Business Insider

Showing posts with label Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Management. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Book Review: How Toyota Became #1: Leadership Lessons From the World's Greatest Car Company

How Toyota Became #1
Book Review:       How Toyota Became #1: Leadership Lessons From the World's Greatest Car Company
Author:       David Magee
Language:    English
Format:        Hardcover
ISBN-10:    1591841798
ISBN-13:    9781591841791
Topic:          Business Management


SPONSOR:  Business Books


Publisher's Note:
What we can all learn from the strategies that have made Toyota the world’s best car company

Everyone who follows the auto industry knows that Toyota has had an amazing twenty-five-year run, rising from humble Japanese start-up to thriving global giant. But the big puzzle is how Toyota did it while so many other car companies have struggled or failed.

Journalist David Magee dug deeply into Toyota’s past and present, interviewing senior executives who rarely talk to the press, along with many other sources. And he found that the company’s famous mastery of lean production is only part of the story. Magee explains the surprising power of Toyota’s corporate culture, which includes:

• Focusing on the long term: While most companies worry about the next quarter, Toyota is thinking about the next quarter century

• Jumping beyond the current trend: When Ford was still ramping up its gas-guzzling SUVs, Toyota was very quietly taking a huge lead on hybrids

• Making quality everyone’s responsibility: Toyota expects people at every level to think and act like quality-control inspectors

• Managing individual strengths: Toyota is revolutionizing the way people are managed, to maximize their strengths instead of criticizing their weaknesses

The lessons that Magee explains here will be valuable for managers in all disciplines and industries.

REVIEW:

This is book designed to help the management student (employed or otherwise) develop along their skills to achieve success.  If you aren't already a student of Toyota and its production system or the principles that make up its culture, you will find this book an informative and well written overview of what the company is trying to do each and every day. There are indeed dozens of valuable and useful leadership lessons for the reader to learn from the material the author shares.  I found it fascinating the way Toyota introduced the philosophy of Buddhism and implemented it into the company.  Toyota calls this kaizen and the aim is to continually correct and improve the system an incentive program was created to reinforce kaizen.  Toyota refers to this as a self-regenerating internally combustive enterprise.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Book Review: Guts: 8 Laws of Business from One of the Most Innovative Business Leaders LUTZ

GUTS
Book Review:  GUTS
Author:            Robert A. Lutz
Language:        English
Format:            Hard Cover
ISBN-10:        0471463221
Topic:              Leadership


SPONSOR:  Shirley Temple Dolls


Publisher's Note
"Read it for no other reason than to learn Bob's Seven Immutable Laws of Business. . . . This is vintage Bob-contrarian, thoughtful, and he's really fun to read."-Forbes

In this edition of Bob Lutz's bestselling account of the business philosophy with which he revolutionized Chrysler and much of the automotive industry, Lutz reveals his unique brand of creative management. Readers will learn many lessons herein, including why the key to success in any business is maintaining a positive tension between the creative minds and the buttoned-up financial minds, and how to attract, motivate, and strategically deploy each type throughout an organization. This book features a new introduction and an epilogue in which Lutz introduces an eighth law that helps today's business leaders put his famed Seven Immutable Laws of Business into sharper perspective.

Robert A. Lutz (Scarsdale, NY) is General Motor's Vice Chairman of Product Development and Chairman of GM North America.

REVIEW:

Excellent book and well written.  I enjoyed the tough talk about taking things seriously.  The chapet about fear spoke to me and motivated me.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Book Review: The New Strategic Selling (Updated)

NEW STRATEGIC SELLING
Book Review:       NEW STRATEGIC SELLING
Author:    Stephen E. Heiman & Robert B. Miller
Language:    English
Format:        Paperback
ISBN-10:    044669519x

Topic:      SALES


SPONSOR:  Business Books


Publisher's Note:
UPDATED 


The Book That Sparked A Selling Revolution.  In 1985 one book changed sales and marketing forever. Rejecting manipulative tactics and emphasizing "process," Strategic Selling presented the idea of selling as a joint venture and introduced the decade's most influential concept, Win-Win. The response to Win-Win was immediate and helped turn the small company that created Strategic Selling, Miller Heiman, into a global leader in sales development with the most prestigious client list in the industry. The New Strategic Selling This modern edition of the business classic confronts the rapidly evolving world of business-to-business sales with new real-world examples, new strategies for confronting competition, and a special section featuring the most commonly asked questions from the Miller Heiman workshops. Learn: * How to identify the four real decision makers in every corporate labyrinth * How to prevent sabotage by an internal deal-killer * How to make a senior executive eager to see you * How to avoid closing business that you'll later regret * How to manage a territory to provide steady, not "boom and bust," revenue * How to avoid the single most common error when dealing with the competition.


