Pails in Comparison

It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter

PIC No. 82: 
• Movie Title: It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter
• Director: Directed by Chusy; Written by John Godsey
• Released on: Amazon Prime in 2020 (1 hour, 28 minutes)
• Management Bucket #9 of 20: The Team Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 82 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

“We All Do Life Together”

This review will be short and sweet—and singable!

Thanks to Scott Anderson, guest blogger on the Johnny Be Good blog (45 songs), for recommending this fabulous documentary.

Suggestion: during this raucous political season, let’s all take a break and watch a feel-good documentary with great country music—and the stories behind more than 50 Nashville songwriters. It’s fast-moving, but slows down enough so you’ll enjoy the music.

View the trailer for “It All Begins With a Song” (3 minutes).

The dialogue is often sermon-worthy, but not preachy. Examples:

“The most amazing thing about what I do is, you know, Monday through Friday, I go and sit in little rooms on Music Row with other songwriters, as I have for 20 years—and we all do life together.”

“I can promise you there's a hundred songs being written right now in this town this very second.”

“…and that makes Nashville a very unique place. You go get a pizza they're gonna have a songwriter's night at the pizza place. This is the only town I’ve ever known where banks have a stage in the bank.”

“I wrote virtually everything I wrote by myself. I thought you had to go lock yourself in a dark room somewhere pull down the shades at midnight and sit there until three or four in the morning and see how miserable you could get and write a sad country song.”

“Then I discovered a thing called co-writing. You go in. You write either with a friend that you know well or someone you've never met. And your job is to let your guard down and just be honest with them. I think it's interesting that songwriting is one of the only mediums where you shape things together.”

“Like nobody starts a painting and then hands it to someone else to finish. But I love that about songwriting…because, yeah, some of my favorite ideas would never have come along if I didn't have his brain, or you know, someone else's brain in the room.”

Oh, my! This documentary is powerful, poignant, and a whole-lotta-fun! Enjoy!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Viewing this documentary reminded me of several other must-read books in the Team Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] "Little Is Much When God Is in It" (Read my review of the songwriter’s story.)

[  ] The One Year® Book of Hymns: 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns, compiled and edited by Robert K. Brown and Mark R. Norton; devotions written by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. (Read my review.)

[  ] The Forge Movie. (Read my review.)

[  ] It’s time for the 2024 baseball playoffs (and more team-building!). The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building the Best Team in Baseball and Breaking the Curse, by Tom Verducci. (Read my review.)

To view on Amazon Prime, click on the title for It All Begins With a Song (documentary movie). For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

The House at Channing and Moonsail

PIC No. 81: 
• Title: The House at Channing and Moonsail
• Author: Mark Ellis
• Publisher: Laurus Books (July 31, 2021, 252 pages)
• Management Bucket #13 of 20: The Crisis Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 81 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

“God Was Not on My Radar”

This summer—before I had connected the proverbial dots—I was halfway through lunch at Wahoo’s Fish Taco with Mark Ellis. We had met previously, but this was our first lunch together. Mark mentioned something about his earlier years—and I interrupted him!

“Wait! You’re friends with Dave Barton and on Dave’s suggestion, you sent me your book back in 2021, right?” (After a major bookshelf-organizing project with two of our granddaughters, Mark’s book, The House at Channing and Moonsail had magically reappeared in my library!)

I’ve listed this book in my Crisis Bucket for many reasons.

CRISIS! Oh, my. I was so embarrassed. I had never read the book, never reviewed it, and here I was sitting with the author who had generously sent me his book. Even worse—he bought my lunch!

Fast forward: Today, I can now document that I have read this page-turning book by Mark Ellis (and I hope we’re still friends!). The back cover blurb is an excellent summary: “This coming-of-age quest for meaning and romance careens through Berkeley in the ‘70s and Orange County in the early ‘80s.” Here’s my take on Mark’s gutsy and transparent autobiographical look-in-the-mirror:

UC BERKELEY. Imagine…the tuition at the University of California, Berkeley in September 1973 was only $212 per quarter! UC Berkeley was the destination for Mark Ellis who boards the L.A. train north for his freshman year. Picture him in flip flops, a colorful Hawaiian shirt, and curly brown hair “bleached mostly blond.” This tennis player/teacher and surfer from Rolling Hills was ready to roll. Crisis? (Stay tuned.)

THE 70s. If you were a college student in the 60s and 70s, you may remember the sights, sounds, and smells: weed, beer, computer punch cards, panty raids and worse, Joni Mitchell, and mid-terms and finals. Ellis landed on a shortcut to academic success as a business major. “I hit on an ingenious solution in my mind: cheating, something I had never resorted to in high school. But the pressure I felt from all these stellar minds in one place and the fear of failure drove me into the arms of ethical compromise.”

He adds, “Admittedly, my moral compass was not well-formed. Neither of my parents had any church background nor devoted any time to instructing about ethics and morality.”

He writes that the cheating and heavy partying… “all gave me a vague unease that was brushed off with the idea, prevalent at the time, that a new morality was emerging of situational ethics, unmoored from the rusty, worn-out traditions of the past.”

“'If it felt good, do it' was the thought, as long as you weren’t hurting someone else.”

You get the idea (and the PG13 details are in his book!). Ellis walks us through Berkeley dorm life and then frat life in his sophomore year. Not initially realizing he had leadership abilities, Mark eventually becomes the president of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta, the “Fiji House” on Channing Circle.

Along the way he weaves in and out of his own story to spotlight current events—often fascinating: the Patty Hearst kidnapping, the Pancho Gonzales (age 43) vs. Jimmy Connors (age 19) tennis match, and sitting behind Andy Williams in a courtroom when the “Moon River” singer’s wife, Claudine Longet, was on trial for murder! Plus, he and Cal freshman quarterback Vince Ferragamo were in the same calculus class—before this future L.A. Ram transferred to Nebraska, “a place where they worship football.”

Unclear on what he worshiped, Mark tilted towards a colleague of Timothy Leary, Baba Ram Dass (aka Dr. Richard Albert, Ph.D., a former Harvard prof) and his bestselling book. Ellis writes, “Because I had turned away from traditional religion, I was open to the Eastern path promulgated by Ram Dass and rushed out to buy his book, which resonated with me and became my go-to guide for soul care.” Some 1,300 students, teachers and others listened to his three-hour lecture at Berkeley.

