Location: Heartbreak Ridge - Table Mountain Hike, North Bonneville, Washington

Audio Book: 48 Laws of Power 

Author(s): Robert Greene

     (Laws 1 through 15)
     This book showed up in my recommended list in Audible and I was intrigued by the title and summary content. As I started listening, I realized this is a fascinating book to listen to during the current political climate that is exploding in our faces on a fairly regular basis. It reminds me of the classic Sun Tzu - Art of War in which it depicts some psychological battles between opponents in various examples. I noticed that you can try and pull apart the various strategies being utilized by both parties in the current election cycle, clearly both prescribe to some of these tactics.  I can say that, in my own life, some of these rules make sense and I can see how they may be advantageous but I will probably never use them for my own moral mental dilemmas that would ensue. However, you can use the information contained in the book to better assess the interactions/behaviors of the people around you, whether that be in your personal life or in business. 

Here are some takeaways from the few chapters I have worked through thus far:

• Be aware of your own emotions (and others) in regards to power struggles
• Perhaps letting some ideas bake a bit mentally before making them be known to the public
• Be cognizant of the how much you are saying on a given topic...can it be said with less to avoid mistakes/errs in thought
• Focus on proving thought processes/directions with actions rather than arguing verbally with another

Again, if you decide to embark on the journey through this text, I feel like you can use this as a tool of human understanding...but may not be accurate with all individuals/situations. Some ideas that were expressed thus far I thoroughly disagree with but that just may be how my mind works... but give it a listen and determine its benefit in your own mind/world :)

​​​Book Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins

For a nifty review of some federation work between an on premise Cisco IM&P / Expressway environment and Skype for Business see the below blog from TsooRaD:

tsoorad.blogspot.com/2016/10/sfb-jabber-via-xmpp-cisco-express.html

Location: Herman Creek Trail - Nick Eaton Ridge Loop Hike, Cascade Locks, Oregon

Audio Book: The Book on Managing Rental Properties: A Proven System for Finding, Screening, and Managing Tenants with Fewer Headaches and Maximum Profits

Author(s): Brandon R. Turner & Heather C. Turner

     So I chose this book as I have been very interested in the real estate market as of late and can't help but be intrigued with the idea of expanding into this realm. With housing prices steadily rising over the last 4 years, the question of whether the market is still primed for investment has been floating around my mind and if not for an equity investment perhaps a rental opportunity. This book was a great choice for someone like me with little rental knowledge and provides a dense quantity of tips/tricks of the business that I can see being useful for even some tried/tested landlords if for nothing else, possibly a refresher prior to any major tenant changes. It just so happens that Brandon and Heather are Washingtonians so it has a few notes that are specific to Washington State rental laws (nice considering I'm a fellow Washington-ite) but the two are quick to note that the topics discussed are applicable to any state which is for sure the case in their examples. Below are some points that stood out to me during the hike:

• Info surrounding templates to use during all checkpoints of a rental process
  • Rental Applications
  • Credit Checks
  • Tenant Interview
  • Rental Agreements
• Laws / Restrictions in the rental process
• Specific lessons learned by the authors

Book Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

*The website below is referenced multiple times as a great source of collective knowledge between members via podcasts, forums, rental tools etc.
www.biggerpockets.com/

Today begins the series of outdoor adventures that include a bit of mental development thanks to Audible.com ;) I looked to take a stroll through one of the Columbia Gorge's more popular hikes while taking in some great words some men who has been through some very harrowing events. Extreme Ownership captures the life of a navy SEAL but with specific focus on how a SEAL develops the skillsets that will allow him to successfully execute a mission and give higher probabilities of keeping himself and his brothers alive. Both Jocko & Leif give real life experiences that they underwent in the battle field and relate this to how similar events/strategies are required in the business front. Some takeaways that stood out to me throughout the book are the below:

• Cover and Move: Know that everyone within a project that you are leading may at times require cover (assistance/direction) in order to protect the success of the mission or project
• Relax, stay calm, look around: A reminder that in distressful situations, you must remain calm and collected in order to direct a team through the next steps of the mission
• Situational Awareness: Key item for relaying information that is occurring on the ground up the chain of command so as to guarantee they have the most accurate, up-to-date information so as to assist in the overall likelihood of mission success
  • This can also assist leaders on the ground in guiding the strategic direction of the mission where it may be difficult to do so without properly relaying what is actually occurring on the ground to their superiors

Summary: Great book for giving some extra push to develop your own personal leadership skills as well as refine some of your professional processes. Jocko also has a podcast that you can also listen to which is linked below.

Link to audio book:
www.audible.com/pd/Business/Extreme-Ownership-Audiobook/B015TVHUA2

Podcast:
jockopodcast2.com/