NEW BOOK
“The Keystone Advantage,” by Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien, Harvard Business School Press, $35
What you’ll learn: In biology, the “keystone species” maintains equilibrium in its ecosystem. Removal of the keystone species creates a long-term, roll-the-dice effect for all species in the ecosystem. Using the bio-ecosystem analogy, the authors key on the shared-fate realities and evolutionary possibilities of business keystones.
The keystone species usually isn’t the biggest, strongest or smartest animal. Depending on the business ecosystem, manufacturers/service providers or suppliers or consumers could be the keystone species.
The collective behavior can be measured in four intertwined ways: productivity–return on invested capital shows the health of the firms in the ecosystem; robustness–whether firms respond swiftly to adapt to change; niche creation–how many new firms and markets the business ecosystem creates; and collective improvements–bio-ecosystems weed out non-performing species.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
NEW BOOK
“Nonstop Networking,” by Andrea Nierenberg, Capital Books, $19.95
What you’ll learn: Nierenberg’s networking “four-mula” is to make four contacts each week. It doesn’t matter if they are new or reconnects. The book’s theme is to make networking a habit.
Nierenberg demystifies the networking process for those who rank networking alongside public speaking as their top fears. For experienced networkers, the book serves as a reminder of what they must continue to do to make things happen.
Among her nuggets of advice: be prepared. Small talk won’t build (or sustain) a network. Preparation starts with your 30-second “brag byte” that answers the “What do you do?” question. The content of your brag byte depends upon your audience.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
