"This fieldguide is for all change champions who are learning about, seeking to, or who are in the midst of leading social or organizational change...The purpose of this fieldguide is to provide you with all of the necessary elements to implement a best practice change or leadershiip development initiative within your organization or social system. Contributors in this book are widely recognized as among the best in organizational change and leadership development. They provide invaluable lessons in succeeding during crisis or growth modes and economies...Within the forthcoming chapters, you will learn:

*Key elements of leading successful and result-driven change

*Tools, models, instruments, and strategies for leading change

*Trends and research on innovation, change and leadership

*Critical success factors and critical failure factors

*How to design, implement, and evaluate change and leadership initiatives (pp.viii-xi)".

In this context, D. Ulrich, M. Goldsmith, L. Carter, J. Bolt, and N. Smallwood (the editors) divide this invaluable book including twenty-two chapters of 'best practice' into three sections: (1). Transformational and Large Scale Change, (2). Fundamentals of Leading Change, (3). Transformational Leadership and Sustaining Results. They say, "we have different interests, clients, and approaches. We have each experienced successes and failures while hoping only for success. The failures were almost always failures to make correct assumptions about the fit between type of intervention, organizational system, and situation. It is these failures that help us learn; they make us humble and open our minds to different approaches...This fieldguide presents you with an array of choices for how to approach many complex situations. You will find many ideas that you can adapt to your own situation and needs. And, when you do lead change, lead with the same passion, humility, creativity, and commitment to stakeholders, customers, and excellence that have been exhibited by the change champions contributing to this book (from the Introduction)."

In the last chapter of the fieldguide, 'You Can't Be a Champion Unless You Keep Score,' John Sullivan focuses on importance of measuring results. He says that "If this were the Olympics, it would be obvious to all that you couldn't become a champion without measuring results. In fact, the definition of a champion is 'the one with the best results.' In the general business world the use of numbers and metrics is part of life...Within all major firms all projects, products, and business units are evaluated on the basis of numerical results. However, in direct contrast, we within HR resist using metrics, almost like developing them was the equivalent of a root canal...The Watson Wyatt Human Capital Index study demonstrated that the potential impact of people programs on a firm's overall market value could be as high as 47 percent. The road is clear and the time is right. HR must now seize this unprecedented opportunity to adopt metrics and to become the next 'corporate hero' (pp.279-283)"

Therefore, after saying "metrics are the fastest and the cheapest way to change behavior in business," he demonstrates:

I.Nine reasons to utilize metrics: (1). Meeting your goals, (2). Driving improvement, (3). Obtain funding, (4). Early warning a.k.a 'smoke detectors,' (5). Understanding critical success factors, (6). Shift to fact-based decisions, (7). Metrics change behaviors, (8). Eliminate confusion, (9). Builds coordination/cooperation.

II.Eight steps in developing metrics: (1). Select a metric for each program goal, (2). Choosing between soft and hard metrics, (3). Understanding the different categories of business impact, (4). Selecting simple but attention-getting metrics, (5). Understanding the characteristics of great measures, (6). Selecting from standard HR metrics, (7). Selecting from advanced metrics, (8). Building the business case for increased HR funding.

III.Eleven decision factors for approving HR projects: (1). A low initial investment, (2). The project has a high ROI, (3). Similar projects implemented elsewhere have a high success rate or a low risk of failure, (4). The project starts right away without a long delay, (5). There is a short payback period, (6). The project has a complete set of accurate results metrics and a method for collecting metric information, (7). No new headcount is required, (8). The project has negative consequences for failure built in, (9). The program gives us a competitive advantage over other firms, (10). The program can demonstrate that it increases worker productivity, (11). A project team is credible and has high success rate on previous projects.

Finally, Sullivan writes, "HR professionals understand that the world of business has recently lost its tolerance for decisions made without facts and for programs that don't produce measurable results...Metrics can provide you with the opportunity to be superior performer by letting you know unambiguously where you are and how far you have to go. Your future path is clear; you can't become a champion...without measuring your results (pp.297-298)."

