The 80/20 Librarian: Focusing on the 20% that matters

MY FAVORITE QUOTES

Page 14, “Yamada Roshi told me several times that he did not want to make me a Buddhist but rather he wanted to empty me in imitation of “Christ your Lord” who emptied himself, poured himself out, and clung to nothing.”

Page 33, “True contemplation entails detachment from our most basic need: the need to know, to reason, to have concepts and images. True contemplation especially demands detachment from our images and concepts of God.”

Page 35, “Dom Aelred Graham, the Catholic Benedictine and author of Zen Catholicism, asserts that the chief source of our distress is that we identify our true selves with our assertive, separate egos, the often all too demanding “me” in each of us. This separate conscious ego sees itself as the center and interprets everything in terms of itself; thus it can block a direct contact with reality and union with God more effectively than vice.”

Page 37, “Finally, Zen reminds us that Christian contemplation is not a looking at Christ, or a following of Christ, but a transformation into Christ. The contemplative reaches fulfillment when his ego is lost and is replaced by the fullness of Christ. We all know that for Christ to come to fullness within the Christian something must die.”

Page 40, “Merit, which conventional religion upholds, is a child’s game; gratitude to God, which orthodox tradition upholds, is all that is left to us when we grow up.”

Pages 41-42, “The Zen spirit is one of self-reliance and self-confidence. What talent we have is enough to accomplish the work before us. In fact, what talent we have is all we are going to get. No one can sit for us. No one can come to save us. Zen warns us to avoid becoming a torn-rice-bag-of-a-man who spills out his energy fruitlessly and then cries he can do no better.”

Page 53, “Suffering in frost and snow refers to childish reliance on others for approval, acceptance, affection, guidance, insight, or validation. There is a time of childhood for such dependence; the Zen spirit leads us to experience the reality to “be startled at pussy willows falling.”

Page 63, “If in prayer and in life, moment by moment, we turn from self preoccupation to the Kingdom of God, we will have the joy promised to those for whom Christ grows greater and greater, and the “self” less and less.”

Page 72, “Specifically, Thomas Merton explains that to fully hear the word of the cross is more than a simple assent to the teaching that Christ died for our sins. It means to be nailed to the Cross with Christ so that the ego-self is no longer the principle of our deepest actions which now proceed from Christ living in us. It is central to Christian life to experience the fact of this self-emptying crucifixion with Christ.”

Page 75, “Because Zen is life itself, the teacher turns the student away from any answer to life. The teacher is aware that the student is often looking for an answer, a safe harbor, a package he can wrap up and take home and put on a closet shelf.”

Page 87, “Zen, however, teaches us the vital importance of educating our own vision. There is no one to imitate, there is no time but now, there is no path but our own. It may not be sin at all that keeps us from self-awareness; it may be imitation and the pious repetition of routine and ritual that leave us ignorant of who we are.”

Page 90, “Christians are not urged to copy or repeat the words or gestures of Christ, but to have his mind and to be one with his spirit. Both Unmon and Christ encourage their disciples to act freely in the unique and unrepeatable moment by moment of their lives.”

Page 93, “In his introduction to The Way of Chuang-Tzu, Thomas Merton warns against reasoning about what cannot be understood and trying to attain what is never attained. He says that unless we learn to wait, watch, and grow without any appetite for self-improvement, we will destroy ourselves.”

Page 97, “I suggest that nature is teaching us that we are saved by that which ignores us, and that nature’s indifference to our designs can be a source of our joy.”

Page 101, “Margaret Miles of the Harvard Divinity School has discussed the original meaning of Christian holiness. She points out that before Christian faith was thought of as knowledge or commitment or community, it was lived as an orientation to the source of life; it was lived as a conversion to full vitality from the deadness of secular culture.” Miles claims that being truly alive for the first Christians was not the opposite of physical death, but the opposite of death of the human heart: coldness, dullness, failure to respond, an obtuse spirit.”

Page 108, “The true practice of Zen is the complete accomplishment of our whole nature. We are to live with the simplicity and unselfconsciousness of the little child Master Echu held in his arms.”

Page 109, “God asks that we be silent, that we listen closely, and that we say “yes.”

Page 112, “I would define poverty as purity of heart: the ability not to project the self onto the other. Jesus said the pure of heart will see God. Indeed the pure of heart-those who do not project- are the only ones who ever see anything.”

Page 113, “We are to be so poor that we do not know the matter of our pilgrimage, so poor that we have nothing to cling to, so poor that we have nothing to project on to others, so poor that we have no shelters in the storm, and so poor that we have no parallel life to escape to.”

