800-CEO-READ Blog

Jack Covert Selects - The Startup Garden

The Startup Garden: How Growing a Business Grows You by Tom Ehrenfeld, McGraw Hill Publishers, 220 Pages, $18.95 Paperback, November 2001, ISBN 0071368248

I must start this off with the disclaimer that I haven’t made a habit of reading “Entrepreneurial/Small Business” books for JCS reviews because I assumed that most of you—my customers—weren’t really interested in small business books. In my desire to know my clients better, I have been connecting with some of you, and found out that inclusion of this type of book would really be appreciated. That said, I would have reviewed this book anyway, because this author can really write. This is the book that you will want to read when you are mulling over that brilliant idea for a new small business, and either aren’t convinced its as good an idea as you think it is, or not sure of what your next step is.

Ehrenfeld uses the garden as a metaphor through which he gives the reader real solid business principles. Identify the seed to grow; Nourish and feed the plant as it grows; Identify how to move from tending the plant to becoming a gardener, and more. He provides a step-by-step analysis of the business, and the financial, managerial, and marketing skills needed to make a dream business a reality. By including case studies, Ehrenfeld will make you confident that you too can be a successful small business owner. Also, at the end of each chapter, Ehrenfeld puts a huge amount of incredibly valuable information right at your fingertips. He not only has a “takeaway” section, he has quotes by successful business people, along with a “Resources” section that is the best I have seen. In this “Resources” section, not only does Ehrenfeld list books that add depth to his own chapter information, he gives a spot-on paragraph review of each book.

What really appealed to me about the book are the case studies, anecdotes, and especially his breezy, fun-to-read writing style. However, the real staying power of this book is in its resources and its ability to help you through all facets of owning – and growing – a small business.

Jack Covert Selects - Hoover's Vision

Hoover’s Vision: Original Thinking for Business Success By Gary Hoover, Texere Pub. 270 Pages, $26.95 Hardcover, October 2001, ISBN 1587990598

When I inaugurated Jack Covert Selects, I wanted to be the filter you could trust to separate the wheat from the chaff in the business book world. One thing that determines whether I will use a book for JCS is my comprehension of the thesis and its supporting argument, as well as my ability to tell you what the author is saying in just a couple hundred words. It was difficult with this book, but I wanted so much to be able to give you a good understanding of what Gary Hoover has to offer us as business people. I have known of Gary Hoover for many years and I am addicted to the website that bears his name, Hoover’s Online, so when I got a chance to meet him at a bookseller’s convention, I was excited. Then, I got the galley of his new book and began reading it immediately. And…have been reading it for the past two months. Why is it taking so long? Well, I found the book fascinating and just loaded with interesting stories and history, but I would pick up the book, read fifty pages, then have to put it down to give the ideas time to percolate and organize. I just couldn’t get a handle on what he was trying to do—I finally figured it out today.

Hoover, who at the age of twelve was reading Fortune, is passionate about successful organizations and believes that anyone can think like a CEO, inventor, or entrepreneur, if they train themselves to do it. Through stories and exercises, Hoover teaches how to nourish the traits that are at the heart of many breakthroughs in business and in life—curiosity, clarity, passion, and panoramic vision. This book is geared for the entrepreneur or the individual who seeks to think bigger, broader—for business and pleasure. It features "back-of-the-envelope" drawings, anecdotes, mind exercises, and practical advice from an expert. I think the part of the book that I especially enjoyed was the history lessons Hoover offers. He retells important historical events via his own clear and understandable perspective, thus showing how these events can apply today and in the future. Yes, this is the book that needs to be digested slowly. No, this is not fast food. But don’t let that deter you. Have a bite.

Jack Covert Selects - Winning in FastTime

Winning in FastTime: Harness the Competitive Advantage of Prometheus in Business and Life by John A. Warden III & Leland A. Russell, Venturist Publishing, 220 Pages, $24.95 Hardcover, ISBN 0971159149

I’m always thrilled to discover books other people have missed or have been overlooked. This book qualifies as one of these rewarding discoveries. John Warden participated in the successful strategies of the Desert Storm Air Campaign. In his new book, he transfers these strategies and his experiences to the business world. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book was not filled with all kinds of technical military jargon, but that it was easy to read, aided by graphs and tables throughout.

