12 Books - Author Led Business Book Group discussion

This is the official thread for our November 2013 discussion about "Be The Best at What Matters Most" by Joe Calloway. Our end of month call with Joe will be on November 26th, 2013.

Register here: http://www.12booksgroup.com/calloway-...

I'm about 1/3 into the book and I do find the premise very intriguing. The simplicity of the idea is one of "seems too good to be true" types of things but yet it makes complete sense.

I'm looking forward to wrapping around it in greater detail and context.

First of all, I'm honored to be part of the group this month, Jacob, and look forward to learning a lot from the participants. I think that the thing to remember about making things simple is what Steve Jobs said: "It takes a lot of hard work to get your thinking clean enough to make things simple. But it's worth all the work, because if you can make things simple, you can move mountains." The idea of simplifying how we look at our business isn't easy - not at all. But what I'm really trying to get people to do is to start by thinking about what truly matters most.
I really look forward to the discussions!

What a great book. I am not quite half way though and am loving it. I liked the authors definition of relevance as the constant and continual action of improving our art - and not just on targeted projects but as an integral part of what we do. In fact, we integrate continual improvement so much so that we are not only 'competitive' at the basics but we actually are 'winning' at the basics of whatever our craft is. I believe that we throw too much around the concept of "thinking outside the box" and here we are reminded that to be the best of what we do we first must master the basics of "inside the box" activities before venturing too far outside. I am reminded of some of the very best sports teams, and their coaches (Wooden, Lombardi, etc)in sports history and how they became the best and remained there for a time. By mastering the basics. With all the evidence that reminds us of this why do we allow ourselves to stray???

Jary, thanks for your comments. Your mention of Coach John Wooden reminds me of how he would begin the first practice of every season by instructing the players on how to properly tie their shoelaces. Great story on it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/spo...
It's a perfect lesson on mastering the basics!

Just finished the book, It was very interesting. Since I retired, I take on business books as self-help books, and this one fits that mold very nicely. We get scattered, with work, family, hobbies, activism, church, travel, etc, to the point that we don't do any of them well. Deciding what is important to me at this point in my life is my next project.

Thanks for the comments, Susan. Great timing, too - just this afternoon my wife and I were talking about trying to get a handle on our schedules and activities (we've got two daughters!). It's the same in business. We spread ourselves too thinly and end up not doing anything particularly well. Choose your priorities, pick a lane, use a blue tip flame instead of a flamethrower! Learning what to say "no" to is powerful.

Through the first seven chapters. I like the approach. Short, bite-size and a lot of common sense. It really helps to focus on how to have a successful business.

Thanks, Casey. I very intentionally made most of the chapters "bite-sized." Hope you enjoy the rest of the book.

I've just finished the book. I really like what I read. Simple, direct, easy to get to the point. Most likely focusing on what matters more!!
The small chapters are making the book even more readable.

Thanks Joe for bringing this fantastic tool, and thanks Jacob for this recommendation.

Thank you, Pablo. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!