December 30, 2004

Jack Covert Selects--Nightly Business Report presents Lasting Leadership

Nightly Business Report presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn From the Top 25 Business People of our Times by Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell, Wharton School Publishing, 250 Pages, $26.95 hardcover, November 2004, ISBN 0131531182

Who doesn’t want to know about leadership? It is a discipline that has been called an “art” by Max DePree and dissected by countless academics. Wharton School Publishing has created, in collaboration with Nightly Business Report (NBR) and Knowledge@Wharton, a perfect book for those of us who like to discover how leadership is done.
The book identifies the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 years—side note, I didn’t make it. The NBR viewers nominated more than 700 business people from around the world—once again, I was skipped. A panel of six Wharton judges selected the top 25. Seriously, it is a great list. Iacocca, Welch, Branson, Buffett, Bezos, and Kelleher. The panel was asked to pick the “best” of the 25. Andy Grove won that honor. 2 of the 25 have died—Sam Walton and Mary Kay Ash—and they interviewed 15 of the remaining 23.

They have identified eight characteristics that have enabled the 25 individuals to overcome major challenges as well as create their own leadership style.

Building a strong corporate culture—Herb Kelleher.
Truth telling—Peter Drucker, Bill George
Finding and catering to under-server markets—John Bogle, Charles Schwab
Seeing the invisible—Steve Jobs, Ted Turner
Using price to build competitive advantage—Jeff Bezos
Managing and building their organizations brand—Oprah Winfrey, Lee Iacocca.
Being a fast learner—Lou Gerstner, Bill Gates.
Managing risk—Alan Greenspan, Peter Lynch.

The history and challenges of these 25 leaders are thoroughly covered with tidbits of information on side bars, which includes detailed information on birthdays, marriages, schooling and highlights in their respective careers. What's great about this is that you can pick and choose what you want to read and everything is in bite-sized morsels. The stories ends with what is titled "The Leadership Lesson" which gives further insight into how these 25 leaders got to be where they are. Their stories are told with many verbatim quotes, which really helps this book to be both interesting and motivating. This makes it a great holiday gift book for anybody in business.

BTW, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING THE FREE MONTHLY REVIEWS I DO, JUST EMAIL ME AT JACK AT 800CEOREAD DOT COM AND I'LL PUT YOU ON THE LIST.

Posted by jack at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2004

Tsunami

We in America have been following the events in Asia truly with "shock and awe." Evelyn Rodriguez, a guest blogger and friend, puts a human face on the nightmare that we are seeing in the news. She is/was there. Again, read from the bottom up. Evelyn's blog

We have to do something and it looks like the best way is to give money to the Red Cross or Salvation Army.

Posted by jack at 8:51 AM | Comments (1)

December 28, 2004

Jack Covert Selects--Faith and Fortune

Faith and Fortune: The Quiet Revolution That is Transforming Corporate America by Marc Gunther, Crown Business, 270 Pages, $25.00 Hardcover, November 2004, ISBN 1400048931

As I have said many times, I get lots of business books. They journey from the cardboard container they come in to my desk, and I go through these books to find potential reads. I continually cull the books, and this particular book has made the cut many times and I decided to give the book a shot one weekend. What a treat.

The author is a senior writer at Fortune and in 2001 he wrote an article called “God & Business: The Surprising Quest for Spiritual Renewal in the American Workplace.” The issue ended up being the second biggest seller of the year. The premise is that there are a group of very successful businesses who are living and working within a highly moral and ethical set of standards while they are actually making money. This article was the start of his investigation on how people live and practice their values in the workplace, and he expands more on this issue in Faith and Fortune.

A couple of things I especially like about the book is that the writing is very character driven. You get to know the people very well and this is not only interesting and informative, but inspiring as well. The businesses profiled are: Greyston Bakery and Hewlett Packard, Staples and Pepsi Cola, Amy Domini and Social Investing, Richardo Levy. Also a real treat is the final chapter called “Where do we go from here?” It talks about how many companies and entrepreneurs have found ways of giving back to the community.

In this cantankerous world of layoffs and outsourcing, along with Chainsaw Al Dunlap and Neutron Jack, it is nice to get a view from the other side. This book teaches us that focusing on people and doing business ethically, and still making a profit can be done. Good stuff.

BTW, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING THE FREE MONTHLY REVIEWS I DO, JUST EMAIL ME AT JACK AT 800CEOREAD DOT COM AND I'LL PUT YOU ON THE LIST.

Posted by jack at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2004

Jack Covert Select--The Little Stuff Matters Most

The Little Stuff Matters Most: 50 Rules from 50 Years of Trying to Make a Living by Bernie Brillstein, Gotham, 208 Pages, $20.00 Hardcover, September 2004, ISBN 1592400795

In this delightful book Bernie Brillstein shares his stories of what he believes is important in making a living. It obviously worked for him; he's been a well-known and well-loved Hollywood producer for fifty years. What makes this book so different is that it's not rocket science. There is no magic cure here. It's just true, funny stories that convey common sense in surviving in the business world. And no one knows that better than the author himself who states:

"I want to make sure I've been absolutely clear about one thing: The Little Stuff Matters Most is not a book of secrets. There's no Zen, no art of, no formula, no mystical philosophy; there are not three rules, seven habits, or ten steps. There are no tedious worksheets or personal diaries to keep. No daily affirmations. No seminars to attend – yet. You won’t feel worse about yourself if you don't follow the program exactly because there is no program."

