Pails in Comparison

AI Podcasters Are “Reviewing” Pearson’s Reviews?

PIC No. 84 (updated on Jan. 15, 2025) 
• Podcast: “Deep Dive Podcasts” (AI-Generated)
• Podcasters: 2 (unnamed) AI-generated Podcasters!
• Publisher: Google’s “NotebookLM” tool
• Management Bucket #19 of 20: The Printing Bucket (aka Communications Bucket)

Welcome to this SPECIAL edition 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. (This is Issue No. 84.)

Wait…What? AI Podcasters Are “Reviewing” Pearson’s Reviews?

You read that right! After reading a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal (see below), I dipped my toe into Google’s new “podcaster maker” (my term). But I’m not the podcaster. Click on any of the podcast links below and you’ll meet two “chatty” podcasters generated by AI. Honest! It will, as they say, “blow your mind!”

If you’re happy and content reading my reviews—thank you. But if you want to move from 1950 to 2050 (watch for my review on that), then click on any "AI podcast" below, created by Google's NotebookLM. After I cut and pasted my reviews into the software, each podcast popped out in just about four minutes! (How’d they do that?)

Reminder: Google says this is still experimental. Some of the added content, by AI, may not be accurate. Enjoy!

PODCAST #1 on “4 Leadership Books and 48 Niche Chapters,” including the new book, The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out.
   • Read John Pearson’s reviews (4 books)
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (12 minutes, 37 seconds). 

PODCAST #2 on the book, Everyday Influence, by Bill Butterworth.
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (6 minutes, 59 seconds). 

PODCAST #3 on the book, The 365 Day Leader: Recalibrate Your Calling Every Day, by Dick Daniels.
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (7 minutes, 28 seconds). 

PODCAST #4 on the book, Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future, by Brian Solis.
• Read John Pearson’s review.
• Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (10 minutes, 31 seconds). 

PODCAST #5 on the book, Oh God, I’m Dying! How God Redeems Pain for Our Good and for His Glory, by Terry Powell and Mark Smith.*
• Read John Pearson’s review.
• Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (13 minutes, 55 seconds). 

PODCAST #6 on the book, Faith for the Curious: How an Era of Spiritual Openness Shapes the Way We Live and Help Others Follow Jesus, by Mark Matlock.*
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (12 minutes, 26 seconds). 

*Note: I wondered if the AI podcasters for Podcasts #5 and #6 could thoughtfully and authentically communicate the heart (and theology) of these two faith-based books. I think the jury is still out on that—but maybe faith-based leaders and authors will be more laser-like in “teaching” AI how to accurately have “conversations” about Jesus-followers. Maybe?

PODCAST #7 on the book, A Comedian’s Prayer Book, by Frank Skinner, plus 2 More LOL Books!
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (7 minutes, 4 seconds). 

PODCAST #8 on the song, "Little Is Much When God Is in It," by Kittie Suffield, as shared by John's next-door neighbor, Pastor "Mac" McCandless.
   • Read John Pearson’s review (and "the rest of the story" not shared to the podcast)
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (5 minutes, 57 seconds). 

PODCAST #9 on the book, Next Level Nonprofit: Build A Dream Team + Increase Lasting Impact, by Chris Lambert.
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (5 minutes, 57 seconds). 

PODCAST #10 on the book, Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest, by William Vanderbloemen.   
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (14 minutes, 6 seconds). 

PODCAST #11 on the book, Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders, by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer, and Cameron Doolittle.
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (9 minutes, 53 seconds). 

PODCAST #12 on the book, Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders, by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks, and Warren Bird.
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (12 minutes, 31 seconds).

PODCAST #13 on the book, ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution, by Terrence J. Sejnowski.
   • Read John Pearson’s review.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (21 minutes, 53 seconds).

PODCAST #14 on the "Leadership Lessons" from AI, on the book, The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre.
   • Read John Pearson’s blog--asking ChatGPT to create 10 leadership lessons from the book.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (16 minutes, 36 seconds). Note: the last four minutes are a summary of the first 12 minutes.

PODCAST #15 on the book, Paradise Found: A High School Football Team's Rise from the Ashes, by Bill Plaschke.
   • Read John Pearson’s blog.
   • Listen to this AI-generated podcast by two “AI” hosts who “review” John’s review (17 minutes, 34 seconds). 

READ MORE ABOUT GOOGLE’S NotebookLM. Warning! This new AI tool is addictive. For more, read Ben Cohen’s Wall Street Journal article, Oct. 4, 2024, “There’s a New Hit Podcast That Will Blow Your Mind. With this Google tool, you can make a show about any topic you could possibly imagine. The hosts aren’t human. You won’t believe your ears.” Ben Cohen writes:
     “Have you heard about the latest hit podcast? It’s called Deep Dive—and you have to check it out.

     “Each show is a chatty, 10-minute conversation about, well, any topic you could possibly imagine. The hosts are just geniuses. It’s like they know everything about everything. Their voices are soothing. Their banter is charming. They sound like the kind of people you want to hang out with.

     “But you can’t. As it turns out, these podcast hosts aren’t real people. Their voices are entirely AI-generated—and so is everything they say.” Cohen adds, “And I can’t stop listening to them.” (Ditto!)

RETURN HERE OFTEN…for more podcasts as our new “Deep Dive” AI-generated podcasters (John’s new best friends!) review his reviews of new books and some of the golden oldies!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Listening to these podcasts reminded me of several other must-read books in the Printing Bucket and the Strategy Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] Restoring Our Sanity Online: A Revolutionary Social Framework, by Mark Weinstein (Read my review.)

[  ] Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future, by Jeremy Kahn (Read my review.)

[  ] 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” by John Reynolds, David Schmidt, and John Pearson—and read the review by Reynolds.)

[  ] Future Normal: How We Will Live, Work and Thrive in the Next Decade, by Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho-Mason (Read my review.)

[  ] WSJ Article: “There’s a New Hit Podcast That Will Blow Your Mind. With this Google tool, you can make a show about any topic you could possibly imagine. The hosts aren’t human. You won’t believe your ears.” Read Ben Cohen’s Wall Street Journal article, posted Oct. 4, 2024.
 
For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2025. 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.

Books on Purpose: A Short List

PIC No. 92: 
• Title: The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy 
• Author: Jordan Grumet, MD
• Publisher: Harriman House (Jan. 7, 2025, 230 pages)
• Management Bucket #13 of 20: The Crisis Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 92 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 Crisis: What is my life's purpose? These books will help you.

If you read my review of the new book, The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy, by Jordan Grumet, MD, you'll see this question:

Should you read The Purpose Code every year? My friend and mentor, George Duff (1931-2023) re-read Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive every year.

Or…should you read a different book on purpose every year? What titles on “purpose” are on your resource bookshelves at work? (You do have a resource bookcase, right?) Below is a short list of books on “purpose” so you can “delegate” your reading to other team members.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Crisis Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies. (I could have slotted this book in any one of six other buckets!)

