Category Archives: Other

The Purpose of Memorial Day

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Memorial Day is coming up on Monday and so I thought it would be good to remember why we celebrate this national holiday. I must admit that I became aware of my own weakness in American history as I researched the day.

Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and first took place on May 1st, 1865 to commemorate the Union soldiers that gave their lives during the Civil War. Nearly 10,000 people, mostly freedmen (freed slaves), gathered at the Race Course in Charleston, NC where many Union soldiers had died while being held as prisoners by the Confederate army.

Since that time this day has become a nation-wide commemoration of all who have died in the service of our country. People still decorate the graves of fallen soldiers with flags and flowers to remember their sacrifice for us.

Because this blog is usually focused on books, I thought it would be helpful to take a look at some of the children’s books that honor this day of remembrance. Perhaps those of you that have children and grandchildren can read one of these books with your kids so that they will know why Memorial Day is special.

Memorial Day by Jacqueline S Cotton introduces kids to the reason we celebrate Memorial Day, the different ways it’s celebrated, and uses pictures to introduce vocabulary around the event.

Memorial Day by Robin Nelson provides similar resources, but also includes a timeline of the development of the holiday to the present day.

The Wall by Eve Bunting follows the trip of a father and son as they look for the boy’s grandfather’s name on the Vietnam memorial.

Memorial Day by Karen Latchana Kenney provides an introduction to the holiday for first graders, including teaching respect for the symbols of America.

Let’s Get Ready for Memorial Day helps kids to prepare for this event and includes images and vocabulary they will need to understand the meaning of the day.

There are many more such books, which is good to see. I would encourage those of you who have children in your lives to take some time on Monday to help them learn about its meaning and the importance of the sacrifice of our military men and women.

The Dawn of a New Life Stage

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I was catching up on some reading over the weekend, and I came across an interesting piece in The New York Times. This article attempts to understand the lengthening of the journey to adulthood by people in their 20s. Whenever a piece like this is published, I tend to break out the ol’ salt shaker, because I know I’ll need more than a grain or two to take with any information presented. Thankfully, the article admits that the notion of the five traditional “milestones” for adulthood (graduation, moving out on one’s own, financial independence, marriage and the birth of a child) are part of a by-gone assembly line mentality whose end product was a fully manifested adult. Adolescents who are starting the journey to adulthood in 2010 may experience some of the previously accepted milestones in a different order (or not at all).

From my perspective, it’s been interesting to see how this shift in generational development applies to the workplace. It’s no coincidence that these changes are reflected in many of the business book submissions that cross my desk on a weekly basis. The “wandering youth” that opted to leave the well-worn path to adulthood occupy offices and cubicles down the hall from executives who were a product of the old assembly line. How the different generations interact has become an evergreen topic for authors.

Right now on Summary.com, we’re featuring coverage of Generations, Inc by Meagan Johnson and Larry Johnson. This book examines the interaction between the numerous generations that now share workspace and what organizations can do to foster an environment of teamwork and camaraderie.

This review is available for you now FREE! Visit us at Summary.com to learn how you can access this and more than 1,000 additional FREE business book reviews!

A FREE Resource You HAVE to Use!

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There’s a reason I tend to conclude my posts by telling everyone to visit Soundview’s Web site, Summary.com. The site is regularly updated with information about newly released executive book summaries, book reviews (1,000 FREE reviews and growing!), upcoming Soundview Live Webinars and other great business learning resources.

I’ve got great news about another new resource available at Summary.com. How much do you think it would cost to attend an event where you hear vital business lectures from speakers such as Bill George, Patrick Lencioni, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Paul Krugman and David M. Rubenstein, among others? The event is the World Business Forum, and a ticket can cost as much as $2,500.

Fortunately, Soundview has partnered with HSM Global, producers of the World Business Forum, to bring you exclusive audio summaries of the event’s major speakers. These audio summaries are available for you to listen to for FREE!

Each audio summary is a 10-minute MP3 that features a narrated overview of the speech. The summary includes actual clips from the live speech given by the presenter at World Business Forum. If these tough economic times meant that you weren’t able to spend $2,500 on a ticket to the World Business Forum, these FREE audio summaries allow you to hear what you missed.

I need to stress here that you do NOT have to be a Soundview subscriber to listen to the World Business Forum audio summaries. These exclusive content pieces are FREE for everyone to learn from and enjoy. In fact, I’d recommend starting with Patrick Lencioni, whose latest book Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding the Three Fears that Sabotage Client Loyalty is now available as a Soundview summary!

To listen to the audio summaries from the World Business Forum, CLICK THIS LINK!

Corporate Shopping Season

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Economists remain hopeful of an uptick in consumer spending during the upcoming holiday season. It’s generally held that an increase in consumer confidence will help further efforts for economic recovery. While the cash registers haven’t necessarily been clattering away at quite the rate which economists had hoped, there is certainly evidence that certain corporations are crossing a few items off of their shopping lists.

The acquisition of the NBC network by Comcast was one of the top stories this week. This acquisition will, no doubt, have an impact on the television industry that will take some time to be fully understood. For the time being, Federal regulators will certainly have an interest in what’s in Comcast’s shopping bag. There is still the potential that an equally large acquisition will occur in the food industry, as Kraft maintains its efforts to purchase chocolate maker Cadbury.

While these purchases could end up totaling in the billions, the average person is looking for something a little lighter on the wallet. Fortunately, I’ve got just the thing, and I wanted to mention it today. Soundview is featuring a special, limited time offer. You can purchase one gift subscription and receive a second gift subscription of equal or lesser value for FREE. Click here to learn more about this limited time offer.

Slacking: A Business Reality?

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While engaged in one of my favorite activities (trolling various publishers’ Web sites to check out upcoming business book releases), I came across a title that’s set to debut next week. A title like Instant Turnaround grabs one’s attention pretty quickly. The premise is even more interesting. Authors Harry Paul and Ross Reck explore a subject that might prove sensitive for both executive and employee: Do people intentionally “gear-down” their efforts as a way to retaliate for perceived mistreatment?

According to the authors, this is a “business reality,” and it can hit any level of an organization.  Fortunately, they provide solutions to help executives tap the wellspring of employee enthusiasm that may be held in reserve. I found it interesting that even in difficult economic times, people still hesitate to give their all. However, this can often be the result of an incorrect assumption that a company is nearing a round of layoffs or considering cutting perks and pay. Instant Turnaround should serve as a reminder to executives everywhere that communication is essential to keep employees motivated and on the same page as the company.

This book also appears to capitalize on a growing trend of writing a parable to illustrate the book’s main concepts. With any luck, Paul and Reck will be able to create a parable that can stack up to the master of a similar technique, Patrick Lencioni. His use of leadership fables has served him well through more than a half-dozen releases.

It’s obvious that none of the above authors lack any motivation when it comes to producing valuable work. Speaking of which, it’s about time I got back to my editorial duties.