Bob Williams

Book Review – Poke the Box by Seth Godin

December 31st, 2011 | 2 comments | Tags: , , ,

Poke the Box by Seth Godin is a quick and easy read. While some may confuse it with a motivational type book, Godin’s points are a bit deeper. The two word summary is

Start Something.

Godin says “I’m merely encouraging you to start. Often. Forever. Be the one who starts things.” Starting things is like poking the box to see what will happen.The manifesto is a call for people to shed excuses, fear, and procrastination and to pursue their ideas. That’s certainly not a new principle. But Godin states his ideas in a clear, concise, and easy to understand format that worth your time to read.

He gives …Continue reading >>

Bob Williams

Book Review: Your Career Game

June 27th, 2010 | Leave a comment | Tags: , , ,

I recently read Your Career Game: How Game Theory Can Help You Achieve Your Professional Goals by Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles. Based on the title and reference to game theory, I expected the book would be a technical read and perhaps one that I only scanned for practical insights. What I found, was an easy to read book filled with many pages of interviews and practical straight talk about career progression. It was a definite value-add to my career journey and I found myself wishing I had read something like this in my twenties.

The interviews in the book are conducted with a diverse set of leaders from multiple industries. They …Continue reading >>

Bob Williams

I thought I saw a purple cow

January 31st, 2010 | Leave a comment | Tags: ,

I read Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin over the weekend because it is a work that is referenced from time-to-time in my other reading and Seth Godin has a good reputation within the marketing industry. The book is becoming a little aged at this point in time, as it was published in 2003. Despite the hype and reputation of the book, I didn’t feel like it lived up to what I was expecting. I jotted down four key thoughts that I remembered after finishing the book:

Look for ways to make your product or service remarkable or memorable (like a purple cow) so that …Continue reading >>

Bob Williams

Turning your thoughts into action

February 21st, 2009 | Leave a comment | Tags: , , , ,

We’ve all been there. You’re consuming some type of media (blog, book, video, podcast, lecture, etc.) and you’re thinking about how you can apply this new knowledge to your life. In your mind, you can conquer problems, move mountains, improve processes, help others, etc. But then you finish your meal of information and thought all that knowledge is often forgotten and lost. Why does this happen? Do we decide that we’ll never be able to make those improvements? Do we think the ideas are nice to think about but not yet ready for prime time life? It’s nice to think about using a new method for time management, business improvement, …Continue reading >>