[  ] You on Purpose: Discover Your Calling and Create the Life You Were Meant to Live, by Dr. Stephanie Shackelford and Bill Denzel. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] 5: Where Will You Be Five Years from Today? by Dan Zadra. (Read my review.)

[  ] Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life, by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Leading with Heart: Five Conversations That Unlock Creativity, Purpose, and Results, by John Baird and Edward Sullivan. (Read my review.)

[  ] Dynamic Drive: The Purpose-Fueled Formula for Sustainable Success, by Molly Fletcher. (Read my review.)

[  ] Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward, by Dr. Henry Cloud. (Read my review. This was my 2011 book-of-the-year.)

[  ] Listen to My Life : Maps for Recognizing and Responding to God in My Story Wall Chart, by Sibyl Towner and Sharon Swing. (Read my review in the 2nd article.)
   • Order from Amazon.
   • Visit the website.

[  ] “Drucker Mondays Blog” on the book, A Year With Peter Drucker. (See the commentary on purpose by Steve Brown on Week 45.)

[   ] The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations, by Ron Shaich, founder and former CEO of Panera Bread. (Read my review.)

[  ] See also this Wall Street Journal article (Jan. 3, 2025) about Ron Shaich, founder and former CEO of Panera Bread: “It’s Called a Premortem—and It’s the Most Productive Thing You’ll Do All Year. Forget about making a New Year’s resolution. Have you tried imagining your deathbed?” by Ben Cohen.

[  ] Oh God, I’m Dying! How God Redeems Pain for Our Good and for His Glory, by Terry Powell and Mark Smith (Read my review.)

[  ] Finishing Well, by Ron Cline. (Read my review.)
 
To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy, by Jordan Grumet, MD. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2025. 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 Seattle Times Published My “News Release!”

PIC No. 91: 


This Nov. 19, 1978, column in The Seattle Times featured John Pearson's "news release" about the 10th anniversary of his first date with Joanne!

Welcome to Issue No. 91 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 Seattle Times Published My “News Release!”

In my previous blog, I paid tribute to President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024), our 39th U.S. President, who served a four-year term from 1977 to 1981. (See my short review of the book, Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.)

Now in this blog, here’s a story about the Carter family from 1978 and my journalistic outrage!

While serving as executive director of SAMBICA in Bellevue, Wash., I noticed a front-page story about Chip Carter, the son of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. The Seattle Times thought Chip’s separation from his wife, Caron, was newsworthy. I disagreed and wrote to the paper’s ombudsman.

Amazingly, the following column, "Did separation of Chip and Caron Carter rate Page 1?", appeared in the Sunday edition of The Seattle Times, on Nov. 19, 1978. It was written by Don Brazier, the assistant managing editor and “Ombudsman of The Times.” Enjoy!

“November 13 must have been a dry day for news,” John Pearson of Bellevue wrote. “Whose decision was it to run Chip and Caron Carter’s separation on Page 1?

“When you find out, please pass along the enclosed news release. I'm confident it has as much merit as the marital problems of the president's son.

“I'm sure lots of folks enjoyed getting the latest dirt from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., but why does it qualify for Page 1?”

Dick Pryne, acting news editor, put the story on Page 1 because the president's family is newsworthy.

Press critics say news people are not tuned in to readers. Judge for yourself on the basis of a quick poll in our newsroom (the first 10 I saw), a bank and a convenience store.

The question: “Did Chip and Caron deserve Page 1 play?”

Newsroom: 7 no, 3 yes. Bank employees: 16 no, 1 yes. Store customers: 4 no, 2 yes.

Last New Year's Day, I polled seven Times editors on another Page 1 story to which a reader objected: the President's pastor and marriage counselor being sued for divorce. The editors disagreed, as editors often do.

Oh, yes: Pearson's “handout,” for release November 16, being used three days late:

“John and Joanne Pearson, Walt Pearson's son and daughter-in-law, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their first date today.

“Pearson and his bride of over 9 years announced they plan to stay married and go for at least another 10 years.

“No reason was given for their unwillingness to seek a separation. However, informed sources reported it probably dates back to their first date—an inexpensive but happy encounter at a church dinner in Northbrook, Ill.

“Our marriage doesn't make any headlines,” said Pearson, “but that's the secret of our success.”

Even more fun than reading the article in the Sunday edition was leaving the newspaper open to that page on our kitchen table back in 1978. I had not told Joanne about my letter to the ombudsman. (Reminder: back then you needed a typewriter, paper, envelope, and a stamp to make your voice heard.) After she read the column, Joanne, uncharacteristically was at a loss for words. Fun!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Remembering this story reminded me of several other must-read books (and more) in the Book Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.

[  ] Listen to Chip Carter’s poignant tribute to his father, Jimmy Carter, at the family service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 (8 minutes), at the Carter Center in Atlanta. View the full service (37 minutes), including music by the Morehouse College Glee Club.

[  ] Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations, by Ron Shaich, founder and former CEO of Panera Bread (Harvard Business Review Press). (Read my review.)

[  ] Bonus! Read Ben Cohen’s Jan. 3, 2025, column in The Wall Street Journal about Ron Shaich (see above)—and his “premortem” annual exercise. “It’s Called a Premortem—and It’s the Most Productive Thing You’ll Do All Year. Forget about making a New Year’s resolution. Have you tried imagining your deathbed?”

[  ] Inside Out: Real Change is Possible If You're Willing to Start From the Inside Out, by Larry Crabb. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon. (Read my review.)

[  ] Marriage: Its Foundation, Theology, and Mission in a Changing World. Note: the editors include: Curt Hamner, John Trent, Rebekah J. Byrd, Eric L. Johnson, and Erik Thoennes. (Order from Amazon.)

[  ] Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer's Guide to Telling Your Story, by James R. Hagerty. (Read my review.)


To order from Amazon, click on the title for Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2025. 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.

Jimmy Carter (1924-2024)

PIC No. 90: 
• Title: Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life
• Authors: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
• Publisher: Random House (May 12, 1987, 198 pages)
• Management Bucket #12 of 20: The Volunteer Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 90 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.

Jimmy: 13 weeks on NYT bestseller list
Rosalynn: 18 weeks!

We lost a very special person on Dec. 29, 2024. After lying in state at the U.S. Capitol, President Jimmy Carter (1924-2024) will be laid to rest in Plains, Georgia, following the national funeral service at Washington National Cathedral on January 9, 2025. Rest in peace, Mr. President.

Listen to Chip Carter’s poignant tribute to his father, Jimmy Carter, at the family service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 (8 minutes), at the Carter Center in Atlanta. View the full service (37 minutes), including music by the Morehouse College Glee Club.

No one needs my commentary on Jimmy Carter, who served as U.S. President from 1977 to 1981, but the goodness of our 39th Commander-in-Chief prompted this blog—and called to mind a 1978 connection with the Carter family. (See PIC #91.)

