King Arthur's Round Table : How Collaborative Conversations Create Smart Organizations

Book Description

Your organization functions and grows through conversations-face-to-face and electronic, from the mailroom to the boardroom. The quality of those conversations determines how smart your organization is. This revelatory book shows you how the Round Table of Arthurian legend can help foster collaboration and transform today's world of business, nonprofits, and government.

"When I want a group to work effectively, I turn immediately to my colleague of thirty-five years, David Perkins. This book is a distillation of his knowledge and wisdom."
-Howard Gardner
author of Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Intelligence Reframed

"David Perkins applies his wit and inventive mind to create a fresh perspective on the world of collaboration in organizations. His archetypes and toolboxes offer valuable insights to anyone facing the challenges of collaborative problem solving."
-David Straus
author of How to Make Collaboration Work

Customer Reviews:

Kind Arthur's Round Table.......2007-01-20

creative, clever, packed full of powerful information and metaphorical connections for organizational application. Enjoyed reading via King Arthur's lens and valued the informative information.

A delight to read!.......2003-06-03

It's difficult to find a management book that is as well-written as this one. An intriguing read about collaboration and how to use collaboration effectively. Great for nonprofit orgs and corporations. If you need to know how to get a project done with the help of other people, read this book.

The Holy Grail of Collaboration Revealed.......2003-04-29

David Perkins is brilliant. This book is collaboration for smarties. It aims high and delivers the Holy Grail for real seekers. Wise, clever and rich in truths, it is a new theory based upon lots of research and practice. I found it very helpful and stimulating - a treasure trove of insights, principles and things you can do to create better conversations and help teams & organizations act more intelligently. Perkins lays out an elegant set of principles on the practice of intelligent action and how the most intelligent solutions emerge from people in constructive dialogue together. He shows what makes for progressive and regressive action. He hits a home run by illustrating how both people smarts and process smarts are essential for success.If you are a leader, coach, consultant or educator and really want to find new ideas on how to build a collaborative culture, buy this book, read it carefully and you will find the Holy Grail! It's a real gem!

Good book for company leaders.......2003-04-25

I read a positive review of this book in a business column in my local paper and ordered it. I enjoyed reading the book and especially like the metaphor the author used. Who doesn't know about King Arthur and the Round Table? And what a great metaphor to use in relaying the concept of good communication in the business world. There are good tips throughout the book on how to bring your company together and how to make it work. I recommend this book and Good to Great for every manager or director.

AN ESSENTIAL BOOK FOR ALL MANAGERS.......2003-04-25

As a manager of my own company and a graduate of Harvard Business School, I think that the author is absolutely the best thinker on leveraging the collaborative process. He's right on the money with his expert advice on fostering communication and an effective work environment.

Book Description

One of the HRD Press Learning Profiles Series. A Packet of 5 Assessments. With over 20 assessments in the series, you'll be able to present clients with a great solution for almost any training need. Each Learning Profile takes about 20 minutes to complete, and includes both general interpretation information, and developmental feedback. Each Facilitator's Guide includes an entire 1 to 2 hour feedback workshop session, extensive coaching tips, and action plan templates.

We all have the potential to increase our level of creativity. The Creativity/Innovation Effectiveness Profile provides a detailed process for assessing an individual's existing capacity to be creative.

Customer Reviews:

Social Analysis with Legal History.......2000-11-02

Are cooperatives for farmers like labor unions? Are they like corporate monopolies? Are they another sort of entity? These questions were directly relevant for the raisin growers of California in the early 1900's and for the federal government. Saker Woeste provides detailed analysis of legislation and federal court decisions about the thorny status of the cooperatives--a debate in which the involved parties were creating their own precedents.

Saker Woeste's book has a liveliness beyond what the legal topic might lead us to think. Mixed with these discussions of the law are colorful episodes that few of us outside California realized before. The book features violent night riders, tales of ethnic pressures and prejudices (especially regarding the Armenian- American community), eccentricity and idealism in the characters of the Cooperative's leaders, and the marketing story of how Sun-Maid got lots of Americans to gobble their raisins.

So the book features lots of law with lots of social history, marketing, even violence. And a wealth of pictures helps the reading. Especially interesting are the early Sun-Maid advertisements. Fans of the histories of California, of agriculture, or of American law would enjoy the book.

For Easterners, good comparison/contrasts are studies of Kentucky's Black Patch War--Night Riders among the tobacco farmers.

