Employee Engagement: Lessons from the Mouse House

by Pete Blank.

I recently had the opportunity and privilege to attend a staff workshop here in the UA Libraries titled, "Workplace Expectations."  Going into this workshop I did not know what to anticipate.  I wasn't really enthusiastic about going.  The moderator, Pete Blank, did an exceptional job and made the whole event enjoyable.  I highly recommend his book and if you ever get the chance to attend his workshops you will not be disappointed.

Streetwise Business Tips:

200 Ways to Get Ahead in Business, Most of Which I Learned the Hard Way. By Bob Adams.

I found this little jewel of a book at the Tuscaloosa Public Library book sale.  It has some great advice in it.  Composed of short, one-page anecdotal advice snippets.  For example on pg. 10 he explains that the easiest way to profits is to cut costs.  He states that if your profit margin is 5% and you are able to cut 5% in expenses then you have doubled your profit margin.  On the other hand, if you want to double your profit margin to 10% w/o cutting costs then you would have to increase sales by 100%...a much tougher thing to do!!!

Turn the Ship Around

In the Nov. 12, 2012 issue of Fortune on pg. 44 there is a list of " must read books of the year".  One book that intrigued me is Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet. Read more about the book here.

A Nation of Deadbeats: An Uncommon History of America's Financial Disasters

I heard about this book on NPR's Marketplace during an author interview.  I found the book to be interesting and look forward to learning more about it.  I'll look for it in the Bruno Library at some point.

Do the Olympics Cost Too Much for the Host City?

This interesting debate is certainly worth discussing.  I love the Olympics and would hate to see them come to an end b/c of the cost!  I really don't think that will happen, but...

Click here to read a CNN article about the ongoing discussion.

Dan Ariely

I saw him speak at the recent American Library Assoc. Conference in Anaheim, CA.  I got a copy of his latest book, The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone---Especially Ourselves.  He's a great teacher, speaker and researcher. I highly recommend his books.

What I Learned on the Way to the Top

by Zig Ziglar.  I bought this book at the Tuscaloosa Public Library bookstore.  I'm really enjoying reading a snippet (one page per day) while my computer boots-up in my office in the AM.  These are the type of books I really enjoy. They are light reading with a positive message (this one even includes a small Bible verse on each page to help get my day started in the right way).  A great read!!!