Page 116, “According to Buddhist Scripture, all suffering springs from attachment; true joy arises from detachment. This noble truth so easily falls from the lips, yet it is a life long struggle to see things clearly and to free ourselves from deluded and possessive love.”

Page 120, “To insist on one truth that we do see is to block other truths from coming into focus.”

Page 122, “The conventional wisdom of this world is folly, and the Christian response to it is death and rebirth now.”

Page 124, “The risen Christ is not another being somewhere else, but rather the risen Christ is the being right in front of me, the same Christ that I am.”

Page 125, “With all my limitations, I am Jesus in this world. I have been given all that I need to live out the spirit of Jesus in all the circumstances of my life. Salvation is given here and now.”

Page 128, “We must base our interfaith dialogue upon practical action for justice and for the development of marginalized peoples. The partners in dialogue must look beyond themselves and reach out in compassionate service.”

DIALOGUE OF A ZEN TEACHER AND NONCOMMITTAL CHRISTIAN from Page 55

“If a not-too-determined Christian were to ask a Zen teacher to teach her to meditate, the conversation might go like this:

CHRISTIAN: Sensei, I hear you are skilled in meditation. I am interested in meditation and wonder if we could talk about it sometime?

ZEN TEACHER: Of course! Let us sit and meditate together.

CHRISTIAN: That would be wonderful. When can we do this?

ZEN TEACHER: Right now! Let’s begin.

CHRISTIAN: Right now? But where?

ZEN TEACHER: Right here! On this cushion.

CHRISTIAN: Here? For how long?

ZEN TEACHER: All day, let’s begin.

CHRISTIAN: Here? Now? All day? On this cushion?

ZEN TEACHER: Of course, you said that you were interested.

CHRISTIAN: Well, yes, but I hadn’t planned to do it just now. I thought that we could talk about it and I could hear about your experience.

ZEN TEACHER: Let’s begin. Do it! Do it now!

JESUS AS ZEN MASTER AND DIALOGUE WITH DISCIPLE TO “PUT OUT INTO DEEP WATER” from Page 76:

“In some ways, the history of Zen teachers nudging their students from safe harbors into the mainstream of life reminds me of Jesus. When Jesus called his disciples he said, “Put out into deep water and pay our your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4).

These words of Jesus are addressed to us today.

“Put out into deep water…”

“Thank you, Lord, for your invitation. I really appreciate it, but, you see, I’m a shallow water type of person. I enjoy the familiar, things close to home. I’m a creature of habit, I guess. But I’m grateful you thought of me.”

“Put out into deep water…”

“Lord, you’re not listening. I explained to you that deep water is not for me. You see, I tried it once, all young and idealistic, and it was awful. I can’t take any more failure. Please ask someone else.”

“Put out into deep water…”

“Stop it. Stop tormenting me. Don’t you see I can’t do it. I’m not good enough. Leave me alone.”

“Put out into deep water…”

And so all great teachers of all traditions will not give us a packaged answer or an easeful harbor.”

I am delighted and grateful to have my old college cross country teammate James daSilva, senior editor at SmartBrief, write a great guest column on how to discern which business books are worth our time and attention.

There is no shortage of books on business, including those on leadership and management, innovation, strategy, productivity, technology and entrepreneurship. The question is: Which books are most worth reading, and how can I determine this?

There’s no one answer, but as someone who receives dozens of books from authors and publishing houses each year, I can offer my own experience. Let’s start with the conclusion: A good business book goes beyond boilerplate language and big promises; it is focused; and it seeks to inspire the reader to find his or her own solutions.

My conclusion rests on these premises:

• “Business” is a general term for an endless variety of situations. No book can cover all of them, and those that claim to are suspect.
• 7-step systems and buzzwords are not bad, but they must be examined for what they contain. Are they simply a good way to advertise the author, or do they perform in the real world?
• Great business books inspire more than they prescribe. That’s why the idea of potential is so important – does a business book give a framework that is grounded yet flexible?

Why do I think these qualities matter for a good business book? One is simply time. We’re all busy, and there’s a wealth of reading we’d like to tackle. Also, depending on our jobs, we might already be reading at work; tackling a business book can feel like work, so we’d better choose wisely.

Given that, I look at a book’s focus. I don’t know what I’m necessarily getting with something like (the hypothetical) “Being a 21st-Century Leader,” but something like Scott Eblin’s “Overworked and Overwhelmed: The Mindfulness Alternative” is clear – busy executives who wish to prioritize their health and well-being but don’t know how. Similarly, a book on “strategy” had better be a comprehensive textbook; otherwise, I’d prefer a book specifically about, say, zero-based budgeting or operating as a multinational in highly regulated industries.

