Book Reviews - Archives

A Good (Two) Reads

I often go back and re-read books that have made a difference to me in leadership. This month’s review is actually one of those times when I am going back to a couple of books that are worth a second look. Continue Reading...

Barbara Balik on the Importance of Executive Leadership

In the recent issue of Healthcare Executive Magazine, of the American College of Healthcare Educators, Barbara Balik, RN, EdD, discusses how pivotal the role of executives is in shaping the patient experience and engaging other staff members in maintaining service excellence. Continue Reading...

Good Read: 1001 Ways to Reward Employees

It’s an “oldie but goodie” this month. This book, originally published in 1994, has sold more than 1.5 million copies and was last updated in 2005. Bob Nelson, co-founder of the National Association for Employee Recognition, is passionate about recognizing and rewarding employees, and, more importantly, doesn’t believe it needs to cost much (or anything!) to do it effectively. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Built to Serve

Practical wisdom describes the essence of this book. The author, CEO of United Foods, Dan J. Sanders shares the leadership principles that have elevated his company to great success. In reading this book, I can see that we share many of the same philosophies about what it takes to inspire and lead people toward a common vision. This book isn’t a how-to book of leadership but rather one that encourages leaders to craft a compelling mission and vision and never waver from the top priorities. It urges leaders to understand the value of the workforce and the importance of maximizing human potential at all levels. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Customer Loyalty Guaranteed

In Customer Loyalty Guaranteed: Create, Lead, and Sustain Remarkable Customer Service, Bell and Patterson identify what they call seven loyalty creators. These are seven different service styles characterized by unique personal strengths. The authors classify the service styles as: Joy Carrier, Partner, Caretaker, Problem Solver, Decorator, Conscience, and Giver. They not only clarify the strengths inherent in each style, they discuss how to most effectively engage and lead that type of individual. For instance, the Problem Solver digs into customer complaints until he finds a solution. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Drive

What inspires you? What motivates you to do great work? Once you delve into those questions about yourself, you may actually uncover what motivates those around you. In Drive, the surprising truth about what motivates us, author Daniel Pink presents solid research about human motivation. The challenge he presents is for leaders to apply these principles in the workplace. This book was an affirmation of what employees tell me every day and what great coaches take to heart. Want to increase motivation and engagement? Read Drive. Then apply the principles in your thinking about how you lead.

Good Read: Great Personal Leadership

Leadership can be a tough job, especially if we over-think things. Anyone who knows me or at least reads my publications knows that I value practical approaches to managing and leading. I have found that it is often the day-to-day interactions and actions that can either keep leaders centered and focused, or take them dangerously off course. In her latest book, Great Personal Leadership: No-nonsense Solutions with Gratifying Results (2008, AHA Press), Wendy Leebov gives practical advice for leaders that will help them stay the course through simple actions. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Human Sigma

Every good leader wants to bring out the best in her people. For me that means constantly learning and growing in order to help my team to do the same. This book provides great insight into human nature and what inspires us to do our best. In addition, it stretches the reader to reconsider some widely accepted means for standardizing service. As a huge proponent of scripting, I found myself re-considering the rigidity with which this tool is sometimes used. The authors suggest that as leaders we need to set the objectives for the outcome and leave the detail of how to execute and achieve those objectives up to the employee.

I found this book to help me stretch as a leader and re-evaluate some of my common practices. I highly recommend it.

Good Read: Leaders at All Levels

Throughout history, the health care industry has been notorious for promoting good clinicians to management and sometimes senior leadership positions. The problem with this practice is that these managers often do not have the skill set to be successful themselves nor do they have what it takes to spot and nurture the next generation of leaders. In his book, Leaders at All Levels: Deepening Your Talent Pool to Solve the Succession Crisis, Ram Charan describes what some of the world’s most successful companies have done to develop leaders. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Lessons from Mayo Clinic

Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic: Inside One of the World's Most Admired Service Organizations

Service is the best form of marketing, and no other organization proves that better than Mayo Clinic.

In their book, Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic, authors Leonard Berry and Kent Seltman demonstrate how the Mayo brand was built from the ground floor up with its foundation anchored firmly in mission and values.

This book is a must read for health care leaders. It reminds us all that we have a responsibility to keep the patient first.

I'm a Mayo fan, not because of what I read, but because of my own personal experiences. This book shed light on why I am able to expect a consistently positive patient experience with every encounter I've had there. While many of us talk mission, Mayo lives it.

Good Read: Made to Stick

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

Chip Heath and Dan Heath have unraveled one of the mysteries of memorable communication tactics. The two authors discuss the most common characteristics of everything from urban legends to classic ad campaigns. They coined the term “stickiness” as understandable, memorable and effective in changing thought or behavior.