What there is rings true, and is at times very funny. Just have a look at a few Bernie-isms:

• Know the difference between hot and good
• Don't talk behind someone's back in front of them
• Only doctors and hookers need pagers
• Don't pet the snakes
• Have an opinion, even if it's wrong
• It's all lies, and that's the truth
• When your time has come, success will find you

The stories suck you in right from the start. They're told vividly, yet succinctly. And they get to the point. Just like Brillstein, they make their point without apologies. It doesn't matter what industry you work in, this book is more than self-help. It's funny, poignant and utterly true!

Posted by jack at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2004

Happy Holidays and the coming week

This is the slowest week in publishing. Nobody is working and seldom big books come out. Because of that Todd is gone and I am planning on spending some time with family. I’ll be posting and I think I have a Jack Covert Selects or two to post but I just wanted to let you know why we are quieter than usual.
All the best and thanks for everything.

Jack

Posted by jack at 3:02 PM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2004

Todd's 2004 Picks

You have heard from all of the experts in the media and the blogosphere. Jack has given you some of his picks. Now, it is my turn.

There were a lot of books I liked this year, but only two that I loved and would tell all of you to go read right now.

The first is Karaoke Capitalism by Jonas Ridderstråle and Kjell A. Nordström. The authors teach at the Stockholm School of Economics and they have lots to say. They say in the introduction that they used 5000 Post-It Notes in creation of the book. What I like about the book is that it is written from a European perspective, almost outsiders' perspective. They have a different view of the world than we do, and I think it is worth listening to. Again from the intro:

"Hard times if you the courage to think the unthinkable," says Intel chairman Andy Grove. Now, the unthinkable is on the verge of becoming probable. Just consider the following signs of our times:
  • The best rapper is white
  • The best golfer is black
  • France accuses the US of arrogance
  • Denmark sends a mini-submarine to a desert war

This book is not a how-to book. It is a book about how individuals have endless choice, how everyone in doing business the same way, and the importance of being different.

The second you should go read right now is Partnership Charter by David Gage. These three facts shifted my paradigm about partnerships:

  1. Researchers from the Center for Study of Entrepreneurship at Marquette University investigated a sample of nearly two thousand companies and categorized the top performers as 'hypergrowth' companies and those at the bottom as low growth companies. Solo entrepreneurs founded only 6% of the 'hypergrowth' companies. Partners founded a whopping 94%, and many of those had three or more founders.
  2. In a poll taken a few years ago, Inc. asked businesspeople if they thought partnerships were a bad idea. Two-thirds of the respondents said they were. When asked why, the majority said they disliked co-ownership because of the partners' 'inevitable conflicts' and 'unmet expectations'.
  3. Business school could teach students how to minimize the risk of partner disputes, but they do not. They are schools of business administration. They teach students how to run large companies. Although they have started to do a better job of teaching students how to be entrepreneurial , they teach next to nothing about how to be a partner...Because most business schools' graduates who start their own businesses will have real partners some day, the school's neglect is hard to fathom. But business schools are not the only schools with this gap in their curriculum. Medical schools train physicians without regard to the fact that the vast majority of their graduates will have to struggle sooner or later with partners. The same is true of other professional schools.

Gage goes on to tell you all the things to consider when entering into a partnership, especially the part about when people want to get out.

I know you are going to say that reading about partnerships is really boring. It's not.

Posted by Todd S. at 9:00 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2004

Cover Art for A Whole New Mind

A Whole New Mind


Here is the cover art for Dan Pink's new book A Whole New Mind. The design is by Coudal Partners.

We understand there will be one last change to a shorter subtitle - "Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age".

You saw it here first at 800-CEO-READ!





Posted by Todd S. at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)

New Releases - 12/22/04

Here are some new releases I wanted to highlight. A couple came out last week (shame on me) and the rest will start shipping during the holidays:

Posted by Todd S. at 8:14 PM | Comments (0)

Best of Biz Books in the Blogosphere

Just wanted to make sure you saw the best of lists from the coroners at Brand Autopsy and Evelyn at Crossroad Dispatches.

Also, Scott Miller has an interesting list of books dealing with the video game industry.

Are there others?

Posted by Todd S. at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2004

What bloggers are reading - 12/21/04

Here are some of the latest references I have run across:


Posted by Todd S. at 6:35 PM | Comments (0)

The Economist's Best Books of the Year 2004 (Business and Economics)

Here is The Economist's Best of 2004 list. You will definitely not find any reference to numbers or animals in any of these titles. I have the same problem with this list as Troy Worman had with our other lists - I haven't read any of these.

You will also find Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton listed under their biographies section.
Posted by Todd S. at 7:16 AM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2004

Strategy and Business' Best Business Books of 2004

I know I am a little late on getting the Strategy and Business list posted, but here is a summary of the list with the books and the links to the articles. The first book under each heading s+b's top shelf pick for that subject:

Here is a link to our entry on Strategy + Business' Best of 2003

Posted by Todd S. at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2004

Forbes.com's Business Books Of The Year [2004]

Forbes.com has posted a list of their favorite books for 2004. They have a snappy slideshow with reviews of each of the titles.