Focus can also be theme-based. David Burkus’ new book “Under New Management” is a collection of chapters on ways to rethink long-held business and operational practices. If you’re seeking inspiration on doing things differently and smarter, this type of book might help. Notably, though, it won’t guarantee success or prescribe a specific solution for your organization – that hard work is up to you.

I also look at what’s behind the book’s theme, its catchphrases and the formula it recommends. The publishing world, of course, has experienced considerable change. In just the past 4-5 years, I’ve seen a marked increase in authors doing their own marketing and PR, and the workload of promoting a book can seem greater than the writing. Given that, it’s tempting for an author to “invent” a new system of thinking, or a theory of business, and attach the proper catchphrase and gravitas to it.

Such branding is understandable. But does the book go deeper? The messy truth of the world is that principles cannot be applied in every situation or in the same way. We need to be discerning, curious and inquisitive, and books that help us find the basis for those inquiries are helpful. Those that say, “Do these 3 things and all will be well,” will be popular but ultimately empty.

Finally, does a business book inspire? Does it dictate, or does it offer a framework for the reader to apply as needed? Andy Grove’s “High Output Management” remains a classic in its fourth decade in large part because, while the then-Intel CEO will share how he structures his day, makes decisions and manages direct reports, he does not pretend that the semiconductor industry’s examples are universal. You’ll learn how he decided where to site a new overseas factory, but more importantly, you’ll learn the process.

All this said, don’t be afraid to try out a book. You can always stop, but you might also be pleasantly surprised.

Commentary on the Wharton Business School’s site on the book Innovation: The Cleveland Clinic Way by Thomas J. Graham MD is worth taking a look at. The commentary features the Cleveland Clinic’s Ten Commandments of Innovation.

My favorite commandment was number nine as cited below by Graham. This allows for an acceptance of failure and to learn from it by experience.

“Because of the inherent challenges associated with innovation, celebrate the pursuit and process, not just the outcome. Nothing kills innovation faster than the weight of expectation and reducing its measure of success to patents granted or dollars earned. If failure is not anticipated and even celebrated, the innovation culture will be stifled. This doesn’t mean that innovation should be sloppy, wasteful or lacking a level of expectation. But even failure has a welcome by-product, experience. While solving some of the biggest health care problems, stumbling is to be expected and makes eventual success that much sweeter.”

Page 41, “People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”

Page 50, “Knowing your WHY is not the only way to be successful, but it is the only way to maintain a lasting success and have a greater blend of innovation and flexibility. When a WHY goes fuzzy, it becomes much more difficult to maintain the growth, loyalty and inspiration that helped drive the original success. By difficult, I mean that manipulation rather than inspiration fast becomes the strategy of choice to motivate behavior. This is effective in the short term but comes at a high cost in the long term. ”

Page 50, “A failure to communicate WHY creates nothing but stress or doubt.”

Pages 57-58, “In contrast, decisions made with the limbic brain, gut decisions, tend to be faster, higher-quality decisions. This is one of the primary reasons why teachers tell students to go with their first instinct when taking a multiple-choice test, to trust their gut. The more time spent thinking about the answer, the bigger the risk that it may be the wrong one. Our limbic brains are smart and often know the right thing to do. It is our inability to verbalize the reasons that may cause us to doubt ourselves or trust the empirical evidence when our gut tells us not to.”

Page 59, “…the art of leading is about following your heart.”

Page 60, “Great leaders and great organizations are good at seeing what most of us can’t see. They are good at giving us things we would never think of asking for. Great leaders are those who trust their gut. They are those who understand the art before the science. They win hearts before minds. They are the ones who start with WHY.”

Page 62, “It is not logic or facts but our hopes and dreams, our hearts and our guts, that drive us to try new things.”

Page 62, “If we were all rational, there would be no small businesses, there would be no exploration, there would be very little innovation and there would be no great leaders to inspire all those things. It is the undying belief in something bigger and better that drives that kind of behavior.”

Page 69, “Being authentic is not a requirement for success, but it is if you want that success to be a lasting success.”

Page 78, “Ask the most successful entrepreneurs and leaders what their secret is and invariably they all say the same thing: “I trust my gut.” The times things went wrong, they will tell you, “I listened to what others were telling me, even though it didn’t feel right. I should have trusted my gut.””

Page 80, “The goal of business should not be to do business with anyone who simply wants what you have. It should be to focus on the people who believe what you believe. When we are selective about doing business only with those who believe in our WHY, trust emerges.”

Page 83, “Herb Kelleher, the head of Southwest for twenty years, was considered a heretic for positing the notion that it is a company’s responsibility to look after the employees first. Happy employees ensure happy customers, he said. And happy customers ensure happy shareholders-in that order.”