Book Description

The major theme of this KIAS Workshop encompasses astroparticle physics, astro-hadron physics, and relativistic astrophysics. The Workshop focused on highly explosive phenomena in astrophysical systems explored from a wide-ranging vista, such as supernova explosions, gamma-ray bursts, astrophysical jets, and neutron star and black hole systems which are believed to be the main origin of these explosive phenomena.

Customer Reviews:

A winning combination!.......2001-07-22

Finally a great book on an oft-ignored subject...! The other books I found on wetland are usually too academic or too focused on photos. Rezendes/Roy's book combines fantastic photographs (about 30% of them cover one-and-a-half page) with in-depth (but not dry) essays that capture my imagination and educate me on wetland environments. Most of us would most probably visit one or two famous wetlands in our lives such as the Everglades, and that's about it unless you are fortunate enough to live near one. This book gives you the opportunity to experience in technicolor the marshes of Massachusetts and Georgia; prairie potholes of North Dakota and Canada; shorelines of New England and Maine; and many more. It is not a book about dead tree-stumps and saw grass as you would have thought; it covers the human impact, the environmental care that should be given, and the importance of preserving these wetlands. Get this book, ogle at the photos and discover/understand (and perhaps help to care for) these fragile ecosystems.... You will be amazed at the biodiversity of the wetlands and you will understand why "The Web of Life" is given as the subtitle.

Marshes and Swamps: A Wetland Web of Life (Wonderful Water Biomes)

Average customer rating:

Marshes and Swamps: A Wetland Web of Life (Wonderful Water Biomes)
Philip Johansson
Manufacturer: Enslow Elementary
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Missouri's web of life
Janice Winters
Manufacturer: Missouri Conservation Commission
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006QOIJ2

Book Description

This book is an indispensable guide on preparation and training techniques specifically designed for young hockey goalies. The author provides a four-year development plan, which highlights the following areas:

basic and advanced skating techniques
training methods for both on and off the ice
an evaluation of goalies
the roles of the coach

The numerous color photographs, diagrams and step-bystep illustrations are complemented by an accessible but comprehensive text. For the parent of a young goalie, the amateur hockey coach, or the aspiring all-star net-minder, Hockey Goaltending for Young Players contains loads of instructional information on how to improve your goaltending skills.

Customer Reviews:

Francoise Allaire is a genius on ice!.......2004-08-15

I bought this book for my son who has been a goaltender for 8 years. He has absorbed everything he could on goaltending and found this book to teach a vast amount of information that he had never heard of, techniques that were immensly helpful and positive for goaltending.

After reading the book he attended the goalie camp which was awesome. Francoise and hs staff were very personable and charismatic, taught the attendees with alot of patience and with a system where they could understand and retain the information easily.

This family is highly behind Allaire on his books, videos and teachings!

Thanks Francoise for sharing your knowledge and giving so much of yourself to the goalie minded youth of today!

An excellent guide for non goalie coaches.......1999-05-13

This is an excellent book for goalie coaches & coaches at the rep or house league level who require assistance in establishing a training and development program for young player and can be applied to adults as well. I have written a guide for adults as we are built differently. email if u r interested and is for both men & women

A great teaching tool for the coach.......1999-03-17

I've been a hockey goalie during 18 years. Now it's time for me to get involved in a different way... as a coach. The young goaler has a lot to learn and a coach can do a lot of damage if he doesn't communicate properly the techniques. The book is a very good tool for the coach. It describes clearly the basic techniques and there are a lot of pictures that illustrate them. I coach 9 yo kids, and I've been able to use many of the drills described in the book.

A very good book for Head coaches/kids/parents........1999-02-03

This is a very good book for non goalies (parents, coaches & kids starting out to play goal. It provides a good plan for developing skills over a three to four year plan. It is geared for the serious coach (rep) & young goalie, but not for adult beginners. After teaching goaltending for 15 years , I developed a guide for adult beginners men &n women and you can contact me at the email below for other info. The Allaire book is an excellent technical starting point and have used it myself, HOWEVER ADULT BEGINNERS ARE DIFFERENT

A-1! I've taught it for 10 years, learned so much !!.......1998-06-11

Goaltenders seem to be loners on a team, however the position is very simple...One needs to build a strong foundation of skills that are developed in a structured and logical manner. Francois addresses these areas, and provides an A-1 training and development guide to be applied on a season long and year long basis. He also addresses the mental aspects that are so critical to a person playing goal. The one area he does not address adequately is females, ie., different physological builds and some the protective equipment is different. He tends to cater the text to the rep and travel level of team and does not cover the parent/coach/goalie relationship to any degree, however it is a very good book !!. I have read about 10 other books on goaltending, I am writing one for adult beginners as I teach adults 18 to 55 how to play goal...it is a treat!!!

