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This is our fifth installment of our book reviews project designed to introduce you to books that Cydcor team members find especially valuable. This review is by Gary Polson, Cydcor CEO, and is third Gary has written for us. Gary has previously reviewed other books for us, including Wooden: A lifetime of observations and reflections on and off the court and The Effective Executive.
Title: When the Game was ours
Author: Larry Bird, Earvin Magic Johnson, with Jackie Macmulllan
Description of the book: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson will always be linked as two competitors. They are linked like Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier and Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell. They first competed against each other in the NCAA basketball championship, which has the highest ratings of viewers of any game in history. They then competed against each other in the NBA and in three NBA finals. One was white and one was black; one from a city and one from the country; one was quiet and shy and one outgoing and loved being around people. The one thing that they had in common is that neither was a great athlete. They were considered slow, with poor jumping ability. They were great because of their work ethic and their deep desire to be great. They out-worked and out-competed their competition.
They did not like each other at first, yet there was respect. They each practiced hard, and were motivated to beat the other. Then because of a television commercial they became friends. This book tells about each of their lives, how hard they worked and practiced and how they became friends.
Why should you read this? This is a must read for people who want to be successful. It does help if you have a slight interest in basketball, but it may not be necessary. This is a compelling story of what it takes to win. We often think these great stars are born great. Not the case with most and especially Bird and Magic. They did it by will and effort.
My favorite part: One of the best quotes from the book, summarizes what I am referring to about why this book is a must read for those who want to know what it takes to be successful: “[Magic] worked tirelessly on his ball-handling and his rebounding with the advice [Coach] Fox gave him imprinted on his mind: when you think you have done enough, do a little more, because someone out there is working harder than you. Bird was told the same thing by Coach Jim Jones. As he advanced from high school to the college game, he wasn’t sure that “other person” truly existed. ‘Not until I met Magic,’ Bird said.”
This is our third installment of our book reviews project designed to introduce you to books that Cydcor team members find especially valuable. This review is by Edvil, a Cydcor DM Lead. This is the first review that Edvil has done for us.
Title: The One Minute Manager
Author: Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
Description of the book: Story is about a young man who wants to find out what makes a great manager. He meets a manager that everyone talks about in a company and how amazing he is at managing people. He talks to several people about this manager and finally speaks with the manager himself. He gives him some tools on how to become a good "one minute manager".
Why should you read this? If anyone is new at managing this would be a good book to start out with on how to manage people. It's a very easy read and easy to understand the logic behind the tips/tools given to become a good manager.
My favorite part: Favorite part for me was on how to make the people you manage lead the meetings we have and come up with their own ideas/goals. Making them feel like they came up with them instead of me "telling" them what to do. Makes them manage their own notes and prepare better before the meetings.
Want a sneak peak of some of the reviews that will be up on this site? Check out our Book Reviews: Cydcor Presents on our Slideshare:
Cydcor reviews from Cydcor
This is our second installment of our book reviews project designed to introduce you to books that Cydcor team members find especially valuable. This review is by Gary Polson, Cydcor CEO. Gary has previously reviewed other books for us, including Wooden: A lifetime of observations and reflections on and off the court.
Title: The Effective Executive
Author: Peter F. Drucker
Review by: Gary Polson, CEO
Description of the book: Peter F. Drucker is one of the top business thinkers and executive coaches of the 20th century. He believes, and I agree with him, that people need to learn business and leadership skills, that they do not come naturally to people. It is like learning to play the piano, if you have never played, you cannot expect to sit down and play a beautiful song. Only through hard work can you play a beautiful song. In this book he teaches us the tools to be an ‘effective executive’.
Why should you read this? According to Drucker we know very little about self-development. What we do know however, is that people grow according to the demands they make on themselves. They grow according to what they consider achievement and attainment. If they demand little of themselves, they will remain stunted. If they demand a good deal of themselves, they will grow to giant stature – without any more effort than is expended by the non-achievers.
From my own experience, I know this to be true, except for the part about effort. I think it does take more effort. For me it required time reading, thinking, discussing one’s self-improvement. It also requires the mental energy to get out of one’s comfort zone. The best way to improve the performance of your team is to lead by example. Your high standard of performance will raise the bar for everyone. It is very simple. The key is whether you have the will.
My favorite part: “In human affairs, the distance between the leaders and the average is constant. If leadership performance is high, the average will go up. The effective [leader] knows that it is easier to raise the performance of one leader than it is to raise the performance of a whole mass.” -Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive
Welcome to Cydcor Reviews! This is our first installment of our book reviews project designed to introduce you to books that Cydcor team members find especially valuable. Check back soon for more reviews!
Title: Wooden; A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court
Author: John Wooden with Steve Jamison
Review by: Gary Polson, Cydcor CEO
Description of the book: Coach Wooden is one of the great men of modern time who exemplified the balance of family, success and contribution. If you read any Coach Wooden book, this is the one I recommend.
Why should you read this? This easy-to-read book begins at his foundation: family, values and virtues and then discusses and offers wisdom on the topics of success, achievement, competition and leadership.
My favorite part:
And here's why: We have joined forces with 10n2 Technologies, the leading provider of software that prevents the use of mobile devices while driving. We're a provider of BizProtect™, a smartphone app that enables companies to enforce their mobile phone policies and protect their employees and businesses from the unnecessary costs and accident risk of distracted driving.
The App takes the temptation away to text, tweet, and surf the Internet while driving and is the proprietary technology that can stop businesses from losing millions of dollars per year on texting-related accidents. Cydcor is selling the service in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom and recently launched websites in the U.S. and U.K.