I remember reading Everything to Gain, when it was first published in 1987. Back then, I appreciated the dozens of details that further described the humanity and humility of Jimmy Carter. Now in 2025, paging through this special book—I was blessed again:

• Oh, my. When the Carters returned to Plains, Georgia, after four years in the White House (and previously as Georgia’s governor), Jimmy was just 56 and Rosalyn was 53. (When President Biden exits on Jan. 20, 2025, he will be 82.)
• They wrote this wonderful book jointly, but also featured paragraphs in their own voices—designated with a large “J” or “R.” Brilliant!
• The Carters noted, “We have completely different writing styles and work habits, and surprisingly often we have found we did not feel the same way about an event or had conflicting recollections about what actually took place.” (You’ll love their enthusiasm about their new word processors!) Their offices were in different areas of their home and eventually Rosalynn needed a "Do Not Disturb" sign every morning on her door!

I’m recommending this book to anyone thinking about retirement. I have many friends who have “retired” and some who won’t admit to being retired. One friend told me that he’s flunked retirement several times. The Carters were amazingly transparent about life in Plains—including the ups and downs.

Their home in Plains had not been lived in for 10 years and their family business, handled by a blind trust, was practically bankrupt. Their daughter, Amy (then high school-age), announced she was a city girl—not a country girl! Tourists stopped by and wanted to meet them. Welcome home, Mr. President!

And get this: Rosalynn was consumed by their “incomprehensive political defeat” to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election—although Reagan’s name is not mentioned in the first part of the book. She was adamant that they should run again in 1984—and even more adamant that they would win. (Imagine—anyone thinking they could win a second term—four years later!)

Jimmy Carter exemplified all that is good about the Volunteer Bucket, especially his work with Habitat For Humanity.

I cataloged this book in the “Volunteer Bucket,” of course, because of the Carters’ well-known volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity. They write, “Of all the activities we have undertaken since leaving the White House, it is certainly one of the most inspiring.”

And this is hilarious! Both Jimmy and Rosalyn wrote their own books prior to this co-authored 1987 book. Rosalynn teased Jimmy: “My book was number one on the New York Times best-seller list; he always had Jane Fonda’s exercise book and Megatrends ahead of his. And mine was on the list for eighteen weeks; his was on for thirteen!”

I hope you’ll read the book—but I also wanted to share a personal story about the Carter family from 1978. Read it here at Pails in Comparison #91.


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

[  ] Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump, by Tevi Troy. (Read my two reviews here.)

[  ] Roar: Into the Second Half of Your Life (Before It's Too Late), by Michael Clinton (Read my review.)

[  ] The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, by Chris Whipple. (Read my two reviews.)

[  ] The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity, by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duff. (Read my review.)

[  ] Behind Closed Doors: In the Room With Reagan & Nixon, by Ken Khachigian (July 23, 2024). (Read my review.)

[  ] The Power and The Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry, by Tevi Troy (Aug. 20, 2024). (Read my review.) Note: click here to read Tevi Troy's Dec. 30, 2024, column, "Jimmy Carter's Legacy."
 
To order from Amazon, click on the title for Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. 

© 2025. 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.

2 Christmas Songs

PIC No. 89: 
• Song: "Christmas 1915"
• Musicians: Celtic Thunder



Welcome to Issue No. 89 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 songs!)—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.

Merry Christmas!

Oh, my!

During this Christmas season, each morning I read the background on a Christmas hymn from The One Year Book of Hymns: 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns (read my review). Then I find an interesting rendition of the hymn on YouTube. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this morning ritual for 18 months—and I’ll continue to savor this routine in 2025.

So while listening to the hymn-of-the-day for December 13, “The Friendly Beasts” (more on that one below), I was delighted to find a Christmas song I had never heard: 

Christmas 1915
sung by Celtic Thunder

Warning! This is a very sad song, but I know you’ll appreciate the artistry, the Christmas message, and the reminder of why the Prince of Peace came. The song begins:

1915 on Christmas Day
On the western front the guns all died away
And lying in the mud on bags of sand
We heard a German sing from no man's land

Written by Cormac MacConnell, an Irish writer, you can read more here about the inspiration for the song that has been covered by many artists. While I appreciate Celtic Thunder’s song and video, MacConnell prefers the Irish singer, Jerry Lynch.

Writing for the Irish Central, he notes, “… I am more proud of my ‘Christmas in the Trenches 1915’ than anything else I have written in my entire life. It came from some creative place that I will never ever get to again. It was a gift of some kind from Above.”

(Note: I’ve noticed that sentiment by many of the songwriters in our blog featuring the 45 songs from Anatomy of a Song, by Marc Myers. Visit Johnny Be Good. And for more on this theme, read my review of the documentary, “It All Begins With a Song.”)

Here's the poignant chorus for "Christmas 1915," sung by these young Irishmen:

Silent night, no cannons roar
A king is born of peace for evermore
All's calm, all's bright
All brothers hand in hand
In 19 and 15 in no man's land

Oh, my. We pray for peace on earth.

Note: To learn more about 1914-1915, read the Dec. 20, 2024, article by Richard Snow in The Wall Street Journal, "Remembering the World War I Christmas Truce. The close of 1914 brought a momentary pause in the grinding trench warfare. Carols were sung and games briefly replaced gunfire." Snow recommends several books.


• Song: "The Friendly Beasts"
• Musicians: Brian Stokes Mitchell with The Tabernacle Choir

If…you need something more whimsical this Christmas season, you will enjoy viewing and singing along to “The Friendly Beasts,” performed by actor/singer Brian Stokes Mitchell, with The Tabernacle Choir as backup!


You’ll love this! View Brian Stokes Mitchell sing “The Friendly Beasts” on YouTube (7 min.).

Your kids and grandkids will also enjoy this—but you might then hear the sounds of donkeys, cows, sheep, and doves all Christmas Day!

NEED MORE WHIMSY? Here's a BONUS SONG!

Enjoy Ray Stevens and his animal friends here: "Mary and Joseph and the Baby and Me" (4 minutes).

Merry Christmas!

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Listening to these Christmas songs reminded me of several other books, blogs, and creative endeavors from other gifted creators.

[  ] The One Year Book of Hymns: 365 Devotions Based on Popular Hymns (read my review).

[  ] Documentary film: “It All Begins With a Song.” (Read my review.)

[  ] Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop, by Marc Myers (Read my review.)

[  ] Blog: Johnny Be Good (read the color commentaries by dozens of guest bloggers for this weekly blog in 2024 featuring the 45 songs from the book, Anatomy of a Song)

[  ] Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney, by Paul Johnson (Read my review.)

[  ] Count Zinzendorf and the Spirit of the Moravians, by Paul Wemmer (Read my review.)

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.

Leadership Lessons from The Spy and the Traitor

PIC No. 88: 
• Title: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
• Author: Ben Macintyre
• Publisher: Crown (reprint edition, Aug. 6, 2019, 384 pages)
• Management Bucket #17 of 20: The Operations Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 88 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.
________________________________________
• If you're a reader...continue reading!
• If you're a listener...enjoy this AI-generated podcast created by Google's NotebookLM. Listen to AI’s “review” of my review here (16 minutes, 36 seconds). For more AI-generated "reviews" of my reviews, visit here. Note: the last four minutes are a summary of the first 12 minutes.
________________________________________

No way! I would never read a “fun” book and then ask AI to give me “10 Leadership Lessons!”

