Though I didn't have a copy of this book to review prior to the holidays, I thought this book's name alone warranted a mention this week.

"The Rudolph Factor: Finding the Bright Lights that Drive Innovation in Your Business" by Cyndi Laurin and Craig Morningstar (Wiley, July 2009, $21.95) uses The Boeing Company as an example of how a large corporation needs only to focus on employees who are hyper-creative yet sometimes not in traditional leadership roles to ensure future success.

Laurin and Morningstar recommend turning to those employees who "light the way" for their coworkers, the "Rudolphs." They say "Rudolphs" are highly-engaged, creative thinkers that populate about 10 percent of every organization. But for the most part, they aren't the traditional company leaders, and their talents ,may go untapped, the authors state.

"Depending on the business culture, political structure, and reward system, Rudolphs either let their nose glow, or they cover it in mud so as to not create any career-limiting moves with their non-traditional, and generally unconventional ideas," Laurin said. "Obviously, the more progressive and innovative the business culture, the easier and safer it is for Rudolphs to contribute business-growing innovations or cost-saving solutions to their company's bottom line."

In the last decade, the "Rudolphs" of The Boeing Company helped the giant aircraft manufacturer turn around a cruscial division that was the edge of collapse.

Paraphrased from the book’s inside flap:

The Boeing Company aircraft manufacturers has struggled with the cyclical nature of demand for commercial aircraft. Between the challenging integration of the Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas employees into Boeing, competition from Airbus, and market pressure, the company was facing serious financial consequences ... until it managed a remarkable turnaround.

"The Rudolph Factor" explains how Boeing's journey back to excellence began a decade ago with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, an Air Force cargo aircraft. Hampered by a toxic culture and struggling to stay alive, Boeing C-17 management and employees partnered with the Air Force to fix the program. They — all 10,000 of them — instituted a new set of progressive practices from the top down and from the bottom up.

This experiment was a smashing success. The C-17 Program continues to be so successful, in fact, that its leadership and employee involvement principles are currently being instituted throughout Boeing.

"The Rudolph Factor" uses Boeing C-17's success as a platform for teaching organizations how to elicit and benefit from the creative, revolutionary thinking of current employees. A small percentage of hypercreative, out-of-the-box thinkers can be the catalyst for organization-wide reform — if you can recognize and nurture their special abilities.

In a Wiley press release supporting the book, Laurin and Morningstar recommend the following ways to motivate the Rudolphs in your organization (a la The 12 Days of Christmas):

1) Give them ample time to shine. No one knows your company and its customers as well as your employees. After all, they are the ones closest to the processes that work and those that don't. That's why they are best suited to uncover the solutions that will make your organization a success in the New Year. But great innovation doesn't necessarily happen overnight, so it's important that you give your employees plenty of time to brainstorm their bright ideas.

"Allowing your employees time to brainstorm each day will likely produce some great cost-saving ideas," asserts Laurin. "Even if it's just for fifteen minutes. Some of the most progressive companies begin and end each workday with a five-minute huddle. It's a great opportunity for the Rudolphs in your workplace to shine!"

2) Include your Rudolphs in the reindeer games. Management often has difficulty solving problems due to a natural level of disconnect between their position and the work itself. "Start listening to the unlikely voices amongst your workforce," suggests Morningstar. "If a red nose is shining, pay attention! Include workers in strategy meetings, and ask for their opinions. You may be surprised at the solutions and innovation that is generated this way."

3) Be on the lookout for a red nose. If you aren't sure how to spot the Rudolphs in your organization, here's a tip: one of the most obvious signs of a Rudolph is that they light up when talking about their work. Maybe not literally like the nose of the most famous Rudolph of all, but you can definitely see and feel their passion for their work. To pinpoint your Rudolphs, look for a face that is shining bright and listen for a passionate voice, and that will be the person who can help you through your company's foggy nights.

"If you want to inspire this phenomenon in others, make sure you take the time to connect with your employees everyday," explains Laurin. "Ask them about their projects and ideas for improvements, and watch them light up with excitement when they speak."

4) Keep their curious spirit alive. Another surefire sign of a Rudolph is that they ask a lot of questions. And they have a tendency to ask those questions even when it isn't the most popular thing to be doing. It's important for you to understand that when your employees are asking questions, they are engaged and generally trying to gain a better understanding of the company's goals, which should be encouraged.

"Make sure you are not inadvertently discouraging their questions," warns Morningstar. "Encouraging questions in your employees helps you to develop a dialogue with them, and it encourages a dialogue for them amongst one other—precisely the way most great innovations come to life!"

