Staff Picks
Porchlight is a company filled with voracious readers—talented, creative individuals who know books, and who excel at moving them. Whenever we can, we like to do that by telling you about the books we’re reading.
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Blog / Staff Picks
The Everything Store by Brad Stone
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
So, how does a specialty bookseller like 800-CEO-READ tackle reviewing Brad Stone's new book on the biggest bookstore in the world? We could ignore the book. We could deride the book.
Categories: staff-picks, publishing-industry
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Blog / Staff Picks
Minding Your Manners
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
Sometimes it seems like business has two faces. One is ruthless; ambitious people are encouraged to be relentless, take-no-prisoners assertive. The "soft stuff" is considered just that: soft.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Zentrepreneur: Create a Culture of Innovation and Fearlessness by John J. Murphy
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
Rather antithetically, Murphy isn't suggesting we get out in front of the pack to lead it, but instead step aside by creating a system that allows for change.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Saatchi & Saatchi: A Love Affair
Book Review by Porchlight
Love. It’s what smart companies want from their customers, followers, and fans. Many companies successfully establish their brands, but don’t take the extra steps to earn love from their audiences.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
In 1990, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote one of the classic books on creativity, Flow. We opened our tallying of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time with Flow because the book is about optimal experiences, "those times when people report feelings of concentration and deep enjoyment," and many people either access that feeling or wish to access that feeling at work. In that book, Csikszentmihalyi provides his theory behind the flow state and argues that such an unconscious contentedness is not as unpreditable or fortuitous as most people think.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Amaze Every Customer Every Time
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
Customers don't do business with a company. They do business with the people who work for the company. Everyone seems to have a story about their favorite Ace Hardware store.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
You Are Now Less Dumb
Book Review by Porchlight
I like to think. At least I like to think that I like to think. This idea I have about myself is exactly what drove me to pick up David McRaney’s new book, You Are Now Less Dumb.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Take a Day Off: Read a Book!
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
It is nearing the end of summer, at least in these parts, but there is still time to whittle down that long "to-read-on-vacation" list that you might have created in May, imaging long hot days laying in the sun, book in hand. If you are like me, summer is never quite the vast wasteland of time during which I can read to my heart's content that I always hope it will be. Instead, it is usually a time of rushing around the city from event to event, doing home and yard work, taking my child to a park/pool/playdate, and generally feeling like the summer is going by way too fast.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Become the Real Deal
Book Review by Porchlight
I’ve recently caught myself using the phrase, “(s)he’s the real deal,” when talking to friends and colleagues about people who have distinct reputations for success or innovation. It’s somewhat aphorismic, but what does this phrase even mean? Off the bat, there’s one word that comes to mind: authenticity.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Time for Design
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
I've had a copy of Lee Devin and Robert D. Austin's book, The Soul of Design: Harnessing the Power of Plot to Create Extraordinary Products, on my desk since September. On it was a little sticky note that read, "blog," as a reminder to myself that I wanted to take a longer look when time allowed.
Categories: staff-picks, narrative-biography