The core concept of the book is what Warden calls “The Prometheus Process.” A combination of forethought and fire (or passion), the process acknowledges that all things happen in systems which contain different components that all affect each other. A bit like dominos. However, each system has “Centers of Gravity” which has the greatest influence on the system. These Centers of Gravity are what make or break the system, so when planning a strategy, the Centers are what you really try to change to achieve your goals. Makes sense.

Keeping the whole system concept in mind, Warden tells us how to create a winning business strategy. The steps are simple and direct and always have the future goal in sight. Warden uses examples from history to illustrate his points, which makes the reading interesting as well as understandable and informative. For example, one of his Cardinal rules is “Stay out of the Balkans” which is a metaphor for activities and projects that don’t help you achieve your Future Picture. He uses the synopsis at the end of each chapter which he calls “Chapter Debrief” especially well. When you get to a chapter that you aren’t sure speaks to you and your issues, you can “cheat” and check out the chapter debrief for the essence of the chapter and go back and study the points in detail or move on to the next chapter.

This book has the potential to become a strategy classic. Warden is an expert in that field. With people like H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell and James Kouzes singing his praises, it’s a good idea to check into what Warden has to say and find out how you can apply his ideas to better your organization.

Jack Covert Selects - The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership

The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership: by Steven B. Sample; Jossey-Bass; 192 pages; $24.00 Hardcover; October 15, 2001; 0787955876

When I picked up this book, I thought, “Hmm. So this guy is the President of the University of Southern California. OK. He’s going to give a list of things he did to turn around his organization and then tell us we should do them too. It’s going to be dry, bland, and academic. Boring.” Boy, was I wrong. Way more than just a university president, Sample is an inventor, a musician, an engineer, a professor. Instead of just sitting behind a desk, he lives life. That’s why his ideas are so fresh, and why he has been—and is—so successful at what he does. He’s constantly thinking gray and thinking free (I’ll explain later)—he’s constantly thinking. That’s a hard thing to come by in today’s world of leaders who have such definite “proven” philosophies that they stodgily do not evolve or grow past.

Sample’s philosophy is one of growth; it’s not one of following the rules: he says NOT to follow the rules because following the rules doesn’t allow for growth. Don’t follow the rules? OK! This is my kind of guy! True to the book’s title, he believes that being contrary leads to more possibilities, for once one decides on something, the growth of different possibilities stops.

The first chapter explains two core concepts of the book—“thinking gray” and “thinking free.” I thought with all the gray hair on my head, I’d have the thinking gray part down quick. However, Sample’s concept is a little tricky. It goes against everything we’ve ever been taught about leaders and leadership. Sample posits that most people think in terms of pairs of extremes: good or bad, true or false, black or white. However, an effective leader looks at the context of an individual situation and is able to sees things in varying shades of gray; and then make smart decisions on how to go forward. Unlike many leadership theories that say a good leader is one who can quickly formulate an opinion on an important matter, Sample says the best thing a leader could do is not form an opinion right away. He says to hold out on forming a definite judgment until you have considered all facts and arguments, or until you are forced by circumstances to form an opinion. Why? When a leader succumbs to forming split second opinions, he closes his mind to facts and arguments that may come up later. Also, the leader may find himself “flip-flopping,” or going from one opinion to another as new information is presented to him—a process which causes unnecessary and unproductive mental strain.

Thinking free is a related concept. It is a creative process of solving a problem in which one proposes extreme—and even oppositional—solutions, and thinks positively out to other different possible solutions—instead of thinking down to the different reasons why a possible solution may not work. Thinking free allows for more possibilities, and more innovative ones at that.

The book as a whole is an intelligent (but easy to grasp) philosophical work that offers many good ideas for any reader who wants to become a more successful person as well as a more successful leader. I was surprised by some of the ideas, especially the one about how we should not read what everyone else is reading. However, after Sample explains why, I felt like I was in the know on a new secret weapon. This concept, like many in the book, uses common sense logic, but goes against the current flow of convention.