Cydcor announced that the company is a Platinum provider for 10n2 Technologies, the leading provider of software that prevents the use of mobile devices while driving.
Cydcor is a provider of BizProtect™, a smartphone app that enables companies to enforce their mobile phone policies and protect their employees and businesses from the unnecessary costs and accident risk of distracted driving.
The app takes the temptation away to text, tweet, and surf the Internet while driving and is the proprietary technology that can stop businesses from losing millions of dollars per year on texting-related accidents. Cydcor is selling the service in the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom and recently launched websites in the U.S. and U.K.
Texting statistics show that:
“This innovative technology prohibits people from texting and driving, period,” said Ciaran Hynes, CEO of 10n2 Technologies. “Texting and driving is a liability issue for companies, and BizProtect guards them against those unnecessary costs through our technology designed specifically to prevent accidents related to mobile phone usage. We’re proud to be working with Cydcor and its proven track record of bringing products to B2B customers.”
BizProtect offers numerous differentiating features, including:
“Our sales force caters to corporate level clients, and 10n2 will enable us to sell their unique product offering to thousands of companies across the globe,” said Cydcor president Jim Majeski. “We serve a diverse client base, and we’re thrilled to be able to expand our service offerings into this area.”
“This product is ideal for the target customer – those with fleets of automobiles or trucks,” said Jim Siegrist, senior vice president of business development at Cydcor. “This product not only helps prevent the great financial costs of accidents, but is a technology that is operationally efficient for those managing company fleets.”
Want to learn more? Check out Cydcor on Facebook and Twitter.
About Cydcor
Cydcor is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of more than 300 independently-owned corporate licensee (ICL) sales offices, providing clients access to more than 4,600 sales professionals. The privately-held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, go to www.cydcor.com.
About 10n2 Technologies:
10n2 Technologies is a leading provider of software that prevents the use of mobile devices while behind the wheel, helping save lives and prevent injuries. For businesses as well as consumers, it can help reduce the costs, risks and liability associated with distracted driving accidents. 10n2 Technologies is working in partnership with companies, individuals, mobile phone operators, insurance companies, governments and all stakeholders to make our roads safer for everyone. Visit www.10n2tek.com for additional information.
Contact:
Cydcor
Gail Michalak
(805) 277-5500
This year’s Corporate Games were better than ever before. Why? Because we rocked! We participated in 12 events and medaled in 10 different individual events. It was the first year that we also won the overall points and winners trophy for the entire Division C competition, which is geared for companies with 85-100 people. We incorporated our fundraising for Operation Smile into the games, too, by selling water, having food trucks donate a portion of what they sold, holding a cornhole tournament, and so much more. Our participation was stellar, with a diverse group of team members participating at the events. Check out our video here.
Awards and medals won included:
GOLD
Basketball
Bowling
Dodgeball
Spades
Mini Golf
Best Group Photo
SILVER
Women’s Ping Pong
Double’s Ping Pong
BRONZE
Flag Football
Beach Volleyball
OTHER
Overall Points and Winners Trophy
We also raised $750 for Operation Smile – that’s about five Smiles! Our executives donated $100 for each gold, $50 for each silver, and $25 for each medal we earned.We’re sad to see the games end but can’t wait for next year when we can do it all again!
Last weekend, selected independent sales company owners from Cydcor’s network attended the Operation Smile black-tie gala at Cipriani in New York City. They had the opportunity to rub elbows with celebrities, interact with other high-level fundraisers, and celebrated their accomplishments together.
It was definitely a time to be celebrated; those selected have worked tirelessly with their sales companies to creatively fundraise for the organization, using creative resources to motivate their teams and help children across the globe receive new smiles. Last year, we raised enough for a medical mission to Rio De Janerio.
We’re well on our way to funding a second mission – about $118,000 has been raised so far! Check out our Operation Smile fundraising page. You can also take a peek – and join! – our Cydcor Operation Smile page.
Nineteen years ago, there weren’t Smart Phones or drive-thru Starbucks.
But there was Cydcor.
In its early days, Cydcor was a small company in Canada. Today, 19 years later, it is a thriving business that works with a network of more than 300 independently-owned sales companies across North America and 3,600 sales professionals. That’s a lot of growth! And next year, we’ll be celebrating 20 YEARS. That’s a long time. We’re already thinking about how we’re going to be commemorating our 20th year. We can’t wait!
In recent weeks, we’ve had two fundraisers for Operation Smile that have raised significant funds. This demonstrates what we know:
#1. Once we all put our minds to something, we can achieve it
#2. We won’t stop until we meet our overall fundraising goal for Operation Smile!
Here’s info about what we did:
Bowling Night
The Cydcor Bowling Night raised more than $880 for Operation Smile. Approximately 75 team members, their family and friends, and Business Building Block attendees (sales professionals from independent sales companies who were in town attending a networking event at Cydcor’s corporate office) came to the event. We were creative with our “highlighter” theme, sporting highlighter goatees, jerseys, vests and ties, and much more.
Movie Night
The Cydcor Movie Night took place at the local Muvico Thousand Oaks for a screening of a popular children’s movie. A total of $755 was raised; 151 tickets were sold at $5 each. Some of the tickets purchased by Cydcor team members were donated to families at EARTHS Academy, a local elementary school. During pre-ticket sales at the theater, celebrity Jamie Foxx purchased several tickets – demonstrating a widespread support of the organization.
Next week, we’re having a fundraiser at a local Italian chain eatery and we can’t wait to see how much we will raise!