>I read "Your Inner Ceo", by Allan Cox, recently. When I first picked up the book, I kind of figured that it was another in an endless cycle of business books. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this short book. It's a quick, easy read, and doesn't try to be cute with lots of jargon.

What really got me engaged was the book's third chapter (titled "Facades"), where Cox explains the difference between where you say your company is heading and where it's actually heading. That just resonated with me; pretty much every place I've ever worked has had some level of cognitive dissonance between those two points - from my time as a teacher to my present work as Smalltalk Product Evangelist at Cincom.

I think that chapter alone would do a world of good for any manager willing to sit back and view himself (and his firm) objectively). If you're just a "worker bee" type in some large entity, you'll likely nod your head a lot while reading the book, even though most of the advice won't help you much in the "cog in the machine" situation. If, however, you are in any kind of position to make a difference, this book is well worth reflecting on.

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