By eliminating "fickle luck" from the sales process and replacing it with proven, visible, repeatable skills, this book offers a sure-fire method for making the sale every time. This expanded edition features the basic tenets from the first book, plus a valuable array of new features.

Presenting an effective method for making the sale every time, an expanded edition features the basic tenets of Buying Influences, Red Flags/Leverage from Strength, Response Modes, The Sales Funnel, Win Results, The Ideal Customer, and much more. Original.

The back list bestseller that demystifies methods for consistently and successfully "closing the deal" is now updated and expanded to address changes in client demand and the market.




REVIEW:


The company I worked for in 2009 used this method with much success.  Later when I started my own business, I used many of these concepts to open up larger accounts.  The section on defining the ideal customer was crucial.  It helped me to avoid wasting time and other resources pursuing inappropriate deals.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Book Review: 9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back

Book Review:   9 Lies That Are Holding Your Business Back
Authors: Steve Chandler & Sam Beckford
9 Lies
ISBN: 156414836x
Topic:  Small Business
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2005

SPONSOR:  Civil War Books

Notes From The Publisher:  As an exciting sequel to his smash business bestseller 100 Ways to Motivate Others, Steve Chandler has teamed with Sam Beckford to write an astonishing wake-up call to the more than 20 million people in the United States and Canada who now own small businesses but don't know how to make them really pay off.

By exposing the nine most common (and often fatal) myths in business, Chandler and Beckford offer simple and inspired solutions to the self-induced problems created by small business owners every day. The surprising truths countering each lie – lies such as "It Takes Money to Make Money," "I Am A Victim of Circumstance," and "I Can Do This On My Own"—have been battle-tested for years by Sam Beckford and his hundreds of successful small business coaching clients.

Now, these same truths are delivered to millions of eager readers with the added kick of Chandler's trademark lively and entertaining writing style and powerful self-motivational tools. This book tells you not only how to guarantee that your business will be profitable, but also how to motivate yourself each day to do it!

Steve Chandler is one of America's best-selling authors whose eight books—including the bestsellers 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself and Reinventing Yourself—have been translated into more than 11 languages. Chandler is also a world-famous public speaker who was described by four-time Emmy-award winning PBS screen writer Fred Knipe as "an insane combination of Anthony Robbins and Jerry Seinfeld." Chandler was recently named to the faculty at the University of Santa Monica where he teaches in the graduate program of soul-centered leadership.

Sam Beckford is known throughout the United States and Canada as the "Small Business Millionaire." A five-time business failure who became a millionaire on attempt number six, his story has been told in books, on radio and television, and used in seminars across North America to help other business owners convert their own failures into successes. Beckford has successfully coached and been consulted by hundreds of business owners on how to get extraordinary results from ordinary small businesses, based on lessons from his own real-life experience.

Review:  Overall, the book is kind of simplistic with many pop television culture references, but the information is powerful and helpful.  I often battle the price demon, this book is a good reminder that value is more important to the customer than price.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising

OGILVY ON ADVERTISING
Book Review: Ogilvy on Advertising
Author: David Ogilvy
ISBN-13:  9780394729039
Topic:  Advertising
Format:  Paperback
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1987



Business Books

REVIEW:

The premise of Ogilvy on Advertising can be summed up with a quote from Claude Hopkins 80 years ago, "Advertising is salesmanship."

Ogilvy teaches the selling aspect of an ad.  Too often advertisers get confused, send an unclear message and confuse the buyer.

Although this book is dated, it was written before the internet, the concepts expressed are still applicable.  We advertise to sell and, Ogilvy on Advertising, delivers.  Be advised, the materials featured in the book are from the 1970s.