In my review of The Spy and the Traitor, I asked two questions:

#1. What genre of books or audiobooks do you enjoy when you need to kick back and have some “fun?” Even when you’re thoroughly enjoying a “fun” book, do you sometimes look for the leadership, management, and/or spiritual lessons—perhaps something you might use in your next coaching session or weekly staff meeting? Be honest!

#2. True or False? I would never ask AI to suggest “10 Leadership and Management Lessons from the book, The Spy and the Traitor,” by Ben Macintyre.

LOL! I saved you time. Here’s what I asked ChatGPT:

Please suggest 10 leadership lessons that can be gleaned from the book, "The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War," by Ben Macintyre.

Here’s the response from ChatGPT:
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Ben Macintyre's book, The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, recounts the remarkable true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB officer who became a British double agent during the Cold War. While the book focuses on espionage, it provides insightful lessons on leadership, trust, and decision-making under pressure. Here are 10 leadership lessons that can be gleaned from the story:

1. Trust Is the Foundation of Great Relationships
    • Gordievsky's success as a double agent depended on deep trust between him and MI6. Leaders must cultivate trust with their teams by demonstrating integrity and consistency.

2. Adaptability Is Key to Thriving in Complex Environments
    • Gordievsky operated in high-stakes, ever-changing situations. Leaders should remain flexible and open to adjusting strategies to navigate uncertainty effectively.

3. The Power of Vision and Purpose
    • Gordievsky believed in the higher purpose of exposing KGB corruption and advancing freedom. Leaders who inspire others with a clear and meaningful vision can motivate people to overcome significant challenges.

4. Courage Under Pressure
    • Gordievsky's work involved immense personal risk. Leaders must demonstrate courage to make tough decisions, especially when the stakes are high.

5. The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
    • Gordievsky read people and situations with remarkable precision. Leadership often requires understanding others' motivations, fears, and ambitions to build rapport and influence outcomes.

6. Preparation and Attention to Detail
    • The meticulous planning of Gordievsky’s extraction operation (Operation Pimlico) highlights the value of preparation. Leaders who plan carefully are better equipped to handle crises.

7. Collaboration Is Essential for Success
    • Gordievsky’s story underscores the importance of teamwork, as MI6 operatives worked together to protect him. Leaders should foster collaboration to achieve common goals.

8. Cultural Intelligence Enhances Influence
    • Gordievsky understood the cultures of both the KGB and MI6, which allowed him to navigate both worlds effectively. Leaders should develop cultural awareness to build bridges and avoid misunderstandings.

9. Loyalty Can Be a Double-Edged Sword
    • Gordievsky’s disillusionment with the KGB stemmed from its betrayal of his ideals. Leaders must ensure their loyalty is to ethical principles rather than blind allegiance to an organization or individual.

10. Resilience in the Face of Adversity
    • Despite immense pressure and danger, Gordievsky persevered. Leadership requires resilience to overcome setbacks and inspire others to stay the course.

These lessons, drawn from Gordievsky’s extraordinary life, can be applied in both personal leadership journeys and organizational settings, reminding leaders of the importance of integrity, courage, and adaptability.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Now here's the real and human John Pearson with a final question:
What leadership lessons would you add to this list from AI?

 

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Operations 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.)

[  ] The Reckoning: A Novel, by John Grisham (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, by Ben Macintyre. Listen on Libro (13 hours, 19 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 Hal Lindsey and the SAMBICA Fundraiser

PIC No. 87: 
• Title: The Late Great Planet Earth
• Author: Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson
• Publisher: Zondervan (May 23, 1970, 192 pages)
• Management Bucket #11 of 20: The Donor Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 87 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.

Remembering Hal Lindsey (1929-2024)
Hal Lindsey Helped Our Camp Raise “Faith Promise Funds”

Recently, many of my colleagues and friends have noted, with appropriate stories, the passing of Hal Lindsey on Nov. 25, two days after his 95th birthday. Lindsey was best known for writing The Late Great Planet Earth, first published in 1970. Christianity Today wrote an extensive obituary here. I, too, read his book that sold more than 35 million copies!

According to Zondervan, “The impact of The Late Great Planet Earth cannot be overstated. The New York Times called it the ‘No. 1 non-fiction bestseller of the decade.’ For Christians and non-Christians of the 1970s, Hal Lindsey's blockbuster served as a wake-up call on events soon to come and events already unfolding—all leading up to the greatest event of all: the return of Jesus Christ.”

What’s my favorite Hal Lindsey story? During my years as executive director of SAMBICA, the Christian camp and conference center on Lake Sammamish in Bellevue, Wash. (1974-1979), we invited Hal Lindsey to speak at a fundraising dinner. He agreed! (My memory is foggy, but I believe one or more members of his extended family has a connection to the camp.)

Our camp needed funds to grow and thrive and so a consultant recommended we host a “Faith Promise Dinner.” Perhaps with more nerve than faith, we booked the most prestigious hotel in Seattle, the Olympic Hotel (now known as Fairmont Olympic Hotel).

Our consultant recommended that we:
• Recruit table hosts (10 people per table).
• Provide the dinner and program on a complimentary basis (but RSVPs required).
• Take an offering at the dinner to cover the cost of the evening.
• Then ask people to make a “Faith Promise.” (Fill out “pledge” cards—in faith that the Lord would provide each person with funds to meet that faith promise, over and above their regular giving.)

As I recall that year in the late 1970s, the cost for the ballroom and the dinner would run about $30,000—and we were NOT charging for the meal. It was complimentary! (Talk about “faith”!!!). Upon announcing that Hal Lindsey would be the speaker—reservations poured in! (Hmmm. We knew they loved Hal Lindsey, but would they learn to love SAMBICA’s camping ministry?)

The consultant recommended that we invite an experienced emcee—someone familiar with the faith promise dinner methodology and a person who could challenge people spiritually. So Lanson Ross, well-known in the Seattle area, agreed to come and emcee. (If you lead a nonprofit organization, you’re already adding up the costs: dinners, speaker and emcee honoraria, table decorations, marketing and promotion, and more!)

Oh, my! Would we ever recover from this—if the “faith promises” were lacking in faith and actual money?

Our consultant, as well as our emcee, Lanson Ross, did trust God in all of this—but they also had very strict rules. Hal Lindsey would have just 30 minutes to speak. Not one minute more! (The rather harsh rule-of-thumb: for every minute beyond 30, the offering and faith promises would likely be reduced by $1,000. So do the math: if Lindsey spoke for 35 minutes, we’d lose $5,000 from donors who wanted the evening to end. Yikes!)

Good news. The attendees were enjoying the evening (camper testimonies and more) and were anticipating a great talk from the famous author of The Late Great Planet Earth. At the head table—facing the audience—Joanne and I were praying and nervously glancing at our watches. Another YIKES: Hal Lindsey zoomed right past his 30-minute allocation, seemingly unconcerned with our rule-of-thumb! He kept talking and talking and talking...

