Synopses & Reviews
"If people aren't calling you crazy, you aren't thinking big enough."
These days taking chances isnt just for college dropouts in hoodies. Whether you work at a Fortune 500 company, a nonprofit, or a mom-and-pop, everybody needs to think and act like an entrepreneur. We all need to be nimble, adaptive, daringand maybe even a little crazyor risk being left behind.
But how do you take smart risks without risking it all? Thats Linda Rottenbergs expertise. As the cofounder and CEO of Endeavor, the worlds leading organization dedicated to supporting fast-growing entrepreneurs, shes spent the last two decades helping innovators think bold and execute smart.
Now Rottenberg draws on her unrivaled experience to show you the proven techniques to achieve your dreams: from overcoming fear to facing down critics, from stalking supporters to exploiting chaos. Crazy Is a Compliment combines inspiring stories, original research, and practical advice to create a road map for getting started and going bigger.
Rottenberg brings to life iconic entrepreneurs like Walt Disney and Estée Lauder and reveals how companies like MTV, GE, and Burberry found their best successes by breaking the corporate mold and embracing the entrepreneur mind-set. She also introduces us to some of the one thousand entrepreneurs shes advised, like Leila Velez, who started a hair-care company in her kitchen sink in Rio that now earns $80 million a year. As Linda writes:
Every day I meet people with a dream. Maybe youre serving coffee and fantasizing about launching a microbrewery; maybe youve skipped college and yearn to start your own design firm; maybe youre sitting in your cubicle and brainstorming a new idea that can improve your company.
You have a dream, but you dont know how to turn your dream into reality. Or youve already launched your dream but youre unsure how to take it to the next level. This book can show you the way.
Review
"Should you buy a book that will make you uncomfortable?
More questions: Why is it so difficult to ship good ideas out the door? Why do committees show up and wreck the purity of your idea? Why do people avoid doing the hard work of actually bringing their work to the market?
I'll tell you why: Because it's safe. Ideas that never ship are never criticized. Faceless committees accept the blame for tepid products that were probably better off in the warehouse. And managers in search of a place to hide can best hide behind the unshipped product, the unrealized idea and the system gone wrong.
Scott Belsky has your number. He's seen it all before. He knows your excuses, he's seen your shtick and he knows all the ways to avoid doing the work. In this book, Scott's not giving you any place to hide.
There. Do you still want to read his book?
If you care about your art, your job, or your market, you really have no choice. This is strategy and tactics, concepts and how-to, all in one on a topic that's often overlooked."
-Seth Godin, Author, Linchpin
"Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard. This book helps you with the hard part."
-Guy Kawasaki, Co-founder of Alltop and former chief evangelist of Apple
"Making Ideas Happen is timely and vital to a new generation of creative leaders. Ideas are important, but executing on those ideas is the crucial component that so many of us forget about. Great execution is rare, and Belsky lays out practical principles and a clear plan for getting things done. I highly recommend this book!"
-Brad Lomenick, Executive Director, Catalyst
"From his years spent understanding how the most productive entrepreneurs and creative minds operate, Scott Belsky provides a compendium of the knowledge one needs to turn a great idea into something tangible. This is a book about execution, and when it comes to going from idea to a real business, execution is everything."
-JOHN BATELLE, Co-founder of Wired and Boing Boing, founder of Federated Media
"If your creative team or organization struggles to implement their best ideas, or if you find that your own creative projects languish unfinished, you need Making Ideas Happen.
-TERESA AMABILE, Prof. of Business Administration, Dir. of Research, Harvard Business School
"In just one volume, Belsky shows how to execute simply, boldly, powerfully. He reveals the forces and methods that push projects to completion -and how they are accessible to all of us. Practical and perfect ways to implement your ideas with peace of mind."
-LEO BABAUTA, Author of ZenHabits.net and The Power of Less
"I hear people talking all the time about great ideas that never come to life. This book is like a Swiss Army knife for ideas. It offers step-by-step tools to turn ideas into action, and is full of wonderful and enlightening stories of those who have made their ideas happen."