Note: While reading this book by Mark Ellis, I also read Faith for the Curious, by Mark Matlock. (Read my review.) If I could connect these two Marks together, I’d pop for the $7.00 happy hour dinner at the San Clemente Pier! That would be an enriching conversation—and good food!

Here’s an idea you won’t share with your college-age kids and grandkids: take a year off from UC Berkeley and become a ski bum in Aspen, Colo. Oh, and when the snow melts—head to Hawaii and work on a banana plantation! (Oops! Another crisis in Mark’s journey.)

GOOD NEWS. Mark returns to Berkeley a year later and then in his senior year, as fraternity president, he flies to Ohio State to attend a Fiji Leadership Academy. And get this: the legendary Buckeyes football coach, Woody Hayes, speaks to this group of 30 to 40 student leaders. Mark was inspired and quotes the coach for two pages and mentions the book that Hayes gave to every student athlete, Word Power Made Easy.

Coach Hayes: “In football, you learn there’s nothing that comes easy that’s worth a dime. As a matter of fact, I never saw a football player make a tackle with a smile on his face. Never!”

Mark Ellis: “When Coach Hayes finished his talk, I was ready to follow him anywhere. Even though I played only one year of freshman football in high school, I wanted to join his team in the worst way … I could volunteer to carry the water just to be around the man, I thought.”

Ellis graduates from Berkeley but his parents are too busy to attend the commencement ceremony so he skips the cap and gown show. Fast forward: a career in commercial real estate (following in his successful father’s footsteps) and the 1980 presidential campaign. His econ classes at Berkeley influenced his alignment with the Republican congressman from Rockford, Ill., John Anderson, who was running as an independent. So he dropped in on a local campaign organizing meeting.

CRISIS! By this time in this fascinating narrative, Mark was “24, with abundant energy and enthusiasm, wearing a suit…” and apparently asked “semi-intelligent questions.” Thus another crisis: the dozen or so attendees drafted Ellis to lead the Orange County campaign for John Anderson! (See his must-read chapters on the campaign and why “politicians should never use the word incipient.”)

The author transparently invites us into his career in commercial real estate and his dating life (including his successes, missteps, and disappointments). At his father’s urging (when his dad “delivered a harsh dose of reality”), Mark exits his parent’s comfortable home and buys a 900-square-foot townhome on Moonsail Drive in “Niguel Shores, a private, gated community that straddled Pacific Coast Highway near Salt Creek”—his favorite surfing spot and just a 10-minute walk to the beach. Life was good! (The book has two sections—titled for his two houses: the frat house on Channing and the townhome on Moonsail. I loved the format: 52 short chapters.)

Then this. The agent that sold him the townhome on Moonsail told Mark about a singles group at Mariners Church in Newport Beach. He confesses, “I had no interest in God…” but Mark thought, “…maybe I would meet some single women a few notches higher in quality than the ones I met in bars.” At his first meeting, he notes: “God was not on my radar, but scores of attractive blondes and brunettes had my sudden attention.”

By the way, when I hear stories and snippets of interesting life experiences, I often tell friends and colleagues, “You should write a book!” Then my wife, Joanne, warns them: “Go ahead, but you won’t make much money!” (See my recent book reviews on the theme, “You Should Write a Book!”)

I’m so delighted that Mark Ellis wrote this book. I had no idea about his earlier life experiences decades ago:
   • Who knew? He does impressions of Jimmy Stewart! Also: “Cary Grant, Clark Gable, JFK jawing with his brother Teddy, FDR, Jimmy Carter, and others.”
   • Mark has a creative bent. He began painting on the side and rented space for a small art gallery in Laguna Beach ($300 a month) and employed “young, attractive females to watch the gallery during the day and paid them the minimum wage” while he worked in his real estate office in Irvine.

I appreciate gifted writing and Ellis is a superb word crafter. Recounting his meeting with Woody Hayes: “The coach looked like a heftier, meatpacking version of LBJ.” Describing his “apolitical registered Republican” parents in 1965, “they heard Ronald Reagan speak at a local restaurant and came home like the fishermen who had seen Jesus for the first time.”

REDEMPTION? About halfway through the book, I told Mark, “I’m still waiting for the redemptive chapter!” I won’t give you a spoiler alert here, but…fast forward…at the Mariners Church singles gathering, “a guy named Dave was leading the study. Before he began his talk he said, ‘I just finished a book I want to recommend: Evidence That Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell.’” Mark adds, “I filed the name away in my head, thinking it might be something I should read.”

Oh…one more thing from that night. Mark meets Sally (a Princess Diana look-alike) in the small group discussion segment of the meeting (a circle of five), but reflects, “Oh, no. I don’t need another blond in my life.”

I hope that teaser prompts you to read this book. Here’s a hint. And…what’s the rest of the story? Read Mark’s bio today and watch for my review of his next book later this year.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Crisis Bucket plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World, by Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell (“The Completely Updated and Expanded Classic,” Oct. 3, 2017). Order from Amazon.

[  ] Faith for the Curious: How an Era of Spiritual Openness Shapes the Way We Live and Help Others Follow Jesus, by Mark Matlock (Sept. 24, 2024). (Order from Amazon and read for my review.)

[  ] Is God Real? Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life, by Lee Strobel. (Read my review.)

[  ] See my recent book reviews on the theme, “You Should Write a Book!”

[  ] Don’t Miss Your Life: The Secret to Significance, by Aaron Tredway. (Read my review.)

[  ] Word Power Made Easy, by Norman Lewis. (Note: 560 pages! Maybe it’s not so easy!!) Order from Amazon.

To order from Amazon, click on the title for The House at Channing and Moonsail, by Mark Ellis. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

Little Is Much When God Is in It

PIC No. 80: 
• Song Title: “Little Is Much When God Is in It”
• Words & Music by: Kittie Suffield
• Composed: 1924
• Management Bucket #5 of 20: The Book Bucket

Welcome to Issue No. 80 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system. Note: This special issue features a stunning story about a hymn written in 1924, but still having an impact 100 years later!

“Little Is Much When God Is in It" - The rest of the story!

The first time I heard the song, “Little Is Much When God Is in It,” I was stunned by the powerful lyrics and music. But there’s much, much more to tell you about this poignant song.