1 (tied). Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow and The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind
3. The Truth About Drug Companies by Marcia Angell
4. The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
5. Trump: How to Get Rich by Donald Trump
6. The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz
7. The Coming Generational Storm by Laurence Kotlikoff and Scott Burns
8. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office by Lois Frankel
9. The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
10. Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin

Posted by Todd S. at 1:38 PM | Comments (0)

Fast Company's Best of 2004

Fast Company published a best of list on their blog last Friday. This I'll list them back to you in the same Letterman-style that David Lidsky did.

11. Candyfreak by Steve Almond
10. Word Spy by Paul McFedries
9. The Allure of Toxic Leaders by Jean Lipman-Blumen
8. Why People Buy Things They Don't Need by Pamela Danziger
7. Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin
6. Call of the Mall by Paco Underhill
5. The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
4. Unstuck by Keith Yamashita
3. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
2. Managers Not MBAs by Henry Mintzberg
1. The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid by C.K. Prahalad

Posted by Todd S. at 1:11 PM | Comments (0)

13 Dreams Freud Never Had

Hobson's "13 Dreams Freud Never Had" is one of the most unique books I have ever read. It's not engrossing, but neither is it uninteresting. It's not great, but it's not bad. It's not new and refreshing, but it isn't old and stale. What it is, is a strange combination of narrative, fantasy, neuroscience research, history, and autobiographical material that takes the reader all over the place - so much so that it may be difficult to pin down what the book is about.

The central idea of the book is that Freud's theory that dreams result from repressed emotions is wrong. Hobson instead argues that the strangeness of dreams can be explained by the physical structure of the brain itself, and by brain chemistry. Hobson intertwines stories about thirteen unusual dreams he experienced with lots of research and autobiographical material. He attributes many of his strange dreams to drinking to much wine, and the fact that alcohol supresses REM sleep.

Each chapter opens with Hobson's recollection of a bizarre dream. He then proceeds to discuss what Freud might have thought of the dream, why he was wrong about what he thought, and ways in which modern research might show a different answer. The time spent discussing the brain is somewhat technical, but not so much as to lose a novice reader. One nice thing about the book is that the chapters can be read, for the most part, individually, without the reader feeling lost and confused because of missed information in another chapter.

I would recommend this book for those who like scientific biographies, or are interested in dreaming and the corresponding neuroscience behind it. If you have bizarrer or lucid dreams yourself, you will probably get a kick out of Hobson's descriptions of his own dream. The neuroscience in this book may bore the layperson who has some previous familiarity with the brain, and thus those with an extensive background in the subject should choose one of Hobson's other works.

[Rob May runs a little site called Businesspundit]

Posted by Rob May at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

BusinessWeek reviews Blink

I just ran across the first review I have seen of Blink. BW seems a little disappointed with the book.

Posted by Todd S. at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

Paul Hawken's latest

Entrepreneur, environmentalist, and prolific author Paul Hawken, whose books including the groundbreaking Natural Capitalism, has taken on a new and unexpected target: Socially-responsible mutual funds.

In a report on his Natural Capital Institute website, Hawken argues that the social investing industry "has failed to respond to people who want to invest with conscience." The "socially responsible" label, he says, has become all but meaningless because SRI funds invest in such companies as a Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Altria, Halliburton and Exxon Mobil--which evidently don't make Hawken's standards for social responsibility, and don't match the claims of many funds' own advertising. Debate between Hawken and the SRI folk is now raging in the alternative press.

Posted by Marc Gunther at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

Interviews with Drucker

Peter Drucker has done some interviews lately to promote The Daily Drucker. Dana VanDan Heuvel pointed everyone to a NPR interview with Tom Ashbrook. Forbes also has an interview with Drucker done by Rich Karlgaard (Forbes editor) and Dr. Rick Warren (The Purpose-Driven Life).

Posted by Todd S. at 7:55 AM | Comments (0)

More bloggers talk about The Art of the Start

Although it has been out since September, Guy Kawasaki's The Art of the Start continues to get kudos from bloggers who have read it. I ran across four recommendations just in the last week.

Posted by Todd S. at 7:37 AM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2004

Drucker Bibliography

Also included in the Daily Drucker is a complete, annotated bibliography of Drucker's books. I have included it beneath the fold for those of you who would be interested.

The End of Economic Man;Transaction Publishers 1995 (originally published by John Day Company, NY, 1939)

The End of Economic Man is Drucker’s first full-length book. It is a diagnostic study of the totalitarian state and the first book to study the origins of totalitarianism. He describes the reasons for the rise of fascism and the failures of established institutions that led to its emergence. Drucker develops an understanding of the dynamics of the totalitarian society and helps us to understand the causes of totalitarianism in order to prevent such a catastrophe in the future. Developing social, religious, economic, and political institutions that function effectively will prevent the emergence of circumstances that frequently encourage the totalitarian state.

The Future of Industrial Man;Transaction Publishers 1995 (originally published by John Day Company, NY, 1942)

Drucker describes the requirements for a functioning society by developing a social theory of society in general and of the industrial society in particular. In The Future of Industrial Man, Peter Drucker presents the requirements for any society for it to be both legitimate and functioning. Such a society must give status and function to the individual. The book addresses the question: “How can individual freedom be preserved in an industrial society in light of the dominance of managerial power and the corporation?” Written before the entrance of the U.S. into World War II, it is optimistic about post–World War II Europe and reaffirms its hopes and values through a time of despair. The book dared to ask, “What do we hope for the postwar world?”