BUSINESS BOOKS

Friday, June 17, 2011

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.

Friday, June 10, 2011

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

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Book Review: SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS

Book Review: SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS
SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS
Author: Patrick Lencioni
ISBN-13:  0787976385
Topic:  Management
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2006

For Business Books

REVIEW:

The book touches on what many of us experience but are unable or unwilling to confront.  I think about the offices I worked in and how hard it was for some departments to work together and how that had a negative impact on not only the customer experience and profitability but on the quality of life of the employees.

The way the information in the book's layout is easy to read and the concepts are quickly grasped in the fable then helpful advice style that is typical of Patrick Lencioni and his management series.  SILOS, POLITICS AND TURF WARS is a relief for managers at any levels.  If you ever felt lost, thwarted or betrayed by your own organization, and can't quite identify the cause of your anxiety. If the issue causing you trouble is not readily identified, then its probably the structure of the organization.

There is a little too much time devoted to identifying the problem of Silos rather than solving.  This could be due to the fact that sometimes the silo can be hidden by other issues.


OUR SPONSOR: BUSINESS BOOKS

Openness is the solution to turf warfare in a company.  In an open environment, people work together towards a common goal.  Information is shared without reservation.  With openness,  hidden agendas dissolve and collaboration takes hold.  Overarching goals take the focus instead of political infighting.  By asking questions about the organization's goals, metrics, and strategies, it can know what it needs to mature into a cohesive unit.  People need to know their role and how they fit into the plan and the organization.  Leadership must be vigilant and active as turfs and silos flourish without strong top down leadership and communication of direction and philosophy.

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Book Review: FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM

FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM

FROM THE BUREAU TO THE BOARDROOM
Author: Dan Carrison
ISBN-13:  9780814410639
Topic:  Business Management
Format:  Hard Cover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

REVIEW:


30 Management Lessons from the FBI - The analogy seems to work in this business management book by Dan Carrison.  As a manager, I am always reading to improve my skills.  While I may not be able to drastically alter my organization to mirror the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are some insights.  The chapter regarding "infiltrate the customer" was humorous but also serious.  The FBI infiltrates criminal and terrorist organizations and the consequences are dire, but as a business, you MUST know what your customers think and want, the consequences are the life and death of your business.  Two of the best ideas for me are: not second-guessing my decisions and winning with the tools I have not the ones I wish I had

The other lessons are equally informative.  In the end, the book is a quick read and provides motivational insight into how a business can adapt and improve using the FBI as a model.


INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Managers will learn how to:
* Encourage and accept new roles
* Publish and maintain a ten most wanted customer list
* Infiltrate the customer all the way to the top
* Manager failure and success
* Cultivate a One for All, All for One Corporate Culture
* Win with the tools you have, not the tools you wish you had
* Leverage the employee and the customer base
* Integrate Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity in the workplace
* Institutionalize Best Practices
* Cultivate maturity and good judgment

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Carrison who served in the US Marine Corps Reserve from 1965–1970 and is co-founder of Semper Fi Consulting, is a nationally recognized speaker, a writer and has been a sales executive for over 20 years. Dan has taken his & Rod Walsh's leadership message to countless audiences of business executives and government officials.  Dan received a BA in English Literature (cum laude) from the University of California.

BUY IT NOW

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Book About How To Insure Your Business

HIDE HERE COMES THE INSURANCE GUY
Hide Here Comes The Insurance Guy
Author: Rick Vassar
ISBN-13:  978-1605280202
Topic:  Business & Economics – Business Insurance
Format:  Softcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2008


Review:
Well written book on a dry subject.  As the title indicates, often insurance is a topic that does not attract interest.  But the topic is very important and could be very costly if mismanaged.


The book has simple explanations and is a valuable resource for managers.  Great primer for a first read and then keep on your shelf for a reference.  Based on his experience Vassar lays out some cost saving strategies.  This is written for the small business.


About the Author
Rick Vassar, CPCU, ARM, AIS, ARM-P, has been a commercial risk manager for over twenty years and has published several articles on the risk-management process. He has managed risk in small, mid-size and Fortune 100 companies, primarily in the automotive industry. Vassar lives with his wife Carol and two children outside of Washington, DC.


