10 Eye-Opening Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read

These books reveal the truth of how organizations really work, and it's not pretty.

Buisness book

 

As anyone who reads this column knows, I'm a huge proponent of positive thinking.  However, positive thinking is delusional unless it's based upon a clear understanding of how the business world really works.
Put another way: We can't make the world a better place unless we can first see things as they really are. I've already pointed you at the "Top 10 Motivational Books of All Time" in order to help you prepare to make the world for the better.
The books on this list show you exactly what we're up against.

10. How to Lie With Statistics

Darrell Huff's classic 1954 tome explains how business people, politicians, and the news media misuse "the truth" specifically to mislead. As a touchstone and reality check, this book keeps you from being duped by others. As a weapon, this book gives you vast power over the ignorant masses. Please handle with great care.
Best quote: "A well-wrapped statistic is better than Hitler's 'big lie'; it misleads, yet it cannot be pinned on you."

5 Most Destructive Phrases in Business

To be a better business leader, you need to avoid these five destructive phrases like the plague.

 

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How often have you been in a productive business meeting only to have it come to a grinding halt because of something someone said? It happens all the time. A negative comment or a pessimistic concern can not only bring down morale, it can derail an entire strategy. I am convinced that there is no limit to what a team can accomplish if they were to eliminate these five destructive phrases.

1. "I can't (fill in the blank)."

Few other words in the English lexicon irk me more than the word "can't." Okay, technically, it is two words conjugated. Nevertheless, "can't" is a killer. It is one of the most commonly used ways of dodging and dishing off responsibility. It is just another way of saying "won't," as in "I won't do what I need to do to get it done." Remember, whether you think you can or think you can't...you're right.

NIGERIA: 185 Killed, 2000 Houses Razed In Borno Town As Soldiers And Boko Haram Fight

At least 185 persons including women and children were reported to have been killed by either gunshots or fire after suspected Boko Haram gunmen engaged soldiers of the Joint Task Force in a deadly shootout that left the commercial border town of Baga in Borno State completely burnt down.

Local government officials, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, said 185 persons died, at least 2000 houses, 64 motorcycles and 40 cars were burnt in the wake of the attack.

The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, visited the town on Sunday and was told by residents that soldiers were responsible for the torching of houses that led to the death of many.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that scores of others are currently hospitalised with various shades of burnt injuries.

3 Phrases That Will Get You Noticed

When these phrases are used appropriately and wisely in group and team situations, they will put you in a natural leadership position.

cotton

 

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I spend a lot of time helping leaders with succession planning--essentially, helping them develop other leaders.
What's interesting is what happens just before the developing begins.
Truth is, leaders aren't developed from scratch. What happens instead is that someone is first recognized as a potential leader and then the development begins.
So what is it that leaders look for in those they think might have the potential for leadership? How are future leaders recognized? By a lot of things, obviously, many of them idiosyncratic to the corporate environment within which they will work.
However, when I help senior executives make this decision, one thing comes up frequently: how the leadership candidate conducts him- or herself in group situations--and specifically, how he or she contributes to group discussions.
There are three phrases in particular, variants of which I hear remarked upon time and again when they're used appropriately and wisely in group and team situations:

High Court in James Ibori’s Delta State Sentenced Julius Aboy, 22 To Death By Hanging For Stealing N955,600

 A 22-year-old man, Julius Aboy was yesterday sentenced to death for stealing N955, 600 by a Delta State High Court sitting in Warri. The trial judge, Justice Marshal Mukoro of High Court 1, who handed down the sentence told the convict that he is to die by hanging.
The convict was arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery, offences punishable under Sections 6(b) and 1(2)(a) respectively of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act Cap. RII Volume 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
In the first count, Julius Aboy and others now at large were reported to have on or about the 4th day of March, 2011 in Warri, conspired with others now at large to commit armed robbery.

FG spends N480bn annually on malaria control

The Federal Government said on Thursday that it was spending N480 billion annually on the management and treatment of malaria in the country.

President Goodluck Jonathan said this in Port Harcourt at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Town Hall meeting on Malaria Elimination and Ground Breaking ceremony of Biolarvicides (insecticides) factory.

Represented by the health minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, the president said that a child died of malaria in every 45 seconds in Africa.

He noted that malaria occurred and killed more people in poor rural communities of the country, saying that poverty and sickness were related.

Google may acquire WhatsApp for nearly $1 billion

Google is in talks to acquire cross-platform messaging application WhatsApp, a new report claims.

Google and WhatsApp have been talking for "four or five weeks," according to Digital Trends, citing a person who claims to have knowledge of the negotiations.
So far, WhatsApp has been able to push the acquisition price to nearly $1 billion by "playing hardball," Digital Trends' source says.

