Reviews (112)

Everyone can be a Leader, but there's only one Giuliani
"Leadership" is an excellent resource for anyone who seeks
to manage, lead, or instill organization into their own lives.
Written in a style reflective of Giuliani's friendly yet steely
personality, it provides an excellent overview of his political
philosophy, decision making skills, and of course his historic
leadership following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Until reading the book, I had forgotten how dire the conditions were in New York City prior to Rudy's election in 1993 - over 9,000 felonies per week! He details how he put plans into action
and demanded accountability from everyone in the system, which often required enormous political strength. Being a Republican mayor in a city that is nearly 80% Democrat is enormously difficult. But Rudy explains how he relied on his priciples, moral beliefs and formed relationships with political enemies by
trusting those who were trust worthy and always being open to discussion. These principles and beliefs were evident during the leadership exercised during 9-11.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in a political or management career, or anyone who wants to learn more about this great American.

Highly Recommended!
In Leadership, former NYC Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (with writer Ken Kurson) gives you the inside look at how he applied basic leadership principles to being Mayor, Associate Attorney General and U.S. Attorney. Giuliani reveals how he and his key team applied these principles in the face of the Sept. 11 World Trade Tower collapse, and focuses on exercising leadership all the time. The principles may sound familiar - prioritize, prepare, take responsibility, hold everyone accountable, recruit great people, reflect and then decide, under-promise and over-deliver, develop and employ strong beliefs, be loyal and purposeful - yet the thrill comes from learning how Giuliani straightforwardly applied these principles to accomplish Herculean tasks. We from getAbstract recommend this breezy, engaging book to business leaders, governmental managers and politics junkies.

Don't confuse leadership with management
First off, don't get me wrong this is an interesting book. From the man who helped a city recover from a dreadful event; he is an inspiration.

Also, Giuliani is a fantastic *manager*, who was able to get the city of New York running better than it had for years.

My main criticism is the title, and the derivations of some of the anecdotes. From my reading, Giuliani doesn't clearly understand the difference between *leadership* and *management*.

Sure, he has a great technique for aiding communication, for setting KPIs and ensuring they are met. But these are management tasks, not leadership.

My greatest disappointment with this book was hoping to find some of his ideas and insights into that much harder topic of leadership but all I got were some great ideas on how to manage a city (a city that has a population greater than my entire country...).

So, buyer beware! This is an interesting book and gives you some insight into the man (even if you need to read between the political lines) but don't expect a book on Leadership!

A Must Read!
Can a textbook be delightfully written? This one is. Authors Richard L. Hughes, Robert C. Ginnett, and Gordon J. Curphy explore every aspect of leadership and smoothly weave research conclusions into the narrative. Examples abound, from Colin Powell to Walt Disney. The authors are all psychologists who specialize in leadership issues. They have written conversationally and intelligently, using plenty of sidebar material (even famous cartoons) to bring their reporting to life. We recommend this classic (now in its third edition) to everyone interested in leadership.

I Laughed. I Cried. I Marvelled.
I listened to all of the ten audio cassette tapes. The presentation was both instructive and entertaining. The narration was great. I resonated with the message such that I laughed, cried, and marvelled through the many precepts and stories given. I got moist around the eyes while vicariously experiencing the beauty of courage, conviction, and of successfully overcoming great obstacles in the path to great accomplishment. The accomplishments of Mayor Giuliani's administration in NYC were many. Within the stories were principles related to the importance of hiring excellent people, management by morning meetings, management by metrics, being at the scene of problems. For lawyers, the book includes more than a few great insights.

Primary among the many great stories is the Mayor's references to September 11, 2001. This occupies all of chapter 1 but the stories continue throughout. One of the early delights in the book is the story of overcoming the "squeegee men" panhandlers in New York City. Chapter headings related to "Be Prepared", "Loyalty" and "Stand Up To Bullies" deliver what they promise. I marvelled that the loyalty stories related primarily to loyalty down to the people who work for you. The story about Rudy's fight with prostate cancer was remarkable for the example that it gave of great diligence in gathering information and making a careful decision. The book, as read, is clear and concise. Every word seems to count. In my experience, Rudy began to earn his reputation long before he was Mayor when we worked to obtain convictions and strong sentences against organized crime bosses.