5) Don't put your Rudolphs (or their ideas) in the corner. Most employees want to work in an environment that is safe, supportive, and offers them an opportunity to make a difference—it's our human nature. Rudolphs have a natural tendency to see their world through a lens of potential and opportunity. Encourage this type of thinking in all of your employees by listening to their ideas—even if they seem unrealistic or just plain crazy.

"Some of the greatest innovations in history seemed unrealistic or un-marketable at first," Morningstar explains. "For example, the concept of a wireless telephone was being discussed at the famous Bell Labs in the 1950s. Look at how many decades it took to come to fruition, and think about all the great ideas that could be simmering in your own organization."

6) Congratulate them on a job well done. One of the more interesting characteristic of Rudolphs is that they are not interested in self-promotion. Instead, they are genuinely vested in wanting their organization to succeed. And while they aren't looking for personal accolades, it's still a good idea to let them know that you've noticed their good work. It will keep them motivated in the long run.

"Make sure that all your employees understand how their individual work has contributed to the organization this past year," says Laurin. "It may seem trite, but a simple acknowledgement goes a long way in today's business cultures. Try taking advantage of the season and send a simple holiday card with a hand-written note thanking them for a job well done. You may be surprised at just how far a small gesture will go."

7) Reward your Rudolph with action. The greatest reward a Rudolph can experience is seeing their ideas in action. Encourage all employees to share their ideas, and have a system in place for reviewing them. Remember, there is nothing more de-motivating than being asked for ideas only for them to end up in some organizational black hole.

"Be prepared to respond to ideas quickly and briefly," says Morningstar. "And seek more information if the idea is not clearly presented. The only way to keep the creative Rudolph juices flowing is to encourage all ideas, good or bad, and to never discourage an employee from offering suggestions."

8) Encourage your herd to be, well, a team. Rudolphs are natural team players, and when they need help, they are generally not afraid to ask. To bring out the Rudolph-ness in everyone at your organization, make sure that the doors of communication are open. And give people an opportunity to collaborate with one another, if necessary, so that ideas can be shared, refined, and encouraged within your organization.

"It's amazing to meet workers who don't even know the person sitting in the cubicle next to them," says Laurin. "You may be missing out on some great ideas by simply not encouraging the great minds in your company to work together."

9) Be willing to branch out from the eight reindeer you know. Encourage diversity in thought as well as other types of traditional diversities. Many employees intentionally stop sharing ideas if their work environment is not conducive or if the perception is that management doesn't care. This can result in "million-dollar" ideas forever locked in people's minds.

"Make sure your organization recognizes diversity in thinking as a legitimate and unique human quality," adds Morningstar, "And you may also want to consider hiring employees with non-traditional or diverse backgrounds who may offer a completely unique and value-added perspective."

10) Give them some ownership over the workshop. Rudolphs are natural entrepreneurs, a quality many managers will tell you is a great asset to an organizational team. To encourage entrepreneurial thinking, be open with your employees about business information. Employees will feel a greater sense of ownership over your business if they have a basic understanding of the organization's current strengths and challenges.

"Keep in mind that this may require some basic training for all employees," says Laurin. "Every employee should understand the fundamentals of profits and loss, budget creation, and how their work contributes to the bottom line. Without a clear value proposition to employees, it will be difficult to reap the rewards of innovative thinking."

11) Let all your reindeer lead the sleigh (in their own special way!). Rudolphs tend to be natural leaders because of the way they define leadership. Rather than looking at leadership as a position on the organizational chart, encourage employees to lead from where they are.

"This can be easily accomplished by offering a new definition of leadership," asserts Morningstar. "Try to define leadership as 'a commitment to the success of people around you' or 'connecting people to their future.' With the appropriate verbiage in mind, all employees can start leading today!"

12) Always offer your Rudolphs the resources they need. Give them the tools, training, and resources they need to contribute to the organization's bottom line.

"And remember, your people are your most sustainable competitive advantage, and many are just chomping at the bit to make a significant impact to the bottom line," Laurin conclude. "So when you see those red noses shining bright, why not give them the chance to guide your company's proverbial sleigh this year?"

I saw this book cover photo by the Associated Press on the wire, smiled, then wished I had it to review.

Not only am I feeling a little Scrooge-like (which will happen when you have a secondary job in retail during the holidays) at this point in time, but I also agree with the author's premise: That a lot of the gifts we give just become clutter in someone else's closet.

