The Unobservable Universe

A Paradox-Free Framework for Understanding the Universe

By: Scott M. Tyson

Published: April 16, 2011
Format: Paperback, 332 pages
ISBN-10: 0983243808
ISBN-13: 978-0983243809
Publisher: Galaxia Way

“Over the last few decades, there has been little fundamental progress in understanding the universe. Not coincidentally, over this very same time, the diversity of thought regarding the nature of the cosmos has not expanded significantly and the cost of technology-based experiments to probe our hypotheses has grown exponentially”, writes Visionary physicist, engineer, scientist, researcher and inventor Scott M. Tyson in his brilliant and groundbreaking book The Unobservable Universe: A Paradox-Free Framework for Understanding the Universe. The author describes how everything that we have been taught about our understanding of the universe and cosmology may be wrong and offers an exciting new paradigm for understanding the universe.

Scott Tyson presents a compelling case that the timeless questions of life and the quest for truth are intricately entwined with the same perplexing questions and paradoxes faced in the study of cosmology. The age old philosophy questions about life are part of the examination of the true nature of the universe. With this keen insight in hand, Scott Tyson embarks on a scientific quest for truth that covers three thousand years and the entire range of theoretical approaches to cosmology. Along the way, the author provides evidence that many of the conventional theories of the universe are not in accordance with the observations and facts that have presented themselves to scientists.

Scott M. Tyson (photo left) takes the startling position that resources have become focused on demonstrating the narrow conventional cosmological perspective. For the author, this devotion and faith in flawed and incomplete models of the universe, forms a religion based solely on belief. Scott Tyson points out that the current model of the universe is riddled with many paradoxes, demonstrating that the conventional paradigm is deeply flawed and incomplete. For the author, paradoxes can’t exist in the universe, and only exist in the minds of people. This failure of perception, as the author describes it, leads to a clinging to improbable, if not impossible theories of cosmology.

To develop his new approach to understanding the universe and initiating a fresh paradigm of cosmology, Scott Tyson breaks the book into three sections. Each of the the sections develops the author’s case and builds toward the new view of the universe. The three sections are:

*Sensation, observation, and interpretation: Acquiring perspective
* Correlation, integration, and formulation: The beginning of new understanding
* Implications, confirmations, and demonstrations: The end of paradox

For me, the power of the book is how Scott Tyson challenges the current cosmological paradigm through a combination of philosophy and scientific principles. The author effectively deconstructs the current theories, that are untenable in his view, due to their many paradoxes and contradictions. In place of the existing theory of the universe, the author presents a compelling case for a new model, free from paradoxes, based on quantum physics. The book is easily accessible to the lay person, is free of scientific jargon, and is written in an engaging style that maintains the reader’s interest throughout the entire discussion.

I highly recommend the potentially controversial and very thought provoking book The Unobservable Universe: A Paradox-Free Framework for Understanding the Universe by Scott m. Tyson, to anyone seeking an overview of the philosophical and scientific paradoxes that derail the current the current cosmological theories, along with a well thought out and elegantly constructed alternative model based on quantum physics. This book will change the way that you think about the current models of the universe, and of the very state of scientific thought that exists today.

Tags: The Unobservable Universe: A Paradox-Free Framework for Understanding the Universe, Scott m. Tyson, cosmology, science book reviews.

Economic Geology

Principles and Practice

By: Walter L. Pohl

Published: May 3, 2011
Format: Paperback: 680 pages
ISBN-10: 1444336630
ISBN-13: 978-1444336634
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

“Economic geology defines ore as a natural material (ore rock) from which metals or minerals can be profitably extracted”, writes Professor Emeritus of Applied Geology and former Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, Walter L. Pohl, in his comprehensive and science based book Economic Geology: Principles and Practice. The author describes the entire range of mineral deposits, their geological significance, environmental issues related to all phases of a mine’s operation, and sustainable mining practices.