-JI LEE, Creative Director at Google Creative Lab and Founder of the Bubble Project
"Scott Belsky has observed how designers think and has created a way to help them make the complex clear -and the actionable achievable- within the rush of creativity that defines their mind's workspace. His ideas provide an effective way to manage ideation, iteration, and execution."
-RICHARD GREF+, CEO of AIGA
"Belsky's approach has made my life even simpler. Making Ideas Happen demonstrates that ideas of any magnitude are achievable by simply taking one step at a time. Belsky offers an illustrated map to get to the destination of your great ideas."
-SCOTT THOMAS, Design Director, Obama Presidential Campaign
"There are techniques in this book that can turn disorganized creative prima donnas into organized creative prima donnas. It's full of terrific lessons in how to keep great ideas alive."
-CHUCK PORTER, Co-chairman, Crispin Porter + Bogusky
Review
“Call me crazy, but I think Linda is onto something big here. She delivers powerful insights with her legendary wit and candor to show how everyone can think and act like an entrepreneur.”
—Michael Dell, founder and CEO, Dell Inc.
"For nearly two decades, Linda has been teaching and learning from the boldest entrepreneurs around the world. In this terrific book, she shares what it takes to master the chaos of starting your own business -- or simply to grow your own career in today's fast-changing world of work."
—Reid Hoffman, co-founder/chairman of LinkedIn and co-author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Start-Up of You
"Crazy is what they call people who don't fit in. And we need a lot more crazy like Linda is crazy. She is generous, curious, connected and driven to make a difference in the world. And this book captures all of that and more. Buy it, read it, live it."
—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin
“Crazy Is a Compliment is a treasure trove.. Linda Rottenberg is an extraordinary entrepreneur who has guided many of the worlds greatest entrepreneurs, and she offers invaluable insights—not only for start-ups, but also for companies, nonprofits, governments, and schools. If you have an idea or want to innovate, I highly recommend devouring this book.”
—Adam Grant, professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of Give and Take
“Linda has tapped into something important—that we all need to be more entrepreneurial these days. With her impressive track record and inspiring story, she shows us all how to overcome our fears and take smart, achievable steps to improve our organizations.”
—Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.Org
"Rottenbergs energy is contagious, and the chatty, conversational presentation is designed to get readers moving. This is a great guide for those with more dreams than courage."
—Publisher's Weekly
Review
and#8220;We all work differently, and knowing ourselves is the key to effective time management. In this approachable guide, Carson Tate shows how to embrace your own styleand#8212;and get more done.and#8221; and#8212;
Laura Vanderkam, author of
What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast and#8220;The most important asset you have is time and you canand#8217;t afford to waste it. Not only is Work Simply rich with solid, practical, grounded advice about reclaiming your time, itand#8217;s infused with heart, warmth, and humanity to boot. Youand#8217;ll want everyone in your office to read it.and#8221; and#8212;Sonia Choquette, author of The Answer Is Simple and Trust Your Vibes at Work
and#8220;A leaderand#8217;s most important resource is time. Work Simply helps leaders find that time, so they can maximize the contributions of others and strategize for the future. This book is an invaluable resource.and#8221; and#8212;Bill Timmerman, retired CEO of SCANA
and#8220;At a time when work has become overly complicated, with so many of us caught up in busyness, drowning in e-mails, interrupted, distracted, and overloaded with information, Carson Tate has written a guidebook to sanity. Filled with imminently practical advice, this book can help us all learn to work simply and live fully.and#8221; and#8212;Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed
Synopsis
How the world's leading innovators push their ideas to fruition again and again
Edison famously said that genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration. Ideas for new businesses, solutions to the world's problems, and artistic breakthroughs are common, but great execution is rare.