Concept of the Corporation;Transaction Publishers 1993 (originally published by John Day Company, NY, 1946)

This classic book is the first to describe and analyze the structure, policies, and practices of a large corporation, General Motors. The book looks upon a “business” as an “organization,” that is, as a social structure that brings together human beings in order to satisfy economic needs and the wants of a community. It establishes the “organization” as a distinct entity, and management of an organization as a legitimate subject of inquiry. The book represents a link between Drucker’s first two books on society and his subsequent writings on management. Detailed information is provided regarding such management practices as decentralization, pricing, and the roles of profits and of labor unions. Drucker looks at General Motors’ managerial organization and attempts to understand what makes the company work so effectively. Certain questions are addressed, such as: “What are the company’s core principles, and how do they contribute to the success of the organization?” The principles of organization and management at General Motors described in this book became models for organizations worldwide. The book addresses issues that go beyond the borders of the business corporation, and considers the “corporate state” itself.

The New Society;Transaction Publishers 1993 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1950)

In The New Society, Peter Drucker extends his previous works The Future of Industrial Manand Concept of the Corporationinto a systematic, organized analysis of the industrial society that emerged out of World War II. He analyzes large business enterprises, governments, labor unions, and the place of the individual within the social context of these institutions. Following publication of the of The New Society,George G. Higgins wrote in Commonweal, “Drucker has analyzed, as brilliantly as any modern writer, the problems of industrial relations in the individual company or ‘enterprise.’ He is thoroughly at home in economics, political science, industrial psychology, and industrial sociology, and has succeeded admirably in harmonizing the findings of all four disciplines and applying them meaningfully to the practical problems of the ‘enterprise.’ ” Drucker believes that the interests of the worker, management, and corporation are reconcilable with society. He advances the idea of “the plant community” in which workers are encouraged to take on more responsibility and act like “managers.” He questions whether unions can survive in their present form if the worker is encouraged to act as a manager.

The Practice of Management; HarperCollins 1993 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1954)

This classic is the first book to define management as a practice and a discipline, thus establishing Drucker as the founder of the discipline of modern management. Management has been practiced for centuries, but this book systematically defines management as a discipline that can be taught and learned. It provides a systematic guide for practicing managers who want to improve their effectiveness and productivity. It presents Management by Objectives as a genuine philosophy of management that integrates the interests of the corporation with those of the managers and contributors to an organization. Illustrations come from such companies as Ford; GE; Sears, Roebuck & Co.; GM; IBM; and AT&T.

America’s Next Twenty Years;Out of Print HarperCollins (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1957)

In this collection of essays, Peter Drucker discusses the issues that he believes will be significant in America, including the coming labor shortage, automation, significant wealth in the hands of a few individuals, college education, American politics, and perhaps most significantly, the growing disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots.” In these essays Drucker identifies the major events that “have already happened” that will “determine the future.” “Identifying the future that has already happened” is a major theme of Drucker’s many books and essays.

Landmarks of Tomorrow;Transaction Publishers 1996 (originally published by Harper & Brothers Publishers, NY, 1957)

Landmarks of Tomorrow identifies “the future that has already happened” in three major areas of human life and experience. The first part of the book treats the philosophical shift from a Cartesian universe of mechanical cause to a new universe of pattern, purpose, and configuration. Drucker discusses the need to organize men of knowledge and of high skill for joint effort, and performance as a key component of this change. The second part of the book sketches four realities that challenge the people of the free world: an educated society, economic development, the decline of the effectiveness of government, and the collapse of Eastern culture. The final section of the book is concerned with the spiritual reality of human existence. These are seen as basic elements in late-twentieth-century society. In his new introduction, Peter Drucker revisits the main findings of Landmarks of Tomorrowand assesses their validity in relation to today’s concerns.

Managing for Results; HarperCollins 1993 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1964)

This book focuses upon economic performance as the specific function and contribution of business and the reason for its existence. The effective business, Peter Drucker observes, focuses on opportunities rather than problems. How this focus is achieved in order to make the organization prosper and grow is the subject of this companion to his classic, The Practice of Management.The earlier book was chiefly concerned with how management functions as a discipline and practice; this volume shows what the executive decision-maker must do to move his enterprise forward. One of the notable accomplishments of this book is its combining of specific economic analysis with the entrepreneurial force in business prosperity. For though it discusses “what to do” more than Drucker’s previous works, the book stresses the qualitative aspect of enterprise: every successful business requires a goal and spirit all its own. Managing for Resultswas the first book to describe what is now widely called “business strategy” and to identify what are now called an organization’s “core competencies.”

The Effective Executive; HarperCollins 2002 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1966, 1967)

The Effective Executive is a landmark book that develops the specific practices of the executive that lead to effectiveness. It is based on observations of effective executives in business and government. Drucker starts by reminding executives that the measure of effectiveness is the ability to “get the right things done.” This involves five practices: (1) managing one’s time, (2) focusing on contribution rather than problems, (3) making strengths productive, (4) establishing priorities, and (5) making effective decisions. A major portion of the book is devoted to the process of making effective decisions and the criteria for effective decisions. Numerous examples are provided of executive effectiveness. The book concludes by emphasizing that effectiveness can be learned and must be learned.

