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Posted Dec. 30, 2004 5:31 a.m. by jack
Who doesnt 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 yearsside note, I didnt make it. The NBR viewers nominated more than 700 business people from around the worldonce 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 diedSam Walton and Mary Kay Ashand 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 cultureHerb Kelleher.
Truth tellingPeter Drucker, Bill George
Finding and catering to under-server marketsJohn Bogle, Charles Schwab
Seeing the invisibleSteve Jobs, Ted Turner
Using price to build competitive advantageJeff Bezos
Managing and building their organizations brandOprah Winfrey, Lee Iacocca.
Being a fast learnerLou Gerstner, Bill Gates.
Managing riskAlan 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 Dec. 28, 2004 4:37 a.m. by jack
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 Dec. 14, 2004 7:18 a.m. by jack
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 theyll read it. The last book I can remember doing this with was Seth Godins 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 Collegethe 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. Dont 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 didnt 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 dont. 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 Dec. 7, 2004 3:50 a.m. by jack
I dont think I have ever chosen an investment book for Jack Covert Selects, but I am making an exception here because I am a sucker for good writing. Jim Rogers wrote two previous books that were a little about money, but a lot about him and his lifeand his life is quite a story. Let me give you an example. His previous book, Adventure Capitalist, is about a three-year, around-the-world road trip in one of the sweetest cars you can imagine. He writes: While I have never patronized a prostitute, I know that one can learn more about a country from speaking to the madam of a brothel or a black marketeer than from meeting a foreign minister. Good words, good writingand those good qualities are plentiful in Hot Commodities. Having made a fortune in investments, he is quite the expert, and he shares his secrets in his newest straightforward investment book.
Rogers believes that a new commodity bull market has started, a market that isn't quite as risky as stocks and not as slow as bonds. As he states at the end of his introduction: I have learned that when youve done your homework, once you recognize that supply and demand is totally out of whack, and you make your move, you are definitely going to get lucky. This, my friends, is one of those times. He suggests that we should focus on investing in the things we know - sugar, cotton, corn, or crude oil.
This book is like sitting back at a ribs joint with a good buddy, and, while listening to his stories, actually learning something about commodities. Great read, full of valuable, applicable advice.
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 Dec. 2, 2004 7:18 a.m. by jack
According to a December 2002 USA Today Poll, 30 million people are dissatisfied with their careers. This means that all those millions are not only unhappy but aren't reaching their full potential. The author found herself in the same boat a few decades ago; after climbing the corporate ladder at a ferocious pace, she learned that her boss was sent to announce a new product that she (the author) had worked on for three years. She was conflicted. In her own words:
My head, the rational thinker had dominated decisions to this point. Now my heart, the creative feeler, cried out: What you really want is balance in life deep connection with people and meaningful work in an environment where people can contribute and be rewarded to the fullest. Make changes. Follow your heart, in harmony with your head. Pursue passionate purpose.
But she doesn't just use her own experiences as the premise for her book. She has interviewed 80 people and her findings are extraordinary. This is more than just a self help book. This book has proven steps for successfully pursuing passionate purpose:
The ongoing process has four stages of development that are called:
1. Know and Nurture the Person (exploring who I am and what I value)
2. Find Passionate Purpose (determining what I want and do not want)
3. Pursue Purpose (establishing how I get it)
4. Assess Progress (evaluating how things are going and what is next)
She also has six success strategies that are applied throughout the above-mentioned process namely:
1. Polarity (integrating different parts of the self and the outside world)
2. Attraction ( visualizing attainment of goals and taking action to reach goals)
3. Persistence ( dividing and conquering big goals piece by piece)
4. Allowing (surrendering to the process)
5. Connection (establish a support system)
6. Pack (attending to the energizers and reducing impact of discouraging factors)
It obviously worked for her. The author started her own communications company that increased the efficiency of telephone computer transactions. She has since sold that company for $40 million. All this in just six years. The strategies in this book are tried and tested. See for yourself.
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.