Pastor Marion McCandless, my next door neighbor, shared “the rest of the story” with me recently. Though now retired at age 91, Pastor “Mac” colorfully described the setting to me as if it were yesterday.

In 1957, while pastoring a church in Southern California, the denomination’s district superintendent asked Pastor McCandless to drive to Pasadena for a pastoral visit with an elderly couple. They had served faithfully as traveling evangelists for years and years. “Encourage and thank them,” was the assignment.

Fred and Kittie Suffield warmly welcomed Pastor McCandless into their home and seemed to appreciate his visit. Granted, the visit was just one of thousands of routine pastoral calls that Pastor Mac made during his many years of ministry. But there was nothing routine about this visit.

When it was time for Pastor McCandless to leave, he began to pray a blessing over this dedicated husband and wife. He didn’t know all the details of their ministry nor their devoted years of faithful service, but he knew that God knew.

So as Pastor McCandless prayed, he sensed the Holy Spirit’s nudge to include this verse from the gospel song, “Little Is Much When God Is in It.” He ended his prayer:

“Does the place you're called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
It is great if God is in it,
And he'll not forget his own.

Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus' name.
Amen.”

Kittie Suffield opened her eyes and Pastor McCandless remembers, “Her eyes twinkled!” She looked into his eyes and asked, “Do you like that song?”

Pastor McCandless smiled and said, “I love that song! Why do you ask?”

Kittie responded, “The Lord led me to write that song in 1924 and now you’re here today—33 years later—and you included those lyrics in your prayer. Oh, my.”

Pastor McCandless couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He thought about the goodness of God. He told me that he was so sobered—and so humbled—that the Lord would give him the privilege of being a blessing to Fred and Kittie Suffield that day.

And Pastor McCandless also told me he has never stopped telling this miracle story of “The Prayer in Pasadena!”

But there’s more to the story!

In 1956, at the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City, a song leader from Canada introduced “Little Is Much When God Is in It” to the 15,000 or so delegates at this meeting. Many pastors and church leaders were in the arena representing hundreds of small churches across North America. They came to hear from God and they came for encouragement—and then they discovered they were on Holy ground.

Pastor McCandless was there. “I was in the arena’s upper seating area. My wife, Connie, and I were just starting out in pastoral ministry. And as I looked over those thousands of humble servants—caught up in genuine heartfelt praise and worship—I knew I would never forget that day. I have never experienced anything like that then or since. I remember one guy was so enthused about praising the Lord—that he ran laps around the main floor seating area!”

God’s people sang their hearts out that day:

“Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus' name.”

Listen to “Little Is Much When God Is in It,” written by Kittie Suffield in 1924, and sung in 2012 by the Gaither Vocal Band.

Commenting on the YouTube video, sung by the Gaither Vocal Band, here’s how one person described her experience in 1956:
“I heard this song in 1956 in the General Assembly… I was about 16 and ‘God came down in glory’ on the congregation of about 15,000 people. It felt like electricity. My hands went up in praise with no effort. I wished that I had a trumpet to fill all of heaven with praises to God. It was truly a supernatural experience which I will never forget.”

Pastor McCandless remembers that when that multitude in Kansas City sang the last verse and chorus of the song, the song leader—deeply touched during that worship experience—simply whispered into the microphone, “What do I do now?”

But there’s more to the story!

Kittie Jennett was born in 1884, and as a teenager aspired to be a concert artist as a coloratura soprano or pianist. This Melody Publications blog from July 8, 2023, chronicles her early life:

Kittie “…had been invited to be the soloist for a week of special meetings in Winchester, Ontario. During the week, a winter storm brought several feet of snow, and the train that Kittie boarded to return to New York became stuck in the snowdrifts just a few miles from the station.”

The God plot thickens! “Fred Suffield was a successful young farmer whose farm was only a few hundred yards from where the train had come to a stop. Fred was awakened by a desperate pounding at the door and was told how folks were stranded on the train. He harnessed his horses to the farm sleigh, made his way through the blizzard to the tracks, and brought as many passengers as he could to his home to stay for the night."

God's plan continues! “A Miss Kittie Jennett was among them, the singer and pianist whose music he had enjoyed all week at the meetings. After the stranded passengers had returned to the train the next morning, Fred found a note that Kittie had left, thanking him for his kindness. That was the beginning of a romance that lasted a lifetime.”

Kittie and Fred married and they ministered together in evangelistic work and she used her God-given talents to write gospel songs and hymns. The words and music of “Little Is Much When God Is in It” were written in 1924 by Kittie, often credited as Mrs. Frederick W. Suffield.

But there’s more to the story!

Leslie Clay shares on her blog, Sisters in Song (July 14, 2014), another moment in the life of these faithful traveling evangelists, Fred and Kittie Suffield.

According to Clay, the Suffields attended a church in Ottawa, Canada, pastored by A.J. Shea. Clay writes, “One summer, they hosted A.J.’s son, George Beverly, for a month in Westport, Ontario, while holding evangelistic meetings. During his stay one night, George tried to sing, but his voice cracked. Kittie, the pianist, lowered the key and he sang beautifully from then on.”

The result? “She is known as the encourager and initiator of George Beverly Shea’s famous career as a singer, most notably for Billy Graham’s organization.” Listen here to George Beverly Shea sing his signature song, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.” And there’s more to his story! Listen here.

What’s the rest of your story?

What’s the rest of your story? Will it be, “Welcome home, my child; well done?” Fred Suffield (1874-1963) and Kittie Suffield (1884-1972) served the Lord with gladness. As Pastor McCandless noted, "Kittie’s eyes still twinkled with joy late in life." How will your story end?

"When the conflict here is ended,
And our race on earth is run, 
He will say, if we are faithful,
'Welcome home, my child; well done.'

Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown, and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus' name."

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reflecting on this song reminded me of several must-read books (and books with hymns) in The Book Bucket plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] The One Year® Book of Hymns: 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns, compiled and edited by Robert K. Brown and Mark R. Norton; devotions written by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen. (Read my review.)

[  ] The Messiah: An Oratorio for Four-Part Chorus of Mixed Voices, Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass Soli and Piano, by G. F. Handel. (Read my review.)

[  ] Knowing God, by J.I. Packer. (Read my review.)

[  ] Sisters In Song: Women Hymn Writers, by Leslie Clay. (Order from Amazon.)

