The success the New England Patriots has had over just under the last 2 decades is rare in modern sports. Not only 6 Super Bowls, but 9 overall appearances in the big game and being a perennial contender in an age of free agency with only a few variables common. It is an accomplishment that has won them both praise and scorn, with both sometimes coming from the same people.

So how did it happen? If you have been a reader here at The Hot Iron for a while, you will know I am a Patriots fan, going back decades, and once co-owned one of the Patriots’ first fan Web sites. It wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows for this football franchise. The fact that Monday Night Football wouldn’t hold games at their former stadium for years because of gunfire in the parking lot is one glaring example. But things changed – namely a new owner, coach and quarterback – and there’s the success we have today.

It didn’t happen overnight, and with the new owner it all didn’t fall into place right away either. This is the topic of The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower by Christopher Price. It gives a surprisingly detailed account of what led to their first Super Bowl and the next several seasons which followed it. Even for a true blue (and silver) fan as myself, I had some takeaways from this book.

I forgot a lot of details – Price goes into great detail in this book, and there were many facts and events that even I, someone who lived in the Boston area at the time of their first Super Bowl, didn’t remember. One glaring example was that at the end of the 2000 season, the season before their first Super Bowl win, they cut both Bruce Armstrong and Troy Brown. This was part of Bill Belichick’s “blueprint” for not paying players too much. Both were eventually resigned, albeit for lower salaries, and earned rings the following season.

Keep moving forward – If you don’t succeed, try, try again. This cliché phrase is really the mantra of the team. When new owner Bob Kraft hired Bill Parcells he had player personnel managed by someone else, Bobby Grier, which led to Parcells leaving after losing in Super Bowl XXXI. Kraft learned from this when he hired Belichick as coach, and Grier was fired. Belichick is famous for saying “On to (insert next opponent here)” meaning the last game is in the past, and they have to focus on winning the next one.

More than just a blueprint – If the success of the Patriots could truly be in blueprint form, then why haven’t other teams followed it? In order to execute on the blueprint, a team has to have the mindset and people to follow it. This is in itself a challenge, as it goes against how most teams in the league are managed. For example, having a head coach with full authority is not common, as most teams have a general manager or other role that is the true leader of what happens on the field. Many teams – and their owner’s egos – would have a hard time with this, no matter the sport.

Early on I mentioned The Blueprint only covered a few seasons after the Patriots’ first championship, and that’s because it came out in 2007, and now 12 years later I am reading and writing about it. Where I don’t exactly recall where I got it, I imagine it was sent to me by a publisher back in the day when I used to read more and write about those books more. Despite the dozen years that have passed since its words first hit paper, Price’s book is still a great read, especially for those who love deep details on sports. This book is now in the hands of a friend who sat next to me at many Patriots games.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Book Take-Aways • (0) Comments • Permalink

As my personal exploration into the world of writing continues, despite the infrequency you may notice here on this little blog, I have been reading more literary publications. These have included various Web sites, plus I continue to read December magazine’s biannual publications. Though I don’t put pen to paper as much as I’d like to, I am gaining inspiration for when I do through the works of others.

I happened upon a copy of Poetry Magazine a while back in a doctor’s office waiting room. Where I had heard about the century-plus year old poetry magazine, I had never read a copy. As the March 2017 copy before my eyes was in good company with other outdated periodicals in the seating area, I took it upon myself to put this edition to good use and literally took it. When I finally got to curl up with the paperback magazine, I not only moved forward with it on my creative journey, but I also took a fresh look back as well. I share those with you as my takeaways.

My knowledge of poetry is grade-school basic – If you’ve read The Hot Iron over time, it would come as no surprise that I spent more time in the computer lab than in any classroom. As a result, liberal arts classes like English and language never got the attention, years later I realize, they should have. When I think of a poem, I think of Dr. Seuss or the Man from Nantucket. Granted I have read some poetry in recent years in December magazine, after reading a pure poetry publication I realized my learning about this literary style ended around middle school.