Resources:

Insurance Planning

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Book Review: BRAND REWIRED

Brand Rewired


Author: Anne Chasser & Jennifer Wolfe
ISBN-13: 9780470575420
Topic:  Business & Economics - Marketing
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010


Publisher's Note:

Discover how the world's leading companies have added value to their company by rewiring the brand creation process
Brand Rewired showcases the world's leading companies in branding and how they have added value to their company by rewiring the brand creation process to intersect strategic thinking about intellectual property without stifling creativity.

           Features interviews with executives from leading worldwide companies including: Kodak, Yahoo,   Kraft, J.Walter Thompson, Kimberly Clark, Scripps Networks Interactive, the Kroger Company, GE, Procter & Gamble, LPK, Northlich and more
           Highlights how to maximize return on investment in creating a powerful brand and intellectual property portfolio that can be leveraged economically for many years to come
           Reveals how to reduce costs in the brand creation and legal process
           Illustrates how a brand strategy intersecting with an equally powerful intellectual property strategy produces a greater economic return and more rewards for the brand project leaders. 

Innovative in its approach, Brand Rewired shows you how leading companies are abandoning the old school research-and-development-driven innovation philosophy and evolving to a Brand Rewired approach of innovating at the consumer level, using multi-disciplinary teams to build a powerful brand and intellectual asset to maximize return on investment.

Review:

A striking cover got me into the mood for an analysis of marketing.  Brand Rewired does a good job of relating the importance of intellectual property, branding and creative strategy.  The interesting point made by Chasser and Wolfe was that some brands are more valuable than the actual products. 

Every nuance and aspect of the brand experience is an intellectual asset that must be protected.  Brand Rewired outlines several processes, collaborative in nature that need to be followed.  The teams that need to work together are the marketing and legal teams.  By doing so, the book puts forth, intellectual property garners protection brand value is maximized. This book provides the steps in clear terms and is relevant to what my company experienced recently.  I am confident other companies are dealing with similar issues.

The major lesson for me in this book was the advice for the marketing department to include the legal team early in strategy and planning. Also, the advice for the legal team to function as growth minded partners and not as if they are a regulatory commission with outside the company allegiance.  Intellectual property is a valuable asset to the company and should be safeguarded, recognized, understood and respected. This book is a good way to introduce a partnership between legal and marketing. 
It would make sense for law firms that present branded companies to read this book.

About the Authors
ANNE H. CHASSER was named one of the fifty most influential people in the intellectual property world by Managing Intellectual Property magazine and served as commissioner of trademarks for the United States Patent & Trademark Office and president of the International Trademark Association. As Associate Vice President for Intellectual Property at the University of Cincinnati and Director of Trademarks and Licensing at The Ohio State University, she has achieved top-level executive experience in both government and higher education administration. Chasser is widely recognized as a visionary thought leader in intellectual property.

JENNIFER C. WOLFE, Esq., APR, is the founder of Wolfe LPA, one of the fastest growing woman-owned intellectual property and corporate counsel law firms. Clients have included Kraft Foods, Scripps Networks Interactive, The Kroger Co., Luxottica Retail, and many emerging media and technology companies. One of the only attorneys also nationally accredited in public relations, Wolfe is widely known for her unique and outside-the-box thinking. She is certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt and has been a regular contributor to national legal and technology publications.

Chapter 1 The Billion-Dollar Question.
The Evolution of the Silo—Rewired.
What’s Ahead?
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 2 Value Is in the Eye of the Beholder.
Driving Trends in Intellectual Asset Valuation—Why it Matters to You.
When and How Intellectual Assets are Valued.
Increasing the Return on Investment of Your Next Project.
Want Your Brand Listed as a Top 100 Brand?
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 3 Designing in IP.
The Creative Process.
Product Packaging and Product Design.
Name and Logo Design.
Campaign and Connection to the Consumer.
Culture.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 4 The Influencers.
Consumer-Based Insights.
Content as Marketing.
Cost of Litigation, Risk, and Uncertainty.
The Dilution Dilemma.
Limited Budgets.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 5 The Black Box.
A Fictional Case Study—Emerson Jones.
Research and Development.
Marketing and Advertising Campaign.
Public Relations and Investor Relations.
Avoiding Costly Lawsuits.
Return on Investment.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 6 Integrating a Brand Rewired Process.
The Environment and Incentives.
The Innovation Process.
Implementation.
A Do-Over for Emerson Jones.
The Leadership.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 7 The Brand Maestro.
The Brand Maestro Job Description.
The Intellectual Asset Strategy.
How to Get Started in Your Organization.
Chapter Highlights.