NOTE: An edited version of this blog post also appears on the God Reports website. Click here.

For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

Experiencing The American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life

PIC No. 79: 
• Title: Experiencing The American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life
• Author: Mark Matson
• Publisher: Wiley (Aug. 27, 2024, 400 pages)
• Management Bucket #15 of 20: The Budget Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 79 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

“The only secret is there is no secret.”

Raise your hand if...you’re retired or looking forward to retirement.

Raise your hand if...to prepare for retirement, you’ve read a helpful book on money management in the last 12 months. The last three years? The last 12 years?

YIKES! As Rob Lowe writes in the foreword to Experiencing The American Dream, “…we all have a complicated relationship with money. We love it. We hate it. We want it. We’re scared of it. We’re scared of not having it. We’re confused by it.” He adds, “Some are ‘ambivalent’ about all things financial, which as you will see, can be the most dangerous mindset of all.”

And get this! The Wall Street Journal, just last week, reports: "The American Dream Feels Out of Reach for Most. A Wall Street Journal poll shows people want a home, a family and a comfortable retirement, but say those goals are tough to achieve even with hard work." Read the article. But...there's hope!

GOOD NEWS. Mark Matson will help you demystify your relationship with money—and along the way on your lifelong-learning journey, you’ll also pick up principles on how to effectively invest your time and energy to create a more meaningful life.

This book will surprise you. Here’s a taste:

YIKES! “Sir Isaac Newton invented calculus, discovered gravity, and is considered one of the most brilliant people ever to walk the face of the earth. You would think he could use his intelligence to make a killing in the stock market. Well, so did he.” Read how Newton got “wiped out” at age 78.

YIKES! “Sometimes your intelligence can work against you as an investor. It doesn’t matter how successful you are; knowledge in one area does not make you an expert in another. This is an easy error to make.” Examples:
• “No matter how successful you are in your career, you would never in a million years assume you could hop into the cockpit of a 747 and fly the plane without any training.”
• “People can read a few articles, watch some videos, and suddenly think they can engineer a portfolio that will help them consistently beat the market, sadly to find out their genius as a brain surgeon did not translate to investing success.”

YIKES! Mark Matson, “an American entrepreneur, author, and innovator in the fields of investing science and financial education,” wants to help you properly invest your time, energy, and money—but he warns in Chapter 7, “What you think you know might not be so.”

That got my attention! It reminded me of what Peter Drucker would often say: “What everyone knows is usually wrong.”

The author invests six chapters in laying the groundwork, and then delivers a few pokes-in-the-ribs for lazy or self-assured investors. He writes, “If you’re still experiencing cognitive dissonance or doubting any of the concepts discussed, consider this chapter the ace in the hole that will force you to test the limits of your claims.” He suggests three exercises for readers:

EXERCISE #1. “If you had a million dollars to invest, and you had to put that money into three separate stocks, which three would you pick? Close your eyes for a moment, choose three stocks, and then write them down before you continue reading this.”

Yikes! (You can open your eyes now.) “There are over 20,000 stocks you could choose from, and I can still list five that end up on most people’s lists.”

By the way—if you need a reminder that popular companies do go bankrupt, Matson reminds us about the Dutch East India Company, Kodak, Blockbuster, and the current travails of Boeing. He adds, “Capitalism waits for no one. The Kodak CEO failed to see that if he didn’t embrace the technology, another company would. With my company, we aim to reinvent our business model every three years.”

EXERCISE #2. “How much have you saved for retirement?” Matson writes, “The truth is that the average investor is doing poorly according to the Dalbar research. They just don’t know it, and they don’t know they don’t know it. The better question is not whether you failed to beat the market; it’s how would you even know?” In determining the average return on your investments, the author warns about “survivorship bias.” He adds, “By only remembering the winners and forgetting about the losers you become overconfident and think that you’re good at stock picking when your track record is terrible.”

EXERCISE #3. “Is your portfolio toxic?” Matson also warns about the gurus who pitch “get-rich-quick schemes” with their “gunslinger investments that look sexy and feed your ego.” Caution! “It’s a lie to say that if you want to be a billionaire, invest like a billionaire. The industry perpetuates this belief, and it’s arguably one of the biggest misconceptions of investing—people have been watching too much Shark Tank.”

He adds, “Many of these wealthy gurus imply that they will give away secrets during their workshops, master classes, and yes, their books. The only secret is there is no secret.”

This book is both technical and practical. I’d suggest you tackle a chapter a week with a family member or friend. Invest at least as much time in your future as you do in watching football this fall! And don’t skip Matson’s final chapter, “It Won’t Get Any Easier.”

And if you’re not retired yet and you’re still innovating and building something yourself, you must read his four-page conceptual framework for a new experience he’s creating in Arizona. Read “My Vision Statement.” His aspiration is this: “Think of the space as you would a ride at Disney. It tells a story, and the guests become part of that story.” (Must-read! Wow!)

By the way, Steve Forbes endorsed this book—and he affirms that it’s not just about the money, it’s also about “the power and beauty of the American Dream.”

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Budget Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] Dollars and Sense: How We Misthink Money and How to Spend Smarter, by Dr. Dan Ariely and Jeff Kreisler. (Read my review.)

[  ] MoneyZen: The Secret to Finding Your "Enough,” by Manisha Thakor. (Read my review.)

[  ] The Best Investment Advice I Ever Received: Priceless Wisdom from Warren Buffett, Jim Cramer, Suze Orman, Steve Forbes, and Dozens of Other Top Financial Experts, by Liz Claman. (Read my review.)

[  ] The 5 Money Personalities: Speaking the Same Love and Money Language, by Scott and Bethany Palmer. (Read my review.)

[  ] Jesus’ Terrible Financial Advice: Flipping the Tables on Peace, Prosperity, and the Pursuit of Happiness, by John Thornton. (Read my review.)

[  ] The God Guarantee: Finding Freedom From the Fear of Not Having Enough, by Jack Alexander. (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for Experiencing The American Dream: How to Invest Your Time, Energy, and Money to Create an Extraordinary Life, by Mark Matson. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

The Forge Movie

PIC No. 78: 
• Title: The Forge Movie
• View the Official Trailer.
• Director: Alex Kendrick (Screenplay: Alex Kendrick & Stephen Kendrick; Produced by: Stephen Kendrick, Justin Tolley, Aaron Burns, Trey Reynolds. Released Aug. 23, 2024)
• Management Bucket #8 of 20: The Culture Bucket


The Forge Movie is also in book form. Order the book here from Amazon.