Book Description

Dr. Friedman has woven 24 illustrative tales that offer fresh perspectives on familiar human foibles and reflect the author's humor, pathos, and understanding. Friedman takes on resistance and other "demons" to show that neither insight, nor encouragement, nor intimidation can in themselves motivate an unmotivated person to change. These provocative tales playfully demonstrate that new ideas, new questions, and imagination, more than accepted wisdom, provide each of us with the keys to overcoming stubborn emotional barriers and facilitating real change both in ourselves and others. Sure to intrigue and inform, this book belongs in the resource library of public speakers, teachers, trainers, and clergy, as well as general readers.

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant Work.......2005-12-11

Ed Friedman provided his readers and students with more than information about the human condition. He has given them a way to think, not just what to think. This book of fables, as the study booklet that accompanies it makes clear, is about life questions. A great deal of what one can know about life and self depends upon (a) where one stands when asking questions, and (b) the clarity and orientation of one's questions. The greatness of Ed Friedman is the clarity with which he has engaged the world. His "Generation to Generation" is a powerfully clear treatise on self and systems that has had a profound effect on thousands. I am given to understand that his daughter is arranging for editing and publishing "A Failure of Nerve" (available since 1999 only as a bound manuscript, loosely edited). Ed Friedman learned systems theory from Msurray Bowen (1913-1990), and his variant of Bowen Theory remains one of the clearest and most compelling expositions of the power of Bowen's work. "Friedman's Fables" is a testament to what can be done with Bowen when one thinks about the human condition with freedom and creativity, informed by the discipline of the most mature theory of human functioning today.

Review by Rabbi G. Lilienthal, Ph.D........2005-06-09

Friedman's Fables are a resonant statement by a very quiet man. Ed Friedman was that quiet man. He constructed a modern use for the ancient form of allegory, first used in King Solomon's written works, to drive home difficult-to-accept truths and ethical principles, in a group setting. His "fables" are the outcome of his many years of psychoanalytic work in very large congregational groups, and in my view, are a work of genius. Each fable deals with a different aspect of the group unconscious, and facilitates a ready demonstration of the inevitable group acting out that results from the return of the repressed.

Storytelling in the classic tradition.......2000-06-23

More parables than fables, Friedman's genius as a storyteller in the rabbinic tradition shines through. This collection of short fables are ingenious studies of human nature from a Family Systems point of view. Though the book has many uses for teaching and therapy, its best use is pure enjoyment!

Friedmans Fables.......1999-11-27

Did you know that Rabbi Friedman's wife has recently published his last work, Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix? It can be ordered through the Edwin Friedman Foundation. It would be a great addition to your inventory.

IS THERE AVAILABLE A SPANISH VERSION?.......1999-06-03

ALL I WANT TO KNOW IF THER IS A SPANISH VERSION OF THE FABLE

Average customer rating:

The Christmas Story with a Twist
The Christmas Pig - Review by Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal
A great read.
A poor attempt
The real meaning of Christmas

The Christmas Pig: A Fable
Kinky Friedman
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1416534989

Book Description

It's a Christmas tale only a man called Kinky could tell.

King Jonjo Mayo the First is in a bind. Every Christmas, he commissions an artist to paint a traditional nativity scene to be dramatically revealed after midnight mass. This year, though, the date is mere weeks away, and he still has not yet found his painter. The king decides to take a chance on a peculiar, mute boy whose artistic genius and clairvoyance are rumored throughout the kingdom. He sends three valiant, if begrudging, knights to seek out the boy in the remote countryside. Finally, they find Benjamin -- and he is, indeed, peculiar. Nobody knows if the child is up to the task, but the king's Christmas tradition -- and Benjamin himself -- might just be saved by a Christmas miracle that comes in the form of a very special pig -- who is rather peculiar herself.

Customer Reviews:

The Christmas Story with a Twist.......2007-03-14

Kinky is an excellent writer of somewhat offbeat mysteries. This was a foray into different waters for him. I believe this is one of the best books I have read in the past couple of years and I read about a hundred books per year. This story about an artistic boy who doesn't speak and a pig who does gives meaning to the truth of the Christmas story; this truth is most often ignored or lost during the chaotic frenzy of gift buying. Defintely a five star. I'd reccomend it to anyone who likes fables and/or the Christmas story.

