Remember the internship?  Seth Godin is now offering a few bright and creative people the opportunity to work with him for a few months.  Tuition is free.  This would be a business education unlike any other you could get–at any price.  It starts January 19, 2009, and you’ll need to apply by December 14.  Here are the details.

Illustration by superciliousness

What does Dan Pink, author of The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, a career guide in graphic novel format, have in common with the U.S. Navy and Stanford University?

Comic books.

Or, properly, manga.

Dan reports that the U.S. Navy will issue a Japanese-language graphic novel in Yokosuka, Japan, in advance of the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington. And Stanford now offers a writing course entitled "The Graphic Novel."

So is Dan right?  Are we entering a Conceptual Age in which right-brainers will rule the world?

"The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t."
— Mark Twain

Brett over at The Art of Manliness has compiled a list of 100 Must-Read Books for manly men. Quickly browsing through the list, I’ve been through many of these over the years, including books by Machiavelli, George Orwell, Thoreau, Plato, Aristotle, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Ayn Rand, Jack Kerouac, Norman Maclean, and Erich Maria Remarque. A few of these were read for college courses; most were read out of personal interest.

If you haven’t read many (or any) of the books on this list, consider adding some to your own reading project. You’ll be a better person for it.

I’m planning to read 50 books from June 2008 through May 2009. The Prologue, Part 1, posted on May 12, 2008, introduces the project. You can find a list of the books on the 50 Books Project page.

June marks the beginning of the 50 Books Project. Here are the titles I’ll read in the inaugural month:

A Whole New Mind – Daniel Pink – Dan Pink believes that the Information Age, an era dominated by left-brained analytics, is about to be surpassed by a Conceptual Age. Those who hope to be successful in this new epoch will need more than numbers-smarts; in addition, they will develop aptitudes like design, empathy, and symphony (plus three others). I enjoy books that attempt to interpret the signs of our times and then suggest ways to respond. I started this one a few months ago, read the first few chapters closely, and skimmed the rest. I’m returning to it to finish it.

What the Monks Can Teach Us – J.K. Jones – J.K. is a colleague and mentor at LCC. Like Dan Pink, J.K. is advocating change. Instead of looking to the future, however, J.K. suggests that the example of some ancient Christians can help us live in a more intentional, centered way. I’m doing an interview with J.K. for an upcoming podcasting project, was intrigued by the title of this book, and chose to add it to the list so we could discuss it in the interview.

Permission Marketing – Seth Godin – Seth Godin has one of the most incisive minds in marketing today, and this is the first of several of his titles that are on the list. I’m a regular reader of Seth’s blog, have read a few of his books (most recently, The Dip), and will be re-reading some other titles that currently sit in the list.

Your Money or Your Life – Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin – This is one of J.D. Roth’s 25 recommended personal finance books. I’m teaching a personal finance class this next fall to college students and this is one of the titles I’m reading for background and possible inclusion as a course textbook.

Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky, and Rich – Richard St. John – I skimmed this book a couple months ago after seeing Richard St. John’s intriguing presentation on the characteristics of successful people from the TED conference. I’ll be giving it a closer reading this month.

In the Name of Jesus – Henri Nouwen – Neal Windham, another of my colleagues whom I respect greatly, considers this one of the best books on leadership he’s ever read. Neal did his doctoral research on the writings of Henri Nouwen, so his recommendation carries some weight with me.

Those are the titles for June 2008. I’ll post updates as the month continues.

I’m planning to read 50 books from June 2008 through May 2009. The Prologue, Part 1, posted on May 12, 2008, introduces the project.

If you’ve looked at my reading list, you will have seen a column called "Source." I wanted a way to track the recommendations for the titles and this field captures that. A few of the records have the names of friends and colleagues, several are blank (meaning that I don’t remember where the recommendation originated). But many of the titles came from one of three sources: Personal MBA, Presentation Zen, and Get Rich Slowly.

