A life with purpose will beckon all of us at some point to answer these questions. Are we doing something worthwhile with life? Is our work meaningful? Are we wasting it away at a keyboard or in an office or in the air on business travel? Is this what we imagined ourselves to be doing [...]
nonfiction
The “Perricone Prescription” started out very interesting, as Dr. Perricone shares the depth of his research on aging, skin care, cause of wrinkles, and his secrets to looking fabulous. His research results can be summarized in one short snap: Inflammation is at the root cause of all our perils of aging. Inflammation can be caused, [...]
True leadership is recognized universally, regardless of bipartisanship, differences in style and strategy and desired outcome. True leadership is recognized by everyone, and we would be hard pressed to find anyone that would not recognize it in Colin Powell. Oren Harari does a thorough job portraying that character in his book, ”Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell“. Harari [...]
I still remember the short and fidgety instructor we had that day. He was there to teach the 1-day course for discovering your strengths, based on philosophies and ideas on Buckingham and Clifton’s book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths“. I went to the very front and took my seat. If I am here, I want to [...]
Recommended Dr. Stephen Covey, one of my all-time favorite authors and speakers, this book is refreshing in its organizational leadership ideas and problem-solving approach. Over a dozen business and leadership books later, I am able to confidently say this book presents ideas rarely seen in its genre. The premise of this book focuses on one’s own [...]
A memoir of growing up Iranian in America – that alone should give away the reason “Funny in Farsi” is one of my dear favorites. I love Firoozeh Dumas’s dry wit. I love her bold spirit. I love her courage to be self-deprecating and her defense of the Iranian culture conundrums. I admire how she [...]
What makes one idea stick and another fade? What seeming intangibles do people with successful ideas grasp and implement better than rest of us? In a world where technology, work and media move at a maddening pace, no one wants to be left behind. And it is a struggle to get anyone’s attention – not [...]
I will not forget the glance from a flight passenger as she nudged her boyfriend to steal a glance at the title of my book, as they made their ways to their seats in the plane. What is it to her? An why do I care what anyone thinks what I read? Well, in this [...]
I was in my Toastmasters meeting in the Piano conference room on a beautiful Wednesday morning in 2003 when I first heard about Lance Armstrong. Megan was up for giving her speech about courage and inspiration. A strong and determined woman. I was not the only one moved beyond words by her speech – her [...]
“You punk, if you don’t know how to lose, you’ll never know how to win. If you don’t know this, you shouldn’t be playing.” – Grace Welch Jack Welch claims that his biggest influence in life came from his mother in the form of those words. When he lost a game of hockey at an [...]
What is it like to be a CEO of a company? I have wondered about this question for as long as I have dreamt to be in the position of a Chief Executive someday, somehow, somewhere. Ambitions of a current phase I suppose. The more I read, the more I realize that this lofty ambition, [...]
A far cry from the classics or other well-written, professional reading from which I usually choose, “Skinny B!tch” is a diet book adorned with profanity, fuzzy “scientific facts” and outrageous opinions that despite having some truth, still create a crass and arrogant tone. I read it cover to cover because I was determined to get [...]
“The first person you lead is you” How true indeed. How could we become leaders of others if we have no leadership over our own lives, our own deeds and direction? John C. Maxwell is a leader in business books. He has written numerous books on business, leaderships, relationships, attitude, and management. If you are [...]
I remember Michael J. Fox as one of the earliest actors I watched him on television after I had first come in the US. He was witty, likable, and good looking. It was hard not to notice Michael J. Fox in the early 1990s with his rise to fame and stardom. It was also hard not [...]
Reading Travels in the perfect setting of Hawaii made it all the more memorable. This is perhaps the least well-known work by the prolific and beloved Michael Crichton, and yet it served as my introduction to his work and writing. I also found it very fitting that my first reading of him was an autobiography, and [...]
“Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage” What a refreshing way to give us “The 5 dysfunctions of a team” in a business world: through an astutely written fable. Lencioni’s writing is insightful, easy to read, and hard to forget. The conversational style, which is not usually [...]
