The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni (5 of 5 Business Allegories)

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team was recommended to me by my manager, Reed Wagstaff.  The director of the Audiovisual Department Finance group requires that each of his managers read this book.  As manifest in my five star rating of the book, I believe everyone in the corporate world, managers and employees alike should read it.  The five dysfunctions prevent a team from reach its full cooperative potential.  Efficiency and productivity are hindered by:

1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results

The way in which Lencioni outlines these principles allows the reader to easily assimilate the material.  Most of the book follows the rebuilding of a fictional dysfunctional corporate team.  The newly hired consultant takes the team members on an off-site training trip.  During the two-day event, she shows them how to overcome each of the principles above.

The last twenty or so pages is a straightforward tutorial showing how anyone can apply these principles to his or her team.  It starts with a short diagnosis test, which allows you to identify your teams strengths and weaknesses.  The test is followed by practical suggestions for improving cooperation.

Working in an office is not a prerequisite for benefiting from this book.  Whenever two or more men or women join together for a common purpose, group dynamics become critical.  Applying the insightful principles in The Five Dysfunctions can improve conditions in Church committees, families, university research groups, etc.  It's a quick read.  Find it.  Read it.  Apply it.  Love it.

What other books on business or team building have you read and really enjoyed?

The Fine Art of Small Talk - Debra Fine (4.5 of 5 Weather Forecasts)

My sister Emily and I decided to team up this year to buy Christmas presents for the family.  Rather than tromping around the mall for several hours, we crashed the local Barnes and Noble to get everyone a book.  I think we were rather successful.  Everyone seemed pretty happy with our choices.  I picked out The Fine Art for myself.  I figured it was time to put an end to all those intensely awkward elevator rides at the Church Office Building...

I was quite impressed with this little gem of a book.  In the introduction the author confessed to having been the shy kid in the back of the class for most of her childhood.  In her early adulthood she decided that it was time to take a more proactive approach to small talk, acknowledging that successful chatting is a critical part of family gatherings, business meetings, dating, etc.  She now spends her time traveling across the country giving small talk seminars to large corporations such as IBM and Wells Fargo.

So I guess there's hope for me!  I enjoyed the book because it presents a healthy blend of general principles and specific advice.  Debra Fine teaches that there are two key things that we need learn in making small talk.  1 - Take the risk.  2 - Assume the burden.  We can't expect others to come to us.  We must go to them, regardless of the risk of embarrassment.  Once the conversation is going, we must assume the burden of keeping it going.  We shouldn't expect others to carry the conversation.  Successful small talk occurs when both people actively contribute to the conversation.

She starts with describing the importance of small talk, and then follows a conversation through from beginning to end, teaching successful techniques for starting conversations, finding interesting topics of discussion, overcoming awkward pauses, effective listening, and graceful exits.  I especially enjoyed her chapter, "Crimes and Misdemeanors."  She details the eight criminals of conversation:

1. The FBI Agent - Asks question after question without offering anything
2. The Braggart - Constantly boasts about his or her accomplishments, embellishing the truth
3. The One-Upper - Always tries to top anything you say
4. The Monopolizer - Refuse to give up the spotlight of conversation
5. The Interrupter - Can't wait to insert something into your discussion
6. The Poor Sport - Replies, "Nothing." to the question, "What did you do this weekend?"
7. The Know-It-All - Has no interest in anyone's opinions but his or her own
8. The Adviser - Offers advice where none is wanted 

I think we've all been guilty of at least one of these crimes, if not all at one time or another.  Recognition is the first step towards correcting bad behavior...  

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone wanted to brush up on their interpersonal skills.  I'm excited to try out my new knowledge in the elevator next week.  Would you like to join me?

The Triumphant Marriage - Neil Warren (3 or 5 Love Secrets)

This is the uh...the fourth book I've read by Neil Warren.  It was definitely my least favorite so far.  It didn't feel like there was a lot of original material there.  Warren just adapted all of the same principles to marriage.

He sets out ten "love secrets" of successful marriages.  The one I liked best was the first one, "Dream a Dream."  Having a goal in mind always gives us something to work toward.  Warren counsels that couples should make an effort to enjoy every day for what it is, but always look forward to what their relationship could become.

