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Posted Nov. 22, 2001 7:57 a.m. by katie
The Contrarians 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. Hes going to give a list of things he did to turn around his organization and then tell us we should do them too. Its 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. Thats why his ideas are so fresh, and why he has beenand isso successful at what he does. Hes constantly thinking gray and thinking free (Ill explain later)hes constantly thinking. Thats a hard thing to come by in todays world of leaders who have such definite proven philosophies that they stodgily do not evolve or grow past.
Samples philosophy is one of growth; its not one of following the rules: he says NOT to follow the rules because following the rules doesnt allow for growth. Dont follow the rules? OK! This is my kind of guy! True to the books 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 bookthinking gray and thinking free. I thought with all the gray hair on my head, Id have the thinking gray part down quick. However, Samples concept is a little tricky. It goes against everything weve 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 hima 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 extremeand even oppositionalsolutions, and thinks positively out to other different possible solutionsinstead 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 todays competitive and changing world.
Posted Nov. 22, 2001 7:55 a.m. by katie
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 wont take Druckers 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 Armys 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 caf, 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 caf 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 caf 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.
Posted Nov. 2001 7:45 a.m. by katie
Weve all heard sports analogies used (and overused) in a business context. The balls in your court; three strikes and youre 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. Im glad he sent that letter, and Im glad I read the book. Dont be dissuaded; this is a practical book with useful content.
For those of you not sports inclined, Dutchs 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 youre up against itthis book is a sure shot.
Posted Oct. 22, 2001 8:50 a.m. by katie
Seven years ago, Jerry Porras and Jim Collins published the bestselling classic, Built to Last, which demolished a couple of deeply entrenched myths like this one: great companies start with a great product and/or a great leader. After completing that book, Jim Collins was nagged by the lingering question that he had been pondering since before Built to Last: are there any mediocre companies that became great? Once he had established his delimiters, he set out to collect data. Jim and his research team spent over five years and studied every company that made the Fortune 500 from 1965 until nowover 1400 companiesand found only eleven companies had truly gone from mediocre to being a long-term star. Then, they looked at why. Heres where it gets really interesting.
From studying these organizations, Collins and crew came up with some really mind-stretching conclusions. One of the most interesting: every good-to-great company has a Level 5 leader during the transitional years. However, a Level 5 leader is unlike strong leaders of our imaginings. All Level 5 leaders have a mix of personal humility and professional will. Fanatically driven to produce results, they are ambitious, first and foremost, for the companynot for themselves. Ultimately, they do whatever it takes to make the company great. A few of the other most useful findings include something called The Hedgehog Concept, which advocates breaking out of mediocrity with a single terrific product or service; and Technology Accelerators, which encourages a fundamentally diverse attitude and approach to technology.
Simply put: this book is going to be talked about for yearsit is so solid in its findings, but written so superbly that you will practically learn just by holding it in your hand. But dont stop there: I guarantee that your copy will be as marked up with notes as mine.
Posted Oct. 19, 2001 8:53 a.m. by katie
Michael Hammers biggest book, written alongside Jim Champy, was called Reengineering the Corporation, one of the best-selling business books of the 90s. Hammer has written other books since, but this one, The Agenda, is by far the best thing he has done in 10 years. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give The Agenda is that my manuscript copy is in very bad shape. I tore out the chapter on Process and gave it to Sally, our head person (we dont really have titles here, but head person is an extremely important person in my world), so she could look at it and reassess our client services processes following Hammers guidelines. The next chapter, on sales was torn out and given to my sales person to initiate conversation regarding our sales approach. It has been a long time since I have treated a book like this.
The next greatest compliment I can give this book is that it will inspire you to look directly at your everyday business experience, at the work being done in your office at this moment, work that is fundamental to your business. Instead of warning you to look out for competitors, or be the fastest implementer of technology, or even to predict the future, Hammer encourages us to take a deep look at what is in front of us, to make sure our current business is efficient, concentrating on customer value. He uses two acronyms throughout the book to illustrate his points: ETDBW (Easy To Do Business With) and MVA (More Value Added). I have heard of both of these concepts before, but Hammer uses such great examples to portray how they work, the ideas came alive. The other quality that sets this book apart, for me, is the conversational writing styleit is as if you are having a conversation with Michael Hammer, not being lectured at by Michael Hammer.
My final compliment? I can only say that this is a book that will stimulate long hours of conversation around the offices of 800-CEO-READ.