Welcome to Issue No. 78 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books (and a couple of movies)—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

GO. SEE. THIS. MOVIE.

I’m urging you, my family, my friends, neighbors—everyone I meet—to go see this movie! (You’ll thank me—just like I thanked friends who asked us to join them yesterday to see the movie on the big screen.)

SPOILER ALERT! Powerful. Funny. Tears! Hopeful. Relatable. I could go on, but here’s the blurb:

“Isaiah Wright has some growing up to do. A year out of high school with no plans for his future, Isaiah is challenged by his single mom and a successful businessman to start charting a better course for his life. Through the prayers of his mother and biblical discipleship from his new mentor, Isaiah begins to discover God’s purpose for his life is so much more than he could hope for or imagine.”

RIGHT FILM. RIGHT TIME. “Give me any two pages of the Bible,” said Cecil B. DeMille, “and I'll give you a picture.” Aristotle said, “The soul never thinks without a picture.” Why do you think the right film, at the right time, for the right reason—can be so powerful? View The Forge and you’ll agree with Aristotle.

IMPORTANT THEMES. Oh, my. Our nation (our world) needs help—and this well-done movie will give you hope. Key themes:

   • Father Figures. Watch how male role models are the key ingredient in shaping a young man's character and faith.
   • Mentoring. As one source commented, “The film emphasizes the importance of mentorship, particularly the role of men mentoring younger men. Joshua, a successful business owner, takes on the role of a mentor to Isaiah, guiding him through personal and spiritual growth.”
   • Personal Transformation. The Good News of the Gospel lights the way for Isaiah’s journey of personal transformation, where he shifts from being a directionless young man to embracing his faith and responsibilities. Powerful!
   • Forgiveness. Get ready for One Powerful Scene that you will never forget—and it will enrich your understanding of forgiveness. Oh, my.
   • Prayer. (Did I mention “prayer?”) I’m thinking that all of our “Five Steps to Do This” and “Seven Steps to Conquer That” programs—could all be discarded if pastors, church leaders, youth pastors, and caring adults (parents and grandparents) would understand the power of prayer.
   • Community. Wow! Men and young men who see this movie will yearn for a new level of authentic relationships—supported within a faith community (aka “The Forge”). Powerful!

There’s more:
   • Commitment, Discipline, Accountability, & Teamwork. You’ll see how a young man overcame a litany of personal excuses and challenges to become a man of God. And…you’ll love the fast-paced segment at the end where teamwork and leadership accomplish a gargantuan business task—against insurmountable odds. Even with the humor, it will get your adrenaline going! It’s a fantastic teamwork scene that should be replayed several times a year at your organization’s weekly staff meetings or quarterly off-site retreats. (Oh. Did I mention prayer?)

GO. SEE. THIS. MOVIE.

P.S. LOL! When a couple invited us see the movie with them, the husband was initially reluctant to go—fearing that the “sword” graphics in the promo foreshadowed violence (perhaps a faith-based Braveheart movie). Not so! You’ll love the meaning behind the commemorative sword and “The Forge."

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Viewing this movie reminded me of several other themes in the Culture Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

Note: I’m not a movie critic, but during the early days of COVID, I spotlighted eight movies (including short clips) that speak to important themes, including leadership. Check them out here.
   • Harriet (2019)
   • We Have a Pope (2011)
   • The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
   • Twelve O’clock High (1949)
   • In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
   • Sesame Street: Ernie Puts Down the Duckie (2003)
   • Our Daily Bread (1934)
   • Make Your Bed (2014)

View “THE FORGE MOVIE” on the big screen this week! Click here for “The Forge” Official Movie Trailer. Exclusively in theaters beginning August 23, 2024. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting.

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business

PIC No. 77: 
• Title: The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business
• Author: Andrew C. M. Cooper
• Publisher: Wiley (Aug. 13, 2024, 256 pages)
• Management Bucket #1 of 20: The Results Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 77 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

Inspire Team Members to Be Gold Prospectors!

What’s your gut feel when you read a new book’s subtitle that admonishes, Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business?

Right. Me too.

Will this be a touchy-feely sermon—trying to convince you that conscience is more important than cash flow? Or…yet one more journey down the well-worn paths of ESG and/or DEI?

I have an idea. (Keep reading.)

Whenever I’m tempted to set aside a highly recommended book—perhaps because I’ll likely disagree with some of the author’s views—I’m reminded of this wisdom from Charlie Munger (1924-2023), quoted in my 2023 book-of-the-year, Clear Thinking:

“I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything
unless I know the other side’s argument better than they do.”

Here’s my idea. At your next staff meeting, inspire several team members to read the latest leadership/business books—and whether they appreciate the books or not—ask them to honestly search for “Best of…” snippets. Don’t ask them to be critics; inspire them to be gold prospectors.

Examples: Here are some of the GOLD treasures I discovered in The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business.

BEST METAPHOR. Andrew C.M. Cooper launches the book with the sad, but true, story of his 53-year-old cousin, Meme, perishing in a fire in her own home. “Officially, the death was an accident, but the truth is that Meme died from a maelstrom of failures.”

The metaphor: a conflagration. The author explains: “Millennials, like me, have come of age in a conflagration of crises—not unlike Meme. In this environment, profits and positive earnings raise more questions about how results were achieved, rather than the results themselves.” (Note: I tagged this to the Results Bucket, but it could also align with the Crisis Bucket.)

BEST GUT-CHECK. Oh, my. Chapter 5, “Good Habits and the Price of Renewal,” begins with the author’s moral wrestling match at the end of his very long shift at UPS during Peak Season (Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day). Delivering packages in his own car, he finally made it home (30 miles away)—only to discover an undelivered package “next to the front passenger door wedged between the seat and the safety belt.” What did he do? What would you do?

By the way, in this chapter Cooper also notes the power of ethical habits from U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven in a University of Texas graduation speech and pithy book, Make Your Bed. (See also Panera Bread’s founder on Know What Matters.)

BEST HOOK. In his book, 15 Minutes Including Q&A, Joey Asher (also an attorney like Cooper) urges speakers to start with a “hook” to grab the audience’s attention. Great books also begin with hooks—especially in the introductions.