Lanson Ross, our emcee, was at the head table—just to the left of the podium where Lindsey was standing. Ross took off his wrist watch and starting waving it at Lindsey in full view of guests seated nearby (Embarrassing!) But that didn’t phase Hal Lindsey. He kept motoring on and on and on...

When he finally, finally finished his talk to the warm applause of the audience, Lanson Ross then began the two-tiered appeal. First—the cash offering to pay for the dinner and all expenses. Then—the “faith promise” appeal.

I don’t remember much. I do remember praying. (Looking back—that was a good thing!)

Praise the Lord! After the ballroom emptied, our staff and volunteers sat down at several tables and counted the cash offering and the faith promise commitments. Whew!
• The cash offering covered all our costs.
• The faith promise commitments, as I recall, totaled $33,000—the largest response ever to a fundraising event.

Looking back now—I’m so grateful for these three groups of faithful people:

#1. FAITHFUL TABLE HOSTS! Our consultant had recommended we host an informal dinner at SAMBICA a month or more before the Olympic Hotel dinner. We invited our most committed donors and volunteers to join us. We then sought to inspire them to fill their tables with people who would be open to giving generously to SAMBICA.

We were so blessed that NFL Pro Bowl and three-time Super Bowl offensive tackle (with the Miami Dolphins) Norm Evans joined us to inspire these table hosts at this pre-dinner event. Evans finished his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks and he and his wife, Bobbie, led Pro Athletes Outreach.

Norm’s and Bobbi’s children attended SAMBICA camps and they were big fans. They were so very influential in inspiring our table hosts to take their roles seriously. (Bonus! Read this CLA article about PAO and goal-setting.)

#2. FAITHFUL SPEAKERS! As I look back over my nonprofit and association years, I don’t think I appreciated all of our “big name speakers” enough. I thanked them, of course, and I gave them somewhat generous checks (after all, we were “nonprofit”), but I didn’t fully understand the wear and tear that speakers endured to serve us. They made sacrifices on our behalf. Think: middle seats on airplanes, lost luggage, little sleep, long lines of people to greet, “groupies” that just wanted to say, “Yeah. I met Hal Lindsey.”

Hal Lindsey did not need a speaking gig at SAMBICA to sell books or have influence. But he said yes. He was faithful to the Lord. He preached for results. I’m grateful.

#3. FAITHFUL GIVERS. In the “Donor Bucket,” I suggest this core competency:

“We believe that extravagant generosity is the biblical norm, not the exception. We challenge donors to give liberally to kingdom causes. We urge prayerful giving to God’s work, not for tax benefits nor budget needs. We scrutinize our methodologies not against what works, but against God-honoring principles.”

I’m reminded of a donor who attended that faith promise dinner. He made a commitment of $75 per month—an extravagant gift at the time, equal to $900 per year. Following the dinner, we acknowledged his faith promise commitment and mailed a response form, and a return envelope.

A few days later, we received his first check for $75. Grateful, I wrote a personal thank you note, enclosed the receipt, another response form, and a return envelope—and mailed it to him. A week later, another check for $75 arrived! This happened repeatedly—about once a week with $75 checks each time! Praise the Lord!

Then we got a call from this very generous giver! He laughed and told us that he had instructed his bookkeeper to send a $75 check to SAMBICA whenever she received a response form and a return envelope. He had assumed that those would arrive only once a month. The bookkeeper, however, was just following instructions—cutting a $75 check whenever another return envelope arrived! LOL!

(Attention: Fundraising Consultants! Use this story to inspire nonprofit leaders to write personal thank you notes with each receipt and return envelope. And—to remind them to mail those thank you notes within 24 hours of receiving the gift. It may be fruitful!)

GRATEFUL! I could fill a book with stories of extravagant givers who supported the nonprofit organizations I led over many years. Faithful donors who were not responding to the “donor premium of the month”—but were responding to God’s tug on their hearts to give generously to God’s work.

I’m still grateful. 

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Remembering Hal Lindsey and SAMBICA reminded me of several other must-read books in the Donor Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.
 
[ ] Joy Giving: Practical Wisdom from the First Christians and the Global Church, by Cameron Doolittle (Read my review.)

[ ] The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The Answer That Changed My Life and Might Just Change the World, by Richard Stearns (Read my review.)

[ ] Turning Donors into Partners: Principles for Fundraising You'll Actually Enjoy, by Brad Layland (Read my review.)

[ ] The Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure, by Ken Blanchard and S.Truett Cathy (Read my review.)

To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Late Great Planet Earth, by Hal Lindsey with Carole C. Carlson.

© 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.

ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution

PIC No. 86: 
• Title: ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution
• Author: Terrence J. Sejnowski
• Publisher: The MIT Press (Oct. 29, 2024, 264 pages)
• Management Bucket #16 of 20: The Delegation Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 86 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.
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• If you're a reader...continue reading!
• If you're a listener...enjoy this AI-generated podcast created by Google's NotebookLM. Listen to AI’s “review” of my review here (21 minutes, 53 seconds). For more AI-generated "reviews" of my reviews, visit here.
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"Nonsense," Space Aliens, and a Talking Dog!

Oh, my. Where should I start? I hope my review will entice you to read this fascinating book. Let’s start with this:

“The Power of the Prompt,” Chapter 4, spotlights “the nature of cluelessness” (must-read!) by giving four responses from ChatGPT, based on the nuances of the prompt (the question you ask ChatGPT to answer). You already know that the better the “prompt” the better the answer. My favorite from the book:

“Me: You are a highly intelligent question answering bot. You will reply ‘Nonsense’ to questions that are nonsense.”

ChatGPT:
Q: Where was the 1992 Olympics held?
A: The 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona, Spain.
Q: What’s the world record for walking across the English Channel?
A: Nonsense.
Q: When was the Golden Gate Bridge transported for the second time across Egypt?
A: Nonsense.”

LOL! Nailed it! But…it gets better. You must read ChatGPT’s response to the same questions (and more) when this prompt is added: “You are a highly intelligent question answering bot. If I ask you a question that is nonsense, or has no clear answer you will explain why.”

If you’re reading this review—you’ve clearly played with ChatGPT or used it productively to save you time, add value, or expand and enrich an essay, article, or major project. (See my fun stuff below.)

Terrence J. Sejnowski, the author of ChatGPT and the Future of AI, is full of surprises—at least for a non-nerd like me. (Well…maybe I’m a book nerd, but not an AI nerd.) Sejnowski, “a pioneer in computational approaches to understanding brain function,” goes deep (without being too esoteric) into all the questions that the Average Joe or Jane is asking about AI—and especially tools like ChatGPT.

And speaking of tools, how many of these large language models have you tried? The author lists 10 choices of LLMs (with mini-descriptors): ChatGPT, Bing, Gemini, Llama, Claude, Scite, Le Chat, Grok, Perplexity, and Mistral. Sejnowski notes that Claude 3 “is pleasant to use and in the same class as GTT-4. It can accept whole books in a prompt.”