From The Associated Press' Bookshelf Roundup:

TITLE: Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays

AUTHOR: Joel Waldfogel

PRICE: $9.95

SUMMARY: This 186-page pocketbook measures just 4 by 6 inches in size, and invites readers to think just as small when it comes to holiday excess. Joel Waldfogel, an economist at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, goes beyond the obvious in arguing against habitual gift-giving.

Buying a tie that Dad will never wear or a toy that a child may use once, will hurt more than just your pocketbook and add to household clutter. Waldfogel argues all those ill-chosen gifts damage the economy, whether they're purchased using credit or not. He calculates waste of $85 billion each winter from holiday gift giving's failure at "allocating resources" — getting stuff to the right people who can actually use or enjoy it.

QUOTE: "The red tornado is Santa Claus. And despite the warm feeling he evokes in children, his tornado of giving does a perennially poor job of matching stuff with people. In so doing, he destroys a lot of value."

PUBLISHER: Princeton University Press

The Philadelphia Business Journal and Neen James (pictured below), president of Neen James Communications LLC have informed me that on Friday, January 22, I can attend a free "supercharged: seminar to jump-start my productivity and make 2010 my most productive year ever!

This description, the use of the word "supercharged" and the exclamation point have already scared me away. Plus the fact that my job doesn't allow me to jaunt off to Philly on workdays for a seminar, albeit free. That simply wouldn't be productive.

But you, reader, may reserve your spot now for the Supercharge Your Productivity seminar, where you'll meet Philadelphia Business Journal Publisher Lyn Kremer and special presenter Neen James, president of Neen James Communications LLC. James is an international productivity expert, author, and native Australian.

The seminar takes place Friday, January 22, from 8 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at the offices of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, 200 South Broad St., Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19102. In addition to complimentary admission, light refreshments will be served and each attendee will receive a free copy of James' book "Secrets of Super-Productivity."

From the press release: Do you ever hear yourself saying 'there are never enough hours in the day?' Do you ever feel like you get to the end of the day and you haven't achieved anything? If you answered yes to these questions you need to hear productivity expert (and Aussie), Neen James share her practical advice on how you accelerate your business and start creating impact with super-productivity. It's not about time management; it's about focusing your time, attention and energy in the things that will deliver the best results for you and your firm. During these current times you need to stop being busy and start achieving! (again with the exclamation point!)

Program Details:

8 to 8:30 a.m.: Registration and Networking

8:30 to 9:15 a.m.: How to Make More Money with the Philadelphia Business Journal. Learn how to turn our business news into new business for you! During the seminar, you'll become resourceful at unearthing key information, prepared to achieve your sales goals, successful in recognizing sales leads, proactive in pursing warm leads and informed on what networking events are geared to your business.

9:15 to 9:30 a.m.: Break

9:30 to 10:15 a.m.: Super-Productivity: How to make 2010 your most productive year ever with Neen James, President, Neen James Communications LLC.

Although the seminar is free, registration is required. To register, visit Supercharge Your Productivity.

The dark wordsmith Edgar Allen Poe, were he alive today, might brighten a bit to learn that his first published work fetched more than a half-mil at auction today - and set a new record to boot.

The rare, tattered copy of "Tamerlane and Other Poems" sold for $662,500 earlier today, smashing the previous record price for American literature. The 40-page collection of poems was published in 1827 by the author, who identified himself only as "a Bostonian" on these particular pages. According to the Associated Press, Poe wrote the book shortly after moving to Boston to launch his literary career.

The previous record is believed to be $250,000 for a copy of the same book sold nearly two decades ago, per the AP.

No more than 40 or 50 copies of "Tamerlane" were printed, and only 12 remain.
The record-breaking copy is stained and frayed and has V-shaped notches on the outer and lower margins.

According to a post on Marjorie Kehe's Chapter and Verse blog, the book’s owner is former television executive and rare book collector William Self. His 300-book collection, all of which goes on sale today, also includes rare works by Mark Twain, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens.
Self, who is 88, has told the press that were his children to inherit the books, they wouldn’t be able to afford to pay the taxes on them.

Kehe writes that “Tamerlane” is the Latinized name of 14th-century historical figure Timur, a Mongol conqueror and emperor. Although a fierce and controversial character with a mixed legacy, Timur was a great patron of the arts who, according to legend, knew a thing or two about rare books himself. His court calligrapher is said to have created two remarkable editions of the Koran, one so small that its text fit on a signet ring, and the other so large that it had to be carried in a wheelbarrow.

For my fellow poetry geeks, click here for the full text of "Tamerlane."

