Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina not only challenge but indeed obliterate much conventional wisdom about organizational growth and individual development. Those inclined to challenge them would be well-advised to consider the basis of their assertions: "Ten million customers and over two hundred thousand managers were surveyed. More than three million employees were interviewed from 1995 through 2001. Additionally, more than two million talent-fit/role-success reviews were tallied. More than 300, 000 business units, in hundreds of organizations worldwide, took part in the study....All major industries, from fast-food chains to physicians' groups, were represented. A wide variety of job types was included, as were all kinds of customers. Industry and organizations of all sizes were integrated....Employees from different types of organizations were measured in terms of their talent, engagement, and outcomes."

What about customers? "Similarly, customer data included purchase information: Volume, dollar amounts spent, repurchase intentions and behavior, brand ratings, product evaluations, opinions, and other complementary patterns of attitudes and behavior were all covered in detail." Who wants to step forward to challenge the validity of Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina's assertions? Not I.

The subtitle of this book, "How the World's Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential," is somewhat misleading. In fact, according to Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina, cultures -- not organizations -- unleash human potential which, in turn, drives organizations. More specifically, emotion-driven, highly engaged employees ("associates" at Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney) continuously nourish and thereby sustain profitable relationships with (yes) emotion-driven, highly-engaged customers. Contrary to conventional wisdom, "Superior performance is not the exclusive product of the rational mind. no matter how appealing it is to business to believe this is so. Talent does intelligence one better, because it combines and utilizes the full circuitry (rational and emotional) of the brain's neural connections in the endless pursuit of productive outcome."

What about knowledge and skills? Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina duly acknowledge that they are required by quality performance. However, "In essence, talent and engagement are emotionally driven. In tough economic times, talent and emotional engagement are the only natural competitive advantages." Emotional engagement is thus the "fuel" that drives the most productive employees (approximately 20% of any workforce) and the most profitable customers. Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina seem almost surprised by the fact that there is an unlimited supply. "The most amazing thing about it is that it never runs out."

The word "path" in this book's title refers to a sequence of "steps" to be taken:

1. Acknowledge the role that emotion plays in driving business outcomes.

Comment: Keep in mind that emotions can be either positive (e.g. appreciation) or negative (e.g. resentment).

2. Acknowledge that all employees possess innate talents that can be emotionally engaged.

Comment: Workers generally do best what they enjoy doing most.

3. Understand that unique talent combinations lead to increased profits and growth.

Comment: Because needs change, different talents may be needed and in different combinations.

4. Understand and appreciate the power of the Q12 and accept what it can do for an organization.

Comment: Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina focus on the Q12 in Chapter 4 and explain how to manage the Q12 in Chapter 5.

5. Understand what it means to manage to develop and sustain engaged employees.

6. Understand the economic implications of engaged, not-engaged, and actively disengaged employees.

7. Acknowledge the role which emotions play in customer engagement.

8. Understand the eleven indicators of customer engagement and how they will impact on your brand, product, or organization.

9. Accept what managing to enhance and sustain customer engagement means.

10. Understand the economic implications of fully engaged, engaged, not-engaged, and actively disengaged customers.

NOTE: The chapter in which this step is examined, Chapter 10 ("Emotional Economics, Part 2") develops in much greater depth the material provided in Chapter 6, "Emotional Economics, Part 1."

Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina devote a separate chapter to each of the ten steps of The Gallup Path, explaining precisely how it can enable any organization (regardless of size or nature) to "drive growth by unleashing human potential." Taking each of these steps will fail, however, unless and until when doing so supervisors REALLY DO understand (a) that talent drives performance and supervisors are totally committed to engaging the talent of every employee, (b) that emotionally engaged employees are invariably the most productive employees, and finally (c) that emotionally engaged customers "always come back for more" and thus are the bedrock of any organization's sustainable profitably.