Walter Pohl provides a wide spectrum analysis of the Earth’s mineral deposits, including their origin and formation, and their scientific and geological attributes. The author shares his insights into the formation of ore deposits through the dynamic actions of the Earth’s interior. An understanding ow and where mineral deposits are formed within the Earth forms the basis for the rest of the book, including the economic and environmental aspects of the discipline of geoscience. The author also presents important examinations of the practices involved in extraction of ores and fossil deposits, including the challenges posed by the need for environmental protection and sustainability.

Walter Pohl (photo left) guides earth science students and practicing geologists, and professionals in a all aspects of the related industries, into areas that may be outside of their areas of specialization. The author widens the understanding of the many facets of economic geology from origins to extraction to environmental factors. Walter Pohl divides the book into four major categories, with each category further divided into sections offering further detail on the various aspects of the overall category. The four categories are as follows:

* Metalliferous ore deposits
* Non-metallic minerals and rocks
* The practice of Economic Geology
* Fossil energy raw materials: coal, oil, and gas

For me, the power of the book is how Walter Pohl covers all aspects of the origin of metallic and non-metallic minerals, the full range of practices of economic geology, and the major fossil fuels. The author provides science based information, backed by numerous graphics and photographs to enrich the material presented in each chapter. Walter Pohl offers a strong series of practices for addressing the critical environmental challenges faced by extraction industries, both during the extraction process and in the winding down of operations.

Walter Pohl also shares ideas for sustainable and “green” mining within an overall economic and scientific framework, that examines both economic value and of the overall environment. The holistic approach taken by Walter Pohl gives this book long term value for all areas of geology and geoscience. The author places the incredible array, of the Earth’s minerals and ore deposits, into a scientific framework of the most basic and fundamental geological processes.

I highly recommend the landmark text book Economic Geology: Principles and Practice by Walter L. Pohl, to any students, professional geologists and others in the related industries, and anyone interested in mineral ores, and in the environmental aspects of economic geology. This book is especially important is a time of escalating demand for minerals and ores of all types, in a world facing ever increasing population and environmental and sustainability pressures.

Read the all inclusive and valuable book Economic Geology: Principles and Practice by Walter L. Pohl, and discover the importance of a scientific framework to economic geology practice, and its overall relationship to environmental and population pressures, and how sustainability and “green” mining can become effective solutions to these important challenges.

Tags: Economic Geology: Principles and Practice, Walter L. Pohl, sustainable and green mining, science book reviews.

The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book

Singin’, Praisin’, Raisin’

By: Foxfire Fund, Inc.

Published: August 30, 2011
Format: Paperback 528 pages
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN-10: 0307742598
ISBN-13: 978-0307742599
Publisher: Anchor Books

“If you remember anything from this book, I hope it is this: Every person has a story, and they are simply waiting for someone to say ‘hello’”, writes co-editor Casi Best and co-editor Joyce Green of the Foxfire Fund, Inc., in the introduction to their marvelous and inspirational book The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book: Singin’, Praisin’, Raisin’. The co-editors share the fascinating and memorable first hand accounts of the music, the history, practical skills, and wonderful lives of the residents of Appalachia.

The co-editors understand that the most heartfelt and powerful stories are told by the people who lived them and shared their lives with their family and friends. The narratives tell of hard times, hard work, love of family, community, faith, and the sound of music. In their own voices, the stories tell of the good old days when times were hard, but where people shared their bounty and love with others in their families and their communities. Through the painstaking recording of these fantastic oral histories, the book preserves the sense of a time and place where many traditions were born, nurtured, and developed into a way of life. These stories, told from the heart, are their legacy.

Foxfire museum, Mountain City, Georgia (photo left)

Through all of these intriguing stories runs a thread of a love for life, for the endurance of the human spirit, and a faith that people share a common destiny larger than themselves. This spirit is told through their stories of faith, of ghosts, and of larger than life characters who are the stuff of legend. Even the constant companion of music, and starring role of the banjo, helps to transcend this life and enter into another realm. The music of Appalachia, and its bluegrass and gospel sound, formed the background to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and to the everyday life of the residents of the region. Sustained through times of Depression and the personal joy of living, the people have endured, and share their experiences through this heartwarming anthology.

