Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently By John C. Maxwell

Most of us probably believe we communicate well with others. Some would say they excel in one-on-one interactions. Others exude confidence expressing themselves in group settings. And a few, such as pastors, are used to regular public speaking and likely feel they’ve mastered the ability to communicate with a larger audience.

But what if we’re wrong? What if, as leadership guru John C. Maxwell suggests in his new book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, our words are actually having the opposite effect? What if the words and actions we use to interact with others are actually building walls instead of bridges, without our even realizing it, and keeping us from being as successful as we could be in our personal, as well as professional, lives?

“People cannot succeed in life without communicating effectively,” writes Maxwell. “It’s not enough just to work hard. It’s not enough to do a great job. To be successful, you need to learn how to really communicate with others.”

The problem, the author notes, is that most of us really don’t know how to do this well—not even pastors. We think we do; but there are principles at play many of us are not even aware of when it comes to how to truly connect—not just communicate—with others. And what we don’t know is holding us back from our own potential and ability to effectively influence people and situations.

Maxwell admits that even he—a renowned speaker and leadership expert—wasn’t always a good communicator. He himself had to learn how to connect with others. In his new book, a well-written and enjoyable read, he shares these principles with us.

Outlining five “connecting principles” as well as five “connecting practices,” the author details, in practical terms, the precise steps one can take to improve his or her communication skills. His advice is clear, and each chapter ends with action steps readers can implement immediately—whether they are trying to improve one-on-one interactions, group communication dynamics or connecting with a large audience from a platform.

The book is packed with helpful anecdotes, and one aspect that sets it apart from other works on the subject is that Maxwell had posted each chapter online as he wrote them, asking his audience for feedback and to share their own ideas, suggestions and stories. More than 75 of these real-life accounts ended up in the book, along with other editorial changes based on the input received.

The result? An excellent book on communication—one of the best out there—that will help any reader improve his or her personal life and career potential.

Book Review: I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse - by Michael Franzese

I'll be the first to admit that I've had a long standing interest in the inner working of the mob and La Cosa Nostra. From the very first time I watched The Godfather, I was struck with a desire to understand how the organized crime families maintain and pass along these secret unwritten rules that these so called "made men" live by. Michael Franzese, a mob boss and second generation power figure in organized crime, is the perfect storyteller and he does so with an interesting twist. He takes the Machiavellian code of conduct that is understood as standard rules of engagement in La Cosa Nostra and he translates them into lessons that are portable to the business of large corporations and to life in general.
The book itself is very entertaining. Franzese, like many of the mob/mafia figures I’ve seen portrayed in movies and documentaries, has mastered the art of vivid storytelling. I also liked the way the author juxtaposed the philosophies of Machiavelli and Solomon to support his new found, post mafia view of the business world and how it should operate. All and all, the book is a very enjoyable read. If you looking for game changing, original business concepts and advice, you won’t get that in this book. The business lessons in the book are valuable, but they are fairly standard and can be found in most any good business book.

The Noticer by Andy Andrews

First, I'd like to begin by saying this is absolutely the best self-help/self improvement book I've read in a quite a while, partly because it was not preachy or full of empty cliches that are absolutely useless to readers who are looking for guidance and instruction on specific things that can be incorporated in their daily lives. The book contains many of the same general principles you would find in many self improvement books, but the main difference is the writer makes the story and the message infinitely more interesting and compelling by presenting these principles through short stories about people in a small, rural beach community.

At the center of all these short stories and parables is a central figure, Jones, who mysteriously appears during times when the main characters in these stories are in dire need of help and moral or emotional support. The central theme of these stories is around perspective and how people, in general, posses everything they need to change their own lives for the better. The author very skillfully describes the problems each person is having and then inserts Jones who provides wisdom and instruction on ways that those people can alter their behavior or their thinking to eliminate or lessen the impact of those problems.

What I found a tab bit confusing was the central figure, Jones, would disappear for weeks, months, and sometimes years, then without any sort of provocation, he would show up in this town. He did not age at all and his clothing and his slightly worn leather briefcase would appear mostly unchanged. There were also multiple mentions of people not really knowing what race or nationality Jones was, and he seemed to take on different cultural names, depending on the person he was helping or dealing with. I can only surmise that this is attempt by the author to demonstrate that faith in someone or something greater than one’s self is very personal and you see that being or thing through the lens of your own existence.