Page 85, “Leading is not the same as being the leader. Being the leader means you hold the highest rank, either by earning it, good fortune or navigating internal politics. Leading, however, means that others willingly follow you-not because they have to, not because they are paid to, but because they want to.”

Page 90, “We do better in cultures in which we are good fits. We do better in places that reflect our own values and beliefs.”

Page 92, “When you fill an organization with good fits, those who believe what you believe, success just happens.”

How did Ernest Shackleton’s entire crew survive their attempt to explore Antarctica?

Shackleton started with WHY when he wrote the job ad to recruit his crew, the ad is cited below:

“Men wanted for Hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”

As Sinek states on page 92, “The only people who applied for the job were those who read the ad and thought it sounded great. They loved insurmountable odds. The only people who applied for the job were survivors. Shackleton only hired people who believed what he believed.”

Pages 92-93, “When employees belong, they will guarantee your success. And they won’t be working hard and looking for innovative solutions for you, they will be doing it for themselves. What all great leaders have in common is the ability to find good fits to join their organization- those who believe what they believe.”

Page 95, “Companies with a strong sense of WHY are able to inspire their employees. Those employees are more productive and innovative, and the feeling they bring to work attracts other people eager to work there as well.”

Page 99, “Average companies give their people something to work on. In contrast, the most innovative organizations give their people something to work toward.”

Page 99, “The role of the leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of the leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen. It is the people inside the company, those on the front lines, who are best qualified to find new ways of doing things.”

Page 105, “Great organizations become great because the people inside the organization feel protected. The strong sense of culture creates a sense of belonging and acts like a net.”

Page 137-138, “No matter how charismatic or inspiring the leader is, if there are not people in the organization inspired to bring that vision to reality, to build an infrastructure with systems and processes, then at best inefficiency reigns, and at worst, failure results.”

Page 140, “The pessimists are usually right, to paraphrase Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, but it’s the optimists who change the world.”

Pages 142-143, “And perhaps the most trusting relationship that exists is between the visionary and the builder, the WHY-guy and the HOW-guy. In organizations able to inspire, the best chief executives are WHY-types- people who wake up every dya to lead a cause and not just run a company. In these organizations, the best chief financial officers are high performing HOW-types, those with the strength of ego to admit they are not visionaries themselves but are inspired by the leader’s vision and know how to build the structure that can bring it to life.”

Page 147, “Great organizations don’t just drive profits, they lead people, and they change the course of industries and sometimes our lives in the process.”

Page 150, “…success is a team sport.”

Page 163, “It is not a company or organization that decides what, its symbols mean, it is the group outside the megaphone, in the chaotic marketplace, who decide. If based on the things they see and hear, the outsiders can clearly and consistently report what an organization believes, then, and only then, can a symbol start to take on meaning.”

Page 181, “Achievement is something you reach or attain, like a goal. It is something tangible, clearly defined and measurable. Success, in contrast, is a feeling or a state of being.”

Page 200, “Successful succession is more than selecting someone with an appropriate skill set-it’s about finding someone who is in lockstep with the original cause around which the company was founded. Great second or third CEOs don’t take the helm to implement their own vision of the future; they pick up the original banner and lead the company into the next generation. That’s why we call it succession, not replacement. There is a continuity of vision.”

Page 223,”When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.”

Page 224, “What if we showed up to work every day simply to be better than ourselves? What if the goal was to do better work this week than we did the week before? To make this month better than last month? For no other reason than because we want to leave the organization in a better state than we found it?”

The Elements of Mentoring by W. Brad Johnson and Charles R. Ridley serves as a handbook for those interested in mentoring and those considering mentoring. I find this book to be very useful as there is currently no regulatory board or governing body that certifies the essential components of a mentorship.

The six main chapters are

• What Excellent Mentors Do: Matters of Skill
• Traits of Excellent Mentors: Matters of Style and Personality
• Arranging the Mentor-Protégé Relationship: Matters of Beginning
• Knowing Thyself As a Mentor: Matters of Integrity
• When Things Go Wrong: Matters of Restoration
• Welcoming Change and Saying Goodbye: Matters of Closure

My favorite quotes are as follows.

Page 3, “Mentors must behave like prudent investors; they must be selective in their choice of protégés. The investment should pay dividends for both mentor and protégé.”

Page 4, “In business settings, mentorships that begin informally often are more effective than those that are brokered or “arranged.” The mutual understanding, respect, and trust that naturally evolve in an informally developed mentorship increase the chances that both parties will find the experience satisfying. “

Page 7, “Mentors never settle for mediocrity. Mentors should expect more of their protégés than their protégés typically expect of themselves. This raises their expectations and lifts their performance.”

