“Culture is the Foundation: 7 Principles for Developing an Effective Culture” by Gerald Leonard

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"Culture is the Foundation: 7 Principles for Developing an Effective Culture"

Amazon Rating: 5/5 (20+ reviews)

Notable reviewer quote: An interesting and effective way to look at the structure of a business. He takes an orchestra (one of, if not the, largest musical ensembles) and shows the relationship between its parts and the business. The book is well categorized and gives practical advice on how to make your company work as smartly as an orchestra; and hopefully the individual senses are as integral to the team as the bass player in a band! Whether it's understanding your vision for the band, creating the right environment, or learning how to move as a unit, a thriving business requires more than a great product!

My review: 4.1 / 5

Gerald J. Leonard is more than just an author. He is how does cash app work a project manager, CEO of Principles of Execution, LLC, and an accomplished musician (he is a graduate of Juilliard and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music), particularly a classical bassist.

Leonard uses his musical experience, particularly in orchestras, to lay out seven principles necessary for developing an effective corporate culture—principles strong enough to make employees stand up and support him. He compares the organization of an orchestra to how product performance management (PPM) should work, from the CEO as the conductor to the woodwind player who needs to tune his reed to avoid screaming in the middle of a concert.

If you’re a musician or have a musical background, you’ll have a great time reading this book. Leonard carries the metaphor into the book, offering the reader anecdotes and personal stories to convey his meaning. Since culture is the foundation of any company, the book, at just over 100 pages, is a great primer for beginners. All of Leonard’s advice is actionable, from using storytelling to bridge generational gaps to ensuring your creative staff isn’t physically confined to their space.

There are two things missing from this book: First, there is little scientific research cited in the work. Without this, Culture is Bass struggles to stand out from other books on culture. There are also few alternative viewpoints. The reader gets Leonard's opinion, and Leonard's opinion alone.

Nevertheless, his work on comparing culture to ensemble is creative and enjoyable. I would recommend this book to a narrow audience - both those with a music or business background - but for that audience this book would be excellent.

10. “The Art of Fear: Why You Can’t Conquer Fear and What to Do Instead” by Kristen Ulmer.


"The Art of Fear: Why You Can't Conquer Fear and What to Do Instead"

Amazon Rating: 4.4 / 5 (20+ reviews)

Notable Reviewer Quote: Kristen Ulmer was a "fear fanatic" who lived to tell her story. Kristen's book, The Art of Fear, conveys the wisdom and intelligence gained from exploring and gaining self-understanding. Her book is our book.

My review: 4.2/5

You might be thinking, "What's a psychology book doing on this list of productivity books? Why are you looking at Kristen Ulmer ? Wasn't she a ski star?

Yes, Ulmer was the best extreme skier in the world for over a decade, and yes, this book is about fear, but fear and productivity go hand in hand, like performance reviews during the holidays. While fear has been seen as a negative emotion, it can also be used to drive success and performance.

“Love takes too much credit,” writes Ulmer. “Never forget that fear is uncomfortable and stressful. Discomfort is what drives you. Stress is a gift. Comfort doesn’t give you the push you need. Only discomfort.”

That's kind of the premise of Ulmer's whole book - emotional intelligence and the understanding that fear is universal and not something to be "overcome."

Between sections, Ulmer intersperses stories of learning to ski and competing. There are moments when she acknowledges her fear—or lack thereof. “It all started in Tibet,” she writes. “I snuck into the country through a 20,000-foot pass… to try to illegally climb and ski the sixth-highest mountain in the world.”

Ulmer should have been afraid, but she wasn't - and she highlights the consequences of ignoring her fear. She was nearly arrested, faced a snowstorm, and ended up leaving her belongings behind while shooting back to Nepal.

The biggest flaw in this book is the organization. Ulmer invokes Zen tropes and characterizes all emotions (hence the capital letters), but in a jumbled way. Each chapter could have been significantly shortened without losing the point. It's a good read for people interested in psychology, but Ulmer's insights into productivity are reserved for the last few chapters.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable read, especially with the inclusion of Ulmer's personal anecdotes.

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