, and including a commentary by Lonnie Barbach which focuses on both the differences and similarities of male and female sexual response, this collection covers a full range of erotic themes: from marital tenderness to fantasy flings, group sex to touching romance.

Customer Reviews:

Erotic Stories.......2006-02-10

I found this book to be somewhat erotic although I've read better stories in the past.. My boyfriend did enjoy me reading it to him and he got pretty aroused by it..

to many i like.......2005-07-09

this book is awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! many stories i love. is good bedtime reading.

A gag gift at best.......2003-07-23

This book is midly amusing and not at all sexy. It contains lines such as "Hi my name is Bob and I will be picking your pubic hair out of the filter..." I couldn't even begin to enjoy it.

I agree with the folks from Santa Monica.......1999-11-09

We found the stories a joke. Lisa and I LOL ed at the ha haaaa, see, twist in the 5 or 6 stories we read. I believe a person could buy any of the romance novels at the supermarket and get the same thing.

Mediocre book with bad, non-erotic stories.......1999-09-18

My husband and I did not bother finishing this book. We skipped around to different chapters, as the editors suggest, in hopes of finding something erotic. The editors clearly had lofty aspirations for this book, but their intentions fell short of what they managed to achieve. Unfortunately, most of the stories were poorly written and laughably ridiculous; a bad combination. You can get mediocre erotica on the 'net for free. Don't waste your money.

Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion: American Comics with a Manga Influence

Average customer rating:

A fun book for fans of both
christopher hart does it again!
Good book
Excellent way to learn about the fusion drawingstyle ..
Good Art Book, Few Caveats

Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion: American Comics with a Manga Influence
Christopher Hart
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Study & Teaching | Reference | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Manga | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists
Drawing Cutting Edge Comics
How to Draw Fantasy Females: Create Sexy Cyberpunks, Seductive Supergirls, and Raunchy All-Action Heroines
Drawing Crime Noir: For Comics and Graphic Novels
Drawing Dynamic Comics

ASIN: 0823001601

Book Description

•Third title in the fabulously popular Cutting Edge series—more than 1000,000 sold

•Ideas and inspiration for fans of manga and American-style comics

Christopher Hart is the top-selling cartoon and drawing author of all time

American comics once dominated the world. Now the balance of power is changing, as anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) have exploded into the mainstream of American culture. Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion is the first-ever tutorial that shows how to draw American-style comics with a manga influence. With this book, artists learn to assimilate Japanese aesthetics into new-look comics: how to turn supermuscular bodies leaner and more athletic; how to make facial features more angular and elegant; how to draw hair in up-to-the-minute spiked or long styles. This dynamic fusion of cultures brings together exciting storytelling ande sophisticated design. Now artists can capture the best of East and West with Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion.

Customer Reviews:

A fun book for fans of both.......2007-08-24

For starters, this is written by Christopher Hart, so it's probably one of your best options if you are interested in the subject of the book...

This book is great for fans of both manga and graphic novels; it goes into how the two genres differ (fusion vs graphic novel) and also the different styles in the fusion style (cartoon vs comic). Also gives huge amounts of character concepts and ideas; a fantastic buy for those who like both styles (not recommended for those who are fans of one and hate the other)

christopher hart does it again!.......2007-08-24

Like all of Christopher Hart's "cutting edge" comic and other cartooning instruction books, "Cutting Edge Fusion" is clear, concise, informative, and just plain enjoyable..i personally own several of his books, and every one of them has helped me fine-tune my artistic abilities and keep up with the changing styles of modern cartoons and comic styles...this book, like all his others, are well worth every penny!

Good book.......2006-10-27

This is the better of the Hart books: good solid information into a genre of comics/animation full of mis-conceptions.

I personally think Fusion style marries the best of these two styles. Anyone wanted to create a comic would be wise to adopt THIS style and make it your own.

As with most of the Chris Hart books the sections on who how construct panels and tell stories w/ pictures is EXTREME helpful.

Excellent way to learn about the fusion drawingstyle .........2006-03-23

Pro- looks cool, great illustrations, clearly written, basically has the stuff I was looking for. Excellent addition to my other books, most of which are from Christopher Hart, and this one is as good as he usually makes them. Excellent way to learn about the fusion drawingstyle .

Con- I want more, what else can i say?

Cheers

Good Art Book, Few Caveats.......2006-03-05

Chris Hart's books are hit or miss, but this is one of his better ones. If you're interested in drawing "Fusion Style" comics, a style pioneered by Rob Liefeld than this book is for you. Like most Hart books, this book is filled by illustrations from various artists with Hart providing an occasional illustration. While I like his books, I find Hart's style is poor. Thankfully, illustrations drawn by the author are kept to a minimum.