Media Law For Producers - Philip Miller (4 of 5 Independent Contractor Agreements)

Media Law for Producers?  Are you kidding me?  What inspired this?

Yep.  I recognize that probably very few of you are going to run to the library to pick up this book, but I'll write the review anyway.  My work involves documenting the intellectual property in the products that the Church  Audiovisual Department distributes.  My boss suggested that I read this book to get a broader view of media law.

Contrary to expectations, I actually enjoyed it.  Overall, the book was much more readable than I anticipated.  Each of the chapters were supplemented with effective summary sections and example contracts for participant releases, music agreements, etc.  It was interesting to compare the contracts that mainstream media uses with those that the Church uses.  The book emphasizes the importance of these contracts and getting everything in writing...I wish our producers would do this more often.  It would sure make my job easier.

I was already familiar with much of the material in the book, but I did pick up a few new bits of knowledge here and there.  The discussions on libel and public figure look-a-likes were intriguing.  I also enjoyed the section on the Fairness Doctrine which was established in 1949 by the Federal Communication Commission.  This doctrine requires that both sides of controversial issues be discussed (equal time) in public broadcasts.  This hasn't really been enforced since the Reagan era, but some people think this might change during the Obama presidency.  Ironically, Doug Fabrizio recently addressed this topic on Radio West on 1/5/09.  You can download the radio broadcast from KUER 90.1's website at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuer/news/news.newsmain?action=section&SECTION_ID=184.

Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides

This History Book Club I've become a part of is truly fantastic. The titles we're reading this school year have all been really interesting. The latest is Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides. This nonfiction book's title is a mouthful, but the story itself is amazing.

In 1942, the US was forced to surrender its hold on the Philippines. General MacArthur promised to return but the surrender left hundreds of American soldiers at the mercy of the Japanese. And the Japanese did not prove too merciful. After the Bataan Death March and years of hard work, beatings, and malnutrition, hundreds of US soldiers had died. But a few hundred more survived as POWs. As 1945 opens, and the US military is returning in full force to the area, US Intelligence fears the Japanese might attempt to massacre all POWs before they can be liberated. Thus opens the story of the daring rescue and liberation of the Cabanatuan POW Camp.

Author Hampton Sides does a great job of shifting the story between the perspective/story of the prisoners themselves and the Army Rangers who led the rescue. His writing style gets a little verbose at times, but not to the extent that you'd call him pretentious. I especially liked his use of firsthand accounts, in their own words, from the people actually involved in the story. The beginning moves a little slow, but by page 123 I was riveted and didn't want to put the book down. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great story, and/or US History.

A-

Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson and David Relin (4 of 5 Hiking Excursions)

Three Cups of Tea is the story of one man's quest to end poverty in Pakistan and the surrounding areas, one school at a time.  In 1993, Greg Mortenson, an outdoors enthusiast, set out to climb K2.  In his journey to the top, he became lost, nearly dying on the mountain.  Disoriented, he ended up in the small town of Korphe.  As he recovered there he became very concerned for the well-being of the village's children.  In return for their hospitality he vowed to return to build them a school.

Upon returning to his life in the United States, Greg began writing letters to wealthy people asking for money to build his school.  Several months passed before he was offered a single check for $12,000 from software developer named Jean Hoerni.  It was just enough to build his school.  Greg soon discovered that he was going to have to build a bridge first to get the necessary supplies up to the town.  He built the bridge and asked Hoerni for additional funds.  Impressed with Greg's efforts, Hoerni sent another check.

Within a few years of his K2 attempt, Greg Mortensen had built his first school.  Other nearby villages asked for a school of their own.  Over the next ten years, Greg was able to establish the Central Asia Institute which constructed over 50 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Greg continues to build schools in spite of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.  He does so because he feels that education is the only way to effectively combat terrorism and poverty.

The story of Greg Mortenson is truly inspiring.  The book itself however didn't live up to my expectations.  I wish each chapter would have started with a date and a location.  The book is somewhat disorienting at times because Greg is constantly jumping back and forth between Pakistan and the United States.  I'm also not a big fan of the writing style.  It floats somewhere between a news report and a journal entry.