The precepts and examples are admirable. It's Rudy's own account, but it is clear that Mr. Giuliani has given great diligence to his work while showing great insight, great commitment to principle, great courage. ... Read more

Book Description

ANSWERS YOU NEED FROM EXPERTS YOU TRUST

How many times have you bought the latest and greatest management book and let it collect dust on your shelf? Management fads come and go, but leaders across the globe know that when they need substance, they’ll find it in Successful Manager’s Handbook.

Fully updated and revised, this 7th edition continues the PDI tradition of providing smart, practical ideas and suggestions that you can use immediately on the job.

Never simplistic, always relevant, Successful Manager’s Handbook is the ideal resource for you, your employees and the people you coach.

"A one-stop shop…a wonderful resource for improving performance." — D. Bradford Neary Director, Executive & Leadership Development Medtronic, Inc.

"No manager's toolkit should be without it…indispensable." — Greg Schaefer Manager, Curriculum Development Learning & Development Rockwell Collins

"Successful Manager's Handbook answers the perennial question, 'Now that I know what my strengths and development needs are, exactly what can I do about it?' This simple, action- and behavior-oriented tool helps everyone prepare specific, meaningful development plans." — Coleman Peterson President & CEO, Hollis Enterprises Retired EVP-People Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

"My team and I count on the processes and suggestions in PDI's Successful Manager's Handbook to help us focus the business and deliver on long-term strategies. The processes and suggestions also challenge me personally to become a more effective leader in our organization." — Andrew F. Nelson Vice President, HP & Executive Director HealthPartners Resource Foundation ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An in-depth, one-stop compendium
Now in an updated seventh edition, Successful Manager's Handbook is an in-depth, one-stop compendium packed with everything a manager absolutely must know. Written and compiled by Personnel Decisions International, a global human resources consulting firm specializing in building leadership talent, Successful Manager's Handbook is filled cover to cover with expert advice, from how to analyze issues and make sound, logical decisions to postively influencing others, fostering open communication, listen and write effectively, lead with courage, build trust, and much more. Point-by-point suggestions applicable to leaders of any scope in any field break down the most crucial concepts into easily accessible guidelines, and extensive lists of top-quality books and seminars offer further resources to pursue for tips, tricks, and techniques. Highly recommended.
... Read more

Reviews (4)

deluxe RIP OFF
I 'was forced' to buy this book for an MIS course. We all know how textbooks are scams anyway, but this one takes the cake. My college even had the balls to 'bundle' this with an MS Access book so we were stuck with a $170 bundle. All the info I needed to take the course was available on the website webct.If you can find a way to access that site, you don't even need this outrageously expensive book.I got an A in the course and never cracked the book.I just used the info on the website. You should try that route if you can, and forgo purchasing this book.

Just not worth the cost.
This book is compulsory for a class I am in.Do what I did, don't waste your money - borrow from a library..... or find other solutions.This is way too much money for information that can be covered in other sources.The publisher is clearly exploiting the fact that it is used as a textbook to raise the cost outrageously.

This book is a scam
My friend used Management Information Sustems: Managing the Digital Firm 8th edition. Now that I received this one I can see that 95% of of the content in the new book is identical to the one my friend has. Oh, right, the authors also added to the title the words "essentials of" Management...

I can believe the publisher let the authors publish this kind of book. A previous review says that the book is almost identical to the previous edition of the same book. Now I am saying that the book is almost identical to a different book writen by the same authors...this is outrageous.

