Read more about the article Rip Off that Mask. Let’s See Who’s Really Responsible for All of This?
Alternative girl with piercing unmask a good girl

Rip Off that Mask. Let’s See Who’s Really Responsible for All of This?

Over the last few weeks, we've discussed how it's possible for different cultures to produce equally profound results. H ow do you create a mindset where everyone takes full responsibility for their actions and refuses to blame outside forces for failure or disappointment?Déjà vu all over again?How often have you…

Continue ReadingRip Off that Mask. Let’s See Who’s Really Responsible for All of This?

Leadership | “Did Jamie Dimon Steal Your Leadership Book?”

Dude. You didn't steal my bookA young friend of mine called last week.

“Hey, did Jamie Dimon steal your book?” he asked, referring to the The Essential Hallmarks of a Good Leader recently published.

“No, he certainly didn’t steal it,” I said. “He might have read it since you can get it for free right here? Why would you think he stole it.”

“Okay,” he replied. “I guess he didn’t steal it then … but is there any chance he might have written it?”

Funny guy, huh?

Who is Jamie Dimon?

As you probably know, Jamie Dimon is the Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase, with an enviable track record as a visionary executive leading large and complex financial organizations.

And, no, he didn’t write The Cornerstones of Effective Leadership … but I was eager to see just what my friend was referring to … and more importantly, what Jamie had to say about the characteristics he thought were the most important to being a successful leader.

What does Jamie think?

(more…)

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Read more about the article Who wants to see some bad guys get their butt kicked?
Mystery-Thriller-Suspense Fiction

Who wants to see some bad guys get their butt kicked?

Get ready for Fiction Fridays … because we’re going rogue!

We’re going rogue…. on Fiction Fridays!

I intend to roust your senses, pillage your serenity and stimulate your discovery of the good, the bad and the only fiction genre where a ranch breakfast is a steel metal jacket dipped in cordite.

We’re going to mix it up … on Fiction Fridays … and talk about the books which fill the Mystery-Thriller-Suspense genre.

They sire rabid fans and beget a rogue’s gallery of unaccountable tough guys, a few cerebral types and shameless sidekicks. That’s going to be part of Fiction Fridays … starting now!

Are you a fan of the Mystery-Thriller-Suspense genre?

Most of us who love this genre are passionate about our favorite characters.

We’re looking for great stories, new authors, undiscovered gems and the unexpected twists and turns that keep these books at the top of the best seller lists.

No PC sensibilities, no hand holding, no singing kumbaya around the campfire.

Some days, a little street justice and a big-time ass-whuppin’ is just what we need. (more…)

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Read more about the article Mystery-Thriller-Suspense Fiction | John le Carre’s last interview
Mystery-Thriller-Suspense Fiction

Mystery-Thriller-Suspense Fiction | John le Carre’s last interview

FRiction FRiday | Tom Clancy Redux | Dead or Alive

What have I gotten myself into? Lately, Dead or Alive

Don’t forget that I’ve just forged through two, 1,000 page books, Ken Follett’s Fall of Giants, and now Clancy’s tome

Gimme a break this time, okay?

Don’t worry

You’re in the right place

I’m glad you’re here, though

and don’t worry if it seems like you landed on the wrong planet

 

Exkalibur

com”>FRiction FRiday

to have a little fun and settle in for the weekend by uncovering a few more of our favorite Mystery-Thriller-Suspense novels

[All names in Bold Italic

 BLACK for authors, titles in GREEN, characters in ORANGE

except URL references in RED

]

By the way, don’t forget to —————————————————

John le Carre’s last interview

Some of you may have seen The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), and thinking, wow, that’s some spooky sh**

But did you know that John le Carre is a pseudonym

I didn’t

for David John Moore Cornwell? He was actually a spy for MI5 and MI6 in England and left the service to write novels once this blockbuster hit

Next on my shelf will be his latest, Our Kind of Traitor, which reportedly is the “old” John le Carre

(more…)

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Mystery-Thriller-Suspense Fiction | Tom Clancy returns

FRiction FRiday | Tom Clancy is Back | Dead or Alive

Wow, FRiction FRiday is here again? How did I get stuck with all of these tire stoppers anyway? Yeah, I know I got a break with Jack Higgins 18th Sean Dillon novel, The Judas Gate … always a quick but fun read … but before that, Ken Follet’s Fall of Giants was almost 1,000 pages … and now Dead or Alive is 850pp? How can I finish one of these every week, I mean, I’ve got to work for living … don’t I? Yes, Lary, you do!

I’m glad you’re here, though … and don’t worry if it seems like you landed on the wrong planet. Sword Tips is still about Building a Business and improving your leadership performance, productivity and success … but we also take a little time every FRiction FRiday to have a little fun and settle in for the weekend by uncovering a few more of our favorite Mystery-Thriller-Suspense novels.

[All names in Bold Italic … BLACK for authors, titles in GREEN, characters in ORANGE … except URL references in RED.]

By the way, make sure you sign up to get all of these and other updates sent directly to your inbox every week. Jump in to add your comments and questions, too, so we can share what we know and what we’d like to know. Remember, we don’t have to agree … I fully respect your right to be dead wrong! Just kidding … kind of. ;>)

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Dead or Alive? Usually, pretty dead!

I’m almost halfway through Tom Clancy’s Dead or Alive, his first novel in 10 years. It brings back Jack Ryan, now a retired U.S. President along with various members of Rainbow 6, the efficient but deadly special ops team formed many books ago. Dingo and Chavez and their brethren are in the same Sean Dillon strain of “take no prisoners”.

Once again, it’s refreshing to see how quickly conflicts get resolved without psychobabble and political mumbo-jumbo. Get er’ done and move on. We don’t get to do too much of that in real life, do we? … but it’s a delicious delicacy, isn’t it, to see how much gets done when you follow the straightest line between two points without fanfare, distraction or PC worship.

The “4 Corners of the Globe” Plotline

Speaking of the “shortest distance between two points”, (more…)

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