Browse through and click on a title for a review.

29 Leadership Secrets from Jack Welch   Jack Welch
All Marketers Are Liars: The power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world   Seth Godin
Awaken The Giant Within: How to take control of your mental, emotional, physical and financial destiny   Anthony Robbins
Beyond the Limits: The Lessons Learned From A Lifetime's Adventures   Ranulph Fiennes
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking   Malcom Gladwell
Brand Sense: Build Powerful Brands Through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight and Sound   Martin Lindstrom
Built to Change   Edward E. Lawler III and Christopher G Worley
Business The Richard Branson Way: Ten Secrets of The World’s Greatest Brand Builder   Des Dearlove
Chief Customer Officer : Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action   Jeanne Bliss
Citizen Marketers. When people are the message.   Ben McConnell, Jackie Huba

		29 Leadership Secrets from Jack Welch Author: Jack Welch UK Publisher: McGraw Hill Higher Education ISBN: 0071409378 Amazon Book Description: This is an abridged version of the 2nd edition of Get Better or Get Beaten, which sold more than 36,000 copies in its first full year of publication. However, while that book performed well, some readers felt that the book---and the leadership secrets---could have been more concise and easier to read and apply. This is that book; a streamlined Get Better or Get Beaten book, stripped of excess "fat" and narrative that made the book 200 pages. This book is a short, fast paced book that reads like a "manager's little instruction book." buy UK() buy US($)
		All Marketers Are Liars: The power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world Author: Seth Godin UK Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover ISBN: 1591841003 I’m slightly peeved at this book. Purely for personal reasons and nothing to do with its content. As part of his weblog, Seth Godin is offering one of those Pinocchio liar noses (look at the cover) to people who send in to him good stories showing marketers lying. I sent in a great story (I thought) – a riff that the comedian Bill Hicks used to do on stage in which he told anyone in the audience who was in marketing or advertising that they were spawn of the devil and should stop messing with their fellow humans’ heads. I got back a short email from Seth simply saying “No nose for you”. Ho, hum. Guess I’ll just have to get used to not being in the ‘in’ crowd (as usual…). Regardless of that, the book’s premise comes as no surprise (of course all marketers are liars). But, you may be a little surprised that ‘authentic’ doesn’t necessarily mean completely truthful: just real enough, believable and consistent. A useful reminder of the renewed power of authentic storytelling. And as entertaining as you would expect from Godin, a past speaker at both our European and North American Conferences on Customer Management. buy UK() buy US($)
		Awaken The Giant Within: How to take control of your mental, emotional, physical and financial destiny Author: Anthony Robbins UK Publisher: Pocket Books ISBN: 0743409388 US Publisher: Free Press ISBN: 0671791540 We’ll leave it to two giants themselves to comment on this book. First, a man who has spoken at both our North American and European Conferences on Customer Management: “Awaken The Giant Within is a fascinating, intriguing presentation of cutting edge findings and insights across a broad spectrum of issues, including the growing consciousness that true success is anchored in enduring values and service to others”, says Stephen R. Covey, author of the bestselling 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People (and his new book, The 8th Habit). Secondly, a comment from a speaker at our 2005 North American Conference: “You can’t afford not to know what Anthony Robbins is teaching!” says Kenneth Blanchard, author of The One-Minute Manager & Raving Fans. Well, you can’t get higher endorsements than that… buy UK() buy US($)
		Beyond the Limits: The Lessons Learned From A Lifetime's Adventures Author: Ranulph Fiennes UK Publisher: Little Brown ISBN: 0316857068 The man who thought up and then ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents – not long after heart by-pass surgery – may be slightly mad. But, Fiennes’ determination to live beyond the limits that we all live within has earned him the Guinness Book of Record’s official title as ‘World’s greatest living explorer’. It also provides us with some inspirational lessons in how to go beyond what seems to be possible. As he’s coming to talk to us in London in the spring of 2006 on everything from how to pick a winning team to how to motivate that team to achieve extraordinary results, we thought we should put his account of his extraordinary adventures in our book store. Be warned, though: he plunges you so deep into the Polar treks that you’ll need to turn the central heating up. buy UK() buy US($)
		Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking Author: Malcom Gladwell UK Publisher: Allen Lane ISBN: 0713997273 US Publisher: Little Brown ISBN: 0316172324 (From Amazon): Intuition is not some magical and mysterious property that arises unbidden from the depths of our mind. It is a product of long hours and intelligent design, of meaningful work environments and particular rules and principles. For too long we have thought of intuition as a kind of black box at the very core of who we are and why we act the way we do. This book shows us how we can hone our instinctive ability to know in an instant, helping us to bring out the best in our thinking and become better decision-makers in our homes, offices and in everyday life. Just as he did with his revolutionary theory of the tipping point, Gladwell reveals how the power of ‘blink' could fundamentally transform our relationships, the way we consume, create and communicate, how we run our businesses and even our societies. You'll never think about thinking in the same way again. buy UK() buy US($)