Ah, yes. The cases at the end of the chapters are different

Money making scheme - rip off
I view suspiciously authors who change covers of their books and launch a new edition every year or every 18 months.
This book as with the5th edition is sub-standard.
If you are stuck with it as acompulsory read -borrow from alibrary. Don't buy. ... Read more

Book Description

Published since 1992, and updated annually, this 148 page textbook was written as an answer to the "sink-or-swim" training methods of many mortgage firms. The format is designed to give the newly initiated loan officer/agent, lender, processor, or other initiate the practical information they need to do the loan officer's job.

The reader learns how to understand rate and point quotes, how to use a financial calculator, how to make basic computations customers require, how to understand loan programs and compare product features. The student progresses through understanding loan specifications - Conventional Conforming/Jumbo/FHA/VA and Sub-Prime program guidelines - to a practical understanding of ratios, income, assets and closing costs, debts and credit history. This is then placed in the context of the loan application - how to collect all the required documents and disclosures and supervise a loan from application to closing. Beyond the basics, students learn how to finance various property types; condos, PUDs, new construction and investment property. A detailed chapter on refinancing addresses the issues which most often confront the loan officer in a period of heavy refinancing - 10 reasons to refinance. Finally, understanding how loans are made in the secondary market and the basics of interest rate quoting and behavior are covered.

This product is being submitted for approval for use in continuing education in all states which have, or are adopting, a requirement. Many companies use this product as a handout to prospective new loan officers. Many loan officers give this product to their referral sources to help educate them to the requirements of the industry. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I use it as a textbook for my college class
I am writing this review in response to the concerns of one reviewer who didn't like the $55 price. This is the first review I have ever written on amazon.com, or anywhere else for that matter. I had a choice of many other books to use as a textbook for the class I teach at Montgomery College on mortgage loan origination, and I chose this one. At first, I, a stingy Yankee, was taken aback by the $55 price, and concerned for my students who have to deal with high textbook prices, but when I examined the book I was amazed at how much there was in it, information not available in such form anywhere else. There were a few other manuals and texts that I could have chosen for the class, including some that were hundreds of pages long, but they were full of fluff and consisted simply of compiled information. They were four pounds of hamburger; this book is 12 ounces of filet mignon. It is is focused, focused, focused on providing information mortgage loan originators actually need. It has helped my students start lucrative careers and has helped me teach a very popular course; I even use it when I teach private classes for some of the biggest mortgage lenders in the nation. I have been a mortgage loan originator since 1988 and I have never seen such a valuable book. I was amazed - even embarrassed - at how much I learned about the business, even after 15+ years originating loans. With information, its not the price, it's the value, and this book is incredibly valuable. There are four pages in the book that I require my students to copy and keep with them; these pages alone are worth hundreds of dollars, and contain on four pages information that is spread across hundreds of pages of industry publications. I encourage anyone considering the business, and even anyone in the business already, to buy this book. Feel free to call me at home at 301-563-6225 and I will be happy to discuss the book - that is how strongly I feel about it's value. Not one of my hundreds of students has ever been anything less than enthusiastic about the book. I even discuss the price of the book at the beginning of the first class, and tell the students that I thought, at first, that it was too high. Then, I encourage them to evaluate it over the course of the class, and tell me if they think it is overpriced. Not one of them has EVER told me so, nor has anyone in the mortgage business ever told me so. If it were up to me, this book would be required reading for every mortgage loan originator in the country. If mortgage loan originators read this book and absorbed the information in it, this would be a much easier business to be in for everyone involved. It has been approved by a number of states for the instruction of mortgage loan originators, as well as numerous community colleges. Sorry to ramble on like this and sound like a shill for the book, but as an originator and an instructor I wanted to address the cost issue. Some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Ignore the price here, and look at the value. Do that, and I believe you, too, will see what I am talking about.

THE most comprehensive Loan officer training book in print!
Thomas Morgan's The Loan Officer's Practical Guide to Residential Finance is THE most comprehensive loan officer training book in print today. Chock full of every single aspect of the mortgage origination process, I truly recommend this book to every amateur as well as novice loan officer I know!