Etisalat to raise $500m from local banks for expansion

Speaking at the Reuters Africa Investment Summit yesterday, the Commercial Officer of Etisalat, Wael Ammar, disclosed that the Telecoms company will raise $500 million in debt from National banks to enable it improve on network coverage across the country.

According to Ammar, the expected move is to also grow the market shares of Etisalat to 17 per cent this year, from the present mobile market shares of 15 per cent.
The company is struggling in market shares compared to other Telecoms companies. It was gathered that MTN has 43 per cent, while Globacom and Airtel’s mobile market share are at 22 and 20 per cent respectively.

Dangote Group to raise $3.5 billion syndicated loan

Dangote Group, Nigeria's biggest listed company, has begun talks to raise a debut syndicated loan for $3.5 billion to fund fertiliser and oil refinery projects, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.
The seven-year loan for Nigeria's biggest cement producer is split equally between the country and international lenders via lead banks Guaranty Trust Bank, Standard Bank and Standard Chartered, the sources said.

No one at Dangote was immediately available to comment.
International lenders are weighing up the risk associated with a relatively long-term jumbo loan for Dangote being a first time borrower.

11 Inspiring Quotes From Sir Richard Branson

The iconic Virgin Group founder seems to have done it all. Now he explains to Inc. how to start a company from pennies, when to "snoop around," and his trouble saying "no."

 

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Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group--an empire of more than 400 companies that includes an airline, a mobile phone company, and a credit card company--sat down Wednesday with Inc. editor-in-chief Eric Schurenberg. Their exclusive interview kicked off Inc.'s GrowCo conference in New Orleans.
Branson spoke about the power of delegating, the importance of branding, how to assess risk, and why he wants to change the entire concept of space travel--soon.
Here are some of the interview's most poignant take-aways.

Gay Man Escorted Out of Missouri Hospital in Handcuffs for Refusing to Leave Sick Partner’s Side

Making matters worse, Roger Gorley says he now has a restraining order preventing him from visiting his partner at all.

The Lee's Summit, Missouri resident says he was at Research Medical Center in Kansas City visiting his partner Allen when he was asked to leave by a member of Allen's family.
Gorley refused to budge, which prompted the hospital to have security forcibly remove him from the building in handcuffs.
Gorley says that, in addition to having been in a civil union for the past five years, he and Allen also share joint powers of attorney over each others medical affairs, which the nurse on site refused to confirm.

Too Revealing? Kim Kardashian's latest maternity wears

Perhaps to shut up her critics,Kim has embraced revealing maternity wears.The first exposing her bump and the 2nd ,her nipples....

She looks great..

Meet the Prime Minister and First Lady of Iceland: Johanna and Jonina [Lesbian couples]

Iceland's lesbian PM is the world's first openly gay Prime Minister. Icelandic PM, Johanna Sigurdardottir, and her "wife" of 13 years, Jonina Leosdottir are the First Lady and First Lady of Iceland. Johanna Sigurdardottir is Iceland's longest serving Member of Parliament (MP) and also the country's first female to be Prime Minister (PM).

 In 2002, at the age of 60, Johanna Sigurdardottir married Jonina Leosdottir, a writer, in a civil ceremony. Three decades ago, she was an air stewardess and union official, and the mother of two sons married to a banker. Same-sex marriage was legalized in Iceland in 2010.

Mobile money struggles despite N1.1trn market potential

Despite the promise and enthusiasm that attended the launch of mobile money systems in Nigeria two years ago, the service is still struggling to gain a foothold in the country.

This is against the backdrop of the huge potential market size, which is expected to grow to N1.1 trillion by 2015.

Industry experts and analysts say this is because  banks, mobile money operators and other players have  failed to clearly define, articulate and communicate the benefits of using the service to prospective customers.

Analysts have also identified regulatory issues, absence of interoperability amongst disparate mobile money systems, and poor agent networks, as some of the drawbacks to the speedy adoption of the service.

Lekki Port to generate $200bn, 163,000 jobs

The managing director of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise, Mr. Haresh Aswani has projected that the state-of-t he-art Lekki Port project, scheduled to be operational by third quarter of 2016 will generate $200bn revenue and create 163,000 new jobs.
Located in the Lagos Free Trade Zone at the Lekki suburb, Aswani explained that the Lekki Port, conceptualized as a multi-product industrial and logistics hub would spread across 90Ha of land and shall be built at an estimated cost of $1.55 billion. He further said the deep-sea port which will be located 65 km east of Lagos Mainland shall become the gateway to West African region and would be one of the most efficient and modern maritime facilities that will cater to containerized, liquid and dry bulk cargo par international standards.