The more I read the more I enjoy it – There are a wide variety of styles of poetry, some close to what I remember from school with meter and rhyming, and others where for me it’s hard to follow the formatting and subject of the poem. But as with many things, the more you are exposed to it, the more you will like it.

Learning that relates to you means more to you – The March 2017 edition of Poetry Magazine closes with what is called “Comment” which itself is not poetry, but rather a dialogue on poetry. Among the different poems, poets and styles the author of this piece discusses includes Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, a poem by fellow New Englander Robert Frost. This was a poem I remember from childhood, mainly due to said geographic affiliation as well as the last lines of the poem which were planted in the back of my head back then, “And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.“ After reading this in the final pages of the journal, it helped round out what I have been reading and experienced now with something I read and experienced many years ago.

Poetry Magazine is a periodical you can subscribe to or find at higher-end newsstands (if there is even one by you). Their Web site has a wealth of poetry to explore and read, and they also offer a Poem of the Day newsletter. With our inboxes filled daily with things we don’t want to read, it’s nice to have an interesting diversion among the unwanted refuse. As I pass along all that I have read, I neatly placed this copy of Poetry Magazine among some newspapers on the table of the coffeeshop where I wrote these takeaways. Perhaps someone else will learn something as they fulfill the promises they keep.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Book Take-Aways • Diversions • (2) Comments • Permalink

Shortly after moving to the Boston area many years ago, and as the leaves fell and the snow covered the lawns, I learned how each year a Christmas tree was delivered to the City of Boston as a gift of the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Why the tree was sent, though, wasn’t we’ll communicated. And to be honest, the thought of pursuing the story was never in me.

After reading The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon, not only did I learn the reason for the gift of the season, but the sad and amazing story that lead up to this perennial gift. Interestingly, I received a copy of this book from my sister as a Christmas gift.

With all of what was new to me, my takeaways from this book were few, but deep.

The story of the devastation of Halifax – In 1917, two ships collided in the harbor in Halifax, one of the ships being stocked to the gills with artillery and explosives with a final destination of England to support their efforts in World War I. The explosion destroyed most all of Halifax and killed thousands, and with the determination of the survivors and outside help – including much from Boston - the city was rebuilt.

I had no idea – Even as a self-proclaimed history buff I had never heard this story, despite growing up in New England. Though I honestly can’t say I’m surprised.

I want to visit Halifax – As I was reading The Great Halifax Explosion, I felt like I was there, over 100 years ago in the Canadian port city. I have never been to Halifax, but after reading this story I want to visit.

The Great Halifax Explosion is a page-turner, a compelling 360 degrees of the stories of the people, places and events that surrounded Halifax and their relationship with the world over a century ago. It is a well-written, great read that would be loved by history buffs, as well as anyone likes a story of tragedy and triumph. Or anyone who has admired the beautiful Christmas tree that Halifax sends to Boston each year.

As I pass along all books I read, I couldn’t think of anyone better than my wife’s cousin, who is also a history buff, but with much, much more breadth and depth. I recall years back meeting him with my wife when he was visiting Boston, sitting at the Trident Bookstore on Newbury Street, talking about many things including history. It’s interesting how much of life comes full circle in many aspects.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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When people think of the New England Patriots football team, their success over nearly the last 2 decades is what likely comes to mind. From 5 Super Bowl titles to longtime quarterback Tom Brady, it’s not surprising. However not everything with the team has always been sunshine and rainbows.

I know – as a longtime fan and season ticket holder, I lived through some of the embarrassing times of the Pats. However these stories stretch back even before I was born! The scrappy, low-budgeted team that didn’t have a set home stadium for its first decade that became one of the most valuable, treasured – and hated – team; it’s a Cinderella story.