Great information
I have been a senior executive in the mortgage business for over 25 years and I would recommend this book to anyone considering the business. I found this book to contain in a concise and organized manner all the information a new or seasoned Loan Officer would need to be successful in the mortgage origination business. I advise any manager to consider providing a copy to each of their originators.

It is a goob book, but too expensive for what it is
This book is a very good tool for new loan officers. It is a good book, but you can find the same information in other books that are more reasonabaly priced. I would have given it a higher rating, if it was priced below [money]. It was just disappointing to receive such a thin book in the mail for [money]. ... Read more

Book Description

When first introduced to the market in 1998, Contemporary Management, by Jones and George made a huge splash with its innovative voice, content, pedagogy, design, and package. The cutting-edge 3rd Edition continues to redefine what principles of management texts should look, sound, and feel like. Authors Gareth Jones and Jennifer George are dedicated to the challenge of “Making It Real” for students. As a team, they are uniquely qualified to write about both the strategic imperative for managers and organizational challenges that real managers face! Their combined research and text-writing experience is matched by no author team today. Contemporary Management is a comprehensive text that surveys the theoretical underpinnings of modern management thought and research and through a variety of real world examples from small, medium, and large companies shows the reader how those ideas are used by practicing managers. Of course, the organization of this text follows the mainstream functional approach of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling; but the content is flexible and encourages instructors to use the organization they are most comfortable with. The themes of diversity, ethics, and information technology have been greatly expanded in the 3rd Edition through in-text examples, photographs, “unboxed” stories, and the end-of-chapter material – all areas of importance that truly serve to bring to life the workplace realities that today’s student will encounter in the course of a career. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Other than the sobering fact that real lives are regularly at stake, running a navy ship is a lot like running a business: leaders of both must get the most out of their crews to operate at peak efficiency and complete the tasks at hand. As commander of the highly acclaimed USS Benfold, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff irrefutably demonstrated how progressive management can succeed at sea; in It's Your Ship, he translates his methods into an approach that can also be applied by land-bound captains of commerce and industry. Describing "the ideas and techniques that I used to win my sailors' trust and, eventually, their enthusiastic commitment to our joint goal of making our ship the best in the fleet," Abrashoff cites embarrassing failures along with subsequent triumphs to illuminate the keys to his accomplished 20-month tenure aboard the guided missile destroyer. His suggestions: lead by example; listen aggressively; communicate purpose and meaning; create a climate of trust; look for results, not salutes; take calculated risks; go beyond standard procedure; build up your people; generate unity; and improve your people's quality of life. While hardly original on the surface, Abrashoff's course should provide practical direction and inspiration for any leader hoping for similarly positive results in similarly rigid organizations. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Inspirational and Practical
I was fortunate enough to hear the author speak once at work. He provides the inspiration and can-do attitude that empowers people that they can make a difference. He is so effective because he has done it. He could have never changed his part of the Navy unless, his employees, unless he led them through the change himself. He led from the front and backed up his employees. He could have never pulled things off without having the courage to make mistakes and learn. He provides excellent examples of managing up and down the organization...something every leader needs. It is also a skill every employee wants to see in their leader. It was refreshing to see Abrashoff apply his daily learnings to his work. Each time a new risk was taken, whether the risk was successful or not, the author applied the learnings for the next opportunity, readying his team to learn from their trials.

This book is easy to read and practical...a leadership guide that all leaders should read. This will be a must read for my team.

It's Your Ship, a floating leadership benchmark.
Whether your organization is on dry land or floating somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, if your performance levels rely on human beings, "It's Your Ship" is a must read.

In business, all too often the human element is overlooked. Human relations is generally reguarded as soft skills, which organizations do not value. However, it is my opinion and apparently Mike Abrashoff's also, that organizations have alot to gain by successfully implementing these so-called soft skills.