On page two, Cooper describes his experience at his grandfather’s church at age nine. At his small Free Will Baptist Church that Sunday morning, a cousin was preaching, his father (also a pastor) sat on the rostrum with other clergy, and then his cousin Meme (see above) approached the pulpit and knelt down. What follows for the next hour is a memorable picture of the “emblematic failure” far too common in poor neighborhoods. With such a compelling “hook,” how could I not jump headfirst into this book (or maybe heart first)?

BEST PUSH-BACK. Don’t you appreciate an author who is unafraid to push back on conventional wisdom—and the go-to consulting gurus? I love contrarian authors! In Chapter 9, “Buckner’s Law,” Cooper explains “McKinsey’s theoretical power curve” and then says, “The McKinsey model is missing something. It doesn’t capture the myriad of ways an organization’s people need to level up to make strategic moves.”

The author cites his experiences as legal counsel at Fortune 500 companies like UPS and Meta, “and a large international law firm,” and notes that organizational cultures are unique. UPS is unlike Meta (Facebook)—and one size doesn’t fit all.

MANY MORE “BESTS.” If you like my idea, I won’t spoil your own prospecting for gold in this book, but you’ll find dozens of treasures, dozens of memorable anecdotes (real life stuff!), and helpful solutions and next steps. You may not agree with everything—but then (gut check!) name one person who agrees with everything you preach!

The Ethical Imperative is hopeful. I hope you and your team members will read and act on it.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Results Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box, by The Arbinger Institute. (Read my review of the Second Edition.) Order the Fourth Edition from Amazon, coming Aug. 27, 2024.)

[  ] True North: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition, by Zach Clayton and Bill George. (Read my review.)

[  ] Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results, by Shane Parrish. (Read my review. Note: I named this my 2023 book-of-the-year.)

[  ] CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest, by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra. (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business, by Andrew C. M. Cooper. Listen on Libro. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

Team Retreat Engagement Plan: 4 Books by Dick Daniels

PIC No. 76: 
• Title: Leadership Briefs: Shaping Organizational Culture to Stretch Leadership Capacity
• Author: Dick Daniels
• Publisher: Leadership Development Group (May 12, 2014, 246 pages)
• Management Bucket #8 of 20: The Culture Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 76 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

Retreat Highlights: The 4-Minute Chapter Summaries!

Picture this! About 40 leaders and managers from a well-led organization are enjoying a one-day offsite leadership enrichment retreat. As the facilitator, I’ve promised them practical content, deep engagement, hilarious video clips, and a PowerPoint (of course).

At the closing session that day, each team member shared their take-aways. But—no surprise—the highlights didn’t mention my brilliant insights or even the food. The bell-ringer was a simple four-minute presentation at the end of each hour.

The CEO had inspired nine people to read a chapter from Dick Daniels’ book, Leadership Briefs: Shaping Organizational Culture to Stretch Leadership Capacity. In just four-minute segments, the group was treated to nine stimulating chapter summaries. Examples:
   • “Here are three of my favorite quotes on culture.”
   • “Recently, I observed a team member modeling this key principle on ‘Building Leaders from the Inside-Out.’”
   • “This strategy principle, ‘When Leaders Look for the Silver Bullet’ was a wake-up call!”
   • “I have practiced this principle for many years…but the fourth point was new to me—and here’s what I plan to do in the future.”

The room was electric! The nine members took their assignments seriously—and honed their talks beautifully. Each hour ended with a four-minute gem. (The incentive: a Starbucks gift card for keeping it under four minutes!)

Following that lifelong-learning marathon, I have since leveraged the book in dozens of team-building retreats for clients. Those four-minute messages are always the highlights. I also named Leadership Briefs my 2015 “Book-of-the-Year.” (Ditto Leadership Core—my 2021 “Book-of-the-Year.”) And Hardwiring New Leadership Habits was one of my Top-10 books of 2023. Wow! Dick Daniels is a writing machine!

Gratefully, we now have a new resource in 2024 and I’m salivating to use The 365 Day Leader at my next retreat. Thank you, Dick Daniels!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books by Dick Daniels in the Culture Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] The 365 Day Leader: Recalibrate Your Calling Every Day, by Dick Daniels (June 27, 2024) – (Read my review and order from Amazon.) Note: You may be able to purchase the book at a discounted price at Ingram Spark: hardcover or paperback.

[  ] Hardwiring New Leadership Habits: Does Development Develop? by Dick Daniels (Jan. 3, 2023) - (Read my review.)

[  ] Leadership Core: Character, Competence, Capacity (Leadership Multipliers), by Dick Daniels (Nov. 12, 2020) - (Read my review.)

[  ] Subscribe to Dick Daniels' newsletter, The Leadership Brief.

[  ] Follow Dick Daniels and The Leadership Development Group on LinkedIn.

To order from Amazon, click on the title for Leadership Briefs: Shaping Organizational Culture to Stretch Leadership Capacity, by Dick Daniels. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future

PIC No. 75: 
• Title: Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future
• Authors: Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman
• Publisher: PublicAffairs (July 9, 2024, 288 pages)
• Management Bucket #3 of 20: The Strategy Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 75 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

I Asked AI to Contrast and Compare 2 Books!

It just wouldn’t be right, when recommending this hot-off-the-press book, to pretend I could understood and articulate these important insights on my own. (Right?) I mean, I’ve done one start-up and reinvented a few organizations—but I’m clearly not an AI or start-up guru.

So, taking the advice from Jeremy Kahn’s hot-off-the-press book, Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future—I learned that it’s not cheating to ask AI for help. In fact, it’s recommended! So I did—and I thought you’d appreciate these two “compare and contrast” AI summaries, requested just one day after both books were published.

I asked ChatGPT and Claude the same question:

“In 300 words or less, please compare and contrast the breakthrough ideas from the new books, “Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future,” by Jeremy Kahn, and “Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future,” by Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman.

RESPONSE FROM ChatGPT:

**Comparison and Contrast of Breakthrough Ideas in "Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future" by Jeremy Kahn and "Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future" by Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman**

"Mastering AI" by Jeremy Kahn and "Pattern Breakers" by Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman both explore innovation but through different lenses: AI and startup culture.

