Book Review: BEYOND SURVIVAL

BEYOND SURVIVAL

Book Review: BEYOND SURVIVAL

Author: Robert B. Blaha
ISBN-13:  978-1880156049
Topic:  Management
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1995


BUSINESS BOOKS

About the Book:
This guide to High Performance Work Systems (HPWS) details the steps involved in forming work groups, assessing needs, setting goals, implementing strategies, and measuring results. Written for those who want to maximize employee potential, the text uses histories and informative examples to describe the extraordinary impact of HPWS on earnings and customer satisfaction.

Review:
Very technical but ultimately very motivational.  In order to make the most of this system, a careful reading is required.  The major take-aways for me were, if systems are installed then they need to be followed or they won't be effective.  Also, that staff requires constant follow up or they will allow reports and other assignments to grow inaccurate and ineffective.

About the Author:
Robert B. Blaha has over twenty years of experience dealing with leadership, human resources, High Performance Work and change. He has held senior management positions with four major corporations: Ford, Monsanto, Engelhard and Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). Mr. Blaha has authored numerous articles and is an internationally sought speaker on leadership involvement and cultural change mechanisms.

In 1993 Robert founded Human Capital Associates (HCA) and serves as the company's president. HCA was created after thoroughly analyzing major initiative disconnects within organizations. He uses that knowledge to help organizational leaders create processes and programs to create competitive advantage through people.

Following the formation of Human Capital Associates, he moved the company to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he resides with his wife, Susan, and their seven children on Seven Arrows Ranch.

Book Review: THE MANAGEMENT 500

THE MANAGEMENT 500

Book Review: THE MANAGEMENT 500
Author: Dan Coughlin
ISBN-13:  9780814414231
Topic:  Management
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009


BUSINESS BOOKS


REVIEW:

One of the most important things a manager can do is to read about the science of management and contemplate different styles.  By encountering new information, a manager can improve.  I am not a big fan of auto racing, but I found the analogy and style of THE MANAGEMENT 500 to be useful. Especially the author's chapters on change. 

One take-away for me is to be both mentally and physically prepared for change.  I tend to be  desk jockey and need to be more physically fit.  As I prep my team for a change in procedure, I now take personal time to walk 3 miles (1 hour) in the early morning.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Superstar drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher, and others reigned supreme on the famous motor speedways of Daytona, Indianapolis, and Monza, Italy, at an incredible pace—always within inches of certain disaster. To excel in the world of auto racing, a driver needs passion, shrewdness, quick-thinking, strategy, teamwork, attention to detail, practice, and dedication. And what’s true in auto racing is true in the business world. In fact, many of the qualities possessed by successful race teams are also essential for building and sustaining successful, profitable businesses. Whether you run a multibillion-dollar corporation or a hundred-thousand-dollar profit center, you need to achieve results quickly and improve performance month after month if you want to capture the checkered flag.

The Management 500 provides high-octane management lessons drawn from the thrilling world of professional auto racing. With practical insights and stories from some of the most successful people in Formula 1, IndyCar Series, and NASCAR over the past 60 years—including Lee White, President of Toyota Racing Development, Geoff Smith, President of Roush Fenway Racing, and Ed Laukes, head of Toyota Motorsports—consultant Dan Coughlin shows you how to rev up your skills in areas like leadership, teamwork, strategy, branding, problem-solving, change management, and innovation, and get your company running in high gear. With keen observations from such racing stars as Michael Schumacher at Ferrari Racing Team, Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, and Dale Earnhardt, Sr., at Richard Childress Racing, you’ll discover how to:

● Master the eight problem scenarios business managers routinely face.

● Use pit stops wisely.

● Develop a team of people who understand your goals.

● Design a strategy to win.

● Build brand equity in any industry.

● Manage your people through an under­standing of their strengths, passions,

and values.

● Successfully navigate turns in the track.

● Problem-solve on the go, even when things are intense.

From Enzo Ferrari to Kyle Busch, and from the Indianapolis 500 to the Daytona 500, this inspiring book will give you invaluable tips from the fast, furious world of racing, and show you how to combine passion with precision to beat your rivals in today’s high-stakes world of business management.


THE AUTHOR:
Dan Coughlin is a Fenton, Missouri–based management consultant and popular key­note speaker whose clients include Toyota, Shell, McDonald’s, Roush Fenway Racing, Prudential, Abbott, and more than 150 other organizations.

Dan can be reached through his website at The Coughlin Company

BUSINESS BOOKS

Book Review: THE ART OF STRATEGY - A New Translation of Sun Tzu's Classic The Art of War

Book Review: THE ART OF STRATEGY - A New Translation of Sun Tzu's Classic The Art of WarAuthor: R.L. Wing

ISBN-13:  9780385237840

THE ART OF STRATEGY

Topic:  Strategy
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1988

SPONSOR:  BUSINESS BOOKS

REVIEW:

"The Art of Strategy" takes the classic Chinese strategy to a level that modern Americans can easily relate.  This is a good book to remind you that it is the goal that is important to achieve, not the emotional turmoil that your adversary may create within you.  The material is timeless.  Sun Tzu was a masterful observer of human nature, and what was true then is true now.  This book is excellent and took me out of my current troubles and gave me insight to victory.  You to will learn how to analyze a situation, plan actions, obtain an advantage, make use of information, and gain a favorable position.

INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER: 
More than 2,500 years ago, Sun Tzu composed his masterpiece The Art of War which has been used by the world's greatest leaders including Napoleon. Here, Wing makes the influential philosophies of the Orient accessible to all seekers of professional achievement and personal excellence. 20 halftones, 35 illustrations.