Chapter 8 The Thought Leaders.
General Mills.
Procter & Gamble.
Kraft Foods.
Kimberly-Clark.
Kodak.
Harley-Davidson.
Yahoo!
Intel.
Scripps Networks Interactive.
Libby Persyk Kathman (LPK).
Northlich (Brand Engagement Agency).
Interbrand (Branding Consultancy).
The Entrepreneurial Journey.

Epilogue Brand Capitol and Brand Maestro.
Did You Know?

Appendix A Discussion Questions.
Appendix B About the People Interviewed in This Book.
Appendix C Mutual Nondisclosure Agreement.
Appendix D Sample Questionnaire for Planning Sessions.
Appendix E Team Meeting Agenda.
Appendix F Sample Intellectual Asset Strategy Document.
Appendix G List of Trademarks.
References.
About the Authors

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Book Review: BUILDING PERSONAL LEADERSHIP


Building Personal Leadership

Authors: Joe Farcht 
ISBN-13: 9781600371653
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Softcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2007

REVIEW:
The book covers a wide range of topics including: time management, organization, developing the right attitude and effective communication. Farcht discusses success and shows the reader why continuing our personal development is essential to a successful life. He states, "Conscious personal development does not end with High School or with the first job you take. Mental toughness and agility come from being engaged in work and life and learning and developing more of your potential."
Farcht has developed a system that changes people's attitudes and behaviors, and helps them to achieve 30%-100% increase in their business productivity. His book, Building Personal Leadership, is a way for Farcht to share this knowledge with the world.
The section on Time Management was my favorite as that is one of my biggest challenges at work. For those of us that can do a better job at this, he already is ahead of us with a list of why our arguments about why it won't work are useless. I am really trying to use the skills from the section to better organize my time and work more effectively.
About the Authors
Joe Farcht is a highly sought after executive coach. His corporation, Leadership Advantage, Inc., has worked with clients such as Boeing, Discover Card and Wells Fargo.
JOE FARCHT:  To support the personal leadership development of the hundreds of people I have worked with. Now that includes about 1,500 people I serve with a written weekly article or monthly newsletter. It is a compendium of three or four years of writing and serves a niche of small and medium business supervisors, managers, and executives and includes any person wishing to grow their personal leadership skills and attitudes. It is uniquely focused in a progression of development from Personal Productivity, Personal Leadership, Business Leadership, and Barriers to Success building the skills and attitudes needed in today’s workplace and life to be successful.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Book Review: ACHIEVING CLASS A BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

Achieving Class A Business Excellence
Authors: Dennis Groves
ISBN-13: 9780470260340
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2008

REVIEW:
A tough, challenging, and eventful journey is outlined in this cutting-edge business story. Greg, the company President, uses the latest edition of the trusted industry standard, The Oliver Wight Class A Checklist for Business Excellence, to transform his business from mediocrity to industry leading performance. What he learns about senior management responsibilities and behaviors drives him to achieve outstanding rewards and benefits, not the least of which is his company's survival.
Crucial reading for anyone aspiring to or newly promoted to management.  A very good book for learning and critically thinking about business.
About the Authors
DENNIS GROVES is Chairman of Oliver Wight Americas and President of Oliver Wight International.
KEVIN HERBERT is a partner in Oliver Wight Europe, Africa, and Middle East, and is coauthor of the Wiley book Gaining Control.
JIM CORRELL is a former co-chairman of Oliver Wight International and chairman of Oliver Wight Americas. Jim is a Principal in Oliver Wight Americas, and is coauthor of the Wiley book Gaining Control.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Prologue.
Introduction.
1. Opportunity.
2. Fact-Finding—Greg Meets His Team.
3. Greg's Directives.
4. Breakdown.
5. Listening . . .
6. . . . and Learning
7. Observing.
8. Possibilities.
9. Beginning.
10. Hope.
11. Decision Time
12. Kick-Off . . .
13. Involvement.
14. Education, Education, Education. . .
15. Process Design.
16. Customer Service.
17. Customer Satisfaction.
18. Competitive Pressure.
19. Class A Leadership
20. Sustainability, and More . . .
Epilogue.
Readers's Reference.
Index.