Page 10, “If you could do only one thing as a mentor, affirm your protégés.”

Page 12, “Sometimes mentors can open doors that protégés cannot open for themselves. They can endorse protégés membership in important organizations, invite them to exclusive meetings, and endorse them for work on special or high-visibility projects.”

Page 17, “Encouragement and support are necessary throughout a mentoring relationship.”

Page 27, “Who is better suited than a mentor to nurture creativity? Mentors themselves are typically creative. They model creativity by pursuing unusual solutions to problems, questioning accepted standards in the field, and displaying energetic excitement in the face of challenge. They are first hand exemplars.”

Page 36, “Excellent mentors understand that the protégé whose only outlet is work is ill-prepared for life and that the protégé who specializes only in one focused area of work is ill-prepared for a career.

Page 40, “When it comes to being a mentor, talk is cheap. To say it bluntly: put your time where your mouth is or do not commit to mentorships.”

Page 64, “It may seem like a paradox, but from the outset, excellent mentors plan for development, change, and even ending a mentorship. Mentors must take a long-term perspective from the start.”

Page 79, “They (outstanding mentors) look for opportunities to promote and encourage the careers of junior minority personnel.”

Pages 81 and 127 discuss the phases of mentorships that management professor Kathy Kram has identified.

These are:

Initiation

Cultivation

Separation

Redefinition

Page 88, “Because no legislative or monitoring body serves to hold those who mentor accountable, good mentors must be constantly self governing. Mindful mentors temper personal ambition with an orientation toward service and the protection of their protégés.”

Page 91, “Mentors who fail to care for themselves may reach a point where they are unable to care for their protégés. Eager to succeed, some mentors mistakenly disregard their own needs. But not even the greatest of mentors is superman or superwoman-just a capable human being. That is why mentors who endure over the long haul attend to their personal needs and consistently practice self-care.”

Page 93, “Outstanding mentors assume leadership roles in the field and are seen by peers as hard workers and innovators.”

Page 95, “Competence to mentor demands that mentors exude benign personality characteristics as well as a good measure of interpersonal savvy. Listening skills, warmth, caring, and preferably a sense of humor, are needed.”

Page 97, “All enduring relationships are based on trust. Trust is the fabric or glue that binds mentor and protégé together in a safe, productive, and committed relationship.”

Page 102, “Seasoned and successful members of any organization or profession are the most influential and potent developers of junior personnel.”

Page 105, “The key is that the humble mentor appreciates his or her assets as special gifts not as evidence of personal grandeur. Mentors of this ilk focus less on self-centered outcomes and more on the developmental needs of their protégés.”

Page 116, “The wise mentor balances confrontation with compassion.”

Page 130, “Healthy mentors appreciate the seasons of a mentoring relationship. They anticipate and gracefully tolerate relationship transitions and take the lead in discussing these with their protégés. Healthy mentors accept endings when mentorships have run their course and facilitate closure when it is time for a protégé to move on and function independently. Excellent mentors help their protégés to appreciate the past but also welcome the future.”

Page 131, “Preparing to say goodbye to a protégé is among the most often overlooked yet richly satisfying elements of successful mentoring. Quite often, only the most seasoned mentors carefully honor endings.”

Page 133, “Authentic mentors never stop mentoring.”

What is Visme?

Visme is a company which produces online software that allows one to take an idea and create high quality visual content to explain or promote that idea. The company’s website states that, “Visme is a simple and powerful tool to translate your ideas into engaging content in the form of Presentations, Infographics, Reports, Web Content, Product Presentations, and Wireframes.” The company started in 2013 in Maryland and has been perfecting its product ever since. For more information about Visme see Jeremy Brown’s October 2015 article in Rapid Advance http://www.rapidadvance.com/blog/visme-what-is-it-and-would-your-small-business-benefit-from-it. In addition, also see Eileen Brown’s May 2015 article in ZDNet at http://www.zdnet.com/article/visme-presentation-and-storytelling-simplified/#!

Are there any videos out there of the Visme product in action?

Yes, for some samples videos see the YouTube video entitled Visme – the Best Online Presentation and Infographic Tool at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbtT2jcmQ1s and the YouTube video entitled How to Easily Create an Animation Using Visme at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhYYxFfRW4s&feature=youtu.be.

Who does Visme seek to serve?

Mainly it is for people with little or no graphic design experience. Individuals and organizations can both take advantage of the product. Visme’s website indicates that its product is used by over “300,000 marketers, communicators, executives, educators and non-profits from over 50 countries.”

What is the cost of the Visme product?

