1 comments about Agent of Change: My Life, My Practice (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series).

1. I expected Beckhard to tie his professional experiences to consulting practices and principles. Though that occured to an extent, I felt more like I was reading some sort of stream-of-conciousness narrative. The stories just seemed to ramble--no synthesis of ideas or cohesion of thought. The writing was mediocre at best.

   Some points were valuable, but not worth the investment of time and money. If you don't care about how you spend your money or your time, perhaps this is the book for you.

No comments about The Legend of Noble Drilling.

5 comments about Dancing With Lions.

1. This book does what it promises - it describes how one man stopped and realized how different it feels to have positive vs. negative P/L given the same market action. This is not a bombshell, but is quite readable and entertaining.
   
   "Feel the other side of your trade" is how this book could be summarized. Then there's a lot of ranting about brokerage business and a bit of self-aggrandizement - which takes away one star in my opinion. Oh, and he knows two "100% win" traders... :-)
   
   Also, it seems that mysterious "Trader X" is really not-so-mysterious J.A. Jankovsky - you can read his book or listen to him on CBOT website.
   
   So let's sink another drink
   'Cause it'll give me time to think
   If I had the chance
   I'd ask the world to dance
   And I'll be dancing with myself



2. This is the guy on the other end. I have been a futures broker, investor, and I authored the book "Futures For Small Speculators". I have done all of this over the past 13 years and in that time I have seen some crazy events.

   Unfortunately, I can attest to the fact that when I started out there were brokers that were drug addicts. But they were few or far between. I never saw anyone doing lines while speaking with a client. There were also other unscrupulous behavior. But I only saw this when I inadvertently fell into a "boiler room".

   None of this behavior that Trader X discusses can be found in legitimate companies. It makes me wonder what kind of person was he for staying in that type of environment. I left the second week I was there when I saw brokers in the hallways shooting craps. How much more of a hint do you need to take that a particular place is not for you.

   Trader X suffered from bad judgement and it reflected in his trading as well as in his decision to write this book anonymously. This is a very interesting treatise on trading. Only you can find the relevance for yourself.




3. Reading this book is extremely worthwhile for the same reason Mark Douglas's books are; i.e. they relate more to being a more powerful and disciplined human being and then applying that to your chosen endeavor of trading, rather than rehashed things about cutting your losses and technical indicators. Succinctly put, it is about understanding things in terms of conflict, and knowing yourself and how you reach decisions in order to resolve those conflicts in the way where you become the winner....instead of reacting unconsciously.

   The author looks at market action in a way I've never seen described anywhere else, and to me is very original though it is most applicable to futures markets than equity markets (though I'm starting to pay closer attention to open interest in options now).




4. The cover is very telling. You are the mirror. When you look at the market is reflects off you. You are the market. Ponder these points:

   I am nothing; yet I am everything.
   I see nothing; yet I see everything.
   I win with what is inside me; I lose with what is inside me.
   I am the market; I always win.

   This book contains kernels of truth. Ask yourself if you want to see the kernels of truth. Are you prepared to be a mirror?




5. The writer basically shows his experience how trading is no piece of cake, and many are fooled into thinking it is. Most traders don't need to read a book like this after they have been trading for a few months.

   He also "exposes" the brokerage industry as an industry filled with coke addicts and innept jobs. Supposedly these people would snort coke while on the lines with customers. Well, excuse me I have not had a job as a broker, but I find it hard to believe it is filled with coke addicts any more than, say, accountants.

   All throughout the book while reading the revelations that trading is not easily mastered you must contend with a giant ego, and statements like, "when I was a loser, I had no idea what I was doing. Now, I am a winner, and I do the right things."

   He also takes a story out of Charles Le Beau's book, an incident that happened in the sixties. I have no idea if he met the same person an identical individual or he is making that up too.

1 comments about Bush Pilot With a Briefcase: The Incredible Story of Aviation Pioneer Grant McConachie.

1. This book is a tribute to the man who single-handedly shaped the face of Canadian avation, written by a long-time friend. Through a series of anecdotes depicting the adventures and misadventures of the former president of Canadian Pacific Airlines, Keith is able to paint a vivid picture of this charismatic, lovable man, while maintaining the legend that surrounds him. Well worth anyone's time; a great mixture of adventure and humour.

5 comments about Gustavo Cisneros: The Pioneer.

1. This person is allied with the dictador chavez. He is a traidor of Venezuela.He ows the TV channel called Venevision and when the students are been attacked, hitted, fired , arrested by the police , Venevision does not inform that. For Venevision only exists the government point of view.This guy has sold his soul to chavez.



2. This is a must for any Managing Director that wants to take his business to a totally different level - locally or internationally !!!
   
   Every chapter brings light to whole new scenarios to any business !!!
   
   The book has a lot of tips how to approach opportunities and how to exit from them ( if necessary !!!)
   
   Although along the lines you can taste the business experience and how Mr Cisneros and his team has continuesly grown their empire, the english translator might has lost some key elements that are not evident to a outsider of Venezuela. Some minor mistakes were found but I am sure future reviews should take care of them.
   
   Probably due to time and other factors, details of certain marketing strategies and negotiations were missing so the reader could not taste fully that particular flavour, however, I already have enough ammunition and few new ideas.
   
   This book should also be a must in any MBA program.



3. This book offers a business profile of Gustavo Cisneros, and a detailed description of his ongoing career as an entrepreneur. It develops along three main lines: First, the book tells the story of the growth of Cisneros' web of business concerns on a global scale, and the transformation of what originally was a Venezuelan-based organization into a much bigger corporate structure. In second place the book discusses what may be called Cisneros' business philosophy, his singular way of doing business, the principal elements of his corporate vision, and his willingness to take calculated risks. Finally the author, Chilean journalist Bablo Bachelet, explores Cisneros' wide-ranging educational and cultural activities, and his notion of corporate social responsibility.
   
