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.

BOOK REVIEW: Zig Ziglar - Staying Up, Up, Up In A Down, Down World

Staying Up - Zig Ziglar

Book Review:       Staying Up, Up, Up In A Down, Down World Daily Hope For The Daily Grind
Author:    Zig Ziglar
Language:    English
Format:        Hardcover
ISBN-10:    0785270779
ISBN-13:    9780785270775
Topic:      SALES

SPONSOR:  Business Books

Publisher's Note:
It has been said that when the going gets tough, the hopeful keep going. That's because hope is the great activator-in other words, people with it take action to realize their goals. But many times the daily grind can be a hope-killer, so Zig Ziglar offers a solution! Ziglar encourages us to spend five minutes every morning with Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down World, thus gaining the inspiration and encouragement needed to face daily obstacles. Full of hope-inspiring vignettes from Ziglar, words of encouragement from well-known leaders, and Scripture for meditation and prayer, this quick-read provides the motivation needed for meeting your goals and fulfilling your dreams.

REVIEW:

As a sales professional, I have always struggled with leaving the world on the other side of the sales room.  I found that by investing some time in reading uplifting positive material instead of the "News", I maintained a more positive outlook and find it easier to conquer call reluctance.  I use the smile tactics to get a positive flow before the call, by smiling and having a good attitude, I can turn the energy into sales and my momentum increases the more I call rather than subsiding.  This book has some great tips and it can be read in just a few minutes per day.  Many times I will open at random for a quick fix of positive uplift.

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.

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.

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

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.

Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

Book Review: Brands, Trademarks and Good Will: The Story of the Quaker Oats Company

BRANDS TRADEMARKS AND GOOD WILL

Author: Arthur F. Marquette
ISBN-13:  First Edition 

Topic:  Early American Brand Marketing

Format:  Hard Cover Book
Language:  English
Publication Year:  1967

REVIEW:

The story of the Quaker Oats company.  Easy to read recounting of how Quaker Oats came to be what it is. Marks one of the first attempts to explore and study brands and the good will associated with them. 

It is amazing how far we have come.  In 1875 a branded approach was rare except for Bon Ami or Bull Durham, now everything seems to be branded.  This book puts together how a vast network of independent mills and distributors were put together in an empire that achieved global dominance.  An excellent foundation of knowledge book if you are involved in marketing or branding.

CONTROVERSY:  The sometimes disturbing look into how brands like "Aunt Jemima" came into being.  The history is, St. Joseph Gazette editor Chris L. Rutt of St. Joseph, Missouri and his friend Charles G. Underwood bought a flour mill in 1888. Rutt and Underwood's Pearl Milling Company faced a glutted flour market, so they sold their excess flour as a ready-made pancake mix in white paper sacks with a trade name (which Arthur F. Marquette dubbed the "last ready-mix"). 

Photographs from the History of Quaker Oats

Rutt reportedly saw a minstrel show featuring the "Old Jemima" song in the fall of 1889 presented by blackface performers identified by Marquette as "Baker & Farrell". However, Doris Witt was unable to confirm Marquette's account. Witt suggests that Rutt might have witnessed a vaudeville performance byPete F. Baker, who played a character described in newspapers of that era as "Aunt Jemima". If this is correct, the original inspiration for the Aunt Jemima character was a white male in whiten face, who some have described as a German immigrant.

Marquette recounts that the actor playing Aunt Jemima wore an apron and kerchief, and Rutt appropriated this Aunt Jemima character to market the Pearl Milling Company pancake mix in late 1889 after viewing a minstrel show. However, Rutt and Underwood were unable to make the project work, so they sold their company to the R.T. Davis Milling Company in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1890.

BUY IT NOW - RARE First Edition.

Book Review: UNBALANCED INFLUENCE

UNBALANCED INFLUENCE

Book Review: UNBALANCED INFLUENCE
Author: Pete Hammett
ISBN-13:  9780891062189
Topic:  Leadership
Format:  Hard Cover Book
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2007

REVIEW:

The book examines the practice and science of leadership.  There are case studies of C-Level executives that are struggling with ethics and effectiveness as they search for profitability.  How does effective executive leadership affect organizational success.

Unbalanced Influence explores how the personality preferences, interpersonal interactions, individual characteristics and leadership competencies of leaders shape the way they view creativity and innovation.  Examples of failure of initiative like in the response to Hurricane Katrina are used to illustrate some of Dr. Pete Hammett's points.