I highly recommend this invaluable fieldguide to all change champions of the future.

This is like a conference within a book without the travel and expense - I learned from the top thought leaders in the field such as David Cooperrider - the creator of Appreciative Inquiry, Marshall Goldsmith - one of the world's top coaches and experts on behavioral change, Jerry Sternin - the founder of applied positive deviance, Louis Carter - one of the foremost experts in best practices in leadership and organization development, Kathleen Dannemiller - the creator of whole scale change, Dave Ulrich - one of the world's top 5 management educators ranked by Business Week, Lawrence Susskind - the Director of the Consensus Building Institute at MIT/Harvard, the well known futurist Ryan Matthews, the world's leading expert in succession planning Dr. William Rothwell, Dr. W. Warner Burke, the award winning teacher and consultant and many more! Any organization that does not have a copy of the fieldguide in their organization will seriously lack competitive advantage.

This book is an absolute steal for the price. It is extremely generous in the information it provides. There are 22 chapters of the best theories, practices, and examples in change/business management and leadership/organization development -- with an eye towards getting results that matter for you and your organization. This book has already helped me to make my job more valuable inside of my organization - as well as helped me to better understand how to get my ideas implemented faster - and improved my chances of getting a promotion! Thank you to the publisher and editors for providing me with a book that has far exceeded my expectations.

This book is honestly the best book ever. I read it to my sister and she's six. She had me read it again and again and honestly I enjoyed every minute of it. It made me feel like a kid again. It's truly for all ages!! You'll LOVE it.

This book shines. It's a magical tale for all children. Nicky the little reindeer is so sweet. The Wee People taps into her irish heritage so well. And Kiki and Koko are so troublesome. It's truely adorable. i hope this is turned into a movie soon.

children will love this book, because it is full of mystery, magic, and fantasy. adults will love this book, because it is a reminder that inside, we are all children. peggy marshall is a new author with many more great books to come. this is the greatest story i have ever read in my entire life. i hope to see this book turned into a movie soon. happy reading!

This cookbook would be fun reading even if you didn't cook! I especially loved the Alaska tidbits in the sidebars.

The VERY BEST Alaskan Cookbook. You need it

I live a block away from the restaurant, but find myself turning to the book to cook one of their specialities at home, especially Halibut Caddy Ganty, Pasta Greta Garbo, or some of their hearty soups.

This book finally inspired me to start baking my own bread again, too. Their basic whole wheat bread recipe is great for a single person since it's for one loaf.

This is a wonderful book for seafood lovers, especially if you want to impress your friends with some inspired fish recipes. It's obvious that the cooks who wrote this book love cooking, and want readers to enjoy it too!

Anyone who collects action figures from the 1970's needs this book. Anyone who HAD action figures in the 1970's needs this book. Lots of pictures, lots of price values, and lots of information. Not just a price value or pictorial guide, the text is surprisingly fun to read with Marshall's oddly biting humor and obvious genuine fascination with the subject matter.

The first of a trilogy by John Marshall (he has two other, similar books; one about 60's toys, the other about the 80's), this is the one closest to my heart. ALL of the toys I collected as a kid are either pictured or mentioned. He must be around my age, because his memories of buying and playing with his toys somewhat mirror my own (and that's what collecting is all about; NOSTALGIA, not values and prices...right? RIGHT!?).

More than just a price guide, this book is a funny, informative walk down memory lane that would make a great gift for any boy who played with toys in the seventies.

PS. His chapter on the Micronauts is worth the price of the book!

Of all the many books produced about the timeless toy classic of G.I. Joe, none has reached the pinnacle of understanding, love and respect than Mr. Marshall's. His in-depth coverage of the development of America's Mobile Fighting Man is beyond any other writing on the subject. Combined with John Marshall's particular humorist style, the era of these action figures is brought back to life. If you love G.I. Joe, you MUST OWN THIS BOOK!