After reading just the preface and the introduction (Chapter 1), and then driving my granddaughter home from her piano lesson, I surprisingly kept this bright, 17-year-old interested in the book’s topics, big ideas, and very interesting sidebars. (LOL! Don’t skip the short anecdote, “TALKING DOG FOR SALE,” about “Carl,” the Border Collie. Hilarious—and also relevant to the topic of LLMs and more.)

The author answers the question, “Where Are We Today?” He writes, “The sizes and complexity of deep learning networks have snowballed over the last few years. ChatGPT feels different. A threshold was reached, as if a space alien suddenly appeared that could communicate with us eerily humanly, talking with us in perfectly formed English sentences and better grammar that most native speakers.”

Sejnowski adds, “Public interest has exploded since OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022. Within two months, it had a record 100 million users, far outpacing the debuts of Google and Facebook.” Now—two years later—you’ll appreciate this deep dive into all things AI, ChatGPT, and even more fascinating—how AI is changing our lives and why we should not worry (or maybe not worry too much). Examples:

• “Will I lose my job?” This is interesting! “When automobiles replaced horses, the number of blacksmiths in the United States fell from 15,000 in 1860 to 1,000 today as the population increased tenfold. Today, 600,000 automobile mechanics work in the United States.”
• The Industrial Revolution and the invention of the steam engine “allowed a single farmer to plow a hundred times more land than a horse-powered plow.”
• “What new jobs were created by the introduction of the internet?” ChatGPT listed 15 new jobs that “often require skills in digital literacy, problem solving, and adaptability,” such as web developers and designers, social media managers, app developers, and (sadly!) “influencers!”

I could go on and on and on. But you’ll love how the author—in explaining AI and ChatGPT—leverages the amazing content from ChatGPT. Examples:
• “What key questions summarize this chapter?” ChatGPT delivers 15 questions, including, “Why are humans susceptible to projecting on a chatbot an illusion of understanding, and why is this important to consider?”
• “With the help of LLMs, this book took about half the time it took to write my previous book on The Deep Learning Revolution [also from The MIT Press].”

In Chapter 14, “The Future Is Now,” the author looks ahead:
• “Keyboards will become obsolete, taking their place in museums alongside typewriters.”
• “LLM teaching assistants will amplify what teachers can accomplish in classrooms.”
• “An LLM will have access to all court cases and benefit the law profession.”
• And learn why: “For journalistic chat, hallucination is a failure mode, but for creative writing chat, hallucination is essential.”

And get this! Sejnowski notes that “ChatGPT is particularly good at summarizing, so I had it summarize each chapter. In part II, which describes how transformers work, these summaries may be easier to follow than the text.” How many authors suggest you not read their carefully written pages—and urge you just to read the ChatGPT summaries?!

I’ve had fun and been more productive with ChatGPT since I signed on over a year ago. Here are eight prompts (out of dozens and dozens) that generated excellent responses:
   • Create a nonprofit organization committee charter template.
   • What are the 10 most convicting statements in "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis?
   • Write a cover letter for a grant request to ABC Charitable Foundation, asking if they would consider giving $25,000 for scholarships for needy children to attend summer camp.
   • Using the writing style and humor from “John Pearson’s Buckets Blog,” write a book review of “Decision Sprint” by Atif Rafiq. [Read the response here.]
   • Give me 10 Christian hymn titles that might have some relevance to baseball.
   • Create an annual performance review for a husband.
   • Give several reasons from the nonprofit board governance literature on why staff members, other than the CEO, should not be voting members of the board.
   • Write 10 snappy and humorous responses my wife could have given to the aggressive guy who crowded in front of her in the grocery line (apparently because he had only two items).

Well…I hope I’ve tantalized you with this hot-off-the-press book. As I’ve mentioned, the author surprised me with his ability to explain ChatGPT—and his insights to the underlying conversations that many experts do not agree on. (Can you define “intelligence” so everyone agrees?) I can’t say that this was comforting, but it enriched my appreciation for the veracity of the author.

If any of my friends and colleagues invited me to a book club discussion on this book—I’d be there and I’d even bring the pizza!
• The author writes, “AI has taken its first steps toward dealing with complex problems in the real world—like a baby’s they are more stumble than stride, but what’s important is that we are heading in the right direction.”
• Discuss!

I’ll close with this. In the two-page “Afterword,” Sejnowski adds a “Coda.” He asks ChatGPT to “Write a ‘Hello, World!’ Python program in the style of Stevie Wonder."

ChatGPT then delivers the classic “Hello, World!” programming request with this caveat, “Remember, this is a lighthearted interpretation and doesn’t fully capture the depth and complexity of Stevie Wonder’s music.”

I know. You just gotta listen to a Stevie Wonder song. Here you go.

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Delegation Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies. (I could have slotted this book in any one of six other buckets!)

How do we keep up with the changing tech world? Richard Foster said, “If you are too busy to read, you are too busy.” Delegate your reading and check out these recent book reviews:
[  ] Rewired: The McKinsey Guide to Outcompeting in the Age of Digital and AI (View the Zoom review with Dr. John Reynolds, David Schmidt, and John Pearson)
[  ] Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet (read my review)
[  ] Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future (read my review)
[  ] Church IT: Using Information Technology for the Mission of the Church (3rd Edition) – Order from Amazon. (Read my review of the second edition.)
 
To order from Amazon, click on the title for ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution, by Terrence J. Sejnowski. Listen on Libro (7 hours, 22 minutes). For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. And thanks to The MIT Press 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.

Be the Unicorn Workbook: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders From the Rest

PIC No. 85: 
• Title: Be The Unicorn Workbook: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders From the Rest
• Author: William Vanderbloemen
• Publisher: Fedd Books (Oct. 29, 2024, 120 pages)
• Management Bucket #7 of 20: The People Bucket



Welcome to Issue No. 85 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.

12 Data-Driven Leadership Habits Workbook

Wow! There are workbooks (blah, blah, blah…) and then there is this hot-off-the-press Be the Unicorn Workbook. It’s fantastic!

As I paged through this beautifully designed follow-up to the Be the Unicorn book (Nov. 14, 2023), I had this overpowering urge to organize a discussion group! It would be a kick to dig deeper with this workbook and a few friends. (Call me!) The format, the value-added resources, the quotations, and the questions—superb. Honest.

In reviewing William Vanderbloemen’s book last year, I asked: “What traits and teachable habits are common to very successful people—the unique team members that will grow your organization? I’ll give you six—but you’ll need to read or listen to the book for the other six.”

OK—here’s the big reveal. To entice you to read both the book and leverage this practical workbook—here are the “12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest.” Each chapter—each habit—is meaty:
    1. The Fast                       7. The Self-Aware
    2. The Authentic               8. The Curious
    3. The Agile                      9. The Connected
    4. The Solver                  10. The Likable
    5. The Anticipator           11. The Productive
    6. The Prepared              12. The Purpose-Driven

Unicorns? In the foreword to the book, leadership guru John C. Maxwell writes, “…this isn’t just a book of case studies. You’re holding a manual for becoming unusually successful—as unusual as a mythical unicorn.” (You can read the foreword and the first chapter here.)