For me, the power of the book is the strength and force of the stories, as told in the words of the people who lived them and shared their joys and sorrows, and their triumphs and tragedies. The stories bring the people of Appalachia’s colorful past to life through their stories, crafts, and music. The storytellers share songs, numerous compelling photographs, and even the almost lost arts and skills that sustained life throughout their lives. This book is a testament to the human spirit, and to the ingenuity and creativity of people, regardless of life’s circumstances. These personal narratives are a treasure to be read, reread, and savored; preferably to the music of a banjo in the background.

I highly recommend this gem of a book, The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book: Singin’, Praisin’, Raisin’ edited by Joyce Green, Casi Best, and the Foxfire Fund, Inc., to anyone seeking a living oral history of the amazing people of Appalachia, both from the past and the present. The stories and people will stay with you long after their stories are read and enjoyed.

Tags: The Foxfire 45th Anniversary Book: Singin’, Praisin’, Raisin’, Joyce Green, Casi Best, the Foxfire Fund, Inc., music and life in Appalachia, history book reviews.

The Diversity Index

The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It

By: Susan E. Reed

Published: August 29, 2011
Hardcover: 294 pages
ISBN-10: 0814416497
ISBN-13: 978-0814416495
Publisher: AMACOM

“Diversity has become a smorgasbord from which companies are taking what they desire and leaving the rest. The partial use of the diversity concept has resulted in the formation of a persistent racial ceiling in corporate America”, writes award-winning investigative journalist and columnist Susan E. Reed, in her research based and eye opening book The Diversity Index: The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It. The author describes how white women, as beneficiaries of gender diversity, have become part of the roadblock to racial diversity.

Susan E. Reed presents compelling evidence that racial diversity has taken a back seat in the corporate agenda, and in the public mind, to environmental sustainability. The author points out that sustainability is not possible without developing and implementing diverse employment and advancement strategies. Susan Reed acknowledges that men and women, from racially diverse heritages, have made tremendous strides and have advanced within corporate America. For the author, the advances have not gone far enough in providing racially diverse representation in all of America’s largest companies. Women of color have even farther to go toward achieving top management positions than their male counterparts.

Susan E. Reed (photo left) demonstrates, through her in depth research, that white women have moved up within company hierarchies, but even the corporate female diversity levels have only achieved partial application. The incomplete diversity activity, on the part of corporations, has advanced many racially and gender diverse people, while creating a ceiling for others. Susan Reed shows how these ceilings are not simply a civil rights issue, to be addressed through laws and the courts, but are also a serious impediment to overall company performance. The author’s comprehensive study shows clearly how racially and gender diverse companies consistently outperformed their non-diverse competitors on the bottom line.

To achieve the goals of a fully integrated and diverse work force, while achieving gains in overall business performance, the author recommends several steps:

* Combine diversity and ethical goals with overall business strategy
* Create a communications system to share feedback and concerns with leaders
* Provide diversity training and ongoing learning as part of the company culture
* Have diversity as part of management compensation
* Reach out to and develop new sources of diversity talent within communities
* Invest in local communities, public schools, and opportunities

For me, the power of the book is how Susan E. Reed combines her groundbreaking research findings with practical steps to facilitate real change, not only within companies, but within the entire community as well. The author provides solid data to back her important statements about the shortcomings in corporate diversity programs, and to point out how many companies are failing to address the critical issue of diversity at all.

The crucial research finding that diverse companies were more competitive, productive, and out performed their non-diverse counterparts, offers a powerful incentive for corporations to reconsider and re-evaluate their own diversity efforts. To help guide all companies, regardless of their progress in the area of diversity, Susan Reed shares an excellent ten step plan to build a more diverse and top performing company.

