There are several business books on the market today. They span the gamut of subjects, from how to lead and manage more effectively to how to make better decisions. The characteristic common to most of these books is they offer advice, provide a plan, or recommend an approach. Whether it is "10 Rules to Better Business Performance" or "30 Days to Becoming a More Effective Manager", they seek to offer a specific approach, recommendation, plan, or solution to enable the reader to achieve a specific outcome. Several of them are excellent in that they provide a specific set of ideas, insights, and recommendations. In that regard they are excellent as a starting point. However, their strength can also become their weakness. This happens because it sometimes keeps the reader locked into a lower level of learning. This material enables you to move into the highest level of application. It does so by asking you to ask yourself questions about your industry, your organization, your teams and yourself. This process enables you to not only move into those higher levels capability by guiding you to own both the answers and the outcomes. The answers and solutions you come up with are uniquely yours.
About the Author: My professional career has spanned just under 30 years. It began in August of 1980 when I enlisted in the United States Air Force. While in the military I had the opportunity to serve in a variety of operational and support positions including aircraft maintenance, logistics, systems acquisition, and professional military education. I retired from the Air Force in November of 2000 at the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. I transitioned to the corporate sector in that same year. My initial job was supporting technical and operations training in the financial services industry. From there I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of project management, training development, and human performance support roles. I currently service as a VP in a corporate learning and development function for a financial services firm. My interest in leadership and performance development and improvement began with my Air Force enlistment. The service provided me with the opportunity to work for and learn from some of the best of the best in these areas. This represents the next step in my personal development in this area as well. I have long been a believer that if you want to really learn how to do something well teach someone else how to do it. By extension I have found that you can also deepen your ability by writing about it too. I am a true believer in the value and importance of continuous development. Towards that end I carry a variety of degrees, including a Master's in Aerospace Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master's in Business Administration from Northcentral University. My professional certifications include Professional in Human Resources (PHR) from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as well as a variety of Organizational Development tools and topics. Most important, I view every day as a development opportunity, full of those "unavoidable opportunities to excel"! I can be reached via email at EricDiel@Insightbb.com.