In their concluding remarks, Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina observe that "It's time to see your world in a different way." In fact, by the end of this book, they have urged their reader to see the world in dozens of different ways. It is important to supervisors to know that, once embarked on The Gallup Path, they will be guided and informed by Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina every step of the way.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out First, Break All the Rules which Coffman co-authored with Marcus Buckingham. Also, Hammer's The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do to Dominate the Decade; Bossidy and Charan's Execution: the Discipline of Getting Things Done; O'Toole's Leading Change: The Argument for Value-Based Leadership; Collins' Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't; and Connors and Smith's The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual & Organizational Accountability.

This book puts it all together in a manner that you can actually put to practice. Many books are very theoretical but difficult to put into practice in your area of business. This book empowers individual managers to drive improved performance of their own unit. While some of it sounds like common sense (& isn't that usually the best!) I found myself anxious to apply the path outlined in the book. I absolutely believe that my business will perform better after reading this!
The authors are the most insightful business people I have ever read.! A must read!

There is a shortage of good managers all over the world. This is possibly the most tragic economic reality, since managers are a company's most valuable treasure. Thanks Curt and Gabriel -and Gallup! for showing us how to unlock our managerial ability and create the conditions that make our employees blossom and our customers to come back because the way our employees make them feel. I cherish the invaluable gift of your discoveries and most definitely your individual talent to show us how our companies can grow by unleashing human potential. Hey! This is the first time I see a blockbuster book co-written by a Hispanic! This is great!

A great medical and political thriller with a military top note. Think of Tom Clancy mixed with Robin Cook or Michael Crichton. Clearly Samlaska put a lot of research into politics, infectious disease, and military medicine before writing this novel--and it shows. Not technical but has just enough technical detail to seem authentic. A Great Read!

Thrilling to read, and medically/scientifically fascinating. I highly recommend the book. I'm looking forward to the next novel by Dr. Samlaska.

I thouroughly enjoyed Samlaska's Eucarion. Being a physician in the military stationed in the South Pacific, the book took on a special meaning for me. Samlaska skillfully interweaves currently used technology and knowledge with future "could be" technology to add a sense of realism to the plot. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an engaging thrill.

I am always searching for something, anything that will allow me to improve my techniques when it comes to fishing, I found it with this book. This book helped me to understand and build stronger casting techniques and now I feel a lot more comfortable surfcasting. I also had a lot of questions on what gear to use and this book includes a section with excellent examples of gear choices and how to set them and a real eye opener on how to tune your reels to keep their performance smooth.

The knowlege that Ron Arra has shared in this book will definitely increase your confidence and distance in the surf. Thank you Ron Arra and Curt Garfield for taking the time to introduce this great piece of work into the sportsmans world!

The Ultimate Guide to Surfcasting is a WINNER!

It is very informative and covers all aspects of surfcasting and much more! The illustrations and step-by-step photographs are extremely helpful and the Tips chapter is priceless. I also find the Stan Gibbs: Still the Master, Tune Up for More Distance, Taking Care of Your Gear and Yourself chapters good read and refreshing!

This is probably one of the best fishing books I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it for those who thinks know it all! Thank you Ron Arra and Curt Garfield for their dedication and knowledge sharing.

CONGRATULATIONS and GOOD FISHING!

Alberto Knie
aka: "Crazy" Alberto

As an avid surfcaster, this is a very informative book for both the novice and seasoned veteran, especially if you are interested in improving your overall casting distance. The illustrations detail different methods of attaining distance to where you can reach the fish. The book also tells you about how to set up your gear for this type of casting and how to maintain it so that it is working properly. I found it to be easy reading not technical to the point where it slowed you down, and with the soft cover version, you can take it down to the beach while you pratice, to make sure that you are doing everything in proper order so that you can get the distance you desire. Overall I felt this book to be outstanding and a must for every surf fishermans library.

Sampson for me is the consummate golf writer; clever, knows his game and does it all creatively. Witness the way he puts together this chronicle of The Open. Starts with the Morris' and their famed dominance of early golf, then the interest of England and the rest.

Interwoven here are the rest of glorious Open history-Palmer, Player, Nicklaus, Watson, and Hogan. Then the tie with Carnoustie and the wee little iceman.