I highly recommend the landmark and must read book The Diversity Index: The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It by Susan E. Reed, to anyone in corporate leadership who is serious about developing and implementing a racial and gender diversity initiative to sharply increase the number of women and people of color in their executive ranks and in their boardrooms. The author shows clearly as well how more diverse companies are also more profitable than their less diverse counterparts.

Read the important and company transformational book The Diversity Index: The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It by Susan E. Reed, and out the power of diversity to work for your organization. Gender and racial diversity is not only the right moral and ethical choice, but it’s the most productive and profitable one as well.

Tags: The Diversity Index: The Alarming Truth About Diversity in Corporate America…and What Can Be Done About It, Susan E. Reed, diversity management, business book reviews.

The Social Customer

How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers

By: Adam Metz

Published: August 16, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0071759182
ISBN-13: 978-0071759182
Publisher: McGraw-Hill

“A social object is something that people look at, discuss, and pass from person to person, putting their own stamp on it”,writes Vice-President of Business Development at Metz Consulting, Adam Metz, in his practical and idea packed book The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers. The author describes the business case for social customer relationship management (CRM), and how to apply CRM to brands as social objects, through the most effective application of social media.

Adam Metz recognizes that it is very rare for a brand to become what he calls a social object, but achieving that status will transform the very nature of the brand. The author points out that brands have always sought being talked about by their customers. What has changed is brands and their marketers must consider talking with their customers. While not interacting with customers may indeed be part of the brand mystique for a select few luxury brands, that failure to talk with customers can represent a disaster for most other brands. Brands often fail to understand the critical importance of interacting with customers, and attempt to control the conversation. In the social media world, that attitude is one that will lose value for the brand. Brands have value, and and the social collateral of a brand has a measurable value as well.

Adam Metz (photo left) understands that today’s customer is a social customer. That means that every customer, for every brand whether they realize it or not, is a social customer. Social customers are both able to utilize social media and other social platforms with ease and at a high level of frequency. They also feel empowered to discuss and share ideas with other social customers openly and honestly. Some brands have embraced the social customer. Other brands have not done so as yet.

Adam Metz describes how CRM is measurable for social customers as it always has been for all customer relationships. The business case for CRM rests on the following:

* Brands have more types of customers than ever before
* Brands must obtain direct and actionable customer insight
* Brands are trying to keep costs down while increasing customer engagement
* Brands want to deliver the best products and services possible
* Brands want to be protected while being promoted constantly
* Brands are trying to be agile and able to stop on a dime

For me, the power of the book is how Adam Metz not only makes a very compelling case for social customer relationship management (CRM), but also provides the strategies and tools necessary to achieve and measure the desired brand goals. The author describes the techniques for transforming a brand into a social object. Adam Metz shares ideas for engaging customers that creates brand loyalty, He also demonstrates how to harness the power of collaboration. The author is also not afraid to point out the potential mistakes and pitfalls that await marketers who fail to understand relationships with customers on every level. Overall, this book is an excellent source of useful and readily applicable ideas for building a social brand and for measuring the impact of the enhanced customer relationships.

I highly recommend the brand changing and customer engagement building book The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers by Adam Metz, to anyone who seeks to make the transition from an ordinary brand to one that becomes a social object. The connections and relationships with your customers will be stronger and more loyal to the brand.

Read the valuable and comprehensive book The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers by Adam Metz, and discover how to develop social customers even if they never use the most popular social media tools. The strategies taught in this handy book will serve a brand marketer well regardless of the social media platform preferred by the customers.

Tags: The Social Customer: How Brands Can Use Social CRM to Acquire, Monetize, and Retain Fans, Friends, and Followers, Adam Metz, social marketing, business book reviews.

Founder of Echelon Management, growth consultant, executive coach, and national speaker, and author of Growth or Bust: Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business, Mark Faust, was kind enough to share his thoughts, about the life and wisdom, tof the late CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011) (photo left).

