I always read the book while I was working out on the machines at the gym. Well, the book is so suspenseful and exciting that I repeatedly found myself working out much longer than usual so that I could continue reading!
It's a great book - the message hits home. I honestly believe that it will play a role in turning around lives for Christ. It allows you to peak inside the characters' minds and see the spiritual battles that go on. It also keeps you guessing . . . in fact, I'm still kept guessing as I wait for the sequel - plus, I have no motivation to go to the gym!
I loved how the author described what it means- the bottom never ends. I found so much truth to my own life in this book. It's the first time I've seen Christianity described without the over cheesy context of other Christian books. This was not only on the edge, but showed how Christianity can be such a dangerous threat to all of the evil enterprises out there if we're willing to roll up our sleves and just simply fight back.
But with all the machoism of the book, the sole purpose is to show the power of having unconditional motives and to love others first, no strings attached. I love the point he made of that idea through many key relationships in the book. I don't know how many people have read this book, but if it's not many, what a shame that is.
Full of down-to-earth advice, a number of assessments & worksheets, lots of how-tos (and some not-tos), most chapters in this book end with "Here are some steps you can take to..." or "Here are some questions..." As a bonus, Why the Bottom Line Isn't integrates much of the current thinking in leadership and organizational effectiveness into a whole.
Those of us who have been around the field have come to expect this kind of book from David Ulrich and his many author friends-in this case, Norm Smallwood. The price of the book is easily recouped from an entertaining section on organizational "viruses" and a suggested antivirus program.
List price: $28.00 (that's 30% off!)
List price: $55.95 (that's 30% off!)
This book truly inspired me to work harder, never give up and provides great ideas for anyone trying to run a successful agency.
The downside is that there is alot of nepotism here.
Find out how certian stars became stars because Uncle so and so was an agent or a lawyer for, etc.
Many industries have a proving ground. In investment banking we put them on as a trading or sales assistant hoping they will pick up the lingo and learn on the fly. But the agency mailroom seems to be about feeding egos of senior agent's with much more screaming, yelling and attention paid to personal chores. They do mention many of the nice agents as well as the agents who were best at teaching the mailroom guys. My favorite stories are about CAA because it is next door to my favorite hotel the Peninsula and because of the Mike Ovitz aura. Mike doesn't come off particularly well in the book but partner Ron Meyer does come off as a particularly sharp and nice guy.
The positives and negatives of the mailroom run from taking your bosses stool sample in the doctor to having nude actresses answer the door. I also enjoyed the stories of the CAA mailroom which had a particularly high level of paranoia. I had met media mogul and former agent, Mike Medavoy so it was interesting seeing his son's quotes who was eventually fired due to information leaked to his father.
If you have any interest in the business side of Hollywood, you'll like this book. Other books of interest would be "Wannabe" about an MBA's attempt to succeed at the low levels of Hollywood, and Lynda Obst's book "Hello, He Lied" about her journey from journalist to producer.
List price: $14.00 (that's 20% off!)
List price: $14.00 (that's 20% off!)
If you want to read a truly unique and stimulating book, YOU GOTTA GET IT!