I ran across this gem in an Indianapolis bookstore and finished it on the plane ride home (understand my ride home compliments of American Airlines included a detour through Little Rock Arkansas and an unplanned stranding in Dallas overnight) . Maestro is one of the best books on leadership I have ever read and chances are that for most of you it comes out of a profession in which many of you have not spent a lot of time.

The author of Maestro, Roger Nierenberg, is a world class conductor. He has had an extremely distinguished career leading prominent orchestras across America. He has participated in the Carnegie Hall Series of Great Orchestras and has recorded with the London Philharmonic. In his recent book Roger takes you inside the art and science of great conducting all the while making clear the analogies between what he has done and leadership in the business world.

As an example he takes a young conductor who accurately leads the orchestra through a technical piece of music by indicating note for note what the musicians should be playing. The impact comes when Niergenberg has the young student turn away from the orchestra and Nierenberg instructs the orchestra to play the piece without his assistance. They do and it is better. Then Nierenberg explains, the musicians, like top executives in a company, do not need you to show them what to do note for note and your micromanagement gets in the way of their creativity and performance. They do need you to set the rhythm, the pace and the emotion of the music. I think you get the point and I also think you will find Nierenberg’s treatment of the concepts fascinating.

Nierenberg has created a very unique leadership training program where he seats executives among the orchesttra and then interwoven with performance pieces takes them through leadership principles. The concept is know as The Music Paradigm and is one of the creative and ingenious teaching concepts I have seen in a long time.

If you have been involved with the Music Paradigm or have read the book I am interested in your comments and insights.

Real Estate CE 3 Hrs. RE Legal Issues

Practical issues from the real world of real estate closings. Hear what escrow officers have to say about streamlining your transaction, removing roadblocks and dealing with the requirements page in the preliminary title report. Understand the changes surrounding the new HUD-1 Settlement Statement and avoid the most common issues that delay and frustrate the closing of a real estate transaction.

Title Security Agency of Arizona

6390 E. Tanque Verde, Tucson, Arizona

9:00 PM to 12:00 PM – Monday, November 2, 2009

Real Estate CE 3 Hrs. RE Legal Issues

Practical issues from the real world of real estate closings. Hear what escrow officers have to say about streamlining your transaction, removing roadblocks and dealing with the requirements page in the preliminary title report. Understand the changes surrounding the new HUD-1 Settlement Statement and avoid the most common issues that delay and frustrate the closing of a real estate transaction.

Title Security Agency of Arizona

Country Inn Suites, 7411 North Oracle, Tucson, Arizona

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Wednesday, October 28, 2009

If you are one of those individuals who has developed a love affair with books then Allison Bartlett’s recent work, “The Man Who Loved Books Too Much” is for you. Bartlett takes you on a journey through the true story and antics of John Gilkey, thief of  books and obsessed neurotic. Bartlett’s trip into the world of collectible and rare books and the people who inhabit it is worth the journey.

More than the detective story built around the schemes and very successful attempts by Gilkey to steal these treasures, is Bartlett’s insight into the passion that books have inspired over the centuries. When we begin to understand that books are the propellant fuel behind the progress of mankind and our evolution of knowledge, we also begin to appreciate fully the past attempts of book burners, hoarders and even religious institutions to stifle and limit access to the books. For in our past the books were everything.

As detached, neurotic and eccentric as we may find Gilkey, we learn he is not the first to be obsessed by books. Seeing the books as a symbol of wealth and success may be the sanest part of Gilkey’s perceptions since we do indeed find the books and the bookcases as a backdrop in every movie, scene and story about what makes life good.

I think Bartlett is correct. There is something mesmerizing about holding a good book in your hands. Whether it pulls you back into your childhood, forward into your fantasies, there is probably a bit of Gilkey in all of us. We just have a clearer sense of right and wrong. You will enjoy this book as an adventure, as a piece of history and as in insight into the beauty of a good book.

Come and learn how to create your own webpage and blog in a day. You can maximize the power of internet resources, upload links and photos. Know how to use new and innovative tools like Google docs, alerts and calendars to fully realize your potential, minimize your time and maximize your income.

Title Security Agency @ Country Inns & Suites

7411 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, Arizona

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM – Friday, October 23, 2009

Come and learn how to maximize the power of Facebook! You will come away with whole new ways to increase your business and maximize your revenue using this marvelous social media tool. This course is being sponsored and taught at:

Fidelity National Title

6860 N. Oracle Road, in Tucson, Arizona

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM – Thursday, October 22, 2009

Today you cannot afford to be without the power of social media. It is literally transforming the ways in which we do business, how we interact with our clients and customers and the manner in which we grow our business. Join us for this FREE one hour introduction to the world of social media .

Sponsored By: Title Security Agency of Arizona

Held At:  Country Inn Suites – 7411 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, Arizona

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Seating is limited. To reserve a seat, call Course Creators at 520.360.0280

Course Creators is honored to have been chosen by Arizona Real Estate Commissioner, Judy Lowe, to assist with the roll out of ADRE’s new classroom monitoring program.

In an effort to upgrade the quality and professionalism of education throughout the state of Arizona the Department has enlisted the support of long standing and reputable real estate professionals to act as monitors in the classrooms throughout Arizona.  The monitors will be required to comply with numerous department rules and regulations. They will attend a training session at the ADRE offices. The training session is a joint collaborative effort between Course Creators and ADRE.

At Course Creators we applaud the efforts of the Department to raise the bar of education throughout the state and are very excited about the opportunity that Commissioner Lowe has given us in working with ADRE on the roll out of this program.

Real Estate CE 3 Hrs. General

Buyers and sellers tell us precisely what we need to do in order to get them to hire us and be satisfied customers. That information is in the NAR Profile of Homebuyers and sellers. Use the power of those statistics to increase your conversion ratio and serve your clients with ease and success. This course is being sponsored and taught at:

Metro Title

2502 E. River Road, Tucson, Arizona

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Course Creators CEO and national speaker, Theresa Barnabei, will be presenting a two hour seminar entitled “Winning Strategies for 2010” in Roanoke, Virginia in collaboration with Acquisition Title.

Theresa will be helping real estate professionals in the Virginia area establish a whole new mindset that will enhance their success in the coming year including coverage of the following topics:

• Gettting a head start on organizing your business
• Keeping your head in the right marketplace
• Staying head and shoulders above the competition
• Heading in the right social media direction

This fast paced cutting edge presentation will be at the Holiday Inn, Roanoke-Tanglewood, Route 419 and 1581, 4468 Starkey Road, SW from 2:00 – 4:00.

To reserve your space today, contact Acquisition Title at (540) 989-0884.