		Brand Sense: Build Powerful Brands Through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight and Sound Author: Martin Lindstrom UK Publisher: Free Press ISBN: 0743267842 “In 1985, the average consumer remembered 34 percent of the ads they saw on TV. In 1990 they remembered only 8 percent…Advertising has hit a brick wall,“ says Lindstrom in his latest book. Based on Millward Brown’s global study linking branding and sensory awareness, Martin Lindstrom’s book, published in February 2005, helps you move away from a world of 2D branding (TV ads) to a world where the customer experience defines the brand through 5D (or 5S – the five senses) branding. We’ve known the principle for ages: if you’re selling your house and showing potential buyers around, make sure there’s fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen, as the smell enhances your likelihood of making a sale. With examples ranging from Singapore Airlines’ use of smell to the French car giant Peugeot Citroen’s Intel-like use of musical notes to create a signature sound, Lindstrom helps us think differently about creating a customer experience that engages all of a customer’s senses. A lot of these examples aren’t directly transferable – having a unique perfume designed for you and infusing the airplane cabin with that smell may have worked for Singapore Airlines in making their customer experience distinctive and memorable, but won’t do much for a call center. A reader-reviewer on Amazon says he tried copying the Singapore Airlines example in this book by using fragrance in a conference he had organized to make it distinctive and it didn’t work because the space was too big compared with a cabin: I think he’s missing the point somehow. The examples aren’t necessarily there to be directly copied. They are there to start us thinking about how to re-think our services and customer experience from the perspective of the customers’ sensory experience of them. And that is immensely valuable. Phil Dourado, eCSW.com buy UK() buy US($)
		Built to Change Author: Edward E. Lawler III and Christopher G Worley UK Publisher: Pfeiffer Wiley ISBN: 0787980617 Phil Dourado: Taking someone else’s highly successful book title (Built to Last) and adapting it to make a kind of pseudo-follow up is a bit cheeky. It means you can hang on the coat tails of the original’s success to get a free ride. Having said that, the idea that long-term successful companies are constantly changing to keep aligned with customers is a powerful one and answers some of the critics who (in my view) misread the core message in Collins and Porras’s best-selling book Built to Last. Tom Peters, for example, in criticising Collins (which he does a lot) says the right structure is ‘built to flip’ – to change fast in response to market and customer changes. This book aims to show you how to do just that. buy UK() buy US($)
		Business The Richard Branson Way: Ten Secrets of The World’s Greatest Brand Builder Author: Des Dearlove UK Publisher: Capstone Publishing ISBN: 1841121495 ecsw.com review Des Dearlove’s book, Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the Worlds Greatest Brand Builder, offers ten tips on how Virgin creates and maintains such a magnetic pull for customers. Some of them are unique to Branson himself. But, others your organization can learn from and copy to help create a corporate, customer-friendly personality. (Phil Dourado) buy UK() buy US($)
		Chief Customer Officer : Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action Author: Jeanne Bliss UK Publisher: Pfeiffer Wiley ISBN: 0787980943 From the publisher: A step-by-step plan for delivering an extraordinary customer experience. Customer relationships expert Jeanne Bliss draws on her experience with Microsoft, Allstate, Land’s End, and other firms to explain why "customer-centric" initiatives fail and why companies continue to ignore their customers. Using numerous case studies and CEO interviews, she tells how to break the cycle of mediocrity and provides a blueprint for changing customer relations at the core of the company. Bliss outlines the job description of the "Chief Customer Officer" (CCO)–providing readers with a CCO toolkit–and shows why every company needs one. Jeanne Bliss (Redmond, WA) operates Customer Crusaders, Inc., a consultancy that assists companies in improving the customer experience. She was formerly general manager of Worldwide Customer & Partner Loyalty at Microsoft. And she chaired our North American Conference on Customer Management in Orlando in 2005. Links: Buy the book at Amazon.com NOW! buy UK() buy US($)
		Citizen Marketers. When people are the message. Author: Ben McConnell, Jackie Huba UK Publisher: Kaplan Business ISBN: 1419596063 From Amazon: Tens of millions of intrinsically motivated, self-expressive amateur content creators are overturning the old marketing orthodoxies. "Citizen Marketers" is a guide to this new landscape. “It bursts with so many fresh insights and so much smart advice, you'll need a second highlighter," Daniel H. Pink, author of "A Whole New Mind and Free Agent Nation". ""Citizen Marketers" has really inspired my thinking and the direction I am taking with my marketing team. Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell have convinced me of the way to engage today's consumer and provide a roadmap for how to do it." - Cammie Dunaway, Chief Marketing Officer, Yahoo! From the publisher: As everyday people increasingly create content on behalf of companies, brands or products, they are collaborating with others just like themselves and forming ever-growing communities of enthusiasts and evangelists. From the rough to the sophisticated, the ""user-generated media"" of blogs, online bulletin boards, podcasts, photos, songs, and animations are influencing companies' customer relationships, product design, and marketing campaigns, whether they participate willingly or not. Citizen Marketers is the first book to document this phenomenon, examining some of the early winners and losers in this new genre, as well as some of its most noted constituents. With their exceptional knowledge of brands, products, companies and industries, the citizen marketers are democratizing traditional notions of communication and marketing, even entire business models. buy UK() buy US($)