The author, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, teaches what he refers to as grassroots leadership. He uses behavior modification, empowerment, and team building techniques to transform a mediocre performing group into the best damn ship in the navy.

A billion dollar naval warship is not the typical organizational setting. However, the author uses his experience as commander of the U.S.S. Benfold (a nuclear powered naval destroyer) to teach effective management skills to all who lead organizations on dry land.

Abrashoff also teaches the importance of putting the needs of your subordinates before your own. Throughout the book Mike continually challenges the status quo for the good of his group.
The author describes a practical but all too uncommon leadership style that decentralizes authority and empowers people to make their own decisions.

D. Michael Abrashoff is the kind of leader that we all want to have and to be. However, a lack of courage, resistance to change, and status quo keep many of us from attaining Abrashoff's level of leadership greatness.

"It's Your Ship" offers the answers to the valuable managerial question of, how do you motivate employees to achieve high levels of performance.

"It's Your Ship" is a truly inspirational story of how effective leadership can transform any organization into a high powered and high performing team.

It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Shi
I picked this up as I had been part of the Navy and was interested to see what Captain Abrashoff offered in Management philosophy. The reading turned out to be a great pleasure and an informative one. The techniques and processes he used, translate to different industry managements, not just the military. I am a CIO and have provided this book to the Managers of the department. Management techniques are not one time events, but need to be developed as part of the company culture, Captain Abrashoff's offerings are what we are trying to instill in our culture.

Best Damn Book on Leadership Ever Written
As a long-time Air Force Instructor who specializes in teaching leadership courses, I was stunned at the simplicity and wildly effective techniques described in this book. Captain Abrashoff simply followed his heart, and in the process, not only nearly transformed the Navy but created allegiances so herculean that you'd think you were reading Greek mythology. Nothing fancy here--a committed leader, determined to do what makes sense and what makes his people feel most empowered and personally satisfied. His eager crew knocked the socks off every existing comparable ship in the fleet, but that wasn't his best legacy. His greatest gift as a leader was his willingness to learn and to change as needed--and that, as uncomplicated as it sounds, created physical and emotional miracles. More than once, I reached for the tissue box, and more than once, I asked Providence to bless him and anyone else who was determined to lead as he did and does. Easy to read, brief, and magnetically compelling, this is a magnificent primer for every person who leads or who aspires to do so one day. I have read many dozens of books on leadership for my profession, but this one blows every single one of them "out of the water". Read and heed, and your abilities as a great inspiration and guide will multiply exponentially. Extraordinary!

Practical Experience
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff changed the way the Navy does business. He proved that by making the crew the team, his ship could outperform all the others in the entire fleet. While that didn't start as his goal, his leadership insights quickly spread throughout the US Navy based on the Benfold's operational performance. It's also a book about treating the members of the team as important contributors, and well as people. The book is about leadership, from a practical, reproducible point of view. ... Read more

Book Description

Leadership and Self-Deception is the first book to identify a single, underlying cause of every form of leadership failure. Through the story of Tom—a “shluck” in his manager’s words—readers discover that identifying and treating individual leadership problems as if they were separate and distinct is not enough to transform people into successful leaders. The authors suggest that the key to leadership lies not in what we do, but in how we "are." They explore this compelling secret: Self-deception is the central player and trap underlying all leadership failures, relationship issues, and performance problems in organizations. Leaders who live in the box of self-deception are trapped: they cannot lead, no matter how hard they try and no matter how many skills and techniques they employ. With convincing examples, the authors show clearly how self-deception operates and how to overcome it. While other books cover people skills, this one goes deeper, fully illuminating the secret to leadership success. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

In the box
I think the "Light on content" reviewer is in the box! The concepts in this book COULD perhaps be contained in a small pamphlet, but Terry Warner's book guides the reader through useful and practical applications. Most people, including me, cannot simply read a pamphlet and expect the concepts contained therein to immediately change us. This book takes the time to help the reader internalize potentially life-changing ideas.

