Survival is Not Enough/Godin 17- 20

18 Change is the new normal, and organizations will either embrace this or fade away.

Unstable ecosystems are the enemy of traditional businesses, especially market leaders.

20 There are two big problems with factories, thought. The first is that in time of rapid change, infrastructure ceases to be an advantage and begins to be a drag. Keeping those factories busy and paying dividends often forces a company to hold back on innovation. The second problem is that the really profitable companies no longer rely on factories.

Being factory-centric doesn’t increase your profits, it decreases them.

A factory owner often finds himself in the commodity business.

The Long Tail/Anderson 78-89

82 The point is simply that the product exists and it’s taking audience share. It isn’t a creation of the traditional commercial industry, but it competes with it. Today, the number of people who produce content is far more than the usual talent finders of the media can process—the wave of grassroots creativity would overwhelm the script-readers and tape-listeners of any studio and label.

83 ..it just matters if you have something to say.

89 Five categories of business aggregators.

1) Physical goods (e.g., Amazon, eBay)
2) Digital goods (e.g., iTunes, iFilm
3) Advertising/services (e.g., Google, Craigslist)
4) Information (e.g. Google, Wikipedia)
5) Communities/user-crated content (e.g., MySpace, Bloglines)

Never Eat Alone/Ferrazzi 150-152

152 …talk about other people’s passions.

Successful communication depends, according to the model, on the degree to which we can align ourselves and our window to match those we interact with.

The key is knowing that in conducting small talk, we should be aware of the different styles at play and adapt to the person we’re talking with.

Winners Never Cheat/Huntsman 58-60

60 A crisis allows us the opportunity to dig deep into the reservoirs of our very being, to rise to levels of confidence, strength, and resolve that otherwise we didn’t think we possessed. Through adversity, we come face to face with who we really are and what really counts.

61 One must have the confidence that he or she will survive when others expire.

There is a great “can do” spirit in each of us, ready to be set free.

…humility is vital for good leadership.

62 Their prime focus should be to create other leaders, the long term and a certain modesty about their own capabilities.

Survival is Not Enough/Godin 13-17

14 Business That Don’t Change Are in Danger: Winners change; losers don’t

15 The first is that you should never take a job that requires you to bring your own grease rag to work. Second, jobs in which you don’t initiate change are never as challenging, fun or well paid as those in which you do. And third, companies that don’t change, vanish (my snack bar is now a shoe store)

Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence—only in constant improvement and constant change. That is, excellent firms of tomorrow will cherish impermanence—and thrive on chaos. Tom Peters

16 Today entropy rules…things rarely become orderly on their own.

17. …permanent adjustments to the status quo:

1) The speed at which we make decisions is not the factor that limits the speed of business.
2) The Net has made information close to free and close to ubiquitous…
3) A provincial worldview created island of stability.
4) Metcalfe’s law (networks get more powerful when they connect more people) has reached infinity

The Long Tail/Anderson 72-78

73 This is the world of “peer production,” the extraordinary Internet-enabled phenomenon of mass volunteerism and amateurism. We are at the dawn of an age where most producers in any domain are unpaid, and the main difference between them and their professional counter-parts is simply the (shrinking) gap in the resources available to them to extend the ambition of their work. When the tools of production are available to everyone, everyone becomes a producer.

76 Many such noncommercial books are best seen as marketing vehicles meant to enhance the academic reputation of their authors, market their consultancy, earn them speaking fees, or just leave their mark on the world.

78 From filmmakers to bloggers, producers of all sorts that start in the Tail with few expectations of commercial success can afford to take chances. They’re willing to take more risks, because they have less to lose. There’s no need for permission, a business plan, or even capital. The tools of creativity are now cheap, and talent is more widely distributed that we know. Seen this way, the Long Tail promises to become the crucible of creativity, a place where ideas form and grow before evolving into commercial form.

Never Eat Alone/Ferrazzi 146-150

149 The real winners---those with astounding careers, warm relationships, and unstoppable charisma---are those people who put it all out there and don’t waste a bunch of time and energy trying to be something (or someone) they’re not.

Your uniqueness is your power.

150 First, give the person a hearty smile. It says, “I’m approachable”

Maintain a good balance of eye contact.

Unfold your arms and relax.

Nod your head and lean in, but without invading the other person’s space.

Learn to touch people.

…establish a bond with is to touch the other person’s elbow.

The surest way to become special in others’ eyes is to make them feel special.

…be prepared to have something to say.

Winners Never Cheat/Huntsman 55-58

56 True leaders ought not worry greatly about occasional mistakes, but they must vigilantly guard against those things that will make them feel ashamed.

If the problem is your responsibility, so is the solution.

57 Leaders clearly have to take measured risks.

Successful leaders maintain their positions through respect earned the old-fashioned way.

58 Difficulty is the one excuse that history never accepts.

Survival is Not Enough/Godin 6-13

11 Either we change our businesses, or they die.

12 “We can’t work more hours. We can’t absorb more stress or endure more anxiety at work. We can, on the other hand, radically redefine what we do at work and create organizations that are designed to succeed regardless of what our ever-changing future produces.”

13 The way we used to do business—depends on highly profitable physical goods and manageable cycles of change—is over.

You can’t manage change. Change manages you.

The Long Tail/Anderson 64-72

65 Don’t be surprised if some of the most creative and influential work in the next few decades comes form this Pro-Am class of inspired hobbyists, not from the traditional sources in the commercial world. The effect of this shift means that Long Tail will be populated at a pace never before seen.

69 Blogs are a Long Tail, and it is always a mistake to generalize about the quality or nature of content in the Long Tail. But collectively blogs are proving more than an equal mainstream media.

72 The main advantage of the user-created Wikipedia model for these entries is its ability to be up-to-day, have unlimited length and visual aids, include copious links to support material elsewhere, and perhaps, better represent alternative views and controversies

Never Eat Alone/Ferrazzi 142-146

144 Conversation is an acquired skill

145 verbal fluency.

…confidently make conversation with anyone in any situation.

…more successfully you use language, the faster you can get ahead in life.

Be yourself. I believe that vulnerability—yes, vulnerability---is one of the most underappreciated assets in business today.

146 Power, today, comes from sharing information, not withholding it.

It’s a call to be honest, open, and vulnerable enough to genuinely allow other people into your life so that they can be vulnerable in return.

…I’ve found people will respect you more for putting your cards on the table.

Once you know heartfelt candor is more effective than canned quips in starting a meaningful conversation, the idea of “breaking the ice” becomes easy.