Mark Faust writes from the heart as he shares how Steve Jobs truly managed from the heart.

Thanks to Mark Faust for his time, and for his sharing his ideas and feelings about the legendary Steve Jobs. They are greatly appreciated as people mourn the untimely passing of the great innovator Steve Jobs.

How will you remember the late Steve Jobs?

Mark Faust: While Steve Jobs is a business hero of mine whom I admire much, I think it is idiotic for anyone in business to deify him and make it seem as if he had some sort of irreplaceable magic that can’t be replicated at Apple or anywhere else.

Steve Jobs and Apple are synonymous with innovation. How important is innovation to a company?

Mark Faust: Peter Drucker proved this out in his research around innovation and entrepreneurship; all innovation is a process and can be replicated when any company puts in place innovation objectives and a process with accountability that has an intense focus on the customer and a goal of a new dimension of performance.

What future do you see for Apple following the untimely passing of Steve Jobs?

Mark Faust: I believe Apple will continue its reign of being innovation exemplars. Jobs and team have been preparing for this for a long time, the new conservators of the Apple culture will communicate and manage the transition well…and while some fear that it is over, there are innovations around the corner that will reassure the public that Apple is not just Steve Jobs.

But gosh how I love and respect that man.

Steve Jobs was a hero to many people. Do we still need heroes in our society?

Mark Faust: We need more heroes in business and he was an exemplary visionary. Like David Ogilvy did with advertising and marketing, Steve contradicted the industry with vision. To paraphrase Ogilvy, Steve Jobs gods were not our gods. He didnt bow at the altar of incrementalism but he spoke the words and created worlds of revolutionary growth.

Mark Faust (photo left)

How would you describe Steve Jobs as a CEO?

Mark Faust: He was perhaps the most agile CEO in the history of American entrepreneurialism. Like any great innovator, Steve used defeats like being ousted from the company he founded, Apple, as a stepping stone to still greater innovations to create a groundbreaking company in a different industry animated movie studio Pixar. His being wooed back to his first love, Apple, happened because the board knew they could no longer ignore his revolutionary vision and optimistic view for his child that was against the ropes and going down for the count, they knew no one else had such hope as Steve did in Apple’s ultimate ebb.

How was Steve Jobs so able to continue to achieve breakthrough innovations when so many other business leaders have not?

Mark Faust: His mind was nimble, and he revolutionized animated movies with franchises like Toy Story and Cars shortly before revolutionizing the music industry with iPods and iTunes. He took on portable computing with iPads by taking on a contrary view to rival Microsoft. Bill Gates model was to make the computer the set-top box that anchored Americans living rooms. Instead, Jobs focused on people as the center of their living rooms, and created media and devices that would surround them, instead.

How did Steve Jobs help people gain a different perspective on living life and accepting death as part of life?

Mark Faust: Moreover, he did not allow the cancer that ate away at his body to become an impediment to his impact. He turned it into an asset that empowered him. This passage about how his cancer diagnosis affected him is from his Stanford University commencement address rated the best of all time by USA Today:

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

What was one important gift that Steve Jobs gave to the world?

Mark Faust: Steve helped us all to think different and think anew.

******************

Mark Faust, founder of Echelon Management is a growth consultant, executive coach and national speaker. Mark Fausts new book, Growth or Bust: Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business, is now available at Barnes & Noble and Hudsons airport bookstores.

Tags: Growth or Bust! Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business, Mark Faust, Steve Jobs, business interviews.

To build up to the November 3 ceremony to announce the winner of the 2011 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, a series of short videos have been produced of business leaders discussing a great business book that influenced them.

Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American PLC, describes how Michael Porters On Competition has influenced her management style.

Watch the Cynthia Carroll video

Tags: 011 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, Cynthia Carroll, Michael Porter, On Competition, business books.