Personal MBA
The Personal MBA was a project started in 2005 by Josh Kaufman. The PMBA features a reading list, blog, and discussion forums. In Josh’s words, here’s what the PMBA is about:

Business schools don’t have a monopoly on worldly wisdom. If you’re serious about learning advanced business principles, the Personal MBA can help. The Personal MBA recommended reading list is the tangible result of hundreds of hours of reading and research, and features only the very best books the business press has to offer. So skip the fancy diploma and $150,000 loan – you can get a world-class business education simply by reading these books.

A favorable BusinessWeek article from April 2006 commended the site’s approach to self-education. The PMBA reading list provided several titles on my list.

Presentation Zen
Regular readers will not be surprised at the inclusion of titles recommended on Garr Reynolds’s Presenation Zen site. In December 2006, Garr recommended a number of books on presenting and design. Garr’s own book, Presentation Zen, was published in December 2007 and I highly recommend it.

Get Rich Slowly
J.D. Roth started this site, now one of the most heavily-trafficed personal finance blogs, to document his journey out of debt and into financial independence:

You will not find any get rich quickly schemes here. You will not find multi-level marketing fads or hot stock tips here. I am not pitching any product or book. (Yet.)

You will find daily information about personal finance and related topics. I’ll share stories about debt elimination, saving money, and practical investing. I will post occasional reviews of books, magazines, and software. I will scour the web for the latest personal finance tools and articles. I’ll also post news on related topics like simplicity, frugality, and personal development. (I believe that personal growth is systemic, that in order to improve financially, you have to improve in other areas of your life.)

In March 2007, J.D. wrote a post entitled Building a Personal Finance Library: 25 of the Best Books About Money. Since I’m teaching a college class in personal finance next fall, I wanted to familiarize myself with some of these popular titles.

In the next 50 Books post, I’ll share the titles I plan to read in June.

"What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us."
–Thomas Carlyle

I recently finished my second graduate degree, an MBA. My first graduate degree, completed in 2000, was in contemporary theology. The professors are finished with me (for now) and so I’ve set a new goal: to read at least 50 books from June 2008 through May 2009.

Rationale

The first post I wrote on this site was inspired by my friend and colleague Bob Lowery. Bob reads books like a thirsty man drinks water. I’ve had a number of books or topics I’ve wanted to read over the last couple years but had difficulty working them in with a full-time job, school, family, etc. Now that this phase of my formal education is complete, I’m turning my attention toward self-education and pursuing titles and topics of both personal and professional interest.

Topics

The topics for my reading fall into four main categories:

• Marketing
• Design
• Business (entrepreneurship, leadership, management)
• Teaching (pedagogy and class preparation)

Other titles are not as easily categorized and comprise "personal interest" books–things I want to read just to read them or to become a better person.

Process

I’ve compiled a list of 51 titles and put them into a Google spreadsheet (available here). I’ll choose several titles for the current month and shade them in green then indicate when I’ve begun and completed reading them. Once a title has been completed, it will be shaded in blue. If I fall behind on the reading plan, the title(s) will be shaded in red.

I also plan to post regular updates to the site as I progress through the list, as well as posts explaining why I’m choosing the titles in the list. If I have time, I’ll try to provide some mini-summaries and/or reviews as well.

In addition to the regular posts, you’ll find a 50 Books Project page on the site with links to the spreadsheets.

In the next few days, I’ll share the some background info on why I’ve chosen these books and details on my titles for June 2008.

An Invitation

I’m doing this project on the site for a few reasons:

• If I make my goal public, I’m more accountable and more likely to follow through.
• I want to model for my students and children the value of reading and taking the initiative in one’s learning.
• Readers of this site may suggest titles I hadn’t considered, and that could guide my future reading.

So: I invite you to join me on this journey through the next year. You may be inspired to try something similar yourself. If you are, please leave a note in the comments and update me on your progress as well. We can encourage one another as together we grow in our knowledge and wisdom.

In my business communication class, I referenced several books that I believed would be helpful.  As best as I can remember it, here’s the list with a few brief comments about each title.  Get thee to a library or bookstore and read!

Garr Reynolds – Presentation Zen.  I’ve been a fan of Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen blog for a couple years and was thrilled when his book was released last December.  The PZ approach is about clarity of message and simplicity in design.  Students have seen the value in this approach and some have been able to apply its lessons already.  I hope to spend more time on presentation design the next time I teach the course.