The Good: Some good fusion style faces. From all angles this time. Thanks! More turnarounds including 'generic ones.' Excellent

The bad: Why oh why did hart have to draw the muscle charts? This illustration is very poor, and one of the worst in the book. Also, whoever drew the female figure on page 29, did not draw it in fusion style. Pages 22-33 were really bad, and just did not do the book justice. Since these were key proportion illos I was disappointed.

Overall, if drawing "Fusion" is your bag, you can't go wrong with adding this to your collection.

Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures

Average customer rating:

Wade Davis is lyrical . . .
Plants and people
Stand Up for Cultural Diversity
A compelling read that is an engaging as it is informative
World without languages

Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures
Wade Davis
Manufacturer: Douglas & McIntyre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Human Geography | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

One River
The SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW
Shadows in the Sun: Travels to Landscapes of Spirit and Desire
The Clouded Leopard: A Book of Travels
The Lost Amazon: The Photographic Journey of Richard Evans Schultes

ASIN: 1553652673

Book Description

For more than 30 years, renowned anthropologist Wade Davis has traveled the globe, studying the mysteries of sacred plants and celebrating the world’s traditional cultures. His passion as an ethnobotanist has brought him to the very center of indigenous life in places as remote and diverse as the Canadian Arctic, the deserts of North Africa, the rain forests of Borneo, the mountains of Tibet, and the surreal cultural landscape of Haiti. In Light at the Edge of the World, Davis explores the idea that these distinct cultures represent unique visions of life itself and have much to teach the rest of the world about different ways of living and thinking. As he investigates the dark undercurrents tearing people from their past and propelling them into an uncertain future, Davis reiterates that the threats faced by indigenous cultures endanger and diminish all cultures.

Customer Reviews:

Wade Davis is lyrical . . ........2007-09-01

As far as I'm concerned, Davis is a five-star writer across the board. Not only does this man have more scientific knowledge than he knows what to do with, but he writes about people and plant life with equal flawless prose. This is a good 'starter' book for those who have not yet read him (or, who only heard of "The Serpent and the Rainbow"). His intense interest in, profound respect for indigenous cultures and their people quite obviously generate the trust and knowledge he receives in return. Like his beloved mentor, Harvard's Edward Schultz, he will literally go to 'the ends of the earth'and stay however long it takes so that he may absorb and understand what he finds there. His descriptions (and direct experience)of psychotropic's from the jungles and their place in the culture, should be read by the multi-national plunderers - as well as those whose only frame of reference is Timothy Leary. The natural world around them provide every, single necessary item of life and sustenance for the people. The huge, central-to-life importance of the Shaman is masterfully illustrated. It should be obvious that I cannot say enough in praise of Wade Davis. Go and discover him for yourself, get lost in the wonder of his world - and marvel . . .

Plants and people.......2007-08-09

Wade Davis' long career among isolated peoples and cultures has given him an enviable insight. He manages to connect with people at many levels. They are free and open with him, an obvious outsider. Their stories, legends, life modes all come to light under his gentle persuasive powers. In this outstanding account of his travels and his studies, we share much of what he and his mentors have learned.

The primary message in this book is how cultures vary with their environments. Worldwide, Davis notes, only about five per cent of humanity live in areas relatively untouched by European intrusion. They are scattered, often living in what we deem as "savage" or "desolate", yet they survive and flourish when allowed. Hardly rigid in outlook, these people have learned well how to adapt to changing conditions. They have come to know just how to deal with what Nature has provided. Centuries of experience are put to use on a daily basis, following seasonal and other variations. Their knowledge of the local plants in particular has stood them well, and they have much to offer us. Davis describes how this has developed in many regions, with the Amazon basin an area of his special interest.

Davis acknowledges two special influences in his work - David Maybury-Lewis, his tutor, and Richard Evans Schultes who had spent many years in the Amazon area. Davis followed them, but as his study interests grew, so did the range of his travels. North of the Amazon Basin, he enters the mountains of Columbia to learn the ways of the Kogi and Ika people. He takes us to Northwest British Columbia, where the Grizzly retains a meagre residual territory and meets Atehena [Alex Jack] to learn the ways of the shamans who formerly operated there. In lands once part of the Inca empire, he learns the uses of coca leaves - both social and medicinal. Haiti possesses numerous cultures, many with strong ties to the African homeland. That continent's sad history of imperialist intrusion probably created more artificial "national" boundaries than any other region of the world. Such intrusion causes displacement and Davis is witness to the shamanic rituals of a people only recently forced into a nomadic life.