Sean Glennon tells many of the positive and not-so positive stories in The Good The Bad The Ugly New England Patriots, chronicling nearly the first half-century of the team. I knew this would be a great book as I really enjoyed Glennon’s first book on the team, This Pats Year, which chronicled one season of following the team and their fans. I found the book in final boxes I unpacked after a recent move, and had forgotten I had it. Where it was a treat to find it, I don’t remember when or how I had acquired it. All things considered, I have a few takeaways for both fans and non-fans of the team.

I had forgotten many stories about the Patriots – There were a lot of nuances and details of some of the highs and lows of the team over the years I had simply forgotten. Call it what you like, but many times as I was reading the pages of this book, I said a lot of “oh, yea’s” and “wow’s” to some of the tales told by Glennon. That alone made reading them along with the stories I remembered an enjoyable experience.

Journals like this need to be updated – It wasn’t until I was about a quarter way thru the book that I looked and found it came out in 2008 – 10 years ago! Why it took me so long to read it I can’t say, but I am glad that I finally did. As a lot has transpired with the team since then, it would be great to read an update to it. I won’t hold my breath on that thought for when I tweeted Glennon about it, I didn’t get the sense he shared my sentiment!

Where The Good The Bad The Ugly New England Patriots is written for fans of the team, anyone who is a football fan, especially those who lived through the years covered in the book, would find it a good read. Which is what I hope my friend whom I gave the book to felt as well, as he also lives away from New England and these kinds of stories may also elicit the same responses in him they did for me.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Book Take-Aways • Thrive • (0) Comments • Permalink

While recently back at my aunt’s apartment complex, the same one where I got the copy of Steve Jobs I wrote about previously, another book caught my eye – Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes by Mark Penn. What got me was the term, which reminded me about the days when I had my Web consulting business and people repeated tried to pound into my head about how I needed to find the niches to serve with my firm. Without even cracking open the book, I took it off the bookshelf and tucked it into my backpack just prior to my flight home, as this would be the book for me to read.

As I settled into my seat in my shiny metal tube taking me home, I quickly realized what this book was. First off, by skimming through the table of contents it was a book of many short paragraphs, each one on a microtrend, which was intriguing to me. What I also noticed at the beginning of the book was that it came out in 2007 – over 10 years ago! I was almost ready to just stuff it in my seatback pocket and leave it for someone else, but I decided to forge ahead and read it. This ended up being a very wise decision.

With 75 areas identified for potential, Microtrends gave me a lot to think about over that flight and a period of time afterwards, and as a result I had several takeaways from book.

There’s big opportunity in small places – The idea around microtrends are small, emerging and powerful groups who have a specialized need that can be satisfied by an enterprising businessperson who, if they do it right, can profit well from it. That is, if they realize this. See my comment above about what people were trying to pound into my head.

A 10-year old book on trends is still relevant – As Microtrends came out in 2007, it’s needless to say a lot has happened over the last decade plus. Despite this, there were many groups and demographics that are still active and relevant today as they were then.

More books need to be structured like this – What made Microtrends interesting to read was each chapter was no more than a dozen pages, which allowed me to read a complete topic on a trend within a few minutes… which sometimes was all of the time I had to read.

Don’t underline every other line in a book – I knew my copy of Microtrends was used, but abused too? Whomever had this book before over-underlined through the entire book, as shown in the picture of a random page of the book I selected. Interestingly, it is probably the first – and last – time Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump were on the same page.

Where Microtrends was an interesting read, as I went through it, I wondered what the author would say about all of these trends today. Interestingly, earlier this year he released Microtrends Squared, with the next set of trends Penn has identified. I’m compelled to read it, to see if any of the original microtrends carried over from the first book to the second, as well as what he has identified as new microtrends.

So do I recommend a 10-year old book over a new one? Why not? The format of Microtrends – minus the underlying – contributed to the enjoyment of the book. As I pass along all books I read, this one I decided to leave in the lounge area of a hotel I stayed at recently. I don’t know if the book was picked up by a fellow guest or not, but I hope so.

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Book Take-Aways • (0) Comments • Permalink