Good Stuff--Not For the Timid
Don't read this book if you're not willing to confront yourself about how you see, feel about and treat others in your life--spouse, boss, children, co-workers, subordinates, the janitor. It's a short and simple book with a surprisingly simple message. You'll find yourself constantly stopping throughout the book to reflect upon some situation you could have, and should have, handled differently by thinking about those involved in a different manner. This is a truly fresh and human approach to leadership and performance. Read it!

Remarkable
So much of this kind of writing is common sense once you're done the book... but this kind of common sense needs to be reinforced over and over again.

Written in an easy to follow narrative you find yourself relating to the main character, coming up with the same questions he has, and feeling the same feelings as he finds the truth about what he is living, feeling & learning.

A quick read and a remarkable look into how you can live & work everday.

I suppose it could be useful ...
... but like most "leadership" books, it presents material that is more common sense than anything. However it may be the most obvious things that people overlook.

Nonetheless, the book can inadvertently create even more of "a box" between those who believe in the book's mantra and those who don't. The former will accuse the latter of "being in the box" while the latter may argue how the content oversimplifies things. In reality, like most philosophies, the answer is probably in the middle somewhere. The book recommends that we should evaluate our relationships as those between people, rather than objects, and that any problems we see may really be problems with ourselves. This ignores the fact that there are in reality (albeit hopefully uncommon) low performers, disrespectful, and dishonest people, and sometimes the problem really is with them.

Get Out of The BOX
This book is outstanding in helping with judgements and self-deception. The principles are taught and reflected in a business relationship enviorment. The new guy ends up learning how to deal more effectively with people at work and at home.

This book is not just for business people. Leadership of Self-Deception is about every relationship. The story and concepts in the book help to open the veil that covers our minds and hearts which cause difficulties with people.

The ideas within this book take you to the deepest levels of judging and dealing with people. You learn how to change your viewpoint to have healthy vibrant relationships with coworkers, family, friends, and anyone you meet. This book took me to a deeper level then Who Moved My Cheese and The One Minute Manger.

There are twelve inches which seperates are head and heart. This book helps to bridge the gap and open us to better relationships. ... Read more

Book Description

If you're in new product development, or simply work in management and depend on new products for your livelihood, this is definitely the must-read of the decade. You're going to love the increased productivity and the freedom to be creative of this new product development system.

Where do you suppose it originated? Toyota, wouldn't you know. Iffamiliar with what's going on in industry today, you're already aware that the Toyota Production System is the envy of Western manufacturing. Companies like Dell Computers and Pella Windows are using it to sock it to their competition. But did you know that Toyota's new product development system is just as important to the ongoing success of Toyota? Consider this. Toyota's new product engineers are 400 percent more productive than those employed by most companies. Talk about productivity. It's enough to make top management want to dance a jig. This book explains that system and how it can be implemented.

Hold on. Before you click the order button, or surf to another site, let us make you aware of one more very important thing. The Toyota new product development system this book explains has very little if anything to do with the Toyota Production System. The former is how Toyota develops new products. The latter is how Toyota manufactures them. Both systems deliver extremely high productivity, both free people to do their best, but beyond that, there really aren't many similarities. You need to read this book to find out why. Believe us when we say, no company that depends on an ongoing flow of new and improved products can afford to ignore the revelations it contains or the potential advantages in terms of productivity and creativity that can accrue from following the method outlined in Product Development for the Lean Enterprise. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Thought Provoking Mental Nourishment
Michael Kennedy's book, Product Development for the Lean Enterprise, gives an experienced insight into the dilemma faced by some of North America's largest organizations, those who have embraced management science in all of its complexity to win national awards, only to find they are unable to compete successfully at the customer level. Using an engaging fictional narrative, Kennedy provides a fresh insight into product development; this book will challenge your beliefs and understanding and likely intrigue you sufficiently to investigate how aspects of the process can be made applicable in your enterprise. It is a treasure trove of information on, not just its principal topic, Toyota's unique product development process, but details on establishing and operating "a process renewal team" and "large group interventions for organizational change".