Good Read: Prescription for Excellence

When it comes to creating a world-class customer experience, Joseph Michelli has the prescription. In his new book, Prescription for Excellence: Leadership Lessons for Creating a World-Class Customer Experience from UCLA Health System (2011, McGraw Hill), Michelli walks the reader through five principles that, when practiced consistently, lay the foundation for excellence. From the first chapter, Michelli sets the pace for an intriguing look into one of America’s premier healthcare organizations. What I appreciate most about Michelli’s work is the way he makes a solid business case for service excellence while sharing pragmatic examples for how to make service happen more consistently. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Real-Time Marketing and PR

David Meerman Scott was the opening keynote at this year’s Sixteenth National Summit on Healthcare Marketing Strategies, March 27-29, 2011 in Orlando. His message was clear there as it was in his book, Real-Time Marketing and PR (2011, John Wiley and Sons) – The world is moving fast and the marketing champions are logged in, tuned in and conversing with stakeholders in real time. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Smile Guide by Paul Spiegelman

Does your culture promote employee engagement? Peter Drucker said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast," or, in other words, you can have the most comprehensive strategic plan in business history, but it won't gain an ounce of traction without a culture that is aligned well enough to execute that strategy. And alignment comes down to people. Continue Reading...

Good Read: Switch

I’m a big fan of the Heath brothers and have been since their first book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. They have a great way of helping their readers to find solutions in complex issue. In Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, the authors get at the root of why we humans have such difficulty with change and how we can overcome resistance to change. In this book, authors Chip and Dan Heath delve into the internal conflict between our emotional and rational selves. Continue Reading...

Good Read: The Art of Achievement

Every so often I run across a book that resonates so true that I feel as though it were written just for me. I had that feeling within the first two pages of the book The Art of Achievement: Mastering the 7 Cs of Success in Business and Life by Tom Morris. Although the book was released in 2002, I just got around to reading it now and am glad that I did. Continue Reading...

Good Read: The Empowered Patient

Three Reasons to Embrace The Empowered Patient There is absolutely no doubt that we are in an era of consumer-driven health care. Now, more than any other time in history, consumers have access to vital medical information and are using it to actively engaging in their care. They’re internet savvy, connected and asking questions. My question to the healthcare organizations of the world is; are you ready for this? Are your providers? Continue Reading...

Good Read: The Not So Patient Advocate

We all want to believe that we deliver patient and family centered care. In fact, many organizations have formed task forces and even positions that are charged with ensuring this individualized approach to care. But are we really delivering it consistently? And how are we responding to our most savvy consumers? Here’s your litmus test: read Ellen Menard’s book, The Not So Patient Advocate (Bardolf & Company, 2009). Continue Reading...

Good Read: What Got You Here Wont Get You There

If you have ever felt like you’ve hit a plateau in your career, this book might just shed light on what’s holding you back. It’s you and your nasty habits. No, this isn’t a commentary on lifestyle, it’s a quick look at some of the interpersonal habits that we develop over years.

Marshall Goldsmith clearly defines 20 of the most common habits that keep leaders from realizing their full leadership potential. Not only does Goldsmith spell out the habits, he does so with an engaging, non-threatening manner that helps the reader feel okay admitting that he or she is guilty of one, ten or maybe all 20 of the habits. I found myself doing some real soul-searching when reading through the 20 habits and learned some great steps that I can take to improve my skills.

I really appreciate Goldsmith’s writing style. He has a great message based on years of executive coaching. I highly recommend this book and encourage readers to use this as a springboard for self-reflection, journaling and action.

Good Read: Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins

For years we have been hearing that storytelling is a vital element of leadership particularly in organizations undergoing a culture shift. But not every leader is a good storyteller by nature. Well help is here. In her new book, Whoever tells the Best Story Wins (2007 AMACOM), Annette Simmons provides the tools needed to construct your stories in a natural, yet engaging, fashion. Simmons helps her readers to train their brains to begin thinking in story. Having come from a family made up of strong storytellers, I didn't realize one had to train the brain but if you do, now you will know how. Continue Reading...

Have You Read Raising the Bar on Service Excellence?

The new book features real-life stories of prepared and passionate health care leaders who are transforming their worlds into the health care organizations of the future. If you haven't ordered yet, visit our Products page order now! Continue Reading...

Raising the Bar Reviewed in Modern Healthcare

In a review published in Modern Healthcare earlier this week, Charles S. Lauer says, "Anybody in a leadership position in healthcare and who truly cares about the patient should read this book...The book is a pathway to what all of us want, whether we're healthcare consumers or providers: to make sure every patient leaves a hospital feeling treasured and cared for by passionate and caring staff members."