Drawing from research done at the Center for Creative Leadership's Leadership at the Peak Program, Hammett, who is associated with the center and was formerly an executive at American Express, describes characteristics of effective executive leadership and the paradoxes and myths that accompany them. He focuses on senior executives at the "C-level" (CEO, CFO, etc.) and data from the program that included their input as well as feedback on their performance from bosses, peers, and subordinates about decisions of leaders.

He discusses myths and paradoxes relating to power and influence, effective decision making, intuition and analytics, values and ethics, performance, creativity and innovation, developing future leaders, and work and life balance.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Pete Hammett is a dynamic speaker who offers real answers for today's tough business questions through leadership development, coaching and seminars.

BUY IT NOW

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.

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Web Site Review: www.CEOexpress.com

Web Site Review: CEOExpress.com

According to their web site, CEOExpress.com is designed to be the executive’s interface to the Internet. The site’s peer editor recognizes that executives have precious little time to obtain all the information they require to conduct business. At the same time, much of the information that executives need is available on the Internet. CEOExpress takes all that information, and by employing expert human editors and "mind ergonomics," pares it down to the 20% that is most critical and useful. That information is delivered to the user’s desktop in a clear, easy-to-use format.

The site’s ultimate goal is to be the best executive assistant imaginable, providing a tool that users would have created themselves if they had the time and knowledge of the Internet. CEOExpress filters and organizes the content executives need on the Internet while adding features to the site to make their lives even more streamlined and efficient. Email, stock quotes, headline news and customization are all conveniences users appreciate.

I find the site to be a useful starting point for the day or when I need to do research.  The site routinely is named "Best of Web" by business publications.  Very Useful. 

Looking for Rare and Collectible Books?  Check this out

Book Review: SOCIAL NATION – How To Harness Social Media

Social Nation

SOCIAL NATION – How To Harness Social Media

Author:  Barry Libert
ISBN-13: 9780470599266

Topic:  Business & Economics

Format:  Hardcover
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2010

Sponsor:  Andy Warhol Ten Foot Flower Melamine Plates

REVIEW:

It's time to join Social Nation and prosper! This book will show you, as an employee, customer or partner, how to use new social technologies, make yourself heard, and produce better products and services. As a leader and manager, you'll find out how to use these tools to harness social interactions to improve your business and to create your own social nation. The book provides a social assessment for leaders, managers and employees to scientifically evaluate your individual social skills and competencies. This book relies on well-known case studies about businesses that illustrate how social principles and strategies can help organizations to:

Integrate social skills into existing managerial and leadership practices

Overcome some of the common risks and objections that are often cited as obstacles to becoming a successful social enterprise

Adopt new forms of social leadership across the entire organization

Attain social intelligence by listening, understanding, and measuring outcomes of your investment in relationships with customers, employees and partners

Realize tangible economic benefits and ROI from new product and service offerings Social Nation provides readers with an opportunity to join the Social Nation community and share experiences with other leaders and social individuals.

About the Author

BARRY LIBERT is the founder and CEO of Mzinga, a company that provides social software that manages two billion conversations a month for 15,000 communities on behalf of 300 well-known companies. He has coauthored four popular business books on information and social networks.

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Lesson Learned

The author uses real-life situations and opens our eyes to how we must take advantage of everything our new Social Nation has to offer. Libert appears to have written the book to help preserve what is good in American business, from large corporations to mom and pop stores to being a consumer of both.

 Social Nation is written for employers, employees, and customers. The book has a fast pace and is positive that the social nation can fix the things that are/were great about American capitalism.

The concept of the “suggestion box” has been lacking over the previous half century, customers and employees voices are seemingly lost on bosses and managers.  Social Nation prescribes social media as a cure to improving and streamlining the feedback process.  Those that take advantage of the feedback and improve their products, services and workplaces will be the winners.

Libert does not use scare tactics, he uses facts and case studies.  Businesses have been out of touch, caring more about assets and cash on hand, "than they did people and their relationships." Libert suggests an economy where through social media, companies would offer specials directly to the customer and not through a blaring commercial. This would all be done on an opt in basis, no push advertising. The customer receives a genuine invitation to be a part of that business.

Libert in Social Nation suggests that employees and employers can rebuild the relationship that has eroded over the past 50 years.  Social Nation illustrates that what our kids take as just part of life, business can use to listen to employees and what they have to say, the good, the bad, the great suggestion which may be a company's best selling product the next year. All of it is possible. Just as important, the employees will feel part of something, because they are part of something.