Currently, there are three pricing models. The basic model is available for free. The standard model is $7.00 a month, and the complete model is $16.00 a month. For more information see http://www.visme.co/pricing/

When will the new Visme product upgrade will ready for review?

The company is forecasting the product upgrade being ready for review in the upcoming week.

How can I review the Visme product?

Those interested in reviewing the product can contact the Visme Support Team at http://support.visme.co. You can ask for a complimentary Premium Account and Visme will follow-up with you.

Recently I was invited to participate in a panel discussion at a conference:

Guy Kawasaki has some tips on how to “Rock the Panel” in his book Art of the Start 2.0. These are worth sharing and they are helping guide me with my panel presentation.

Being a panel participant is harder than being a solo speaker. The two main reasons this is so are as follows. First, you cannot control the tempo of the discussion which you can easily do if you are making your own speech. Second, you get much less air time because you are sharing the discussion among several panel speakers.

Pages 210 to 212 provide some practical tips on how to ace the panel.

What is your main goal with being a panel speaker? I like Kawasaki’s goal of being the person on the panel that everybody wants to talk to after the panel is over.

How do you do this?

1. Know the subject that the panel will be discussing. If you do not know the subject then decline the invitation to be on the panel.

2. Control your introduction. Do not assume that the moderator has your up to date biography. Before the panel starts make sure the moderator introduces you properly. Kawasaki suggests handing the moderator a three sentence biography to read verbatim.

3. Speak Up. This means getting close to the microphone and making sure your voice projects to the audience. Kawasaki recommends that you “make love to the microphone.”

4. Entertain, don’t just inform. As Kawasaki says, “The funnier you are the more people will think you’re smart because it takes intelligence to be funny.”

5. Tell the truth, especially when the truth is obvious. Work on being funny and a straight shooter. Kawasaki, phrases this as “The truth will get you glee.”

6. Answer the question that’s posed, but don’t limit yourself to it. After quickly answering the question take the conversation in the direction that you want it to go.

7. Be plain, simple, and short. Avoid a lot of jargon when you are speaking. Kawasaki says, “Reduce the most complex and technical issues to something plain, simple, and short, and you’ll stand out.”

8. Fake interest. Look engaged in listening to other panelists even when it may be difficult to do so. Forgo checking email or playing with your phone while the other panelists are speaking.

9. Never look at the moderator. The audience does not want to see the side of your head which is what happens when you look at the moderator. Speak directly to the audience.

10. Never say, “I agree with the previous panelist”. Kawasaki suggests saying, “I think that question has been answered. For the audience’s sake, let’s move on.”

I found this YouTube video on How to fix a broken USB charger in five seconds to be most helpful today in repairing micro USB chargers. You will need a small, but strong pair of tweezers to make the fix. The video lasts about 70 seconds and walks you through the repair. It sure beats running out to buy a new charger.

My Favorite Quotes of the Magic of Big Thinking by David J. Schwartz:

Page 156, “There’s a lot of incorrect thinking that successful people are inaccessible. The plain truth is that they are not. As a rule, it’s the more successful people who are the most humble and ready to help.”

Page 54, “No one ever does anything worthwhile for which he is not criticized.”

Page 91, “Big thinkers see themselves as members of a team effort, as winning or losing with the team, not by themselves. They help in every way they can, even when there is no direct and immediate compensation or other reward.”

Page 192, “Success depends on the support of other people.”

Page 116, “Big people monopolize the listening. Small people monopolize the talking.”

Page 101, “Creative thinking is simply finding new improved ways to do anything. The rewards of all types of success-success in the home, at work, in the community-hinge on finding ways to do things better.”

Page 122, “Don’t let ideas escape. Write them down. Every day lots of good ideas are born only to die quickly because they aren’t nailed to paper. Memory is a weak slave when it comes to preserving and nurturing brand-new ideas. Carry a note-book or some small cards with you. When you get an idea, write it down.”

Page 35, “Remember the thinking that guides your intelligence is much more important than how much intelligence you have.”

Page 33, “With a positive, optimistic, and cooperative attitude a person with an IQ of 100 will earn more money, win more respect, and achieve more success than a negative, pessimistic, uncooperative individual with an IQ of 120.”

Page 33, “Just enough sense to stick with something- a chore, task, project-until it’s completed pays off much better than idle intelligence, even if idle intelligence be of genius caliber. For stickability is 95% of ability.”

Page 194, “We are lifted to higher levels by those who know us as likable, personable individuals. Every friend you make lifts you just one notch higher. And being likeable makes you lighter to lift. Successful people follow a plan for liking people.”

Page 179, “People do more for you when you make them feel important.”