Maxwell continues, “…becoming a Unicorn isn’t a destination, it’s a journey.” He adds, “…every day we’re either preparing or repairing. I encourage you to focus on what you can do each day to develop these twelve traits as you prepare to become a Unicorn.”

Vanderbloemen’s list of 12 are based on his “data-driven” conclusions. At Vanderbloemen Search Group, the executive search firm focused on “values and faith-based organizations,” the team has conducted more than 30,000 long-format interviews. So their data goes deep. Fascinating!

Each workbook chapter guides leaders through the essence of one critical leadership habit. I love the format with these five components in each chapter:
   • Prep work
   • Introduction
   • Challenges
   • Put it in practice
   • Dig deeper

I counted almost 40 eye-catching quotable quotes across the pages, including these favorites:
• THE AGILE: “We don’t need science to tell us what we see happening in real time: the older we get, the harder it is to play ninety minutes of soccer or remember why you walked into the kitchen.”
• THE SOLVER: “My core belief is that if you’re complaining about something for more than three minutes, two minutes ago you should have done something about it.” (Caitlin Moran)
• THE PREPARED: “Only someone who is well prepared has the opportunity to improvise.” (Ingmar Bergman)

The quotes are so memorable—I can’t stop! (And by the way, for once—here’s a workbook that allocates plenty of white space for answering the questions and adding your own reflections. Thank you!)
• THE SELF-AWARE: “You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t. You take the action, and the insight follows: You don’t think your way into becoming yourself.” (Anne Lamott)
• THE PRODUCTIVE: “You know how Henry David Thoreau was able to be so productive and write Walden? He didn’t have Wi-Fi. Or laundry.”

The “Prep Work” for each chapter includes readings in the book, plus value-added blogs, online articles, podcasts, and more. The chapter on “The Curious” (there’s that curiosity theme again), points us to “The Art of Asking the Right Questions,” by Kevin Dickinson.

Use the “Dig Deeper” section to create the list of books you'd like to receive for Christmas. Text your "hint list" to colleagues and family members asap! Possibilities:
• THE PRODUCTIVE: Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, by Brian Tracy (read my review); and Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen (read my review)
• THE SOLVER: The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, by Steven Sample (read my review)
• THE SELF-AWARE: Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman. Also, read my review of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (The World’s Most Popular Emotional Intelligence Test), by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves.

I’ve saved the best for last—to reward leaders and readers who read my entire book reviews. The workbook gives you access to a free assessment, the “Vander Index.” I completed the online exercise—and then asked my wife, Joanne, to interpret the results for me. She's an Analytical (see the four social styles) with the spiritual gift of discernment. (If you join my discussion group, I’ll share her thoughts.)

The results gave me my scores for all 12 habits and highlighted my "Top 3 Traits" and my "Bottom 3 Traits" (yikes, but I can't disagree). The Vander Index results compared my scores with their research-based "Top Performer Scores" and slotted each score in one of four segments: Emergent, Competent, Proficient, and Expert. If you love assessments, you will appreciate this one.

By the way, I chuckled at a recent cartoon from The Wall Street Journal. A co-worker is pointing at some documents and remarks, "Legal says we have to change 'core competencies' to 'core stuff we do.'"

We should all be grateful to William Vanderbloemen for going the extra mile (Pop Quiz: Which habit is that?)…and delivering this extremely helpful workbook. Bonus! Listen to the AI-generated podcast of my review of Vanderbloemen’s 2023 book (14 minutes, 6 seconds).

PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the People Bucket and the Team Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies (I mean, "core stuff we do"):

[  ] Interviewology: The New Science of Interviewing – Are you a Charmer, Challenger, Examiner, or Harmonizer? by Anna Papalia (read my review)
[  ] Leadership and Self-Deception, Fourth Edition: The Secret to Transforming Relationships and Unleashing Results, by The Arbinger Institute (read my review)
[  ] The 365 Day Leader: Recalibrate Your Calling Every Day, by Dick Daniels (read my review)

[  ] The Transformational Leader: How the World's Best Leaders Build Teams, Inspire Action, and Achieve Lasting Success, by Matt Mayberry (read my review)
[  ] Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing, by Laura Mae Martin (read my review)
[  ] Next: Pastoral Succession That Works, by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird (order from Amazon)

OK. I confess. After reading Be the Unicorn Workbook, my own workbook is ready for a re-write. But if you can’t wait, order the 2nd edition here: Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook: Management Tools, Templates and Tips from John Pearson, with commentary by Jason Pearson (2nd Edition, 2018) - (Order from Amazon)
 
To order from Amazon, click on the title Be The Unicorn Workbook: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders From the Rest, by William Vanderbloemen. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. And thanks to the author 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.

Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future

PIC No. 83: 
• Title: Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future
• Author: Brian Solis
• Publisher: Wiley (Oct. 15, 2024, 304 pages)
• Management Bucket #3 of 20: The Strategy Bucket

If you're a reader...continue reading!
If you're a listener...enjoy this "AI podcast" created by Google's NotebookLM in just 4 minutes! Listen to a summary of this blog, "Mindshift Review by John Pearson" (10.5 minutes).

Welcome to Issue No. 83 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.

Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn

I can’t praise this book enough! Why? Before you host your next same-old/same-old strategic planning task force meeting—inspire everyone to read this important book.

Start on pages 24-25, where the author bullet-points 17 disruptive trends from 1994 to 2024, such as 2003 (the launch of iTunes) and 2008-2010 (Airbnb and Uber). Yikes! He lists four trends already in 2024 I’d never heard about. Then…this last line on page 25:

“Disruptive trends will only continue to evolve.”

Example: This week, I experimented with Google’s new NotebookLM software and cut and pasted in my short reviews of four leadership books from my eNews, Your Weekly Staff Meeting. Presto! In about five minutes, Notebook LM delivered a chatty podcast between a man and a woman—discussing my four book reviews. Listen here to the 12-minute podcast. (It will blow your mind!)

I tried it again yesterday with my review of Bill Butterworth’s book, Everyday Influence. The podcasters got the humor and responded with this seven-minute podcast. Listen here. Amazing! But is this a trend? (And will humans still be needed?)

Mindshift is next to impossible to review adequately—so I’m just going to bullet-point 20 insights that popped out. (I’ve underlined almost the entire book. Oh, my.) And by the way—the book’s design, graphics, and attention-getting charts are amazing. Mindshift is a joy to read.

#1. ALVIN TOFFLER: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

#2. PLEASERS: “Organizational psychologist Taska Eurich has studied self-awareness, and she’s found that there are two types of self-awareness: internal and external.” The 2x2 chart on page 57 is memorable.
• PLEASERS: High External Awareness and Low Internal Awareness
• AWARE: High External Awareness and High Internal Awareness
• SEEKERS: Low External Awareness and Low Internal Awareness
• INTROSPECTORS: Low External Awareness and High Internal Awareness

#3. TITANIC! In 1912, Captain Edward John Smith “was captaining a brand new ship with a novel design. But he didn’t bring a new mindset to the mission. He apparently didn’t open his mind to the possibility that this massive ocean liner, the largest built at the time, might not maneuver as readily as he was used to. As the treasure hunter Bock Lovett says in the James Cameron blockbuster film about the sinking, Smith had ’26 years of experience working against him.’”