The Age of Discontinuity;Transaction Publishers 2003 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1968, 1969)

Peter Drucker focuses with great clarity and perception on the forces of change that are transforming the economic landscape and creating tomorrow’s society. He discerns four major areas of discontinuity underlying contemporary social and cultural reality: (1) the explosion of new technologies resulting in major new industries; (2) the change from an international to a world economy; (3) a new sociopolitical reality of pluralistic institutions that poses drastic political, philosophical, and spiritual challenges; and (4) the new universe of knowledge work based on mass education along with its implications. The Age of Discontinuityis a fascinating and important blueprint for shaping a future already very much with us.

Men, Ideas, and Politics;Out of Print HarperCollins (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1971)

This book is a compilation of thirteen essays addressing the issues of society—people, politics, and thought. Included are essays on Henry Ford, Japanese management, and effective presidents. Two articles in particular show aspects of Drucker’s thinking that are especially important. One is an essay on “The Unfashionable Kierkegaard,” which encourages the development of the spiritual dimension of humankind. The other is on the political philosophy of John C. Calhoun, describing the basic principles of America’s pluralism and how they shape government policies and programs.

Technology, Management, and Society;Out of Print HarperCollins (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1970) Technology, Management, and Societypresents an overview of the nature of modern technology and its relationships with science, engineering, and religion. The social and political forces, which increasingly impinge on technological development, are analyzed within the framework of broad institutional change. Peter Drucker’s critical perspective will be welcomed by scholars and students troubled by society’s growing reliance on technological solutions to complex social and political problems.

Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices; HarperCollins 1993 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1973)

This book is a compendium of Drucker on management. It updates and expands upon The Practice of Management. It is an essential reference book for executives. Management is an organized body of knowledge consisting of managerial tasks, managerial work, managerial tools, managerial responsibilities, and the role of top management. According to Peter Drucker, “This book tries to equip the manager with the understanding, the thinking, the knowledge, and the skills for today’s and also tomorrow’s jobs.” This management classic has been developed and tested during more than thirty years of management teaching in universities, executive programs, seminars, and through the author’s close work with managers as a consultant for large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals, and schools.

The Pension Fund Revolution; Transaction Publishers 1996 (originally published as The Unseen Revolution,by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1976)

In this book, Drucker describes how institutional investors, especially pension funds, have become the controlling owners of America’s large companies, and the country’s “capitalists.” He explores how ownership has become highly concentrated in the hands of large institutional investors, and that through the pension funds, “ownership of the means of production” has become “socialized” without becoming “nationalized.” Another theme of this book is the aging of America. Drucker points to the new challenges this trend will pose with respect to health care, pensions, and social security’s place in the American economy and society; and how, altogether, American politics would increasingly become dominated by middle-class issues and with the values of elderly people. In the new epilogue, Drucker discusses how the increasing dominance of pension funds represents one of the most startling power shifts in economic history, and examines their present-day impact.

Adventures of a Bystander; John Wiley & Sons 1997 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1978)

Adventures of a Bystander is Drucker’s collection of autobiographical stories and vignettes, in which he paints a portrait of his life, and of the larger historical realities of his time. Drucker conveys his life story—from his early teen years in Vienna through the interwar years in Europe, the New Deal era, World War II, and the postwar period in America—through intimate profiles of a host of fascinating people he’s known through the years. Along with bankers and courtesans, artists, aristocrats, prophets, and empirebuilders, we meet members of Drucker’s own family and close circle of friends, among them such prominent figures as Sigmund Freud, Henry Luce, Alfred Sloan, John Lewis, and Buckminster Fuller. Shedding light on a turbulent and important era, Adventures of a Bystanderalso reflects Peter Drucker himself as a man of imaginative sympathy and enormous interest in people, ideas, and history.

Managing in Turbulent Times; HarperCollins 1993 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1980)

This important and timely book concerns the immediate future of business, society, and the economy. We are, says Drucker, entering a new economic era with new trends, new markets, a global economy, new technologies, and new institutions. How will managers and management deal with the turbulence created by these new realities? This book, as Drucker explains it, “is concerned with action, rather than understanding, with decisions, rather than analysis.” It deals with the strategies needed to adapt to change and to turn rapid changes into opportunities, to turn the threat of change into productive and profitable action that contributes positively to our society, the economy, and the individual. An organization must be structured to withstand a blow caused by environmental turbulence.

Toward the Next Economics;Out of Print HarperCollins (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1981)

These essays cover a wide-ranging collection of topics on business, management, economics, and society. They are all concerned with what Drucker calls “social ecology” and especially with institutions. These essays reflect “the future that has already happened.” The essays reflect Drucker’s belief that in the decade of the 1970s there were genuine changes in population structure and dynamics, changes in the role of institutions, changes in the relation between sciences and society, and changes in the fundamental theories about economics and society, long considered as truths. The essays are international in scope.

The Changing World of the Executive;Out of Print Truman Talley Books (originally published by Truman Talley Books, NY, 1982)

These essays from the Wall Street Journal explore a wide variety of topics. They deal with changes in the workforce—its jobs, its expectations—with the power relationships of a “society of employees,” and with changes in technology and in the world economy. They discuss the problems and challenges facing major institutions, including business enterprises, schools, hospitals, and government agencies. They look anew at the tasks and work of executives, at their performance and its measurement, and at executive compensation. However diverse the topics, these chapters have one common theme, the changing world of the executive—changing rapidly within the organization; changing rapidly with respect to the visions, aspirations, and even characteristics of employees, customers, and constituents; changing outside the organization, as well, economically, technologically, socially, politically.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship; HarperCollins 1993 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1985)

The first book to present innovation and entrepreneurship as a purposeful and systematic discipline. It explains and analyzes the challenges and opportunities presented by the emergence of the entrepreneurial economy in business and public-service institutions. It is a major contribution to functioning management, organization, and economy. The book is divided into three main sections: (1) The Practice of Innovation, (2) The Practice of Entrepreneurship, and (3) Entrepreneurial Strategies. The author presents innovation and entrepreneurship as both practice and discipline, choosing to focus on the actions of the entrepreneur as opposed to entrepreneurial psychology and temperament. All organizations, including public-service institutions, must become entrepreneurial to survive and prosper in a market economy. The book provides a description of entrepreneurial policies and windows of opportunity for developing innovative practices in both emerging and well-established organizations.