The author concludes his narrative by describing two areas as opposite as one could imagine - the Red Centre of Australia and the snowy reaches of the Canadian Arctic. He recounts the utter innocence of the European invaders in both regions. British explorers and colonists suffered heavily as a result of their failure to understand how "primitive" people could survive better than "well-equipped" Victorians with their advanced technology and ideals of superiority. As elsewhere, long centuries of experience taught the Aborigines to find water in unlikely places and the Inuit to travel lightly and efficiently. Only in modern times have researchers arrived at an understanding of what "primitives" accomplished.

As he freely confesses, however, the work has only begun. This book is not only informative about how indigenous people have survived conditions deadly to us, but provides pointers about how to apply their knowledge for the benefit of us all. Medicines are but one step in what can be adapted for our use. And more Wade Davises are needed to do the tasks before us. Those new scholars, however, must go to those people to learn, not to change their ways to conform to ours. That would be artificial and self-defeating. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Stand Up for Cultural Diversity.......2007-05-17

Wade Davis is both an exceptional anthropologist and an exciting writer. The remote and unique cultures that he records in this work give us home bound and over-weight readers a glimpse of hope in the human potential that we all share. We may not be able to travel as he has but through his vivid and engrossing writing, we can celebrate the human spirit that he has witnessed first hand. The special people he introduces to us see the world in different lights, sounds and smells than we do from our homoginized world view. We need to understand these cultures as a way to balance our own as we try to look beyond it to find new ways to meet the ever changing reality of our existence.

A compelling read that is an engaging as it is informative.......2007-04-11

an anthropologist and the author of several books (perhaps the best known of which is 'The Serpent and the Rainbow'), Wade Davis is explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society and has quite literally traveled the world to search out and study other cultures and their uses of sacred plants. In "Light At The End Of The World: A Journey Through The Realm Of Vanishing Cultures" he has compiled essays based on his researches into the lives, traditions, beliefs, customs, and ceremonies of tribal cultures that range from the Canadian Arctic to the deserts of North Africa, from the rain forests of Borneo and the Amazon, to the mountain communities of the Andes and Tibet, from the swamps of the Orinoco to the wilds of British Columbia, to the cultural landscape of Haiti. All of these cultures share one thing in common - they are in danger of losing their unique ways of life in the face of expanding technological and population encroachments and competitions for resources. A strongly recommended addition to academic, community, and personal library Anthropology and Social Issues reference collections and supplemental reading lists, "Light At The End Of The World" is a compelling read that is an engaging as it is informative, as compelling as it is instructive.

World without languages.......2003-05-26

Anthropologist Margaret Mead defined a nightmare as waking up one day and not knowing what we've lost. Anthropologist Wade Davis applies this to the world's languages. Though spoken by about 300 million people, or 5 percent of everybody in the world, these languages are being lost, without having been studied or written down by experts.

From 25 years worth of photographing and traveling worldwide, Davis sees each language as showing how changing and endless are our imaginations. For example, the Micmac name trees by the sound the winds make in the branches, the hour after sunset, in the fall. Native peoples of the Amazon believe that each plant sings in a different key. They've found a way of grouping, by figuring out the keys from talking with the very plants! This works as well, for them, as what botanists have come up with.

Healers, taken from all non-industrialized parts of the world, get food and healing from 40,000 species of plants. This know-how is so great that healing has always meant power. But it wasn't always used kindly.

Healers in West African countries, around the Equator, made sure their patients kept whatever laws were supposed to be followed. They used all their know-how to make rule-breakers take deathly amounts of plants. And to think that I had thought this hardly ever happened, other than the famous cases of the deathly drinks that were forced on Socrates and Tchaikovsky.

But this killing style is still around today, not too far away from the industrialized world, in Haiti. There, sorcerors give outcasts tetrodotoxin. It's a nerve poison in the skin and organs of the tetraodontiformes order of sea fishes. A pin-head size of the poison kills. Sorcerors give enough to make the outcast look dead. When the effects wear off, the outcast appears to come back from the dead. These death and near-death experiences aren't seen the same way as in the United States. Instead, they turn the outcasts into freaks as zombies, the living dead.

LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD carefully follows the author's footsteps in ONE RIVER, RAINFOREST and SHADOWS IN THE SUN. The photography is beautiful, the organization is clear, and the writing is fascinating. Some of what's covered from the many non-industrialized cultures is chilling. So Davis doesn't get into just glorifying non-industrialized people or criticizing industrialized peoples.

From anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss, he believes in finding balance in our world of opposites. The first pages told me that this approach would lead to a worthwhile read. For Davis tackles the controversial space program. It cost nearly a trillion dollars, just to bring back, in the words of a southeast Asian nomad, a basket of dust.