After a while, books on spirituality can begin to sound the same. Not this book! It is refreshing in it's approach to some very basic questions? Who is God? Who is Jesus? among others. It takes the idea of religion to a greater perspective. God is God of the Universe, not just of the planet Earth. The implications of this concept are tremendous and it makes perfect sense to me. Anyone who believes in life beyond this planet will find that this book makes an important connection. Two thumbs up to this one!

many a statement written in this book i have already experienced as true. i would not have known some of this knowledge to be real if i had not experienced it strongly myself. it is not theory, but truth that is discussed here. And what a statement it makes! What a purpose it brings to our lives. For the ride of your life, buckle up and read Greater Community Spirituality, and continue consciousness on a new and higher level of understanding. Get ready to feel that all too unfamiliar warm, fuzzy, feeling of being with someone who loves you: YOURSELF.

The wisdom in these books is so concrete - they offer answers to personal dilemmas and a world perspective without being mired in interpretations and metaphors or advocating situational ethics. (Sonia)

In a world of quick fix leadership books touting the latest fad du jour, the Sashkin's have provided a series of leadership lessons that work. Unlike other fad books they have grounded this approach in both theory and thorough research. More important, they have done this in a direct, easy to understand style and structure that lends itself to action. If you want to
know the current leadership fads so you can hold your own at a cocktail party, this book is not for you. If you want to lead in a dynamic environment and build a culture that thrives on change, this is the book for you.

Dr. Brad Lafferty
Synergy Inc. Washington DC

This book presents an excellent synthesis of the major theories that have defined the framework within which leadership is currently explored and practiced. Furthermore, it offers a clear and well defined stream of logic that will provide readers the opportunity to identify and implement some changes in their lives that could make a difference in the way they lead and follow. The crisp and concise presentation, the smooth flow, and the nice balance of theory and practice embedded within its content makes this book a valuable resource for students, researchers, consultants, and managers alike - as well as anyone else who would like to enhance and broaden their views on leaders and leadership.

This book does a marvelous job of surveying the existing landscape of scholarly writing on leadership; then it brings a new clarity to the topic. It seems we have suffered for years with authors promoting a single aspect of leadership -- either traits, or behaviors, or situation/context. The Sashkins show how the combination of the three aspects more fully describes meaningful leadership. Finally a book that isn't about managing, but actually about meaningful leadership. Probably the best one out there today.

While this book provides good information on many basic concepts in C++, many of the author's snappy one-line answers are downright annoying. For example:

Q: What is a downcast?
A: Trouble.

Or this:
Q: Why is downcast dangerous?
A: It's like walking on a highwire without a safety net.

Or this:
Q: What is contravariance?
A: The glue that holds OO together.

Many people will find the one-liners amusing, I am sure. Personally I think they are a waste of paper. Good practice should always be making definitive statements in the one-liner, and put the descriptive ones in the paragraph that follows, not the other way round.

To sum up: good technical advice, dubious style.

see similar title by same autho

This books answers all the questions one can imagine about C++. It sure eplains the things which are usually not explained by other books. I suggest this book, to all who are interested in learning C++, as a must read book. It is surely a definite guide to good programming.

For the fans of Miss Gene Marshall, this walk down Hollywood's memory lane will not be a disappointing one. Gene's early days from childhood to her initial experiences on the set of her first motion picture, Blond Lace, serve to chronicle the much anticipated story of one of the 20th centuries most beloved celebrities.

A carousel of sweetly flavored reminisces from "those in the know" are often interwoven by the tartness of tensel town's own diva, Madra Lord.

This well written text left this particular reader wanting more, more, MORE!

I had wanted this book since I first heard about, so when I got it for my birthday, I was very pleased. The book is just beautiful, Mel Odom's illustrations are fabulous, as are the photographs which make Gene seem to come alive. After reading through the "interviews" and letters from people who worked with Gene, you almost find yourself believing that she was a real person, and want to go and rent a movie staring her, which sadly one cannot do. It is a wonderful book to add to your collection, and it makes Gene's story even more real. I highly recomend it to any Gene fan. Even if you do not collect Gene dolls, this book would make for an entertaining read.

