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I love to read and I am always reading something, but occasionally I go on a bender. It’s a Lost Weekend in the bookstore, a literary pub-crawl. I get tanked up, juiced, half-sprung, hammered, foxed, jug-bitten, wasted, tap-hackled, and bosky on books.
I confess, I am a binge reader. (“Hi, my name is Paul and I am a read-a-holic.” I need to call my sponsor.)
Here is a brief summary of two books I read last week.
The “No Asshole” Rule
 I know the title is a bit crude, but as author Robert Sutton contends, “…censored and watered-down variations like ‘the no jerk rule’ or the ‘no bully rule’ simply do not have the ring of authenticity or emotional appeal…” And he admits that although the word is potentially offensive, "no other word quite captures the essence of this type of person.”
Sutton describes two kinds of assholes: Temporary Assholes and Certified Assholes. He suggests that nearly all of us act like assholes at times. However, “It isn’t fair to call someone a certified asshole based on a single episode.” A Certified Asshole is someone who displays a persistent pattern of putting down, humiliating, disrespecting, oppressing, or belittling other people.
He continues, “The language in other workplaces is more polite, including rules against being a jerk, weasel, or bully. Whatever form the rule takes, a workplace that enforces the ‘no asshole rule’ is where I want to be, not in the thousands of organizations that ignore, forgive, or even encourage nastiness.”
Amen.
Good To Great
Collins’ masterpiece is one of the most important books I have read in my lifetime. I was so impressed after reading it, I started over and read the salient sections again. I was especially impressed with his ability to summarize hugely important principles with engaging and memorable metaphors. Here are a few of my favorites.
The Window and the Mirror
Great leaders (Collins’ calls them “Level 5 Leaders”) look in the mirror when things fail, and look out the window when things go right. They take full responsibility for everything wrong with the organization, and they give full credit to others for everything right with the organization.
The Hedgehog Concept
This one comes from an old Greek parable: “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” The fox is clever. He plans his strategy carefully. He hides and waits and at the right moment he attacks the hedgehog. But the hedgehog curls into a ball of sharp spikes and foils the fox. Every time. The hedgehog sees what is essential and ignores the rest. Great organizations discover what they do best, and then they focus all their energy on that thing.
Rinse Your Cottage Cheese
David Scott won the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon six times. Every day he trained by running 17 miles, biking 75 miles, and swimming 12 miles. He also rinsed his cottage cheese everyday to shed any excess fat. It was one small step in his program of discipline. This metaphor refers to the discipline to do whatever it takes to become the best.
I love this book.
My binge continues so I hope to have a few more reviews for you shortly.
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