Book Review: CLOSING THE EXECUTION GAP

CLOSING THE EXECUTION GAP
Closing the Execution Gap
Authors: Richard Lepsinger
ISBN-13: 9780470531303
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

SPONSOR:  Art Artifacts

REVIEW:
Closing The Execution Gap provides a clear, practical and proven approach to moving from strategic intent to action and results. Unlike many on this topic, Lepsinger's book provides a "how to" guide.  Clear steps are provided and the cycle of decision making is mapped out.
Anyone struggling with implementing strategy should read this book, many books attempt to address the need for implementing strategy. None have come close to addressing the need in such a way.
It provides practical tools in a user-friendly format in which managers at any level in their organization can identify. It is obviously a very-well researched book that adds another level of credibility for the reader. The book contains excellent information and insights that are well connected to meaningful bodies of research. Lepsinger hones in on tangible, real-world problems that many leaders will recognize and then offers practical solutions.  Line managers and Learning and Development professionals will find this book of interest because it captures the critical concepts that make an organization and its people successful.
Many of the books on strategy development and execution are "mechanical" in that the topic is presented as a "connect the dots" exercise with only cursory attention paid to the human element. Lepsinger does a great job recognizing that organizations are built of flesh and blood people with ambitions, fears, insecurities and agendas to promote. 

FOR BUSINESS BOOKS, CLICK HERE

Monday, November 29, 2010

Book Review: BOLD LEADERSHIP

Bold Leadership
Author: Jim Tompkins
ISBN-13: 9780965865999
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2007


REVIEW:
Everyone suffers from extreme overload today. Fast-paced schedules, conflicting priorities and overburdened days can leave us feeling as if we are continually trying to fit 15 pounds of apples into a 5-pound bag. The remedy for extreme overload can be found in this book.
From personal experience, Tompkins knows what it means to be a bold leader and how to inspire others to reach new heights. He founded Tompkins Associates, a supply chain consulting and integration firm, more than 30 years ago with two staff members in a spare building in his back yard. Today, the company is one of the most respected consulting firms in the world.

From my experience, various tasks and initiatives come up during the course of business.  This book allows for their possibility and provides insight on how managers can lead during implementation and execution. 

This quote from the book makes you think about your own company’s business model:

The number of companies admitting that their business models do not work anymore is increasing. Recently, Ford and Viacom admitted that they need to change the way they do business or they will not make money, and even Dell and pharmaceutical giants Merck, Pfizer, and Bristol-Myers Squibb say that they must develop new ways of doing business. The pressure is on and company boards and other stakeholders are not patient -- if you do not fix things in a short period, you are toast. In some ways, it's almost better to be like the company that gives up, because they haven't expended all their energy trying to get ahead by doing the same things they've always done.

About the Author
Written by Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins Associates and noted business expert, Bold Leadership holds the keys to simplifying and enhancing life—professionally and personally.
Tompkins maps out Bold Leadership with three essential themes: inspirational leadership, defining core competencies, and business resiliency. Each topic is illustrated with current case studies from well-known organizations such as Google, Wal-mart and IBM, along with his experience improving the supply chains of some of the world’s foremost companies.

Book Review: THE BUSINESS-ORIENTED CIO

The Business Oriented CIO
Author: George Tillmann
ISBN-13: 9780470278123
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2008

REVIEW:
The Business-Oriented CIO: A Guide to Market-Driven Management introduces the Market Driven Management approach, which applies and adapts some of the best for-profit business thinking for use by CIOs and IT managers. IT departments are integral parts of businesses; if the electronic components like e-commerce sites fail, the business will come to a screeching halt. Run your IT department like a business rather than a reactive entity that only functions to fix problems, and transform your image from that of service center to a true business partner.