Page 176, “Transmit good news to the people you work with. Give them encouragement, compliment them at every opportunity. Tell them about the positive things the company is doing. Listen to their problems. Be helpful. Encourage people and win their support. Pat them on the back for the job they’re doing. Give them hope. Let them know you believe they can succeed, that you have faith in them. Practice relieving worriers.”

Page 264, “Goals, intense goals can keep a person alive when nothing else will.”

Page 288, “Praise your subordinates personally at every opportunity. Praise them for their cooperation. Praise them for every extra effort they put forth. Praise is the greatest single incentive you can give people, and it costs you nothing. You never know when your subordinates can do you a turn by coming to your defense.”

Page 248, “When you believe there is a way you automatically convert negative energy (let’s quit, let’s go back) into positive energy (let’s keep going, let’s move ahead). A problem, a difficulty, becomes unsolvable only when you think it is unsolvable. Attract solutions by believing solutions are possible. Refuse, simply refuse, to even let yourself say or think that it’s impossible.”

Page 231, “Be a crusader. When you see something that ought to be done, pick up the ball and run.”

Page 232, “Be a volunteer. The volunteer stands out. He receives special attention. Most important of all, he gives himself an opportunity to show he has special ability and ambition by volunteering. By all means, volunteer for those special assignments.”

Page 230, “Initiative is a special kind of action. It’s doing something worthwhile without being told to do it. The person with initiative has a standing invitation to join the high income brackets in every business and profession.”

Page 227, “Thinking in terms of now gets things accomplished. But thinking in terms of someday or sometime usually means failure.”

Page 225, “People who get things done in this world don’t wait for the spirit to move them; they move the spirit.”

Page 226, “A simple pencil is the greatest concentration tool money can buy. If I had to choose between an ultrafancy, deeply carpeted, beautifully decorated, soundproof office and a pencil and paper, I’d choose the pencil every time. With a pencil and paper you can tie your mind to a problem.”

Page 219, “Meet problems and obstacles as they arise. The test of a successful person is not the ability to eliminate all problems before he takes action, but rather the ability to find solutions to difficulties when he encounters them.”

Page 197, “Take the initiative in building friendships-leaders always do. The most important person present is the one person most active in introducing himself.”

Pages 181-182, “Make it a rule to let others know you appreciate what they do for you. Never, never let anyone feel he is taken for granted. A person whether he is garbage collector or company vice president, is important to you. Treating someone as second-class never gets you first-class results.”

Page 182, “Practice calling people by their names. People like to be called by name. It gives everyone a boost to be addressed by name.”

Page 183, “Remember, praise is power. Invest the praise you receive from your superior. Pass praise on down to your subordinates, where it will encourage still greater performance. When you share praise, your subordinates know you sincerely appreciate their value.”

Page 292, “When you take over the leadership of a group, the persons in that group immediately begin to adjust themselves to the standards you set.”

Page 298, “Remember the main job of a leader is thinking. And the best preparation for leadership is thinking. Spend some time in managed solitude every day and think yourself to success. “

Page 299, “Take time out to confer with yourself and tap your supreme thinking power. Managed solitude pays off. Use it to release your creative power. Use it to find solutions to personal and business problems. So spend some time alone every day just for thinking. Use the thinking technique all great leaders use: confer with yourself.”

Page 209, “Don’t be a conversation hog. Listen, win friends, and learn.”

Page 51, “Action cures fear.”

Page 55, “And remember, hesitation only enlarges, magnifies the fear. Take action promptly. Be decisive.”

Pages 67-68, “Doing what’s right keeps your conscience satisfied. And this builds self-confidence. Do what’s right and keep your confidence. That’s thinking yourself to success. To think confidently act confidently.”

Page 169, “To activate others, to get them to be enthusiastic, you must first be enthusiastic yourself.”

Page 64, “”Underneath he’s probably a very nice guy. Most folks are.” Remember those two short sentences next time someone declares war on you. Hold your fire. The way to win in situations like this is to let the other fellow blow his stack and then forget it.”

Page 157, “The person with a constructive off-the-job life nearly always is more successful than the person who lives in a dull, dreary home situation.”

Page 144, “When I worry ask yourself, would an important person worry about this? Would the most successful person I know be disturbed about this?”

Page 19, “The only wise thing to do is fire Mr. Defeat. You don’t need him. You don’t want him around telling you that you can’t, you’re not up to it, you’ll fail, and so on. Mr. Defeat won’t help you get where you want to go, so boot him out. Use Mr. Triumph 100 percent of the time. When any thought enters your mind, ask Mr. Triumph to go to work for you. He’ll show you how you can succeed.”

Page 13, “Believe, really believe, you can succeed, and you will. Think victory and succeed.”

Page 14, “A person is a product of his own thoughts. Believe Big.”