Boy this author can captivate you while getting it all down. This flows and ebbs till it ends up at the Burn and that 18th. Never Compromise --- great putting with new found friend--- never compromise style -- must go for it!

This is like author's other books (try them out, especially Hogan and Eternal Summer and Masters, they're favorites) this was just excellent reading to the end.

Golf is more than a game. When we can not play the game, we watch it. When we can not watch the game, we read about it. And who is best at capturing the feeling of the game of golf on print than Curt Sampson? He is the story-teller of golf.

a great job of not only capturing the 1999 open, but also giving the reader the feel for the history and passion of the open.

I see children fight cancer day in and day out, as a pediatric oncology nurse. I picked this book up one day at the book store because of the pictures. However, once getting it home and reading it...it depicts a very realistic look into childhood cancer. It is currently on my bookshelf, however, I have read and reread it many times.

I am one of Eli Kahn's sister's best friends, and as someone who carpooled with the Kahns' every day for three years straight, I got to find out just what it was like to go through. Nowadays, when I go over the Kahns' house, Eli has no signs of anything happening to him - and he always beats me at Nintendo 64!

I am friends with Eli Kahn and his sister, and ever since kindergarten, I have liked Eli and have experienced what this happens. I remember going to his house in the morning and seeing Eli. It made me worried what would happen to him. Now, just seven years later, I sometimes go over their house, and Eli's just a normal eight-year-old. This book is very touching, and it's a good one too.

I worked for McDonnell on Gemini and for Boeing on Apollo (too young for Mercury), so I naturally read every space history book I can get my hands on. This was definitely one of the best I have ever read.

I usually wind up with a list of technical and/or historical errors whenever I read space history books, but I only noticed a few typos in "Lost Spacecraft".

For someone who was not personally involved in Mercury, Mr. Newport certainly did an excellent job of describing how all the capsule systems worked.

I especially enjoyed the photos, most of which I had never seen before.

This book is worth 10 stars.

This is the amazing story of the search and recovery of Liberty Bell 7, Gus Grissom's 1961 Mercury spacecraft that sank to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean in an accidental sinking after the mission, while the capsule was still floating in the recovery area. Curt Newport is a veteran of deep sea underwater work and he gives readers here a page-turning account of the hardships of working with remote vehicles more than three miles under the surface of the ocean where pressures are 7000 pounds per square inch and more. He also covers the man Gus Grissom, who many considered the top astronaut at the time, including his childhood and later. The Mercury capsule (yes, back then they were called capsules, not spacecraft) is covered in detail, it's construction and operation. Also, the trajectory that this 1961 Mercury-Redstone sub-orbital mission travelled is discussed to some length as it's eventual underwater location is dependent on this. The technology of underwater vehicles is covered in addition, to give readers an appreciation of the difficulty inherent in this type of work. Curt Newport has included many, many, excellent photographs in this book, well done here. The writing style is clear and flowing, a joy to read. This is also one man's story of determination and resilience in the face of negative odds.

On a personal note, when I was six years old in 1961 and living in St. Louis County, just a few miles from where this Mercury spacecraft was built, I remember my father coming home from work (he worked at McDonnell Aircraft as an engineer and perhaps did a bit of work on this very spacecraft) and said "it sank to the bottom of the ocean", referring to the sinking of the Liberty Bell 7 that occurred that day. Liberty Bell 7 was recovered in the summer of 1999, restored , and during a national tour I finally got to see it at the St. Louis Science Center in the summer of 2001, in the city where it was built, closure in a sense to me. It is, or soon will be, on permanent display in Hutchinson, Kansas, at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center, can't wait to go there!

On 21 July, 1961, after a near perfect flight, The Mercury space capsule, Liberty Bell 7 landed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. During the recovery process, the escape hatch blew prematurely. the capsule filled with water and sank, nearly taking the pilot, Gus Grissom, with it. Thus began one of the great controversies and mysteries of the United States space program The author explores the events leading to the incident and examines possible theories concerning the premature hatch release.

