Friday Grab-Bag: Yo Steve, "Just Ask" Review, "First 90" For Your Transitions, & World Cup Angst

*I've had a lot of new visitors over the past couple weeks--folks from the infamous blog "Stuff Christians Like." I'd like to thank my friend Steve Tamayo for the shout-out and alert all my new and old readers that I've added Steve's very thoughtful blog to my blog-roll over on the right.

Thanks to Steve and thanks to the folks who have been checking out Piebald Life!

*In keeping with my theme of late, I recently finished the book "Just Ask Leadership." It's got some good insights on how to lead in a business management context from a framework of question-asking rather than pronouncement making.

The free on-line test that came with it was worth the price of the book for me. I answered the questions out of the more extreme "gotta' make things happen" side of me and found the assessment of what could happen if I let that run rampant was sobering and right-on.

I'd give it 3 stars out of 5 for the book, an extra 1/2 star if you throw in the on-line assessment as part of the package.

*Several folks have commented off-line that talking about transition has been helpful for them as they go through work transitions themselves. One book that I'd highly recommend for anyone stepping into a new leadership or management position is Michael Watkins book "The First 90 Days."

His most compelling insight in the book is that most new leaders or managers fail because they do not match their strategy or approach to the situation that they are entering into. His categories of start-up, turn-around, re-alignment or sustaining success--and how to approach each differently--is worth the price of the book in and of itself.

It's worth the read even if you're not in your "first 90 days" of a job and you're looking for some fresh perspective on the place you've been in for a while.

*Big match-up this Sunday in the World Cup, and I'm completely torn. My grandparents came over from Holland after World War 2. I lived in Spain for 3 years in junior high. So which one should I go with: strudels or tapas? If I had any culinary skills, the mixture of the two cultures would be quite tasty, indeed.

I think I'll end up pulling for Holland: a bit of an underdog and the mother-country and all that. But I wouldn't be disappointed to see Spain pull out the win.