Kent Blumberg

KnowBrainer - a great tool to help you achieve your goals

As a lead in to ASTD's chapter leaders' conference, I spent October 30 in Gerald Haman's Accelerated Innovation Workshop.  The highlight of the day was an introduction to Gerald's KnowBrainer: Accelerated Innovation and Creativity Tool (Accelerated Innovation and Creativity Tool 3.0, 3). Read on to learn more and decide if it's right for you.

Book Review: "My Answer is No"

Do you ever have trouble saying no?  I've written here before about how to say no, but sometimes fear gets in the way of following the process I suggested. That's where Nanette Gartrell's new book, My Answer is No . . . If That's Okay with You: How Women Can Say No and (Still) Feel Good About It comes in handy.

MEN:  Keep reading!  In spite of the sub-title, this book will also help you say no.  And if you are powerful enough not to ever have trouble saying no, this book will help you make it easier for those around you to disagree with you constructively.  That's probably good for you and good for them.  So read on!

A book to help you focus your time

[Update:  Retitled post to accurately reflect content.]

Clients often want help sharpening their focus - getting more done on the stuff that counts while reducing stress and working fewer hours.  Back in 2000, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt published The Power of Focus: What the Worlds Greatest Achievers Know about The Secret of Financial Freedom and Success.  That book is chock full of strategies to help you focus.

Using Meyers-Briggs concepts to better communicate at work

The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator is widely used in organizations and by individuals.  You have likely encountered it yourself.  If not, you can read summaries on Wikipedia and in this article by Howard Ditkoff.  The sixteen types are described in detail on Typelogic.com.

In this post, I will provide suggestions for improving your communications with folks of a different type. (You may want to know your type before reading further.  If so, here's a free on-line test.)

David Maister's upcoming book on strategy and execution

David Maister's upcoming book, Strategy and the Fat Smoker, will be well worth the read.  If you are a leader or manager trying to develop and execute strategy, I'd plan on picking this book up as soon as its January 2008 release.

"Microtrends" - book review

Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes (Mark J. Penn with E. Kinney Zalesne, Twelve, 2007, 448 pages) is a collection of 75 microtrends Penn claims to have discerned from poll research.  Penn defines a microtrend as an intense identity group that makes up one percent or more of the population and is growing.  Without offering any evidence, Penn claims that such a group can have significant impact on society.

Although I have two problems with the premise of this book, I do think it can be useful to business leaders and to marketers.  First, my problems, and then a few ways you might use this book.

Eating Black Swans one bite at a time

Nassim Nicolas Taleb's best-selling essay, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (Random House, New York, 2007, 400 pages) is a huge feast for thought (hence the post title).  In this post, I'll explain Taleb's basic concept, give some examples, and then suggest some implications for business owners and executives.  I'd love to hear what implications you draw from Taleb's ideas.

Making "Smart Choices"

In their 2002 book, Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions, Hammond, Keeney and Raifa explain the "PrOACT" model of decision making.  As they see it, every good choice has five elements:

Pr = Problem definition

O = Objective

A = Alternatives

C = Consequences

T = Trade-offs

Workaholism resources and links

When on WHUR radio today with Audrey Chapman I promised some links to resources on Workaholism.  Here they are (click on "continue reading" below or on the blue title above).

Leading with stories

I've been thinking about stories and business leadership lately.  My friend Dave Krueger talks about the power of "old stories" that keep us mired in ineffective behaviors.  The Slow Leadership blog wrote last week of how old stories can lead us to make poor decisions.  And most recently, Harry and Christine Beckwith's book, You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself, reminded me of the teaching power of stories.