Diversity MBA Magazine - April 2008 - (Page 10) OFF THE SHELF The Little Red Book of China Business By Sheila Melvin Sourcebooks, $19.95, 308 pages Most American business experts wouldn’t consider the Little Red Book, the legendary distillation of Mao Zedong’s communist philosophy, an essential text for success in a capitalist economy. But Melvin argues that the text has been a critical factor in the lives of millions of Chinese, and companies who want to do well selling to this growing market would do well to understand how its lessons continue to inform the Chinese character. Melvin, who spent seven years with the United States-China Business Council in Washington, Beijing and Shanghai, begins each chapter of her handy guidebook with a quote from Chairman Mao, continues with a brief history lesson on Mao’s life, and offers common-sense pointers about doing business in China. She advocates developing an appreciation of the nation’s long history, cultivating useful contacts and resources over time, and keeping in mind China’s complexities and contradictions, which result in regional differences greater than even those found here at home. 8 Simple Steps to Catch Your Dreams By D.F. Robertson OliKim Enterprises, $19.95, 81 pages There’s nothing all that complicated to achieving your life’s goals, at least on a basic level. It’s all a matter of deciding where you want to go, determining what you need to get there, and charting a course. The devil, of course, is in the details, and that’s where this guidebook might come in handy. Robertson sets forth eight basic steps for getting from your current Point A to your desired Point B. They revolve around making the most of your passion, setting goals, making a plan, cultivating mentors, marketing yourself, holding yourself high, stepping up to responsibility, and surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people. Through stories, personal examples and guided exercises, this workbook gives users a self-developed tool to realize each of those steps. Instead of telling how to do it, Robertson helps his readers figure it out, and achieve it, for themselves. Followership By Barbara Kellerman Harvard Business School Press, $29.95, 336 pages The business section of your friendly neighborhood bookstore is stuffed with tomes about the corporate titans of our era, be they masters of commerce or cautionary tales. But it’s also beginning to swell with books about a new paradigm, in which power often falls to the many instead of the few, in which communities of consumers and other interested parties drive product innovation and, in some cases, sea changes in corporate behavior. Followership examines the dynamic in detail, from Adolf Hitler to Don Imus. Kellerman draws from history and management theory to assert that being a follower isn’t necessarily a bad thing. She identifies five basic types – isolates, bystanders, participants, activists, and diehards - and explains how they function, and the effect they’ve had in various situsitu ations. Aspiring captains of industry can relax – Kellerman isn’t predicting their future irrelirrel evance. But she does present a persuasive case that leaders should respond creatively and proactively to the communities they lead if they want to remain ahead of the pack. The Ugly Truth about Managing People By Ruth King Sourcebooks, $16.95, 253 pages King collects some basic management situations and horror stories – everything from “we had to find a compromise” to “my client was sexually harassed by his former boss” – and extracts some basic kernels of wisdom, then explains how to apply them to your company. She then lays out some basic strategies for good people management, talent development and general hints for success. Developing managers and entrepreneurs may benefit from seeing how others came through similar challenges. 10 w w w. d ive r s it y mb a ma g a z in e. c o m http://www.diversitymbamagazine.com
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