Industrial Evolution

Local Solutions for a Low Carbon Future

By: Lyle Estill

Published: June 14, 2011
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0865716749
ISBN-13: 978-0865716742
Publisher: New Society Publishers

“Ants are industrious. People can be industrious. And industry can be a good thing. Ours in an industrious project”, writes president and co-founder of Piedmont Biofuels, Lyle Estill, in his thought provoking and inspirational book Industrial Evolution: Local Solutions for a Low Carbon Future. The author reclaims the entire concept of industry as one where sustainable processes, a dedicated community, and hard working people can create and develop a future for themselves on their own terms.

Lyle Estill understands that the very concept and idea of industry conjures up images of pollution, waste, lack of concern for people, and corporate greed. With this bad reputation for industry in mind, the author describes how their local bio-fuel project is not one of activism, but rather one of building a sustainable enterprise that benefits an entire community. Lyle Estill provides compelling evidence that industry doesn’t have to equate with exploitation of people and destruction of the environment. Instead, industry can evolve and adapt to new challenges, while providing a long term livelihood for people working together as a community, and maintaining the environment for future generations.

Lyle Estill (photo left) recognizes that industry can be successful and represent good stewardship and concern for people at the same time. The author and the other members of hos community rejected the idea that successful industry is not compatible with the needs and concerns of people, and that the environment does not have to sacrificed either. Lyle Estill and the members of the community demonstrate that abundance can be found within any community.

The people have successfully reclaimed the appropriated term of industry and reapplied it to their own hard work, perseverance, and dedication to their community. At the same time, the author shares a glimpse into a community based industrial model that might emerge from a post carbon future. The people and the business have adapted successfully to both rapidly changing market conditions, and to a fast evolving energy transformation, while holding onto their community and personal values.

For me, the power of the book is how Lyle Estill combines his philosophy of industry with real world stories of how the community based businesses operated successfully. The author shares stories of triumph and failure, or hard work and determination, all the while honoring the people and their dreams of building their community and their lives. Lyle Estill provides a story of hope in a world where that important quality is rapidly fading into the distance. This is the story of reclaiming lives, community, and the very concept of industry itself. Lyle Estill provides a very compelling and fascinating glimpse into the future post carbon world, and it will be based on industry, adapting to changing conditions, and respect for the dignity and contribution of people within the community.

I highly recommend the fascinating community rebuilding book Industrial Evolution: Local Solutions for a Low Carbon Future by Lyle Estill, to anyone seeking a real world examination of how community based industry can revitalize a community while practicing good environmental stewardship. This book shows that there is another path for industry that includes respect people, the community, and the environment that is also successful and profitable.

Read the alternative industry book Industrial Evolution: Local Solutions for a Low Carbon Future by Lyle Estill, and discover that industry doesn’t have to mean exploitation, degradation, and greed. It can mean a positive and healthy experience for entrepreneurs, communities and the residents, and for the Earth as well.

Tags: Industrial Evolution: Local Solutions for a Low Carbon Future, Lyle Estill, sustainable industry, business book reviews.

Entrepreneur, Chairman, President, and CEO of Eurotex Finanz Inc., and author of Asset Protection, What If?, James Timothy White describes how to protect your personal and business assets in many different scenarios. James White challenges people to think about what assets they are protecting, and from whom there is a danger of loss. James White describes what asset protection really means, as well as what it doesn’t include. He shares some rules for protecting assets and warns against some common mistakes that people make when trying to protect assets. Discover why and how you can and should protect your assets.

James T. White is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, October 4, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Entrepreneur, Chairman, President, and CEO of Eurotex Finanz Inc., and author of Asset Protection, What If?, James Timothy White describes how to protect your personal and business assets in many different scenarios. You will learn:

* What asset protection really means for you and your company

* Why asset protection is important for any size business

* How to avoid the most common mistakes made in asset protection

* What are some of the most critical threats to assets

James Timothy White (photo left) is an entrepreneur, author, artist, motivational speaker and business consultant and he understands the complications facing small businesses today. James helps owners of small and medium sized companies with their asset protection, public and investor relations, human resources, corporate structuring and general business advice.