:

My favorite excerpts and quotes are cited below. Babauta blogs at ZenHabits.net

The tale of the two newspaper reporters: pages 4 to 5

“Imagine two reporters working at a newspaper: One goes for a high volume of articles each week, and the other decides to do only one. The reporter writing thirty articles a week scans a vast amount of sources for any little bit of information that’s remotely interesting, turning each into a short, quick, and fairly limited article that doesn’t get much attention. His editor is pleased by the amount of work he’s doing, and he gets rewarded with praise.

The second reporter decides that if he’s just going to do one article this week, he’d better make it count. He spends half of the first day researching and brainstorming and thinking until he chooses a high impact story that he knows will knock people’s socks off. It’ll be an article that wins awards. He spends two days researching it and another couple days writing it and checking facts.

Guess what happens? Not only does he produce the best article of the week, but it becomes an award-winning article, one that the readers love and that gets him a promotion and long-term and widespread recognition. From that article, and others like it, he can build a career. The first reporter was thinking high-volume, but short-term. The second reporter focused on less, but it did much more over the long term.

That’s the Power of Less.”

The first two principles: pages 5 and 6

“Principle 1: By setting limitations, we must choose the essential. So in everything you do, learn to set limitations.”

“Principle 2: By choosing the essential, we create great impact with minimal resources. Always choose the essential to maximize your time and energy.”

How limits help page 13:

“It simplifies things. It focuses you. It focuses on what’s important. It helps you achieve. It shows others that your time is important. It makes you more effective.”

Page 23, “Principle 3: Simplifying-Eliminating the Nonessential “

Page 25, “Principle 4: Focus is your most important tool in becoming more effective”

Page 28, on why multitasking is bad:

“Multitasking is less efficient, due to the need to switch gears for each new task and then switch back again.”

“Multitasking is more complicated, and thus leaves you more prone to stress and errors.”

“Multitasking can be crazy-making, and in this already chaotic world, we need to rein in the terror and find a little oasis of sanity and calm.”

Page 33, “Principle 5: Create new habits to make long-lasting improvements. “

Page 39, “Start new habits in small increments to ensure success”

Page 58, “The power of limitations works on the task level by choosing only three Most Important Tasks (MITs) that will become the focus of your day.”

Page 60, “Anytime you find yourself procrastinating on an important task, see if you can break it into something smaller. Then just get started. Small tasks are always better than large ones.”

Page 63, “Immersing yourself in a task, completely, is a phenomenon called “flow.” Basically, flow is a state of mind that occurs when you lose yourself in a task, and the world around you disappears.

The way to get into flow:

• Choose a task you’re passionate about.
• Choose a task that’s challenging.
• Eliminate distractions.
• Immerse yourself in the task.”

Page 75, “A common productivity tip is not to check e-mail first thing in the morning, and it’s good advice. By checking email in the morning, you’re allowing e-mail to dictate the rest of your day, instead of deciding for yourself what your Most Important Tasks will be for that day.”

Page 80, “Too often we feel the need to reply to every e-mail. But we don’t. Ask yourself, “What’s the worse that will happen if I delete this?” If the answer isn’t too bad, just delete it and move on. You can’t reply to everything. Just choose the most important ones and reply to them. If you limit the emails you actually reply to or take action on, you get the most important stuff done in the least amount of time. The eighty-twenty rule at work.”

Page 84, Babauta cites three platforms to track your internet usage. These are Toggl, yaTimer, or Tick.

Page 85, “One of the best things I’ve ever done to increase my productivity is to disconnect from the Internet when I want to get focused, uninterrupted, serious work done.”

Page 106, “Protect your time-it’s your most valuable commodity. Guard it with your life.”

Page 114, “With a well –planned morning routine:

You can prepare for your day and set your goals.

You can get in exercise, reading, writing, or other things you normally don’t have time for;

You can do something enjoyable, calming, and relaxing.”

Page 120, “Benefits of a Clean Desk:

• It allows you to focus.
• It gives you a Zen-like sense of calm.”

Page 133, “Along the same lines, working at a slower pace can be more productive, as contradictory as that might sound. If you can focus on the important tasks and projects, and keep your focus on those tasks, you will accomplish important things. In contrast, someone can work frantically for twelve hours a day, doing as many tasks as possible, and yet not accomplish anything important. That’s not just theory-many people do it all the time. They work hard at a fast pace, and yet wonder why they don’t get anywhere, and nothing seems to get done. They multitask and work as quickly as possible, getting stressed out the whole time. It’s not the most effective way to work.”

Page 160, “The best kind of motivation, then, is for you to really want something, to get excited about it, to be passionate about it.”