Category Archives: Kits Book Review Archive

Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell, 2008.

Wow, this book really opens your eyes to what makes highly successful people so… successful! I have read it over and over because it is absolutely fascinating.  We usually think of highly successful people having genetics and lots of luck but actually the true story is very different – much more complex and interesting than it first looks. Based on extensive research, Gladwell exposes some fascinating commonalities between extremely successful people including Silicon Valley billionaires, professional ice hockey players, New York lawyers, the Beatles and the Asians at math.  The chapter on why commercial airlines crashes occurred is enough to convince you to never fly again!

But my takeaway is Gladwell’s research undeniably confirms that it’s the opportunities that young people are exposed to that make all the difference in the world.  It’s their family, their community, their culture and even their birthplace and birthdates that initially open doors for them.  And then it is their willingness to seize those opportunities and with dedication, support and more doors opening that true success is achieved.  It inspires me to double my efforts to open more of those doors for both our young people in Northern Nevada but also adults in our community.

Job Search Magic, Resume Magic and Interview Magic: Insider Secrets from America’s Career & Life Coach, by Susan Britton Whitcomb, 2006.

These are three wonderful job search books! In her series of “magic” books, Susan Britton Whitcomb provides us with the full A to Z guide of how to conduct a highly successful job search.

But Susan does something different from the norm – she starts with you. She asks, “What do you want?”

As a very wise career coach, she asks the powerful questions that help you quickly clarify for yourself what the best fit is for you at this time in your life.

I received my career coach certification from Susan’s Career Coach Academy in California and it was worth every nickel! In addition, her books are so good that every new career coaching client receives the Job Search Magic book from me. Pick one up for either yourself or a friend. I think you’ll agree: these books are magic.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink, 2009.

This time I was in Chicago O’Hare airport in the early, early morning cruising through the bookstore when one of my favorite authors, Daniel Pink, caught my eye.

Pink was a keynote speaker at the International Coach Federation conference in Minneapolis and was terrific!

He speaks on economic trends and how our workforce and workplaces are dramatically changing as a result. This new book on motivation speaks straight to what all of us “people people” know about what brings out the best in others and ourselves as well.

Pick a copy of Drive up for yourself and an extra one for your boss too!

“O” The Oprah Magazine, March 2010. Lead feature story “Everything You Need to Know About Taming Chaos But Were Too Disorganized to Ask”. Bloom, Martin, Kaufman, Williams & Heffner.

Oprah says it all in this month’s O Magazine. As I reached for my first cup of coffee early this snowy Sunday morning I noticed that the latest O Magazine had come in. Since the newspaper was buried in 8 inches of snow on the driveway, the O Magazine seemed a great reading alternative.

I was delighted that the bright yellow banner across the front said “De-Clutter Your Life! It’s Time to Simplify Things . . . ” That’s exactly what I had planned to share with you as part of the series on Making Things Happen.

As I read on, I loved the great suggestions Oprah’s contributing authors had – from cleaning out your clothes, to cleaning up your computer/emails, to reorganizing your office space, to letting go of emotionally draining relationships. Also, Oprah’s own thoughts in her “What I Know for Sure” article are on the last page – Don’t miss that; she says it all!

Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, by Keith Ferrazzi. 2005.

Okay, this really is one of the best books I have read! Ferrazzi captures the essence of successful business practices by teaching us how to build and nurture long-term relationships.

He learned the incredible power of these relationships as a child growing up poor in a small steel mill town in southwest Pennsylvania.

As a golf caddy at the neighboring country club, Ferrazzi observed how successful people were always helping out their friends and colleagues. They looked out for each other, invested in each others’ ideas and helped each others’ kids go to the best colleges and get jobs.

Ferrazzi went on to Yale University, Harvard Business School and to be CEO of several successful corporations. He is a master at building life-long relationships and teaches us to do the same. It’s a great book to keep in the car to quickly review before you walk into that next networking event.