But a small part of that paydirt went into the stunning blood-red crystal in the stained-glass window at the National Cathedral in D.C. There, it reminds us all that it took going to the moon and back to make us change the way we look at things, for all time. Languages do that every day.

Psychological Capital: Developing the Human Competitive Edge
Average customer rating:

Luthans disappoints.

PsyCap

Psychological Capital: Developing the Human Competitive Edge
Fred Luthans , Carolyn M. Youssef , and Bruce J. Avolio
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Organizational Behavior | Business Management | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The High Impact Leader

A Primer in Positive Psychology

Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline

Quality of Life Therapy: Applying a Life Satisfaction Approach to Positive Psychology and Cognitive Therapy

The Other Side of the Card

ASIN: 0195187520

Book Description

Although there are as many answers to the question of how organizations can gain competitive advantage in today's global economy as there are books and experts, one lesson seems very clear: traditional answers and resources are no longer sufficient. This seminal book offers not only an answer regarding how to gain competitive advantage through people, but also a brand new, untapped human resource--psychological capital, or simply PsyCap. Generated from both the positive psychology movement and the authors' pioneering work on positive organizational behavior, PsyCap goes beyond traditionally recognized human and social capital. But PsyCap is not a vague or unscientific concept: to be included in PsyCap, a given positive construct must be based on theory, research, and valid measurement, must be open to development, and must have measurable performance impact. The positive constructs that have been determined to best meet these PsyCap criteria, efficacy (confidence), hope, optimism, and resiliency, are covered in separate chapters in Psychological Capital. After exploring other potential positive constructs such as creativity, wisdom, well being, flow, humor, gratitude, forgiveness, emotional intelligence, spirituality, authenticity, and courage, the authors summarize the research demonstrating the performance impact of PsyCap. They go on to provide the PsyCap Questionnaire (PCQ) as a measurement tool, and the PsyCap Intervention (PCI) as a development aid. Utility analysis indicates that investing in the development of PsyCap as presented in this book can result in a very substantial return. In total, Psychological Capital provides theory, research, measurements, and methods of application for the new resource of psychological capital, a resource that can be developed and sustained for competitive advantage.

Customer Reviews:

Luthans disappoints........2007-05-14

The book will be a terrible disappointment to anyone looking for practical ideas on the application of psychological capital. Luthans is obviously an academic with little or no practical experience or knowledge and adds little to the discussion of this important topic.

PsyCap.......2007-01-04

Extremely relevant and provides excellent insight into the impact of intangibles in management today.

The Talent Edge: A Behavioral Approach to Hiring, Developing, and Keeping Top Performers

Average customer rating:

a guidebook for HR specialists

The Talent Edge: A Behavioral Approach to Hiring, Developing, and Keeping Top Performers
David S. Cohen
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Interviewing | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Entrepreneurship | Small Business & Entrepreneurship | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Business & Investing | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Crisp: Behavior-Based Interviewing: Selecting the Right Person for the Job (Crisp Fifty-Minute Series)
High-Impact Interview Questions: 701 Behavior-based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job
Behavioral Interviewing Guide: A Practical, Structured Approach For Conducting Effective Selection Interviews.
Interviewing and Selecting High Performers: Every Manager's Guide to Effective Interviewing Techniques
On Staffing: Advice and Perspectives from HR Leaders

ASIN: 0471646431

Book Description

A practical step-by-step approach to hiring the right person.

Every hiring manager knows that the traditional hiring and interviewing process is a poor tool for predicting organizational fit and future on-the-job success. Behavioral interviewing can improve your chances of picking the right candidate two to five times over traditional processes. It focuses on how the candidate works rather than on skills, qualifications, and impressions.

The Talent Edge shows how you can develop a concrete understanding of what your own top performers do differently than the majority of their peers, and how to translate that knowledge into a better hiring system. While using case studies from organizations that have successfully transformed their hiring practices, the book articulates the business case for a Behavioral Interviewing system, and provides a roadmap for implementing it.

Comprehensive coverage includes: how to write job profiles and translate them into questions and answers that can be used in the interview; how to prepare for the interview, ask questions, and probe for the right information. The book also offers advice on how behaviors that are defined and proven to be useful in the hiring process can be incorporated into performance management, career development, and succession planning.

Customer Reviews:

a guidebook for HR specialists.......2007-03-05

Ensuring that you've got the right candidate for any position is an art. Mr. Cohen does a fantastic job of educating us to the nuances of this art and if you're in the biz, you should read it. My only gripe - too pricey.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books