Management-Business – Page 9 – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

World Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs

By Scott J. Pearson | July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

In the years following this 2009 book, the central place of information technology (IT) in the business world has only become recognized more and more. The COVID pandemic accelerated trends whereby IT plays a critical role in global business culture. Peter High’s book fixed the paradigm for how successful IT might be leveraged for business success. Almost 15 years later, the question then becomes: Is it still relevant? Yes, I argue. This classic helps us…

What Editors Do: The Art, Craft & Business of Book Editing

By Scott J. Pearson | July 21, 2023August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Since the advent of Amazon and self-publishing via the Kindle, the business of writing has become much more complex. Many can put their own book out to the public directly through self-publishing, but professional editors can still prove their worth through focused skills. Though not wonder-workers, editors can bring a text from good to very good or from very good to great. Peter Ginna’s anthology highlights precisely these skillsets through dozens of guest writers who…

Indie Leadership Management-Business

At the Heart of Management: Process, Tools & the Ubiquitous Exponential Law

By Scott J. Pearson | July 20, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Management and leadership, often coupled together, require a certain amount of experience and training, and much of this is inaccessible through education alone. Like Lino Ciceri, who comes from the background of a chemist, we may have rigorous scientific, technical, or engineering skills, but by themselves, these do not equip us with the skills and character for leading teams. Ciceri tries to fill this gap with this guide to how to think as a manager.…

Management-Business Writing-Communication

Effective Emails: The Secret to Straightforward Communication at Work

By Scott J. Pearson | July 19, 2023August 13, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Email is a staple of the modern business workplace. A new employee can find that it’s easy to make dozens of simple mistakes. An experienced employee can find that they aren’t as effective or efficient as their job requires them to be. The trouble is that all of these rules of communication are unwritten and seemingly inaccessible. To help us raise our email “game,” Chris Fenning provides this concise guide to realize our best intentions…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing & Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers

By Scott J. Pearson | July 14, 2023July 14, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Most technology products begin with technologists playing in their environments. They then pick up steam when early visionaries figure out how to use it to expand their individual platforms and gain a competitive edge. However, many, if not most, products die there and never find their way to mainstream use. In this classic book, Geoffrey Moore explains why. The motives that drive these first two groups are different than the motives of mainstream customers, whom…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Product Management In Practice: A Real-World Guide to the Key Connective Role of the 21st Century

By Scott J. Pearson | June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Product management is a new role in the world of business. Mainly centered around building and deploying technology, product managers began to spring up in early-21st-century corporations. They have been pioneered by organizations around computer technologies, like Intel, Google, or Microsoft. As common with most new roles, figuring out how to meet the challenge on day one can be daunting. To fill that need, Matt LeMay provides a book filled with sage advice from somewhere…

Indie Leadership Management-Business Program Management

The Product Manager’s Guide: Strategy, Psychology & Leadership at Work

By Scott J. Pearson | June 4, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

In a diverse business, a product manager oversees all of the projects for several products. That is, it sits a step above project managers on the org chart. This corporate designation seems to exist across many companies, especially those which are larger. Potential readers might be mystified by this role among their co-workers; others might aspire to this role and want to know what to do. In this self-published work, Daniel Chak, an experienced product…

Leadership Mentoring

Co-Active Coaching: The Proven Framework for Transformative Conversations at Work & in Life

By Scott J. Pearson | May 3, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Coaching and mentoring are crucial ingredients for success in almost every endeavor. At first, the coachee needs to learn technical skills to succeed, but later, they must learn how to navigate more complex areas with many shades of grey. For instance, coachees might need to figure out how to find fulfillment and happiness in the midst of competing demands in work and family. There is no black-and-white answer for these. Fortunately, the authors of this…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Precisely: Working with Precision Systems in a World of Data

By Scott J. Pearson | April 7, 2023March 22, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

In recent years, the world, empowered by computer technologies and advanced data collection, has experienced an explosion of information. Instead of focusing on a few fixed principles, decision-making increasingly takes place in light of ever-changing data points. How are business folk supposed to develop, deploy, and use these systems? In this book, Tumin and Want provide a series of case studies that illustrate how leaders across many domains have accomplished this. They then extract guidelines…

Management-Business

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

By Scott J. Pearson | March 23, 2023March 23, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Negotiation is a crucial life skill. For some, it’s inherent to being a part of society, especially with expensive purchases or haggling in open markets. For others (like lawyers), it composes a part of their professional skillset. Either way, most people can stand to benefit from learning more about the art of negotiation. Many negotiation guides seek to maximize gains by taking strong positions. However, as these authors point out, this strategy can hurt long-term…