The book is crucial for the IT guy in the company.  As a manager my experience has been a struggle to get IT aligned with operations and sales.  Tillman makes a substantial number of points that serve as food for thought and further exploration. For example, when IT develops their goals for the year, it should not be done in a vacuum.  If IT’s goals are not there to make operations and sales better, then the CIO does need to re-align.  Tillman makes the strong point that IT needs to be keenly aware of where the business is going if they are going to contribute to the effort.

About the Author
George Tillmann is a former Booz Allen Hamilton partner, CIO, and management consultant. He has helped nearly 100 IT organizations worldwide and is the author of more than two dozen articles on information technology management appearing in publications such as CIO, Strategy + Business, Optimize, and Computerworld. He currently splits his time between writing and working as a private consultant.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
Part One: The Fundamentals.
Chapter 1. In Search of Overhead Heroes.
Chapter 2. It Governance.
Chapter 3. It Strategy and Planning.
Chapter 4. Portfolio Management.
Part Two: Learning from the Best.
Chapter 5. Customer Management.
Chapter 6. Market Intelligence.
Chapter 7. Service-Offering Management.
Chapter 8. Performance Management.
Part Three: Pushing the Envelope.
Chapter 9. Organizational Competencies.
Chapter 10. In Search of Customer Service.
Chapter 11. Local Heroes.
Index.

Book Review: YOUR BUSINESS BRICKYARD

Your Business Brickyard
Author: Howard Mann
ISBN-13: 9780980154306
Topic:  Business & Economics
Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2007

REVIEW:
The basics. That is what you lost when you went from feeling like, I am going to make my mark, to It is too hard to keep up so let us just try to survive. It is time to admit you re not having fun anymore. Only then can you find your way back to the beginning when your business was all promise and no misery. Only then can you build (and keep building on) the basics that will never let you down. This small book contains the secret basics to unlock the true power and potential of your business.

Strategist, speaker and consultant Howard Mann has collected twelve bricks essential to any business foundation. Mann shows you how to get back to basics, reconnect with your purpose, and grow your business, instead of getting stuck following the latest trend or innovation. Most important of all, Your Business Brickyard provides a game plan for how to make your business fun to run again. You will learn how to Reconnect to Your Purpose and keep your goals uppermost in your mind. You will say goodbye to worries over competition when you Lose Your Nemesis. You’ll appreciate the powerful simplicity of Pay Fast, Get Paid Even Faster. You will learn how to Goaljump and work backwards from your most ambitious goals to actionable tasks you can do today. Your Business Brickyard shows you how to eliminate whatever it is that hinders your ability as a business owner to enjoy your position properly. With practical, hands-on exercises and a fresh, concise format, The Brickyard will help you establish a brick solid foundation so your business can grow without limit while you enjoy the journey.

The book is short and respects your time at 64 pages.  Mann writes with a simple elegance and not a word is wasted.  Approximate reading time is 2 hours.  I took lots of notes while I read this and then went back for a second read.

The basic premise is that we can make running our businesses fun again if we simply go back to the basics - and that’s why it works so well. It’s the diary of things that made a lot of sense back then that we’ve sadly grown out of. When you read it, you might kick yourself, I did.

The “practice drills” the author provides will keep you in tune and focused after you put the book down.

Sample quote: 

The ideas behind your purpose transcend your company. The truths of your idea exist whether or not a company is there to put them into practice. The ideas are universal.


This is a book for business owners of any size, however I believe senior management will get a lot out of it too.

About the Author
Howard Mann is the president of Brickyard Partners, a leading strategy, marketing and communication consultancy based in New York, and a founder of Sideshow Digital, an award-winning interactive agency. Prior to founding The Business Brickyard in 2001, Mann was the President of a premier customs broker and international freight forwarder with six U.S. offices and a network of over 35 agents worldwide.

Mann currently works as an adviser to entrepreneurs and business owners. His highly focused workshops and year-long programs help executive teams dig down to unlock the power of the perfect execution of the basics of business. His clients learn how to build brick-solid foundations that sustain growth and make their businesses more fun to run. In addition to consulting, Mann speaks and writes frequently about the importance of the basics and reconnecting to the passion that too often gets lost as businesses mature.