I really enjoyed the in depth look at life in rural Pakistan, but I think the pacing and direction of the book could have been refined a bit more.  It didn't seem like the plot was going anywhere.  It was just a collection of stories organized chronologically.  Granted, I realize that the "plot" of every life tends to wander here and there.  Nevertheless, when documented in a book, I believe the writer should leave out distracting details in order to hold the attention of the reader.

For those interested in contributing to Greg Mortenson's admirable cause, visit his website https://www.ikat.org/.

A Long Way Down (3 of 5 Suicides)

The first thing that I have to say in this review is that A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby doesn't quite reach the heights of his other books; High Fidelity and About A Boy. However, I still found it worth reading. I also must clarify before continuing and say that no, I am not suicidal, however I did read this book at a very very very low point in my existence, and yes I did relate to certain characters. That said, I will now get to the review segment of this review and stop blathering on about my own mental state.

In Faulkneresque style Hornby has multiple narrators throughout the book whose basic premise (without giving too much away) is that four people decide to leap from a great height sans parachute, not that a parachute would do them a lot of good if their leap was from the tippy-top of a twenty story building in the middle of London on New Years Eve. I am certain it wouldn't open properly, but regardless of that ... these four, named Martin, Maureen, Jess, and JJ, coincidentally meet on the top of the previously mentioned building on the previously mentioned evening.

The drama ensues, and so does the language, that is my only gripe with Mr. Hornby, my mental cussing level spikes whenever I read one of his books, and as I was having a hard time when I read this, so did my actual four-letter word usage, but I have it under control now. If you find vocabulary of that variety objectionable in the extreme I recommend staying away from this author, that said, if you can handle verboseness of the bathroom variety and you like to read about characters who are extremely flawed but somehow likable then this guy is for you.

And now for a character breakdown (awesome segue huh?). Lets start with Martin; oh, Martin, what a moron, this guy thought with his male anatomy, and now all he thinks about is how badly he screwed up, his life is down the tube and returning from his stint in prison has been a bit demoralizing. He lends quite a bit to the chemistry of the group as an instigator/moderator. Probably the one of the group that you could characterize most as a horrible person, and as a result he is probably the best developed, typical Hornby.

Next; Maureen, poor Maureen, I found myself laughing out loud every time she takes a turn as narrator, the intentional unintentional comedy really got me. Accepted as the person with the most valid reason to want to die by the rest of the team she is actually the least down on herself, Her interactions with Jess kill me, so funny.

Lets discuss Jess, the wayward girl, dense to the greatest degree, amazingly messed up, directionless and ultimately the strange glue holding the group together. Very funny, extremely vulgar.

Last, JJ. JJ is the audiophile of the group (a necessary character in any of Hornby's books). JJ is unsatisfied, he wants to be part of something greater, he and Jess trade off being the soul of the book. That may have just been me, but they were the ones I felt for.

The interactions between these people run the gamut of emotion, they hate, love, lift, denigrate, and curse at each other, except for Maureen, she censors them, which is pretty funny in itself. That leads me to an explanation of the manner in which the book is written. The four voices of the book are distinct in their grammar, vocabulary, and thought process, its kind of genius really, occasionally one narrator says something I thought another should have been saying, and Martin and JJ are similar in style, but its not off-putting or difficult to follow. I think as an author it would be fun to write a book this way, in fact, if I wrote a book, I would borrow the idea.

If you dare try and tell me that this is the way Twilight is written, I may unleash a torrent of exasperated rage on you, needless to say Hornby pulls off this particular writing technique (and every other one) way better than Meyer, whose writing is comic in an entirely different way which I will allow you to derive from my previous statement.

So I am not going to tell you how this book ends, that would spoil it. But i can tell you its not exactly a happy ending, it won't be what you expect either, its kind of typical of Hornby. Anyway, I did enjoy this read, I needed a break from the 19th century literature, vapid vampires (and their idiotic love interests), boy wizards (and their homosexual mentors), self-help books (Oh, Jake what have you got me reading), x-wings, dragons, and rogue adventurers in far off seas. It was nice to just read something with a modern dramatic voice and an adequate amount of depth.