Cliff Atkinson – Beyond Bullet Points.  Although we didn’t spend much time on this book in class, Cliff Atkinson’s BBP contains many useful insights.  The narrative approach that Atkinson advocates, as well as a scaling technique (that is, creating one presentation that you can deliver in 5, 15, or 45 minutes, depending upon the situation), offers presenters powerful tools.

Dan Pink – A Whole New Mind.  So you’re saying that my degree in engineering/accounting/business is going to be less useful in the future?  That’s not the issue so much as the need to cultivate the artistic, creative side of your brain.  The stuff we love–iPhones, Scions, Crocs–is coming from some very smart right-brained people (who, not coincidentally, also have well-developed analytical skills).  Read Dan Pink’s book to see why you’ll need to be more than numbers-smart to compete in the future, and to learn ways you can grow your creativity.

Dan Pink – The Adventures of Johnny Bunko.  What are the six life lessons about work you should have learned but haven’t?  This quick, entertaining read will tell you.  Go view the trailer as well (how many books have a trailer?)  I’ve passed my copy around to a few students and they’ve all enjoyed it.  My colleagues have found the lessons valuable but seem to be put off by the form (it’s not a comic book, it’s manga).  It will be interesting to see how this is received by different generations. 

Chip & Dan Heath – Made to Stick.  What makes messages–presentations, sermons, ads, speeches–memorable?  Think SUCCES: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, stories.  This well-reviewed title is essential reading for all communicators: teachers, preachers, public speakers, writers, business folk.  If you want people to remember your message, think Sticky–think SUCCES.  Check out the Heath brothers in FastCompany as well.

Seth Godin – Purple Cow.  Successful marketing means being remarkable. Purple Cow highlights organizations that distinguish themselves, and its lessons are easily applied to students who want to do well in school and employees who want to stand out in their careers.  Seth’s blog is also a great read.

Tim Ferriss – The 4-Hour Workweek.  Productivity plus an interesting take on entrepreneurship equals lifestyle design.  Tim Ferriss’ best-selling book has been met with mixed reviews: where some see a revolutionary approach to life and the idea of career, others see an impractical and unrealistic devaluation of work.  If nothing else, the book should stimulate ideas for the entrepreneurially-minded and help you become more productive. Visit the 4HWW online.

Richard St. John – Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky, and Rich.  I saw this presentation by Richard St. John at the TED conference and bought the book.  A lot of students (and graduates) are still trying to figure out what to do with their lives but want to be successful at something.  Richard St. John’s research reveals the eight things that successful people do to get results.

Dan Miller – 48 Days to the Work You Love.  Before cranking out your cover letter and resume, spend some time reflecting on your identity, giftedness, and areas of interest.  48 Days is written with the theological perspective that God has created each person with unique gifts and that the most fulfilling work is found when those gifts can be used in the service of others.  What Color is Your Parachute? (below) used to be my "go to" title for job seekers; Dan Miller’s book is a better alternative for young people.

Richard Nelson Bolles – What Color is Your Parachute?  The acknowledged classic job hunting manual.  Dan Miller borrows several ideas from Bolles in his own book.  Visit Bolles’ web site, Job Hunter’s Bible, for more advice and tips.

So that’s the list.  If I were to recommend a place to start, read 48 Days and Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky, and Rich.  These will help you think more strategically about how to best use your remaining time in school or help you get focused in your career.

Richard St. John tells the remarkable story of his encounter with a young girl who, though from an impoverished background, wanted to become successful. She asked him how; he said he wasn’t sure, but he’d find out. Seven years and 500 interviews later, here are his findings (in the video below). He now gives this two-hour talk to high school students but delivered it at the 2005 TED conference in just three minutes.

I was so intrigued by this that I’ve ordered one of his books, Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky, and Rich (a second title, 8 to be Great, is a condensed version of the same). It looks an awful lot like Jim Collins’ Good to Great but applied at the personal level. I’m expecting a good read.