Newport was uniquely qualified to lead the expedition to recover Liberty Bell 7. He was a pioneer in the developement and operation of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and an experienced veteran of underwater operations all over the world. His fascination with the mystery concerning the lost space capsule led to 14 years of research into the flight, probable location, condition and possible methods of recovery.

The highlight of the book is the detailed description of the search for Liberty Bell 7, and its subsequent recovery from a depth of nearly 3 miles. The narrative reads more like pulp fiction than a factual rendering of events, with moments of elation followed by despair and ultimate victory. This is a must read for space and underwater exploration buffs alike. I only wish that the team had been given the opportunity to recover the hatch cover, surely, one of the targets in the vicinity of the capsule, and a key element in resolving the mystery and controversy concerning the premature hatch release.

After reading online that someone was attempting to assemble a "complete touring history" of the hottest band in the world, Kiss, my interest was immediately sparked. I had no idea what the book looked like, or what exactly it contained, but I didn't care. Being a die hard Kiss fan for several years now, I figured I'd get my money's worth. I wound up getting that and then some. This book, cowritten by Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs is absolutely incredible. This is a Kiss fans dream come true; I've never seen anything like it. Everything you could possibly ask for is here. Details of every Kiss tour and every individual concert are explained in great detail. Insightful comments are given from members of Kiss' management, and others close to the band, as well as an occasional comment from band members themselves. And don't get me started on the pictures....Some of these have never been printed before until now, for example a picture of Ace right after one of his infamous car accidents which left his face in bad shape. This picture has him in makeup, but only half of his face is painted due to the injury. Casual fans are saying "what's the big deal?" but ... hard Kiss fans know that this type of stuff is just plain cool. Every set list for every show is included, as are the name of the venues and opening and headlining acts that shared the bills with Kiss. 288 pages, 3 pounds, it's a monster! God knows how long it will take me to get through the whole thing, but one thing is for sure.... this is must have for any Kiss fan. Hear the REAL stories behind every concert, things that you may have never heard before and may shock you! All in all, this is a great pick up for any Kiss fan, especially fans who purchased the box set and enjoyed the book that came along with it. I would compare it to this in the fact that they are both extremely informative and chock full of great photos of the band. So, if you're a true member of the Kiss Army, stop reading this and go get the book NOW. You'll be glad you did.

I simply recommend buying 2 copies of this book...one for 'keepsake' and one to keep next to your computer or nightstand as your day-to-day ultimate reference source. You've got questions, this book got THE answers. I found it highly amusing when Paul Stanley responded to this book by saying "No, I haven't read it but the "ultimate" KISS book? I think that the ultimate KISS book still needs to be written and that can only be done by us"......How about; "I am deeply honored that 2 loyal KISS fans dedicated 5 years of their life to do something that no one else has ever attempted to do, which is to precisely and accurately document every day of our life".....Anyway, this book doesn't need the praise or comments of KISS. It'll prove itself by becoming the best selling KISS book and deservedly so! The combination of FACTS, more than 100 credible testimonials and never before seen photos make this one of the most unique, sincere, "real" and valuable KISS products in the 30-year history of the band. Not owning this book is denying yourself the single best opportunity to 'finally' understand it all!

The 2 people that posted negative reviews of this book must be INSANE! First off, this is truly the holy grail of all KISS books for all KISS fans. Never before has such a complete look at the live history of KISS been done. You get rare set lists, incredibly rare and amazing photos and fantastic stories from the people that were there! Not the fake nonsense that Gene and Paul spout but REAL stories, good or bad! Its a wonderful read that takes you along for the ride in the KISS world. Its too bad KISS themselves couldnt put out a quality product like this.

For the gentlemen that felt the book lacked info or was factually incorrect, please do a little research. The Australian/Police issue has been well documented in newspaper reports and even TV reports which are widely available among real KISS fans. As for the photo quality. If you look carefully, many of the photos are not there for quality but for the simple fact that they are RARE photos. Some good examples are Ace on the platform in 1977 and Gene in his RARE Dynasty costume. These are photos that prove or disprove KISS myths that have festered over the years. They also relate to a specific account or detail contained within the associated chapter. Any real KISS fan would realize that.

