The book for January, 2012 is The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO’s strategies for beating the devil’s advocate & driving creativity throughout your organization by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman.

The Ten Faces of Innovation

In this book, the author reveals the strategies IDEO, the world-famous design firm, uses to foster innovative thinking throughout an organization and overcome the naysayers who stifle creativity.

The role of the devil’s advocate is nearly universal in business today. It allows individuals to step outside themselves and raise questions and concerns that effectively kill new projects and ideas, while claiming no personal responsibility. Nothing is more potent in stifling innovation.

Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience managing IDEO, Kelley identifies ten roles people can play in an organization to foster innovation and new ideas while offering an effective counter to naysayers. Among these approaches are the Anthropologistthe person who goes into the field to see how customers use and respond to products, to come up with new innovations; the Cross-Pollinator who mixes and matches ideas, people, and technology to create new ideas that can drive growth; and the Hurdler, who instantly looks for ways to overcome the limits and challenges to any situation.

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The book for October, 2011 is Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and Robert B. Cialdini.

In this book, the authors reveal 50 simple but remarkably effective strategies that will make you much more persuasive at work and in your personal life, too. These strategies are based on more than 60 years of research into the psychology of persuasion.

Every day we face the challenge of persuading others to do what we want. But what makes people say yes to our requests? Persuasion is not only an art, it is also a science, and researchers who study have uncovered a series of hidden rules for moving people in your direction.

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September, 2011 Book of the Month: Bare Knuckle People Management

August 30, 2011

The book for September, 2011 is Bare Knuckle People Management: Creating Success with the Team You Have – Winners, Losers, Misfits, and All by Sean O’Neil and John Kulisek. In this book, the authors identify all of the main personality types you’re likely to come across. They identify the strengths and weaknesses of each type [...]

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Blown Away by Irene

August 29, 2011

The August Business Builder Book Club’s Networking and Knowledge Nite has been cancelled.  We’re not sure if the AmericInn has electricity or internet but we know most of our participants don’t and just getting the absolute necessities done is trying enough. Have a long hot shower and a good night’s sleep!  

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August, 2011 – In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing

August 2, 2011

The book for August, 2011 is In Pursuit of Elegance:  Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing by Matthew E. May. The author examine the contribution simplicity makes in so many great achievements and businesses.  Sometime the answer is not to add more, but to take something away.  Symmetry, seduction, subtraction, and sustainable solutions are the [...]

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July, 2011 – Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others

June 2, 2011

The book for July, 2011 is Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation by Building on the Ideas of Others by David Kord Murray There is no such thing as original thought. There is only original compilation that extends existing thought. In this book, Murray demonstrates how such ideas travel. There is a clear [...]

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June, 2011 Book of the Month: Eat People

April 1, 2011

The book for June, 2011 is Eat People: And Other Unapologetic Rules for Game-Changing Entrepreneurs by Andy Kessler.

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May, 2011 Book of the Month: The Four Hour Workweek

March 1, 2011

The book for May, 2011 is The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Expanded and Updated, With Over 100 New Pages of Cutting-Edge Content by Timothy Ferriss.

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April, 2011 – The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success

February 1, 2011

The book for April, 2011 is The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success by Jeff Brown, Mark Fenske, and Liz Neporent.

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March, 2011 – Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results

February 1, 2011

The book for March, 2011 is Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen and Ken Blanchard.

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