A would-be author at a writer’s conference I recently attended asked: “What’s the current trend in business books?” The most noticeable dernier cri I’ve observed (and appreciate as a book reviewer) is that these often lengthy tomes are getting shorter. Publishers seem to be telling their authors, “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.” Good advice. Saves money. And our precious trees.

Case in point: The Nature of Leadership: Reptiles, Mammals, and the Challenge of Becoming a Great Leader (AMACOM, $21.95), which packs a ton of useful information into a mere 190-pages. Author B. Joseph White, president of the University of Illinois, (with organizational consultant Yaron Prywes) uses a clever analogy with the animal kingdom to make the point that it takes a variety of special traits to be an effective leader; tough-as-nails (reptilian) on one hand, and warm-as-toast (mammalian) on the other.

The secret of becoming a great leader, the author writes, can be expressed in these five qualities:

• Being innovative.
• Being an intelligent risk-taker.
• Having an appetite for top talent.
• Developing the “helicopter view” (rising above conflicts and controversies to look ahead, behind, and around).
• Exhibiting the “sparkle factor” explained by author White as a person who displays “brilliance, charisma and moral depth,” and citing as an example, Senator Barack Obama.

A fast-paced, easy read, White weaves in lively stories from his own leadership experience, backed with wide-ranging examples from such illustrative role models as former General Electric CEO Jack Welch to Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King, and Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines.

Join the Team

Here’s another fast read. One in the series of “on-the-fly-guides” biz books I managed to

speed read in less than two hours. The premise is simple, it doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO or a salesperson, VP, or executive assistant—if you’re not a good team member, you can’t be good at your job. In Building Successful Teams (Currency/Doubleday, $9.95)author Bill Butterworth, in nine chapters and 94 pages, races through his subject like a house on fire.

The nationally-known motivational speaker and author starts his thesis with the advice that before you can focus on increasing the effectiveness of your team, it’s necessary to examine what each member brings to the mix. To maximize the team’s performance, Butterworth states, their personal needs must be met. And, some of the basic needs individuals bring to the table are a sense of belonging, a sense of worth, and a sense of competence.

Common barriers to teamwork are identified as personal insecurity, unhealthy competition, non-communication, and being afraid to change. Once these roadblocks have been recognized and dealt with, it’s time to examine the traits of effective teams. These are expressed by the author in the form of team tips, such as:

• Treat each team member with respect
• Make sure the entire team gets rewarded for victories and successes
• Never forget every job is an important job
• Sacrifice personal glory in order to support the team.

The Tim e of Your Life!

In the relentless march of time, how we do spend our allotment so quickly. If you’re one of those people who feel your life is spinning out of control in a daily race to beat the clock, you’re not alone. The good news is you can do something about it. One way to start is by following the timely advice offered in Simplify Your Time: Stop Running and Start Living (W Publishing Group, $14.99). For a modest investment of less than 15 bucks, it offers a 30-day formula for change that just might work in your relentless pursuit of a more constructive and contented life.

Author Marcia Ramsland, an international speaker and personal consultant known as “The Organizing Pro,” breaks down her get-more-done-in-less-time advice into 30 short, practical chapters, interspersed with 101 time-saving tips. Included are such subjects as “Punch Up Your Punctuality”; “Practice the Power of Prioritizing”; “How to Find More Personal Tim e”; “Master the Secrets of Successful Multitasking” and “How to Make Today the Best Day of Your Life.”

One of the most valuable sections of the book is devoted to how to “Get Off Your Computer and On with Your Life.” Whether you turn on your computer for work, for personal correspondence, or as a first response to walking into your office, Ramsland writes, there is a better way to live. For instance, here are ways make more effective use of your e-mail time:

• Never check e-mail in the morning
• Improve your sorting method
• Create folders with time limits
• Title your e-mails accurately
• Tim e it, track it, fine-tune it.

To minimize wasted computer time Ramsland suggests, keep answers brief, get to the point, be a quick responder and keep a stock file of answers for FAQ’s/

In short, digestible time bites, practical skills you can adopt to help streamline your day are offered, to simplify those piles of clutter, choose the right calendar and cut down your to-do list so you can actually accomplish more.

A Crash Course in Sales

Thirty percent of salespeople fail to make sales, and 65 percent of those who fail, are not adequately trained or specialized enough to succeed.

That’s the word from Howard Stevens, chairman/CEO of the HR Chally Group, one of the nation’s leading management and sales development firms. In his latest book, Achieve Sales Excellence (Platinum Press, $24.95) Stevens, with coauthor Theordore Kinni, a former business management consultant and business journalist, examine what’s wrong with sales professionals, and, more importantly, what steps they can take to go from the lowest rung of the sales ladder to the very top and super-salesperson status.

Based on the findings of an extensive 14-year study by the Chally Group, the authors outline the seven best-practice benchmarks top-drawer salespeople must understand and possess:

• Be accountable for sales results
• Understand the company’s business
• Advocate the company’s best interests
• Design the right sales applications
• Be easily accessible
• Help solve company problems
• Be innovative in responding to company needs

Granting that one of the most important attributes of a top-notch salesperson is outstanding communication skills, these profile points identify effective communicators:

• Is sensitive to the customer’s circumstances and responses, adjusting the communication of information to accommodate the customer’s need.
• Encourages questions, comments and feedback from the customer.
• Gives specific details of how, who, and when, promising the complexity of delivery and servicing of the product.
• Keeps the focus on content and substance, not flash and performance.
• Talks with the customer, creating a team feeling of working together, versus directing a speech at the customer.

Chicago-area based freelance travel journalist/broadcaster, Jack McGuire, is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers, the Travel Journalists Guild and a charter member of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives. A contributing editor to Frequent Flyer magazine, Mr. McGuire's byline has appeared on more than 1,250 travel-related articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines. He has also written and hosted more than 4,000 radio broadcasts on travel. Jack can be reached at Jjmwriter@aol.com