1 1/2 Stars: Would Not Recommend

Freakonomics is a somewhat interesting book with some interesting insight into why we do the things we do. From gangs in Chicago to naming your child, the author illustrates some meaningful statistics that attempt to explain why people do what they do. For me, the main message of the book is everything we do is driven by incentives. It is difficult however to decide if the author had a true purpose or main theme for the book as chapters jump around too much and do not always tie together. I also feel I did not learn anything of real value—thus I give this book 1 ½ stars out of 4 and only recommend it to those who are searching for a new book to read because they’ve read everything else on their list. (One interesting note however is I’ve found statisticians and accountants tend to really enjoy this book more than others.)

I recently finished reading Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat by Lou Pritchett. The author is a retired Proctor and Gamble Executive who shares many of his business and life “lessons learned” by sharing experiences during his many years of service in the corporate world. Though some of his stories are interesting and unique, and some of his points are very true and helpful, I feel most of them are not fully developed or presented well. The book also has a heavy emphasis on life in the weighty corporate world and fails to relate to others in less corporate heavy, or non-traditional business environments. Throughout the book there is also somewhat of an egocentric undertone that turned me off a bit. In the end, though the author has some good thoughts, I would not recommend this book and give it 1 ½ stars.

I’m sure you can guess what 1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson is all about, and the book did truly provide what its title promised Though being reminded of the many ways to recognize staff members, the book did not provide the inspiring, creative, homerun, sure-fire ideas I was hoping for. Also, it did not provide the research, proof, and evidences of what really works that I was thinking I’d find. Many of the ideas listed in the book are common and well known, while many others are off the wall and unique. Another drawback is many very similar ideas are repeated over and over again throughout the book, making the content repetitive and at times a little boring. The lessons I was reminded of are that rewarding employees really does depend on each individual and there are no sure answers. So, if you are stuck without any idea on how to reward your employees, this is the book for you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t highly recommend reading this book. I give it only a 1 ½ star rating out of 4.