If you’re the owner of a business and you’ve found yourself wondering how to expand and protect your assets, or make it more profitable, then hiring a business coach is a key step toward identifying and achieving your goals. No matter what field you’re in, the principles of business coaching remain the same. Consultants and Coaches like James assist small and medium sized companies by advising them on an array of topics from asset protection to how to handle public and investor relations, human resources and corporate structuring as well as universal business advice.

James is a highly respected and influential consultant, business coach and amongst the top motivational speakers from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who works with clients around the globe.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let’s talk with entrepreneur, Chairman, President, and CEO of Eurotex Finanz Inc., and author of Asset Protection, What If?, James Timothy White as he describes how to protect your personal and business assets in many different scenarios. James White challenges people to think about what assets they are protecting, and from whom there is a danger of loss. James White describes what asset protection really means, as well as what it doesn’t include. He shares some rules for protecting assets and warns against some common mistakes that people make when trying to protect assets. Discover why and how you can and should protect your assets on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Asset Protection, What If?, James Timothy White, business asset protection, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Best Practices Are Stupid

40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition

By: Stephen M. Shapiro

Published: September 29, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 1591843855
ISBN-13: 978-1591843856
Publisher: Portfolio/Penguin

“Let’s face it, the old models of innovation are broken, are inefficient, and fail to produce results”, writes speaker and innovation expert Stephen M. Shapiro, in his provocative and thought provoking book Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition. The author challenges the traditional and standard practices for creative thinking and innovation, and recommends discarding them for fresh concepts that lead efficiently and effectively to new and exciting innovations.

Stephen Shapiro recognizes that the usual procedures and techniques for creative thinking are not effective. The author also considers them to be inefficient and time wasting, as they result in too many ideas that are not useful, and cause delay as the most useful ideas must be sifted out of the excess volume. In place of the time wasting methods that have yielded little in the way of real creativity and innovation, Stephen Shapiro shares forty proven and often contrarian strategies that will transform any organization from a moribund organization that fails to focus on the real goal of staying ahead of the competition. The author dispenses with the idea of thinking outside of the box and instead proposes building an entire new and superior box in its place.

Stephen Shapiro (photo left) understands that the key component of innovation is change, including change within and outside of the company. Organizations that seek innovation simply to survive will not succeed, but need to consider the real goal of innovation as the ability of the business to adapt to and overcome the changes in an ever evolving marketplace. For Stephen Shapiro, a faster rate of external change from the pace of change within the company, places the business on the road to disaster.

Stephen Shapiro proposes a three level approach to innovation, to enable a clear eyed examination of where and how innovation fits into the company culture. The three steps are as follows:

* Innovation as an event
* Innovation as a capability
* Innovation as a system

For me, the power of the book is how Stephen Shapiro completely deconstructs the standard practices utilized in companies to achieve some form of innovation. The best practices approach to creativity and innovation have not produced the desired results, and in many cases have inhibited or even derailed the entire innovation process. The author shares forty real world proven techniques to stimulate efficient and effective innovation designed to move the company to the forefront of its industry. Stephen Shapiro provides a repeatable and sustainable innovation system that can be used over and over again to move a company ahead of its competition.

I highly recommend the often contrarian, but always real world marketplace focused book Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition by Stephen M. Shapiro, to anyone seeking an entirely fresh and straight talking approach to innovation and its real goals and purpose. The author makes clear that the usual tactics employed by companies, in hopes of stimulating new ideas and innovation, are simply too inefficient and ineffective for today’s ever changing and highly competitive business environment.

Read the no nonsense and very focused book Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition by Stephen M. Shapiro, and introduce some real innovation into your organization. To stay ahead of the ever adaptable competition, this book will help you abandon those outdated and ineffective best practices forever.

Tags: Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition, Stephen M. Shapiro, creativity and innovation, business book reviews.