I just saw the Gene Marshall - Girl Star book at Borders. It is beautifully photographed with excellent illustrations. This book will make an excellent addition to any coffee table in any home. The story line is very well thought out and it can rival any fiction of the 1940s. Also, the book should be displayed right along with the Gene dolls that all of the collectors have, it would make a great conversation piece for visiting guests in your home.

This is a great mini-coffee table book (get the hardcover if you REALLY dig this stuff!) offering hours of information and photos of the famous atomic bomb tests on naval ships at Bikini Atoll. The 190 page book is broken into nine chapters and has excellent notes on sources. Background information covers the first half of the book while the second is focused on recent dives to many of the famous and lesser known ships that were sunk here. The writing is very informative and the photographs are absolutely haunting, particularly the ones of the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga! Several color photos are included in the center. The author pushes no agenda in this book. He merely reports the facts available both "good and bad".

My Dad was there (USS Reclaimer) - swimming in the atoll the day after the blasts, cleaning refuged ships, etc. It's amazing he's still alive.

Nice photos; good summaries. This isn't a full-blown account of Operation CrossRoads but a nice summary of the ships. If you are interested in OC, this is a good book to have on your shelf.

James Delgado does a very good job of reviewing the sunken ships of Bikini Atoll and telling the story of the 1946 atomic bomb tests. I read this book after diving at Bikini Atoll and found it to be a good treatment of a topic that has received too little attention. As far as wreck diving goes, Bikini Atoll is the best in the world, and my only disappointment with this book is that it does not fill the need for a coffee-table-style photographic survey of the incredible shipwrecks at Bikini. That being said, Delgado's book is a nice compromise between such a coffee table book and the more comprehensive historical treatment in Jonathan Weisgall's superb book on Bikini Atoll.

This is a very entertaining book. I have not read a novel in years and I could not stop reading it. Yes, it was that good. The author's imagination is genius. This is a story of man's survival and invites a spacious question - what will save man when a natural disaster and manmade killing virus threaten earth and life? Will it be his technology or his spirituality that rescues him? The author takes us on an exciting journey around the world and beyond. This tale has action and adventure, futuristic gizmos and gadgets, sexy assassins and loving romance, dirty politicians and humanitarians, and much more. This a fun and thought provoking book to read. I recommend it.

I wish to add one more statement to an earlier review of Godschild Covenant.

Marshall's insight from Godschild Convenant that described the 3-Gorges Virus shows exactly what is happening in China - the spreading of SARS. According to the Indian News, China has created this virus from its Bio-weapons lab. This is another of Marshall's phrophetic warning from his book.

Godschild Covenant
Godschild Covenant, written by Marshall Masters, is a very unique, poetic and uplifting book. In it, Mr. Masters shows great insight into the immense strength of the human spirit, insight which many people alive now have been unable to notice, whether it be because of their busy lifestyle or their aspirations toward a specific goal.
From beginning to end, Godschild Covenant demonstrated moving, poetic tenderness. While restricted by circumstances, the story of the sexual love between Anthony and Tanya was shown to be heart wrenching and full of the emotional beauty of a love between two soul mates.
This unique book is futuristic, yet full of truth. It uplifts the reader from the normal, mundane, everyday existence to a place that all of humanity will eventually reach. Ahead of his time, Marshall Masters is giving humanity a message, a prediction, which will soon come to pass. Meanwhile, Marshall, with his mastery of imagination and narrative skill, leads the reader through entertainment to the truth of a realistic, yet hopeful land, the land of the Godschild Covenant.
This story surpasses all other novels and works of fiction.
It is an immensely rewarding journey; it is so inspiring, so enticing that it makes one want to reach the last word of the book, while still feeling sorry for the fact that the book is drawing to an end.

Ming Friedman
April 27, 2003
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