**Breakthrough Ideas in "Mastering AI"**:
1. **AI as a Superpower**: Kahn emphasizes AI’s transformative potential, describing it as a tool that can supercharge various sectors from healthcare to finance.
2. **Ethical and Societal Implications**: The book delves deeply into the ethical concerns surrounding AI, including biases, job displacement, and privacy issues.
3. **Human-AI Collaboration**: Kahn promotes the idea of symbiotic relationships between humans and AI, suggesting that the future lies in leveraging AI to augment human capabilities rather than replace them.

**Breakthrough Ideas in "Pattern Breakers"**:
1. **Disruptive Innovation**: Maples and Ziebelman focus on how startups can disrupt existing markets. They outline strategies used by successful startups to break patterns and create new market dynamics.
2. **Founder Mindset**: The authors stress the importance of a visionary founder's mindset, highlighting traits such as resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.
3. **Network Effects**: The book discusses the significance of network effects in the success of startups, explaining how startups can leverage these effects to achieve rapid growth and dominance.

**Comparative Analysis**:
- **Focus**: Kahn’s work centers on AI and its broad implications, while Maples and Ziebelman concentrate on the startup ecosystem and disruptive innovation.
- **Scope of Impact**: "Mastering AI" addresses global and societal changes driven by AI technologies, whereas "Pattern Breakers" is more focused on business strategies and market dynamics.
- **Approach to Change**: Kahn advocates for ethical and collaborative advancements in AI, while Maples and Ziebelman emphasize breaking traditional patterns and leveraging innovative thinking within startups.

In summary, both books offer valuable insights into innovation, with "Mastering AI" providing a macro perspective on technological advancements and their societal impacts, and "Pattern Breakers" offering a micro perspective on the mindset and strategies behind successful startups.

RESPONSE FROM CLAUDE:

I apologize, but I don't have specific information about the content of those two books you mentioned. As an AI system, I don't have access to newly published books or their contents unless that information has been included in my training data. My knowledge cutoff was in April 2024, so I wouldn't be able to accurately compare and contrast ideas from books published after that date.

Without having read these books, I can't provide a meaningful comparison of their breakthrough ideas. Any attempt to do so would likely result in inaccurate information.

Instead, I'd recommend:

1. Reading reviews or summaries of these books from reputable sources.
2. Consulting the books directly to understand their key ideas.
3. Reaching out to others who have read both books for their perspectives.

If you'd like, I could offer some general thoughts on AI and startups based on my existing knowledge, but this wouldn't be specific to the books you mentioned. Let me know if that would be helpful, or if you have any other questions I can assist with.

ACTUAL, REAL COMMENTS FROM JOHN (the Live Person!)

Interesting! This is the first time I’ve used Claude and no password was required, but I was required to respond to both an email and a text to my mobile phone. The “warnings” (and fine print) were pretty good and in line with the cautions noted in Kahn’s book. But clearly, Claude has some catching up to do.

The good news: Claude suggests we read books! Read my review of Mastering AI and stay tuned for my “actual” review of Pattern Breakers. And…welcome to the brave new world!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Strategy Bucket plus other buckets/core competencies. 

[  ] Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future, by Jeremy Kahn. (Order from Amazon and read my review.)

[  ] Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown and Move from Strategy to Action, by Atif Rafiq. (Read my three reviews!)

[  ] Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI, by Eric Lamarre, Kate Smaje, and Rodney Zemmel (Listen to the “Zoom review” of the book by David Schmidt and John Reynolds and read the review by Dr. Reynolds.)

[  ] Fusion Strategy: How Real-Time Data and AI Will Power the Industrial Future, by Vijay Govindarajan Venkat Venkatraman. (Order from Amazon and watch for my review of this Harvard Business Review Press book published on March 12, 2024).

[  ] The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI, by Ray Kurzweil. (Order from Amazon and watch for my review of this book published on June 25, 2024.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future, by Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman. Listen on Libro (7 hours, 20 minutes). For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham

PIC No. 74: 
• Title: The Reckoning: A Novel 
• Author: John Grisham
• Publisher: Doubleday (Oct. 23, 2018, 432 pages)
• Management Bucket #13 of 20: The Crisis Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 74 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

Another John Grisham Page-Turner

Clearly, John Grisham doesn’t need my recommendations to help him sell books. Per Wikipedia, “according to the American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 consecutive number-one fiction bestsellers, and his books have sold 300 million copies worldwide.”

You’ve likely read one or more of his books. I’ve read several Grisham novels over the years, but none in the last 10-15 years. My wife keeps prodding me to read something outside of my leadership/management obsession, so I bought The Reckoning when it was first published in October 2018. And LOL…I finally read it last month on vacation!

Did you know that Grisham’s first book, A Time to Kill, was initially rejected by 28 publishers? The first print run was just for 5,000 copies back in 1988.

The Reckoning is another page-turner. I’ve always been interested in World War II books, movies, and documentaries. (My favorite movie: The Hunt for Red October.) Grisham tells the story of decorated war hero Pete Banning who survives the Bataan Death March in the Philippines and returns to his Mississippi home and farm, there to commit an egregious crime. His lackluster defense: “I have nothing to say.”

In addition to the legal complexities that the author weaves into his books, The Reckoning mixes in the Jim Crow South, the local Methodist Church, a pastor, a murder, deep secrets, and the insanity of war.

This would be a great read for a book club. I would want to discuss these themes: the consequences of sin and guilt, forgiveness and redemption, the impact of secrets and lies, justice and judgment, and the power of love and sacrifice. While I wouldn’t recommend that clergy turn this into a five-part sermon series, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone has already referenced the book from the pulpit! (Warning: some of the sections are brutal.)

Note: While reading this book, The Wall Street Journal ran a piece on June 6, 2024, by Bob Greene, “Ike Returns to Normandy: In the 1964 anniversary film, Eisenhower recounts the D-Day invasion for CBS’s Walter Cronkite.”

Greene quotes Dwight D. Eisenhower, “I devoutly hope that we will never again have to see such scenes as this.” Amen.