According to Scott Belsky, the capacity to make ideas happen can be developed by anyone willing to develop their organizational habits and leadership capability. That's why he founded Behance, a company that helps creative people and teams across industries develop these skills.
Belsky has spent six years studying the habits of creative people and teams that are especially productive-the ones who make their ideas happen time and time again. After interviewing hundreds of successful creatives, he has compiled their most powerful-and often counterintuitive-practices, such as:
•Generate ideas in moderation and kill ideas liberally
•Prioritize through nagging
•Encourage fighting within your team
While many of us obsess about discovering great new ideas, Belsky shows why it's better to develop the capacity to make ideas happen-a capacity that endures over time.
Synopsis
Belsky has spent six years studying the habits of especially productive people and teams--the ones who make their ideas happen time and time again. Here, the author presents their most powerful--and sometimes counterintuitive--practices.
Synopsis
"Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard. This book helps you with the hard part."
-Guy Kawasaki, author of Enchantment
According to productivity expert Scott Belsky, no one is born with the ability to drive creative projects to completion. Execution is a skill that must be developed by building your organizational habits and harnessing the support of your colleagues.
As the founder and CEO of Behance, a company on a mission to empower and organize the creative world, Belsky has studied the habits of especially productive individuals and teams across industries. Now he has compiled the principles and techniques they share, and presents a systematic approach to creative organization and productivity.
While many of us focus on generating and searching for great ideas, Belsky shows why it's better to develop the capacity to make ideas happen-a capacity that endures over time.
Synopsis
andquot;Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard. This book helps you with the hard part.andquot;
-Guy Kawasaki, author of Enchantment
According to productivity expert Scott Belsky, no one is born with the ability to drive creative projects to completion. Execution is a skill that must be developed by building your organizational habits and harnessing the support of your colleagues.
As the founder and CEO of Behance, a company on a mission to empower and organize the creative world, Belsky has studied the habits of especially productive individuals and teams across industries. Now he has compiled the principles and techniques they share, and presents a systematic approach to creative organization and productivity.
While many of us focus on generating and searching for great ideas, Belsky shows why it's better to develop the capacity to make ideas happen-a capacity that endures over time.
Synopsis
Make work simple by using the tools and tactics that are right for you Your time is under attack. You just canand#8217;t get enough done. You find yourself wondering where the hours go. Youand#8217;ve tried every time-management system you can get your hands onand#151;and theyand#8217;ve only succeeded in making your work more complicated.
Sound familiar?
If you sometimes feel you spend more time managing your productivity than doing actual work, itand#8217;s time for a change. In Work Simply, renowned productivity expert Carson Tate offers a step-by-step guide to making work simple again by using the style that works best for you.
Tate has helped thousands of men and women better manage their time and become more productive. Her success owes partly to the realization that most of us fit into one of four distinct productivity styles: Arrangers, who think about their projects in terms of the people involved; Prioritizers, who are the definition of and#147;goal-orientedand#8221;; Visualizers, who possess a unique ability to comprehend the big picture; and Planners, who live for the details.
In this book, youand#8217;ll learn
- How to identify your own productivity style as well as the styles of those around youand#151;bosses, coworkers, staff, and family.
- How to select your and#147;tools of the tradeand#8221; to maximize your effectiveness, from the style of pen you use to the way you decorate your office.
- When face-to-face conversations are more effective than e-mailsand#151;and vice versa.
- What it takes to lead the perfect meeting.
- Why a messy desk is right for some, but a disaster for othersand#151;and how to tell.
After reading Work Simply, youand#8217;ll come away with a productivity system that truly and fundamentally fits youand#151;and youand#8217;ll never feel overwhelmed again.
About the Author
Linda Rottenberg, the cofounder and CEO of Endeavor, has been named one of Americas Top Leaders” by
U.S. News, one of 100 Innovators for the 21st Century” by
Time magazine, and the worlds first mentor capitalist” by Tom Friedman. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, author Bruce Feiler, and their twin daughters.
www.lindarottenberg.com