In Michael Kennedy's very readable book, one is introduced to Toyota's design concepts, unconventional to the majority of us in corporate North America. Imagine your product development process stipulating:
• explore not one, but multiple design solutions at the same time;
• delay the design's narrowing process to as late as possible in the process;
• demand the building and testing of multiple design models and prototypes for performance conformity;
• have the development, retention and reuse of engineering knowledge and skills a top priority for the company;
• eliminate the use of complex integrated task based program and plans by delegating each program designer to prepare his/her own time-lines to meet fixed review dates and performance levels; and
• have functional engineering managers focus on teaching and mentoring engineering talent, not administration.

In addition to product development, Kennedy's book gives the reader an overview of change management issues from strategy, to personal and political conflict, to presentation and implementation tactics. The book stimulates thought; it proposes possibilities; it gives a glimpse into the future of an enlightened company's product development process. It is beyond a wake-up-call; it is mental nourishment to everyone whose enterprise relies on engineered products.

Entertaining and Compelling, a unique perspective on Toyota
Michael Kennedy has created a most entertaining and informative book which explores an, heretofore, unexplored aspect of why Toyota, and companies like Toyota, excel at bringing new products to market with 4 times the efficiency of their North American competitors. The book is written in a fictionalized style, ala "The Goal", and conveys the philosophies and paradigms that Toyota embraces which set them apart, in time-to-market and profits, even in this post-bubble economy. Kennedy draws from his life experiences, both as an organizational developer of concurrent engineering processes at a Fortune 100 company, and from his involvement with a National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) collaboration which studied and documented this subject. His volume chronicles how IRT Industries, struggles with their product development processes, their discovery of how Toyota uses knowledge-based paradigms, and how IRT grudgingly realizes that major paradigms shifts, not process changes nor process compliance is required to be a world class product development company. And, maybe best of all, he provides a detailed plan and methodology by which enlightened companies can implement what they learn from this volume. ... Read more

Book Description

Brings together the disciplines of economics, political science, law, and ethics to address a class ofmanagement issues of growing importance to the performance of companies.Provides conceptual frameworks for understanding issues in the environment of business and their development; strategy formulation; analysis of the news media; political analysis; the economics and politics of government intervention in markets (regulation, antitrust, and torts); the economics and politics of international trade; the political economy of countries; and ethical analysis and decision-making.For all business professionals, including managers looking to enhance their knowledge of an ever-changing, increasingly global field. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The book for dilettante readers
The author provided some good examples to demonstrate some business's environments. The book is very readable. You will get bored if you have exposed to industrial organization or some applications of game theory.

Pretty Easy Reading
I've read a good chunk of this book during a B-school elective on non-market strategies, and found it imparted some valuable information. It's not very prescriptive if that's what you're looking for. But it made me feel like I got something out of the class despite an unstellar professor. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman expose the fallacies of standard management thinking in First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. In seven chapters, the two consultants for the Gallup Organization debunk some dearly held notions about management, such as "treat people as you like to be treated"; "people are capable of almost anything"; and "a manager's role is diminishing in today's economy." "Great managers are revolutionaries," the authors write. "This book will take you inside the minds of these managers to explain why they have toppled conventional wisdom and reveal the new truths they have forged in its place."

The authors have culled their observations from more than 80,000 interviews conducted by Gallup during the past 25 years. Quoting leaders such as basketball coach Phil Jackson, Buckingham and Coffman outline "four keys" to becoming an excellent manager: Finding the right fit for employees, focusing on strengths of employees, defining the right results, and selecting staff for talent--not just knowledge and skills. First, Break All the Rules offers specific techniques for helping people perform better on the job. For instance, the authors show ways to structure a trial period for a new worker and how to create a pay plan that rewards people for their expertise instead of how fast they climb the company ladder. "The point is to focus people toward performance," they write. "The manager is, and should be, totally responsible for this." Written in plain English and well organized, this book tells you exactly how to improve as a supervisor. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Reviews (172)

Common sense leadership
First Break all the rules addresses leadership from a common sense perspective. The twelve questions that reflect on your ability to effect productivity at the most intimate level of any process (the individual team member), are the common thread for discussion throughout this book.

