Readers Recommend
Your Book Picks

Of Vampires and Babbling Analysts...

Reader Robert Doucette shared his two picks for best books on business insights:

Emotional Vampires: Dealing With People Who Drain You Dry
by Albert J. Bernstein (McGraw Hill College Division, 2000)
"This is a funny, helpful book that describes why bullies, daredevils, 'used car salesmen' and other insensitive 'vampires' are often quite successful and how the rest of us can recognize them and protect ourselves. While giving these vampires their due — they are often the source of creative ideas and revolutionary business — the book describes their methods and provides straightforward 'how-to' steps to keep them from ruining your life."

The Intelligent Asset Allocator: How to Build Your Portfolio to Maximize Returns and Minimize Risks
by William J. Bernstein (McGraw Hill Text, 2000)
"If the average Wharton grad had read and followed this book in 1999, well, there would be a lot more money available for the next alumni drive. Other books tell you that asset allocation is good. This book explains the benefits of asset allocation so clearly it makes other investment strategies look like gambling tips. Quoted frequently in The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Bernstein (his 'day job' is neurosurgery) provides a system that will allow the everyday investor to sleep at night, ignore the babble of Wall Street analysts, and still earn superior returns.

Driving Your Organizational Transformation

Reader Andrew Wallbridge of London recommends:

Firing on All Cylinders: The Service/Quality System for High-Powered Corporate Performance
by Jim Clemmer (Business One Irwin, 1992)
Wallbridge writes that this is "the one book that continues to sit above all others for me... Although written some years ago, it still delivers for me the perfect structure for organizational transformation, particularly when embarking on the journey of becoming truly customer focused. The 12 cylinders act as a daily reminder of the key tasks that a change agent needs to keep tuned to ensure a smooth-running engine room. I'm now on my third copy.

Using Intuition

Reader Anne von Bergen recommends:

The Intuitionist
by Colson Whitehead (now out in paperback) (Anchor Books, 2000)
She writes: "By far the most interesting book of the season for me. It deals with two different ways of reasoning, one by intuition and one by empiricism. Although fiction, it made me reevaluate my working situation and colleagues by a completely different standard."


    

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