#4. DISCOMFORT. “When we engage in questioning what we’ve learned from our experiences and interrogating our beliefs, we can feel unmoored. Either we can decide to accept that discomfort and sail forward or we can stay tethered to old ways and become obsolete.”

#5. BLACKBERRY? “Just think of all the leaders in business that failed to embrace change: Blackberry, Nokia, Blockbuster, Toys R Us, Borders, General Motors…” and more.

#6. AQUINAS. “Italian Christian theologian and philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas once warned, ‘Beware of the man with one book.’” (Chapter 4, “The Beginner’s Mind,” is must-read.)

#7. MISTAKES. Stanford Prof Carol Dweck contrasts a “Fixed Mindset” with a “Growth Mindset” and includes these values for a growth mindset:
   • “Mistakes help me learn.
   • Is this my best work?
   • Feedback is valuable.
   • I improve with practice.
   • I won’t give up.”
She adds, “Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?”

#8. FAILURE. "Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said that no one is a failure until they start blaming others.”

#9. BE CURIOUS! View the eighth episode of the first season of Ted Lasso to learn “What Ted Lasso Can Teach Us About Curiosity.” Ted Lasso quotes Walt Whitman, “Be curious, not judgmental.” View the three-minute clip here. (Hilarious!)

View this 3-minute clip from Ted Lasso. (LOL!)

#10. HOLY CURIOSITY. “Einstein believed curiosity is one of humanity’s best traits.” He added, “Never lose a holy curiosity.” (There’s that “curiosity” theme again that keeps popping up in my recent book reviews.)

#11. MID-POINT SUMMARY. Brilliant! Halfway through the book, Brian Solis summarizes on one page, in BIG print: “What a journey we’ve been on. Just look at how far we’ve come.” On page 121, he reminds us of 10 themes he’s covered, including:
   • “Together…we’ve learned that the door is opening to a novel economy, and it’s an era that needs new leadership.”
   • Together we’ve… “learned that even though executives might think they do, they don’t always have all the answers.”

#12. SIX STAGES OF MINDSET SHIFTING. Now the fun begins in Chapters 7 to 12: “Receive, Perceive, Weave, Conceive, Believe, and Achieve.” Must-read!

#13. MINDSET LEXICON. Five words: “Trendsight, Trendsighting, Trendscape Canvas, Trendfluence, and Trendspark.” (I mean…how can you not read this book with your team?)

#14. SLOW DOWN! Oh, my. How do we address those looming trends? How do we sleep at night? Brian Solis has two words for us: “Slow down.” (Now he’s meddling! But it prompted me to play this song at the beginning of a meeting I facilitated last week. You guessed it: “Slow Down,” sung by Chuck Girard.)

#15. NO BURDEN. “Early on, as we’re learning not just how to track trends but also how to identify them, letting go of the burden of trying to predict the future. That’s not what we’re trying to do here. We are exploring the trends that might impact our ecosystem. It’s a process of getting smart about the promise or potential of emerging trends. It’s also spending time thinking about how those trends could unfold and what those changes might look like.”

#16. WONDER WALL! Let's do this! The “Wonder Wall” exercise on page 129 is worth the price of the book! Solis writes, “Creating a wonder wall activates your powers of curiosity. It helps you connect the dots between the future you envision and where you are today. The process ignites your childlike sense of wonder and helps you consider the questions with a beginner’s mind and a positive sense of possibilities.” He includes 20 questions he’s found helpful. (Guarantee: You will do a “Wonder Wall” at your next strategic planning retreat.) Here are two questions (“Wondering Samples”) that popped off the page for me:
   • “What WSJ or NYT headline would describe our ideal future state?”
   • “If we don’t transform now, what will our tombstone read and when?”

There are 18 more “sample” questions—examples of questions your team might write on post-it notes and then post on your Wonder Wall—“the visual reflection of the things that stoke your curiosity and the things that you can’t stop thinking about, that are burning inside of you.”

#17. NARRATIVE VS. NUMBERS. The author writes that the three stages of “weave, conceive, and believe” will help to “develop a story for change that sparks curiosity, conversation, and collaboration, ultimately leading to action.” The power of story is explored—very creatively in these chapters (think Pixar’s storytelling approach)—yet with this warning:

Solis mentions Professor Scott Galloway’s research, “Data may be more truthful, but in the battle between narrative and numbers, most of the time humanity picks narrative.” (However, for a slightly contrarian, but very helpful complementary view, read my review of Making Numbers Count, by Chip Heath and Karla Starr.)

#18. WIM (What It Means) EXERCISE. I know you will immediately use this planning tool also. “Think of the WIM exercise as a way of getting to:
   • ...the what,
   • so what,
   • and now what...
of every trend.”

#19. SCENARIO PLANNING. Don’t skip the section on “a common misconception about the nature of scenario planning.” (Learn about IBM’s 1981 estimate that sales of personal computers would peak at 200,000. “Unfortunately, they were a little wrong.” The number was 25 million!)

#20. MAKE YOUR STORY PERSONAL. In Chapter 10, you’ll read about “Connecting Trends to the Human Condition by Making Your Story Personal” and stories that appeal to our deepest emotions: anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise. You’ll learn from “the world’s best-known and most respected screenwriting lecturer” as referenced in HBR’s article, “Storytelling That Moves People.” (And you’ll want to get the popcorn and enjoy the classic movie, Monsters, Inc.)

The author notes that “the best stories are about the human condition we all share”—and page 195 includes a graphic with 18 themes you can leverage. The assignment: “Consider how you might tell a story about a trend in a way that shows how that trend can help your audience with these universal aspects of life.”

Reminder: I told you this book is next to impossible to adequately review. I still haven’t done it, so please read this book yourself. (I might write a second review of this book down the road—it’s that good and it’s that important.)

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

[  ] Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future, by Rohit Bhargava (Read my review.)
[  ] Read my blog post, “Strategy Quartet - Summer Shorts on Strategy,” with short reviews of four books, including What Is Strategy? An Illustrated Guide to Michael Porter, by Joan Magretta and Emile Holmewood (Illustrator).
[  ] How to Create Extraordinary Places that Bring People Together, by Kevin Ervin Kelley (Read my review.)
[  ] Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution: A Handbook for Entrepreneurs, by Uri Levine (Read my review.)

[  ] StrategyMan vs. the Anti-Strategy Squad: Using Strategic Thinking to Defeat Bad Strategy and Save Your Plan, by Rich Horwath (Read my review.)
[  ] Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck, by Michael Michalko (Read my review.)
[  ] Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times, by Rebecca Homkes (Read my review.)
[  ] Breakthrough: Unleashing the Power of a Proven Plan, by Randon A. Samelson (Read my review.)
 
To order from Amazon, click on the title for Mindshift: Transform Leadership, Drive Innovation, and Reshape the Future, by Brian Solis. 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.

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.