The Frontiers of Management; Truman Talley Books 1999 (originally published by Truman Talley Books, NY, 1986)

This book is a collection of thirty-five previously published articles and essays, twentyfive of which have appeared on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.Featuring a new introduction, Drucker forecasts the business trends of what was then the next millennium. The Frontiers of Managementis a clear, direct, lively, and comprehensible examination of global trends and management practices. There are chapters dealing with the world economy, hostile takeovers, and the unexpected problems of success. Jobs, younger people, and career gridlock are also covered. Throughout this book, Drucker stresses the importance of forethought and of realizing that “change is opportunity” in every branch of executive decision-making.

The New Realities; Transaction Publishers 2003 (originally published by Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1989)

This book is about the “next century.” Its thesis is that the “next century” is already here, indeed that we are well advanced into it. In this book, Drucker writes about the “social superstructure”—politics and government, society, economy and economics, social organization, and the new knowledge society. He describes the limits of government and dangers of “charisma” in leadership. He identifies the future organization as being information-based. While this book is not “futurism,” it attempts to define the concerns, the issues, and the controversies that will be realities for years to come. Drucker focuses on what to do today in contemplation of tomorrow. Within self-imposed limitations, he attempts to set the agenda on how to deal with some of the toughest problems we are facing today that have been created by the successes of the past.

Managing the Non-Profit Organization; HarperCollins 1992 (originally published by HarperCollins, NY, 1990)

The service, or nonprofit, sector of our society is growing rapidly (with more than 8 million employees and more than 80 million volunteers), creating a major need for guidelines and expert advice on how to lead and manage these organizations effectively. This book is an application of Drucker’s perspective on management to nonprofit organizations of all kinds. He gives examples and explanations of mission, leadership, resources, marketing, goals, people development, decision making, and much more. Included are interviews with nine experts that address key issues in the nonprofit sector.

Managing for the Future;Truman Talley/E.P. Dutton 1992

Bringing together the most exciting of Drucker’s many recent essays on economics, business practices, managing for change, and the evolving shape of the modern corporation, Managing for the Futureoffers important insights and lessons for anyone trying to stay ahead of today’s unremitting competition. Drucker’s universe is a constantly expanding cosmos composed of four regions in which he demonstrates mastery: (1) the economic forces affecting our lives and livelihoods, (2) today’s changing workforce and workplaces, (3) the newest management concepts and practices, and (4) the shape of the organization, including the corporation, as it evolves and responds to ever-increasing tasks and responsibilities. Each of this book’s chapters explores a business or corporate or “people” problem, and Drucker shows how to solve it or use it as an opportunity for change.

The Ecological Vision;Transaction Publishers 1993

The thirty-one essays in this volume were written over a period of more than forty years. These essays range over a wide array of disciplines and subject matter. Yet they all have in common that they are “Essays in Social Ecology” and deal with the man-made environment. They all, in one way or another, deal with the interaction between individual and community. And they try to look upon the economy, upon technology, upon art, as dimensions of social experience and as expressions of social values. The last essay in this collection, The Unfashionable Kierkegaard, was written as an affirmation of the existential, the spiritual, the individual dimension of the Creature. It was written by Drucker to assert that society is not enough—not even for society. It was written to affirm hope. This is an important and perceptive volume of essays.

Post-Capitalist Society; Transaction Publishers 2005 (originally published by HarperCollins, NY, 1993)

In Post-Capitalist Society,Peter Drucker describes how every few hundred years a sharp transformation has taken place and greatly affected society—its worldview, its basic values, its business and economics, and its social and political structure. According to Drucker, we are right in the middle of another time of radical change, from the Age of Capitalism and the Nation-State to a Knowledge Society and a Society of Organizations. The primary resource in the post-capitalist society will be knowledge, and the leading social groups will be “knowledge workers.” Looking backward and forward, Drucker discusses the Industrial Revolution, the Productivity Revolution, the Management Revolution, and the governance of corporations. He explains the new functions of organizations, the economics of knowledge, and productivity as a social and economic priority. He covers the transformation from Nation-State to Megastate, the new pluralism of political systems, and the needed turnaround in government. Finally, Drucker details the knowledge issues and the role and use of knowledge in the post-capitalist society. Divided into three parts—Society, Polity, and Knowledge—Post-Capitalist Society provides a searching look into the future as well as a vital analysis of the past, focusing on the challenges of the present transition period and how, if we can understand and respond to them, we can create a new future.