While The Reckoning is a novel, it dramatically captures the “war is hell” theme. I was reminded of a family friend of my father-in-law and mother-in-law who miraculously survived World War II. Writing in the Notre Dame News on Jan. 7, 2003, Bill Jauss pays tribute to Notre Dame football star Mario G. `Motts' Tonelli (1916-2003):

“The life of Mario G. ‘Motts’ Tonelli reads as though it was scripted in Hollywood. But Tonelli, who died Tuesday at 86, wasn’t a Hollywood-type hero. He was a blue-collar, Chicago-type hero. Tonelli grew up the son of Italian immigrants on the North Side and became a star fullback at Notre Dame in the late 1930s before playing for the Chicago Cardinals in the National Football League in 1940. After one season, Tonelli entered the U.S. Army and eventually survived the infamous Bataan Death March in World War II and 42 months of brutal treatment in three Japanese prison camps. His weight dropped from 188 pounds to under 100.” (Read more here.)

To all veterans and those serving today—thank you for your service.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Crisis Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies. 

[  ] Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Read my review.)

[  ] Hitler in the Crosshairs: A GI’s Story of Courage and Faith, by John Woodbridge and Maurice Possley. (Read my review.)

[  ] Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life, by Donald Rumsfeld. (Read my review.)

[  ] Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory, by Ben Macintyre. (Read my review.)

[  ] See also the reviews of five books in “Part 14: Leadership & Management at War,” in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books, by John Pearson with Jason Pearson.

[  ] In the classic 1949 film, Twelve O’Clock High, Gregory Peck plays an Air Force general tasked with rejuvenating an exhausted and demoralized bomber group in World War II. (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Reckoning: A Novel, by John Grisham. Listen on Libro (17 hours, 34 minutes). For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
Pails in Comparison is posted every once in a while. We do not accept any form of compensation from authors or publishers for book reviews. As an Amazon Associate, we earn Amazon gift cards from qualifying purchases. As a Libro.fm Affiliate, we earn credits. By subscribing to Your Weekly Staff Meeting, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Typepad.com’s privacy policy here.

Remembering Pat Clements (1945-2024)

Issue No. 73 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog, features a special tribute today to Pat Clements.

Remembering Pat Clements (1945-2024)



Gratefully, we all have moments in our lives when one or more special friends or colleagues hear from God—and then generously give us their counsel, direction, and encouragement. Pat Clements was that person for me—many, many times.

Patrick L. Clements (1945-2024) entered Heaven's gates on May 15, 2024. He was 78. (Read the tribute here.) A stunning “Celebration of Life” was held at his home church in Salem, Ore., on June 15, 2024. (View the video here.)

In 1994, Pat Clements was the board chair of Christian Management Association (now called Christian Leadership Alliance). Pat and the CEO search committee presented a very compelling invitation for us to consider leaving the winter snowstorms and blazing summers of the Chicago area and relocate to Southern California to lead CMA.

At the time, Pat was the president of Church Extension Plan, a financial ministry that serves thousands of churches across the country and grew significantly under his leadership between 1982 and 2016. Pat and his wife, Connie, became friends and were faithful encouragers, donors, and cheerleaders during our 11 years with CMA (1994-2005).

I cannot improve on the perfect tone and tributes to Pat in the “Celebration of Life” service earlier this month by his friends and family. (Joanne and I are blessed to have one son, a daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren. But after viewing the video, I’ve been thinking of asking Pat’s four sons if they would also speak at my memorial service!) The service is a template for God’s faithfulness in the life of a leader and his family.

This Scripture that Pat loved was featured in the celebration: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

View the video of the service to see how family members displayed one-word tributes about Pat. Beautiful and so meaningful. The video also highlights Pat's personal mission statement and his core values.

It's quite likely that the people who knew and loved Pat may not be aware of his impact on the lives of so many other leaders across the country and globally (including me). We are forever grateful for his leadership wisdom and practical tools! Examples:

TOOL #10: THE 5/15 MONTHLY REPORT TO THE BOARD
Pat's very practical tool is featured in the book, ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board, by Dan Busby and John Pearson.

In the book, Dan and I note: “John was blessed a few years back when Pat Clements, board chair at Christian Management Association (now Christian Leadership Alliance), introduced John to a simple, time-saving template. Like clock-work, on the fifteenth of every month, Clements sent his 5/15 Report to his national board. So John borrowed his brilliant idea and customized the template for the board of CMA.”

Pat sold me on the pragmatic value of this communication template. “John, leverage this tool to keep the board informed and inspired between meetings. Once formatted, it takes just 15 minutes to write and 5 minutes to read.” Thus the title: “The CEO’s 5/15 Monthly Report to the Board.”

Since then, I have shared this brilliant template with nonprofit ministry leaders around the world. Dan Busby (1941-2022) felt it was so valuable he selected it as one of the 22 tools in our book, published by ECFAPress. But it didn’t stop there!
   • Pat’s tool is also featured in Lesson 6, “Eliminate Hallway Whining,” in the book, Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: 40 Insights for Better Board Meetings (2nd Edition), by Dan Busby and John Pearson. Read Lesson 6 here.
   • Pat also wrote a guest blog about the tool for ECFA’s “Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations” blog on Dec. 27, 2017. Read “Eliminate Hallway Whining,” by Pat Clements.
   • For a free download of Tool #10 (and other tools), register here on the ECFA website.
   • Read the blog on Tool #10.

TOOL #14: THE ROLLING 3-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN PLACEMAT
Another tool that Pat leveraged is what he called the “Strategic Plan Poster” (or Placemat). A version of that is also included in the book, ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance.

The big idea: Roll-up your sleeves and gather the strategically-gifted board and senior staff around the table—and create a one-page summary (11” x 17”) of your strategic plan. (Click here to download Tool #14 and read the blog on Tool #14.)

In “The Strategy Bucket” chapter of my book, Mastering the Management Buckets, I begin Chapter 3 by crediting Pat Clements for his ingenious accountability conversations during his CEP years.

“Occasionally Pat Clements stops a team member in the hallway at Church Extension Plan and asks, ‘What are you working on today, Jennifer?’”

Upon hearing Jennifer’s answer, Pat is ready with his follow-up question: “How is that project connected to our Strategic Plan Poster?” (The poster was widely distributed, of course, and visible throughout the office and during both staff meetings and board meetings.) Brilliant!

I’m sure there are more tools, resources, insights, one-liners, and prayers that I will remember in the days ahead. Oh, my. I’m so grateful for the faithful leadership of Pat Clements.

Note: Pat Clements was also the author of two books: Proven Concepts of Church Building and Finance and Financial Freedom: More Than Being Debt Free—Tools for Managing Your Personal Finances.

© 2024. John Pearson Associates. All rights reserved.
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