Back in the day, when I was a college student ... you know, just a few years back ... after finals I'd sell my textbooks and hope to get enough money back to pay for some Christmas presents for my family. No matter that my parents had shelled out for the textbooks in the first place.

Today Amazon announced its Textbooks Trade-In program for college textbooks, "just in time for the end of the semester."

Per the program, Amazon.com customers can swap their used texts for Amazon.com gift cards. You just go to www.amazon.com/tradeinbooks, print out a prepaid shipping label and mail off those books.

The instant gratification will be sacrificed, but it's worth it for the convenience. No more waiting in line and hoping the person who's taking in the books has reached their quota of Statistics texts, or feeling defeat wash over you when that $200 anatomy book gets you a measly $11, or worse, is not accepted because a newer edition is being used next term.

Per Amazon's press release: Once the book is received and verified by a third-party merchant, an Amazon.com gift card will be deposited into the student’s Amazon.com account. This gift card can be used toward the purchase of next semester’s books, or the millions of other items on Amazon.com.

“We’re thrilled to add the trade-in feature to the Amazon.com Textbooks store,” said Julie Todaro, director of Books at Amazon.com. “Our student customers know they can rely on Amazon.com for a great selection of titles and low textbook prices, and we’re happy to be able to offer them another service to help them save money and time.”

Students can buy textbooks through them, too. Amazon claims to offer savings of up to 30 percent off the list price of more than 100,000 new textbooks and up to 90 percent off the list price of millions of used textbooks.

If only poor journalists could afford to go back to school...

I wanted to read "Best Friends Forever " by Jennifer Weiner (Atria. 362 pp. $26.99) as soon as it was released this summer ... but I couldn't touch it at the Pottstown Library. The reserve list started in the hundreds.

So I waited. And waited (it's quite a rare occasion that I will buy a new book these days, and this was not one of them). Until finally one day last month my avid-reader boss, who had purchased a hardcover copy of the book, brought it into work to share.

I thoroughly enjoy Jennifer Weiner's books. They're the kind of engrossing, escapist chick lit reading you just want to tear through after a crappy day. She's a writing talent who intrigues me, as she wrote at my hometown paper, the Centre Daily Times, in the early 1990s and later was hired as a columnist and reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's someone who was once in my line of work and, well, made it ... in the bigtime sense.

The author makes Philly her home today. Check out her fun website, JenniferWeiner.com, to learn more about Weiner and her books, which include her debut "Good In Bed" and the more ubiquitous "In Her Shoes," made into a popular movie starring Toni Collette and and Cameron Diaz.

"Best Friends Forever" is the story of Addie and Val, who were best friends as girls who parted ways after some bad thing happened in high school. At the outset of the novel is their reunion, on the eve of their 15th high-school reunion, when Val shows up unannounced late at night at Addie’s door saying “Something horrible happened, and you’re the only one who can help.”

Weiner, a master of keeping her readers hanging from chapter to chapter, waits to reveal what exactly it was that made the girls take a 15-year hiatus from their friendship. We learn that both Addie and Val have undergone massive transformations over that time. Addie, who had been a chubby kid who ate her emotions, has lost a lot of weight and gained some healthy habits, such as eating right and exercising. Val has "blossomed" into a gorgeous yet shallow TV news personality who has a knack for using people to get what she wants.

This is where the story gets a little played out for me. In many of Weiner's previous novels, notably "In Her Shoes," this same theme has come up: Mildly unattractive girl with a heart of gold gets taken advantage of by her beautiful yet mean/troubled sister/friend. Unattractive girl has an epiphany of sorts and starts working out. Despite bad behavior of now morally reforming pretty bad-girl friend gets the guy. Bad-girl friend steps up to the plate in the end.

And there you have a basic sketch of what goes on in "BFF" - and other Weiner novels. Val gets Addie involved in a bunch of bad situations, steals/spends her money, nearly gets her arrested. Addie overcomes and comes out of it all with a new lease on life, her BFF back and a loving new BF.

On her blog, wittily named A Moment of Jen, Weiner says this book differs from her previous tomes in that it has a main male character. That would be Jordan Novick, the cop who ends up investigating Addie and Val. I have to agree, the male POV is new, and I liked it. Like Addie, he's a real person with real faults and an interesting past.

Despite having heard it all - or at least some of it - before, "Best Friends Forever" was a fun mind-candy kind of read. A nice digression from the more serious (boring, slow) books that have graced my nightstand lately. And so, as it's been since the day I finished reading her first novel, I look forward to whatever Weiner has coming out next and hope to run into her in Philly someday. I wonder if she salsas?