Managing in a Time of Great Change;Truman Talley/E.P. Dutton 1995

This book compiles essays written by Drucker from 1991 to 1994 and published in the Harvard Business Reviewand the Wall Street Journal.All of theses essays are about change: changes in the economy, society, business, and in organizations in general. Drucker’s advice on how managers should adjust to these tectonic shifts centers around the rise of the now-ubiquitous knowledge worker and the global economy. In this book, Drucker illuminates the business challenges confronting us today. He examines current management trends and whether they really work, the implications for business in the reinvention of the government, and the shifting balance of power between management and labor.

Drucker on Asia;Out of Print Butterworth-Heinemann 1995 (first published by Diamond, Inc., Tokyo, 1995)

Drucker on Asia is the result of an extensive dialogue between two of the world’s leading business figures, Peter F. Drucker and Isao Nakauchi. Their dialogue considers the changes occurring in the economic world today and identifies the challenges that free markets and free enterprises now face, with specific reference to China and Japan. What do these changes mean to Japan? What does Japan have to do in order to achieve a “third economic miracle”? What do these changes mean to society, the individual company, the individual professional and executive? These are the questions that Drucker and Nakauchi address in their brilliant insight into the future economic role of Asia.

Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management;Harvard Business School Press 1998

This is a significant collection of Peter Drucker’s landmark articles from the Harvard Business Review.Drucker seeks out, identifies, and examines the most important issues confronting managers, from corporate strategy to management style to social change. This volume provides a rare opportunity to trace the evolution of great shifts in our workplaces, and to understand more clearly the role of managers in the ongoing effort to balance change with continuity, the latter a recurring theme in Drucker’s writings. These are strategically presented here to address two unifying themes: the first examines the “Manager’s Responsibilities,” while the second investigates “The Executive’s World.” Containing an important interview with Drucker on “The Post-Capitalist Executive,” as well as a preface by Drucker himself, the volume is edited by Nan Stone, longtime editor of the Harvard Business Review.

Management Challenges for the 21st Century;HarperCollins 1999

In his first major book since The Post-Capitalist Society,Drucker discusses the new paradigms of management—how they have changed and will continue to change our basic assumptions about the practices and principles of management. Drucker analyzes the new realities of strategy, shows how to be a leader in periods of change, and explains the “New Information Revolution,” discussing the information an executive needs and the information an executive owes. He also examines knowledge-worker productivity, and shows that changes in the basic attitude of individuals and organizations, as well as structural changes in work itself, are needed for increased productivity. Finally, Drucker addresses the ultimate challenge of managing oneself while meeting the demands on the individual during a longer working life and in an ever-changing workplace.

Managing in the Next Society; St. Martin’s Press 2002

In this compilation of essays culled from published magazine articles and a lengthy essay appearing in the Economist in November 2001, and interviews during the period of 1996 to 2002, Drucker has expertly anticipated our ever-changing business society and ever-expanding management roles. In this book, Drucker identifies the reality of the “Next Society,” which has been shaped by three major trends: the decline of the young portion of the population, the decline of manufacturing, and the transformation of the workforce (together with the social impact of the Information Revolution). Drucker also asserts that e-commerce and e-learning are to the Information Revolution what the railroad was to the Industrial Revolution, and thus, an information society is developing. Drucker speaks of the importance of the social sector (that is, nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations), because NPOs can create what we now need: communities for citizens and especially for highly educated knowledge-workers, who increasingly dominate developed societies.

Anthologies

The Essential Drucker; HarperCollins 2001

The Essential Drucker offers, in Drucker’s words, “a coherent and fairly comprehensive ‘Introduction to Management’ and gives an overview of my management work and thus answers the question I’ve been asked again and again: ‘Which writings are Essential?’ ” The book contains twenty-six selections on management in the organization, management and the individual, and management in society. It covers the basic principles and concerns of management and its problems, challenges, and opportunities, giving managers, executives, and professionals the tools to perform the tasks that the economy and society of today and tomorrow will demand of them.

A Functioning Society; Transaction Publishers 2003

In these essays, Drucker has brought together selections from his vast writings on community, society, and the political structure. Drucker’s primary concern is with a functioning society in which the individual has status and function. Parts I and II identify the institutions that could recreate community, the collapse of which produced totalitarianism in Europe. These selections were written during World War II. Part III deals with the limits of governmental competence in the social and economic realm. This section is concerned with the differences between big government and effective government.

Novels

The Last of All Possible Worlds; HarperCollins, 1982, Out of Print
The Temptation to Do Good; HarperCollins, 1984, Out of Print

Posted by Todd S. at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

Another drug industry headache

This morning's news that Louisana congressman Billy Tauzin, chief architect of the new Medicaid drug law, has taken a job as the drug industry's top lobbyist will no doubt fuel more cynicism about the big drug companies. On the surface, it sure looks like a reward to Tauzin for a bill that critics thought was overly industry-friendly. He's getting blasted in the papers today.

It's amazing, when you think about it, that the drug companies, which are truly miracle makers when it comes to their products, have become so widely disliked. Pricing's part of the problem. So are safety concerns.

I haven't read it yet but I'm told the best book on this topic is The Truth About the Drug Companies by Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. Someone should send a copy to Tauzin.

Posted by Marc Gunther at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)

Collins on Drucker

With The Daily Drucker, you get 366 days of Drucker, but you also get another gem. The foreword is written by Jim Collins. We have been given permission to publish it. You will find it over on the Excerpt blog.

