Book Review: September

The first book came recommended by strength coach Alwyn Cosgrove, who if your into training, need to know. His program design is topnotch. But he recommends you read some management/business books on top of all the training type books and manuals. It's called The Starbucks Experience, by Joseph Michelli. Basically if your in any type of service industry, whether it be coffee, training or delivering flowers, anything where a customer is choosing you or your service over someone else, this is a good read. It gives some tangible principles to start putting into practice. It talks about how people have a "third place." They have there home, there work and then usually one more place where they chose to spend there time. If your a gym owner I think this is a good idea to try to get people to feel that it's there place.

For myself and many of my friends, our local rock climbing gym, HIGHER GROUND, in downtown Grand Rapids, is our "third place." It's as much social as it is fun climbing.

The second book I'm going to talk about is called, The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle. I feel a little like I cheated as I listened to this book on cd in my car. Amazingly, I didn't really drive anywhere to far this week, but still managed to listen to the whole book. Which goes to show you how much time you spend in your car without realizing it. Those ten to twenty minute trips add up quick.

This book is along the lines of Talent is Overated and Outliers. It was still highly interesting to me though. I am fascinated why some people keep improving, while others fall short. The easy explanation of, he was just born good, doesn't hold water anymore. This book is the book that opened my eyes on the importance of myelin. I would give the nod to Starbucks Experience if your in the service industry and the Talent Code if your coaching or parenting.