The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been reading and studying works of theology, spirituality, philosophy and mysticism for over twenty years, following my own path and doing my best to discern truth from the writings of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and other backgrounds. I have a library of treasured works that have helped me along a journey that has taken me from a time of profound confusion, doubt, dread, depression, anxiety and pain to a life of pervasive peace, consistent joy and ever growing love.
In that vast library of works, many of the books I've read I considered great ... exceptionally well suited to guide me through the particular phase of life through which I was going ... but NO book I've EVER read was MORE PERFECTLY written for where I am now in my life than The Way of the Wizard.
Having been on this journey as long as I have, I can see how this work would seem fluffy and insubstantial to many and perhaps even most people who would read it. Had it been around for me to pick up 20 or even 10 years ago, I'm quite certain I wouldn't have understood it much or considered it profound. But when I finished reading this book for the first time (which I did in one sitting), it was as if the book had been written specifically for me. It rang so true to the precise experience of life I've had for the past several decades that at points I laughed out loud from the pure joy of recognition.
Others have written about the contents of this book ... I've chosen to address the way it left me feeling. There are those of you out there for whom that will be the more telling review. You know who you are.

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Brand Leadership: Building Assets In an Information Economy Review

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(More customer reviews)I'll save you some effort. Read the first five chapters of this book and stop. Aaker is the king of brand equity and successful strategies for organizing and developing brands but he also has a knack for being a bit long-winded.
Don't get me wrong. The guy's a genius and the world of marketing is much the better for having him (and Joachimsthaler) around. However, in Management Communications at Business School they teach you to know your audience. There's a reason most business books are 160-220 pages. Business leaders don't have time to spend 12-15 hours reading texts. Aaker ignores this fact when offering the 330-page "Brand Leadership."
That being said it's a great book for the frameworks and approaches it provides. Aaker truly is one of the elite few that really rises above the clutter in offering marketing insights to today's manager. Unfortunately like Michael Porter with Strategy, he feels that this level of insight affords the right to pontificate beyond the attention span of most managers.
His theories on brand identity, brand architecture, and brand equity are invaluable though and for this reason the book is well worth the money and time. Particularly outstanding is the chapter on Brand Architecture which provides a stark contrast to the "focus" theories of Ries & Trout.
Shortcuts:
Chapter 6 -- Discusses Nike-Adidas market dynamics. Least interesting chapter in the book.
Chapter 7 -- Addresses sponsorships and is fairly interesting and useful for today's marketing manager. If you really enjoy Chapter's 1-5 then give 7 a go as well.
Chapter 8 -- If you recognize the names Fast Company, Business 2.0, Red Herring, or The Industry Standard, this chapter on the role of webs in building brands is not neccesary.
Chapter 9 -- Pretty good chapter on building brands beyond advertising, but only if you have a couple hours to spare. By the end of the book this chapter felt like miles 16-25 of a marathon.
Chapter 10 -- Read "The Lure of Global Brands" from the 12/99 Harvard Business Review as a substitute. More condensed and effective.
Five star (and then some) book if edited down to 200 pages.

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