Going against the current has always been a hallmark of the great leader. Sample vigilantly reminds us of this and reiterates the importance of being contrarian in today’s competitive and changing world.

Jack Covert Selects - The Most Effective Organization

The Most Effective Organization in the U.S.: Leadership Secrets of the Salvation Army by Robert A. Watson & Ben Brown, Crown Business, 220 Pages, $25.00 Hardcover, November 2001, ISBN 060960869X

This emphatic title comes from the following Peter Drucker quote: “The Salvation Army is by far the most effective organization in the U.S. No one even comes close to it with respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication, and putting money to maximum use.” If you won’t take Drucker’s word for it, listen to some of these statistics about the Salvation Army: They have 9,500 centers of operation, $2 billion in annual revenues, and 32 million clients served in every zip code in America. Those are some pretty amazing stats.

When I first got this book, I was skeptical because we have seen “Leadership Secrets/Lessons…” of everybody from Attila the Hun to Jack Welch with a bit of Shakespeare thrown in. Just what we need, another one, right? Well, before my cynical alter ego could completely take over, my sensible side realized how on target this book probably was. Robert Watson is the retired National Commander and commissioned officer who has served forty-four years in the Army. As evidenced by the aforementioned stats and the Salvation Army’s successful brand, Watson has been a very successful leader. And, of course, we, as leaders, need to succeed where the Army has had proven success: we need to increase revenue, supply a sense of mission, serve our clients, and build a brand. That is what the Salvation Army has been doing in America since 1880.

I am not a fan of “heartwarming” stories as the foundation for a business book (the realities of business are rarely warm & fuzzy), but this book is an exception. The stories here are not only heartwarming, but also inspirational. For example, in Las Vegas, the Army created a café, and with all the hotels and restaurants in town, the demand for staff is always high. The Army worked with the local college and used the café to train and hire students to assist them in finding a job after graduation. While the students were in class, the Army cooked for a homeless food program that feeds 1,000 to 2,000 people per day. Later, they opened the sit-down café for anyone with a $2 token. That token was available for purchase, but residents and area businesses also purchased the tokens in bulk and gave them to the homeless knowing that they would receive a healthy meal.

As we all have to re-gear after the tragedies of 9-11, and after reading this book I can think of no better organization to try to emulate them this organization.

Jack Covert Selects - Red Zone Management

Red Zone Management: Changing the Rules for Pivotal Times by Dutch Holland, Dearborn Trade Publishing, 240 Pages, $25.00 Hardcover, October 2001, ISBN 0793142466

We’ve all heard sports analogies used (and overused) in a business context. “The ball’s in your court”; “three strikes and you’re out”; “batting a thousand”, even “Punt!” Perhaps it was the sports analogy in the title, but I must admit that when I got the galley to this book, I put the book on my “No Way” pile. Then, I got a letter from his publicist/consultant saying enough good things to move the book into my “maybe” pile. I’m glad he sent that letter, and I’m glad I read the book. Don’t be dissuaded; this is a practical book with useful content.

For those of you not sports inclined, Dutch’s “The Red Zone” football analogy refers to when a football team is within twenty yards of the goal, and everyone and everything on your team should be functioning perfectly in order to score. The author asserts that business events are similar crisis situations, when organizations have opportunities for great gain or great loss. In the Red Zone, the regular rules of business are much too risky. The author defines the basic types of Red Zones all organizations will find themselves facing sooner or later, such as: e-business integration, a major strategy shift, a major merger, a change in the way the organization does business, and a change in a major systems implementation (ERP). He provides specific game plans for each scenario. The book even has the Red Zone duties of the CEO, COO, CFO, et all.

One of the reasons I like this book is because it is written the way a contemporary business book needs to be written. With brevity and with short cuts, it is interspersed throughout with “Applying the Gameplan” boxes, which allow you to skim off the cream from the milk. In fact, at the end of the introductions, the author offers you three different ways of using the book. Option #1: You want all the details on Red Zone Management; #2: Just give me the meat; and #3: You are in a Red Zone right now and you need a specific game plan. If you’re up against it…this book is a sure shot.