   The book begins with a summary account of the origins of Cisneros'business empire and of his father's initial steps in Venezuela, then analyzes the complex and fascinating process that led to the Cisneros organization's international expansion. It discusses some of the key business deals achieved by Cisneros over a period of three decades, highlighting the cases of Spalding & Evenflo, DirectTV, the alliance with Coke, AOL Latin America, and Univision.
   
   Of no less interest are the sections describing Cisneros' activities as an art collector and as a member of the boards of Universities, Museums, and other institutions in the United States, his philantropic concerns, the significant educational programs promoted by the Cisneros Foundation in Latin America, and his --and his wife's-- involvement in projects designed to preserve the cultural legacy of native communities in South America. Bachelet's work ends with a long epilogue, updating Cisneros' business trajectory and especulating about the future direction of his efforts.I found the book well-written and attention-catching, and I feel it will be of great interest to those who think lessons can be learned from what others have done.



4. Before reading this book I had a rather vague idea of who Gustavo Cisneros was. I knew for instance that he was a prosperous Venezuelan enprepreneur who had also made good in the United States, and I had a faint recollection of the impact that his switch from Pepsi to Coke produced on the business community and beyond a few years ago. What I didn't know, and have now learnt, is that Cisneros is a truly innovative figure, who has developed a distinct and highly efficient style of doing businesses, and been involved in a number of impressive financial deals.
   
   For those who are looking for details about Cisneros' private life, or the kind of gossipy chat that is common in many so-called "biographies" of modern capitalism's tycoons, this is clearly not their book. However, if any of you think it feasible to can extract lessons from the accomplishments and the mistakes of others, particularly in the business field, Pablo Bachelet's book will prove a mine of lessons to be learned.
   
   The author, a Chilean journalist especializing on economic issues -and now working for the Reuters news agency in Washington, D.C.- has done his research, and written a lively and at times fascinating book, that takes us from Cisneros' first steps as an avid learner in his father's footsteps, through the key stages of his business career, culminating with an overview of his most recent initiatives. Bachelet goes deep into some of the pivotal moves in Cisneros' career, including his decision to internationalise his businesses, his entry into the U.S. market, the purshase of Spalding & Evenflo, his incursions in Europe, and his visionary ventures in Univision, DirecTV, AOL Latin America -among several others.
   
   The book is copiously illustrated with photographs that show Cisneros in an eclectic company, with friends ranging from former U.S, Presidents Reagan, Carter, Bush and Clinton, to current President George W. Bush, and including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger and Margaret Thatcher.
   
   Bachelet insists that there is no single or secret formula that explains Cisneros' achievements, but he points out that a wide and deep pool of contacts extended all over the world, as well as a dedicated concern to cultivate those friendships, go a long way toward explaining Cisneros' remarkable performance as a global entrepreneur.
   
   In sum, I would recommend this book to anybody interested in the study of the attitudes and skills that promote -but can never guarantee- success in business.



5. Anyone interested in Latin America or global business and politics will find Pablo Bachelet's biography of Venezuelan billionaire Gustavo Cisneros fascinating reading. Bachelet, a Chilean journalist, provides an insider's view of Cisneros's remarkable career. The roots of that career were firmly planted in the initial successes of Gustavo's father Diego Cisneros, whose astute ability to anticipate market demands in Venezuela was inherited by his son and then developed on an international scale. Gustavo Cisneros is perhaps best known as the co-founder of the Spanish-language media company Univision, though his choices have included an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of business interests.
   
   Despite the high stakes involved in what he does, there is a sense of highly intelligent playfulness about Cisneros's approach - a man who uses his heart and his (very good) instincts as much as his head in business. It's a creative, even visionary approach that has allowed him the flexibility to make some unexpected and highly profitable moves at the right moments and with the right partners. He's also a man with many good friends in high places and there are numerous photos of Cisneros with world-renowned celebrities, dignitaries and high rollers, as well as with his family. His wife Patricia Cisneros is a well-known and highly respected collector of Latin American art; the glimpses we get of her life in Gustavo Cisneros: Pioneer are intriguing. Together with Gustavo's brother Ricardo, Patricia and Gustavo founded the Fundacion Cisneros, which carries out their many philanthropic activities in education, culture, environment and health.
   
   Although the very uniqueness of Gustavo Cisneros's life and approach to business make it impossible to replicate his success, there are so many valuable lessons here (diversification and vertical integration of businesses being paramount) that it should be required reading in MBA programs. But even for the rest of us it's an absorbing story with more surprises than a telenovela.

No comments about Innsights: An Innsitter's Tale.

1 comments about Alaska Odyssey: Gospel of the Wilderness.

1. This is a well-written book about life in pre-oil Alaska. It is a two-part book, the first part detailing the various business ventures of the author and his wife. While the absences of minutiae are appreciated, at times a bit more explanation would help to get the point across. Being the curmudgeon he is this is a deliberate way to get the reader to think. The book is a very accurate portrayal of life in the Territory of Alaska.
   The second part deals with his philosophical outlook on life. His candid details about his thoughts and hopes regarding the world and humanity are thought provoking whether or not you agree. After reading this book there is no doubt, Hal Thornton is a profound thinker.
   This is definitely a five star book.

No comments about Fools Rush in: Steve Case, Jerry Levine, And the Unmaking of Aol Time Warner.

No comments about Staying With It: Role Models of Perseverance (The Role Models of Human Values Series) (The Role Models of Human Values Series).

No comments about More Than I Dreamed/a Lifetime of Collecting.