The Financial Times Guide to Business Networking

How to exploit the combined power of online and offline networking for business success is what this book is all about.
Most of the concepts and techniques discussed in the book are common sense which most of the experienced professionals will be aware of.
But it may serve as a good introduction to business networking for those who are beginning their career.
Read more details about this book in my business website 

Publication Details: Author : Heather Townsend ; Published:2011; Publisher: Pearson Education Ltd. ; Paperback: 224 pages.

 

Top Business Psychology Models

Business psychology: Studies and theories which help us understand or explain human behavior, emotions and cognitions at work. Business psychology has linkages with other areas like human physiology, spirituality and philosophy which have implications on performance at work. 
In this book the authors, Cantore and Passmore, have picked 50 business psychology models.
These models are introduced in short chapters (around 4-5 pages per chapter). 
To provide a concise overview of 50 models in 200 pages is a daunting task by any standards. But the authors have done a pretty good job here in introducing the reader to these models and giving pointers to further information. 
A very good reference book which should be on the bookshelves of business leaders, consultants and coaches.
More details about this book are available on my business website.  

Publication Details: Authors : Stefan Cantore and Jonathan Passmore; Published:2012; Publisher: Kogan Page ; Paperback: 224 pages.  

Brother : A Story of Hope and Survival from Africa’s Rebel Heart

Two half-brothers (having same father, different mothers). 
The elder one becomes  a very famous and well-respected personality. The younger one turns into a drug-addicted street gangster and spends a year in prison ( for a crime he did not commit). 
Once out of the prison, inspired by his elder brother's achievements, the younger one reforms himself through self-determination, and works for betterment of lives of the slum children in Kenya.
Sounds like an old run of the mill Bollywood movie story ? 
Yes, but it is not.
This is a real story . 

This book is an autobiography of the younger brother George Obama, whose elder half-brother is none other than the President Barack Obama. 
A well-written narrative story that takes the readers on a fascinating journey through  the life of George Obama.
His childhood days in his grandmother's home; his bonding with his French step-father; his education in some of the best schools in Kenya; his life taking turn for worse after his mother's divorce from his step-father; his life as a street-gangster; his tenure in prison and finally the road to rehabilitation as a community activist. 

An inspiring read that shows that there is hope for everyone. 
As the author put's it "Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it that there is hope for everyone".

Don't miss it !

[Author: George Obama  (with  Damien Lewis); Publisher: Endeavour Press Ltd; (Kindle Edition). Also published earlier as "Homeland: An Extraordinary Story of Hope and Survival" by Simon & Schuster in hardcover format (294 pages)]

Some Excerpts:

• "Hope is not blind optimism … Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it."

• "‘Stuff happens in life that we don’t expect,’ she cut in. ‘Look at me: whoever would have thought I’d end up here? But I deal with it; it’s not so bad; a good life can be made almost anywhere." 

• "As I held that photo in my hand I felt a mixture of emotions coursing through my veins. There was pain at the fact of losing him, and losing all that love that so clearly showed in the way he was holding me, and the light in his eyes. And there was confusion, too, for this man cradling me with such tenderness was an utter stranger to me. If he had lived would I have called him ‘father’, as I was unable to do with Christian, and he call me ‘son’? And how then might my life have been changed? "

Links

• Goodreads Ratings and Reviews -  Average Rating 3.81 / 5;  47 ratings; 11 reviews
• Full Summary of the Book and Excerpt from Chapter 17: Absolute Zero
• Interview with George Obama on You Tube
• Website of the Co-author Damien Lewis 

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