Book of the Month (July): Mavericks at Work

July's book of the month is titled Mavericks at Work. Here's a general snippet from their website, edited for length:

Organizations and entrepreneurs that were once dismissed as upstarts, as wildcards—as mavericks—are making waves and growing fast. There’s a reason: In an age of hyper-competition and nonstop innovation, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something truly original.

Mavericks at Work offers exciting new answers to the timeless challenges facing organizations of every size and leaders in every field: how you make strategy, how you unleash ideas, how you connect with customers, how your best people achieve great results. But this is more than just a how-to book. It is also a what-if book.

Business needs a breath of fresh air... Individually, these maverick companies are attracting millions of customers, creating thousands of jobs, generating tens of billions of dollars of wealth. As a group, they demonstrate that you can build successful organizations around high ideals and fierce competitive ambitions, that the most powerful way to create economic value is to embrace a set of values that go beyond just amassing power, and that business, at its best, is too exciting, too important, and too much fun to be left to the dead hand of business as usual.

In short, the book applies not just to business, but to life as well - that's why I've chosen it as July's book of the month. For example, at one point in the book the authors ask: Have you set out – clearly, crisply, in language that reflects the spirit of your organization – the most compelling reasons for great people to work on your team, in your division, at your company?" That also applies to life and school - you should set out the reasons why you're doing what you're doing, or taking a certain class, and so forth.

In about a week or two I'll provide further notes and ideas for those that want guidance or don't want to go out and buy the entire book, but for those that will read... happy readings!