USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners & finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS” 2008 AWARDS.

Running with the Rhinos earns top honors in these 3 categories:

• Business
• Management & Leadership
• Motivational

Interesting story in the NYTimes: “A Day (Gasp) Like Any Other“

On irrational exhuberance. One of the most important things we can all take away from this current economic crisis is that there is no guarantee in business as in life. The only certainty in life is uncertainty. This guarantees there will be highs and lows, ups and downs. One day your earnings triple and you are the executive of the year, and the next day you have 60 Minutes at your doorstep. Running an organization is like being on a roller coaster, and we’re all on one hell of a ride right now. We will all be faced with storms of adversity at some point in our lives and careers. Rare is the leader who will not go through some dark night of the soul, where his vision becomes clouded or his goals seem impossible to achieve.

Remember what sustains us through these hard times isn’t always a matter of will power and force but instead the ability of our skin to deflect the blow.

To survive, we truly need Rhino Armor!

Read this story on the NYTimes: “As the Giants of Wall Street Topple, Smaller, Nimbler Rivals Move In”

What’s interesting is how quickly other companies cited by journalist Louise Story (who does a great job of profiling them) have been quietly and nimbly leading their companies and are now poised to take the place of some of Wall Street’s largest firms. I like this article because it’s a great example of Rhino-leadership in terms of being the kind of leader that “is willing to charge ahead when necessary, pull back when appropriate, and “get down there in the mud” with those they lead – just like a rhinoceros.

As we see layoffs continue including the latest at Hewlett-Packard, I believe companies must become mavericks and leaders must be hard-headed rhinos in supporting their employees and finding other ways to solve a bottom line issue. Lack of long-term commitment to your employees will eventually become your Achilles heel as employees won’t dedicate themselves to a company that only sees them as a number.

Article on PCWorld.com