If you are happy with incomplete and revisionist KISSTORY, then settle for the official publications and tell all rags that have been published in the recent past. If you want THE book on THE band, then pick this up. I promise you a better KISS book will not be found. Kudos to the authors!

I own a lot of books on NT Server (too many in fact) and this is one of my favorites. Anyone responsible for the support of NT Server should have this book without question. Curt Aubley has produced a book that is easy to digest yet comprehensively covers all aspects of optimizing NT Server in your own environment.

It includes many ideas and suggestions that you can implement immediately and see true performance gains. If you've ever wondered, "What RAID configuration would be best for my new application server?" or "Which perfmon counter should I use to monitor this or that?", then this book is definitely for you.

Let's hope Curt produces a similar book of the same quality for Windows 2000. This book sits right beside Mastering Windows NT Server by Mark Minasin on my desk, and between the two of these and Technet, one doesn't need much more to support an enterprise Windows NT 4.0 environment.

I've been very impressed with the results of implementing what I've learned from this book. I've used the techniques at a few different Fortune 500 companies, and all my clients have been very satisfied. I would reccomend this book to anyone who takes tuning Windows NT for the Enterprise seriously.

This is the best written book I have read to date. It starts out like it should...what to do if you don't want to read the whole book. I have suggested this book to many of my friends and they have the same feeling. Great Job Curt !!!! Publish another one !!!!

So I am not a complete geek, but I spent about four solid months navigating Windows Me for about 4-6 hours a day. After having to re-install my OS after performing an update, I figured that it was time to do some reading.

Most of the info can be found in the interactive help menus, but I feel that it is important to have another source. The book is set up intelligently and has little tips and tricks that you might overlook or forget about when you are trying to figure out why the performance levels are degrading.

I am new to computers & find this book very helpful. I am going through it like a text book to learn how to use WIN. ME. I have wished before that there was a book to show how to do everything on a computer & this book sure helps!

I just purchased a computer with the Windows ME operating system. This book was very helpful and easy to understand.

What can a picture tell you about a person? The answer is quite a bit as you view these penetrating portraits of southern writers. A writer's tools are words to convey a story. Photographer Curt Richter uses his tools of lighting, mood, camera and the subjects themselves to reveal a visual story whose impact goes far beyond words.

Over a seven year period, Curt scoured the country taking pictures of those writers associated with the south. His labor was not in vain for he blessed us with outstanding visual views of these writers not seen before. These are not a compilation of formal studio portraits nor are they casual snapshots. You are given a series of sepia toned pictures whose faces, postures, hues and eyes that reveal something more about the subject that meets the eye.

Ralph Ellison looks like an elder statesman as he peers into the lens. Larry King appears to have a haunting quality as his off focus face gives us a smile. Eugene Walter looks like a supplicant in prayer or is he just fooling us? Let your mind and imagination decide as you see this wonderful display of southern authors. For those of you who are collectors of some of their works, you will be delighted with their pictures.

Robert Coles has written a foreward to the book introducing us into the world of southern writers and the culture of the south. Ann Beattie provides us with her observations regarding this collection through her afterword. Now relax, open this book and reflect upon these gifted writers of prose and poetry who have shared their wares with the world.

I have never been so captivated by photographs that truly depict their subjects. I have seen other works by Curt Richter and he truly is the finest portrait photographer of our time. Congratulations on a sensational effort. It came at the right time of year because I am giving this book to all of my friends and family.

It's so wonderful to see a group of photographic portraits that dispense with the current trend of the snapshot and at the same time have the courage not to follow a formula. The photographer is obviously aware of the history of portraiture occuring even before the advent of photography. As they say in "Fiddler on the Roof" -- "tradition." Thank God for some tradition. It seems so avant-garde. I throughly enjoyed the book.