Paul Amundson

The Christmas Pig - Review by Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.......2007-01-15

King Jonjo Mayo the First is in a bind. It is the tradition of the kingdom to commission an artist to paint a nativity scene to be revealed after midnight mass. The scheduled activity is two weeks away and no one has been found to do the artwork. The king takes a chance on a peculiar, mute boy whose artistic genius and clairvoyance are rumored throughout the kingdom. He sends his three trusty knights to find Benjamin and no one is quite sure the lad can do the job. But a Christmas miracle in the form of a very special pig, who is peculiar herself saved the Christmas tradition. "...The back of the canvas was coming to life with a masterpiece in the making. The front of the canvas had taken him two or three weeks to paint. It was good. But the back of the canvas had taken him only a few hours to paint. It was not merely good; it was great. For it had been painted with colors that most artists never used. Colors like no time to lose, nowhere to run, and love is never lost. The empty canvas was now full of all the words that Benjamin had never spoken, all the emotions that Benjamin had never felt." The author ran for governor of Texas in 2005 and lost and lives in a little green mobile home in the hills of Texas. He has five dogs, one armadillo and one Smith-Corona typewriter.
Trish New, author of The Thrill of Hope and South State Street Journal.

A great read........2007-01-12

This is another side of Kinky. A lesson to be learned by all.

A poor attempt.......2006-12-08

This was a surprisingly bad book. It's not funny. It's not serious. It's sad, but in a shallow kind of way. I'm not sure for whom this book is intended...maybe young teens. Surely there are better choices about the importance of friendship than this one. The ending of this book may upset young readers, but it just made me upset at the author for not working a bit harder to make a better story. Definitely not worth having on your shelf.

The real meaning of Christmas.......2006-12-03

I was expecting humor, but what I got was a wonderful, heartwarming story of a little boy and his best friend who just happens to be a pig. This is a true Christmas story. Read it!

The Hare and the Tortoise (Fairy Tale Classics)

Average customer rating:

3.5 Itýs NOT the Shoes

The Hare and the Tortoise (Fairy Tale Classics)
Aesop
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0893754692

Book Description

Events are cleverly foreshadowed by a die-cut hole on each page in this retelling of a favorite Aesop's fable.

Customer Reviews:

3.5 Itýs NOT the Shoes.......2004-06-22

At first, the hare is not as inconsiderate and boastful, nor the tortoise quite as virtuous as Jones might have us believe in her version of the fable. In fact, I thought this might become a parody of the moral about the race not always going to the swiftest (maybe the fitter hare might win for once). However, the two animals take their customary roles after this initial originality. It's the familiar tale after all, with some reworking of the pieces.

Illustrations are quirkily interesting, colorful though not vibrant, and a bit too cluttered. Jones shows a deft narrative touch when she describes the other animals helping Tortoise ("A family of frogs jumped into their pond and splashed water all over Tortoise to cool him down."), and she pulls off an exciting finish line.

Neatly cut holes in the center of each page (the pages resemble a collection of old 45 vinyl sleeves) reveal the center of the facing illustration. This is a nice, slightly updated rendering of the fable that younger kids will especially enjoy, but it's not as satisfying as it might have been.

Average customer rating:
Friedman's fables : discussion questions
Edwin H Friedman
Manufacturer: Guilford Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Friedman's Fables

ASIN: 0898624568

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Cotton Candy Creature (Fables from the Letter People)
Elayne Reiss-Weimann , and Rita Friedman
Manufacturer: New Dimensions in Education (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0897960025

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Alice... On Bristol a sable fable
Virginia Cobb , and Jerrold Friedman
Manufacturer: Paze Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
ASIN: 188974106X

Product Description

Alice on Bristol, told in Fable form, is an imaginary-realist rendering of the Watercolor Workshiop World- circa 1963-1996

Best Quiet Meter (Fables from the Letter People)

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Best Quiet Meter (Fables from the Letter People)
Elayne Reiss-Weimann , and Rita Friedman
Manufacturer: New Dimensions in Education (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0897960165

Buttonyms for Safety (Fables from the Letter People)

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Buttonyms for Safety (Fables from the Letter People)
Elayne Reiss-Weimann , and Rita Friedman
Manufacturer: New Dimensions in Education (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0897960017

Dictionary Doughnut Shop (Fables from the Letter People)

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Dictionary Doughnut Shop (Fables from the Letter People)
Elayne Reiss-Weimann , and Rita Friedman
Manufacturer: New Dimensions in Education (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0897960033

Exercise Excitement (Fables from the Letter People)

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Exercise Excitement (Fables from the Letter People)
Elayne Reiss-Weimann , and Rita Friedman
Manufacturer: New Dimensions in Education (CT)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0897960041

Book Description

A coming of age novel of Joan a young, black, Chicago girl, who is faced with a series of decisions that will affect the rest of her life.

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