Posted by Todd S. at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2004

Dan Pink's Latest

One of the most quoted and referenced books from this weekend REI Summit with Tom Peters was Dan Pink’s latest called A Whole New Mind. Dan just sent me the manuscript of the finished book that is due this Spring.
I have to admit to being a big Dan Pink fan. I loved Free Agent Nation and have talked with Dan during the writing of this book so I have looking forward to reading the book. I’ll let you know what I think.

Posted by jack at 1:42 PM | Comments (0)

Time Warner pays up

I work at FORTUNE magazine, so the big news is our shop today is that Time Warner has agreed to settle with the SEC and the Justice Department over allegations that its AOL unit improperly inflated its revenues back in 2000 and 2001. This will cost the company $500 million in fines. It has already caused untold damage to its reputation. And it has been a huge distraction for the past three or four years.

Since I write about values and business, people often ask me whether there is a bottom-line payoff for ethical or socially responsible behavior. I write about this in my book, Faith and Fortune: The Quiet Revolution to Reform American Business." But sometimes I think it's a dumb question. If we are only going to be ethical or socially responsible when it pays off, then there's not much point to ethics, is there?

Besides, today's Time Warner story--along with all the scandals that have gone before it-makes clear that unethical behavior exacts a terrible toll on a company and its people.

Posted by Marc Gunther at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2004

Selling to the poor

Another book I'm plowing through at the moment is C.K. Prahalad's The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. I'd call it thoughtful and important but it's a tough slog. Four hundred dense pages.

His argument, in two sentences, is this: "The real source of market promise is not the wealthy few in the developing world, or even the emerging middle-income consumers. It is the billions of aspiring poor who are joining the market economy for the first time." Prahalad has uncovered all kinds of innovative practices at the BOP--the Mexican cement market Cemex building houses for the poor, the remarkable Aravind Eye Care system in India, Hindustan Lever's sale of soap in India which helps combat the critical health issue of diarrheal disease.

If you can't read the book, don't miss a chance to hear C.K. talk. He's a brilliant thinker and a good guy.

Posted by Marc Gunther at 6:59 PM | Comments (1)

More books to Google

Google announced today that they are working to expanded the number of books that can be searched on their site. They have agreements with University of Michigan, Stanford University, Harvard University, and Oxford University to put some or all of their library collections online. The full text of books no longer under copyright will be available. Copyrighted materials will be shown in short excerpts.

Posted by Todd S. at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)

Tom Peters Re-Imagine Summit 2004

Todd posted the notes from the weekend in Vermont but I just wanted to say that the get together has inspired both Todd and I to do some serious and exciting changes in the 800CEOREAD ecommerce web site. We are meeting this week with our web designers and will tell you all about the changes when it closer to completed.

Todd and I were so lucky to be invited to this event and to be able to sit in a room with this really diverse group of people was an amazing experience. Out of this will come some exciting stuff.

Posted by jack at 1:36 PM | Comments (1)

Jack Covert Selects--Lucky or Smart

Lucky or Smart: Secrets to an Entrepreneurial Life by Bo Peabody, Random House, 58 Pages, $13.95 Hardcover, December 2004, ISBN 140006290X

Every once-in-awhile a book comes along that I completely flip over; I give copies of the galley to lots of people, actually hoping they’ll read it. The last book I can remember doing this with was Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. What I feel sets Lucky or Smart apart is that, in 58 pages, like a good soup that has simmered for many hours, the flavor is really concentrated.

Now who is this Bo Peabody and why should you care? He started an Internet company when he was a nineteen-year-old student at Williams College—the story about how he got into Williams as a “B” student is a hoot. That company helped change the way we communicate by providing people with easy-to-use software to create their own web pages. He sold the business to Lycos for a meager $60 million. Peabody cashed out and has started several businesses including a thriving restaurant.

Readers of Jack Covert Selects know I like to cherry-pick a passage that will give you a feeling for the book. Picking a selection from this book is next to impossible because the book is full of cherries. Here are a few:

From the chapter, Learn to Love the Word No:
Most people would simply accept rejection. Don’t Ever. Train yourself not to shut down when you hear the word “no.” That is in fact just the time to really start fighting. No human being likes to say “no” to another human being. When he does, he is at his weakest moment. Take that opportunity, and start selling.

From Entrepreneurs are B-Students, Managers are A-Students:
When I speak to a group of business school students, I run them through a little game. I ask everyone who ever started a business to raise his or her hand. Typically, about half of the people do. I then ask those who are still running that same business to keep their hands up. Very few do. I then propose that those who raised their hands and then put them down are typical entrepreneurs: great at starting things, but not so great at managing them. I conclude by recommending that these entrepreneurs take a look at the people who didn’t raise their hands, jot down their names, give them a call next time they are about to start a business, and ask them to run it. Those people are the managers.

OK, one more. From the chapter, Prepare to be Powerless:
Young or old, entrepreneurs have to accept that creating fundamentally innovative products and trying to sell them to executives at established companies is an uphill battle. The executives have power and you don’t. Get used to it.

Like I said, I could go on forever. Great stuff and loaded with real value.


BTW, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING THE FREE MONTHLY REVIEWS I DO, JUST EMAIL ME AT JACK AT 800CEOREAD DOT COM AND I'LL PUT YOU ON THE LIST.

Posted by jack at 1:18 PM | Comments (0)

The New Drucker Book

Peter Drucker's new book is called The Daily Drucker. Think of it as your daily reader for one of the world's top thinkers on management. Each page consists of a piece of Drucker's writing and an action oriented takeaway.

HarperBusiness has put together a lit