With level of productivity as the measuring stick, leaders are encouraged to ask themselves if among other things, they provide direction, praise, materials, support, guidance, and opportunity for growth.

Buckningham and Coffman assert that good leaders don't try to make a silk purse from a sows ear. They suggest that you hire a sows ear where you need one and find silk to make the purse that you need. They contend that you can't change human nature, so why try. Trying to fill a deficit is more work than working with the positive aspects of your organization.

The authors also assert that good managers focus outwardly for change, and ask "why not." They focus on the strengths and manage around weaknesses. Good leaders know what types of talents that are needed at various levels of an organization; recruit to fill these positions, and develop those that you recruit.

The most useful part of this book is based on the lessons that mom taught you. Be nice. Treat people as individuals. Be flexible. Assert authority when necessary but more often than not, take a personal interest in those who are in control of how well your organization will measure up.

Must read for managers of all levels
If you think you can change people, think again. If you think one of a manager's job is to help people improve upon their weaknesses, think again. If you think climbing the corporate ladder is the best way to improve one's position in the corporate world, well, you got it, think again.

This book, written by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, and based on 25 years of research by the Gallup Organization, on over 1 million respondents, has debunked a number of management "myths". I put myths in inverted commas simply because they were "truths" -- until First, Break All The Rules (published by Simon & Schuster, London, New York, 1999, ISBN 0-68486138-0) came along.

The Gallup Organization discovered, after asking one million people hundreds of different questions on the subject of managing others, that people excel only when their talents are put to use. Talents are the recurring patterns of thought and behavior that can't be turned on and off at will. They can't be created or altered. According to the authors, people don't change much. Managers should not waste time changing their subordinates, or making them into what they are not. You cannot give new talent to a person.

The books suggests that every human being has talent, and all roles/functions/jobs in a company require talent. You cannot train or develop talent, but you can train, develop and enhance skills and proficiencies. Talent leads to interest; interest leads to motivation; motivation leads to a desire to learn; a desire to learn leads to skills and proficiencies

As for the corporate ladder, the authors suggest that you should throw it away. For example, good sales person might not perform well if she is promoted to sales manager position. She might not have the talent to manage others. Instead, let her continue in the sales position, but improve upon the salary and benefits.

Finding the right fit
This book has become priceless to my business. I highly recommend it to any manager who is having trouble motivating and keeping key employees in today's business environment. Happy employees are productive employees and this book gave me ideas that I had never considered when it came down to placing and hiring the right employees . I also recommend Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey as a corporate gift to keep employees motivated throughout the year.

Great Managers help make great employees great
This is by far one of the best management books that I have ever read. The Gallup Organization puts a whole new spin on what makes a great manager great - helping their employees to succeed as well as finding the right "fit" for their talents. This books put a strong emphasis on the different between skills and knowledge, which can be trained and learned, and talents, which cannot. Talents are unique to every individual and will drive all of us to be better at different things. It is the managers job to help us identify and build on these things.
Buckingham and Coffman do a fantastic job at incorporating wisdom and advice from the 80,000 managers that they interviewed which makes this book much easier to relate to. Whether a manager who is looking to enhance their management style, or an employee who is looking for ways to improve themselves and their organization, this is tremendous and very quick read.

A Great book on Common Sense Management
When did we lose our common sense? In college? Whenever this happened (and whatever the cause), this book helps to reclaim our common sense when applied to the world of managing employees of small, medium, and large-based companies.

This book is essential reading for economics majors, MBA students, and those working in management. It cuts through the jargon and helps people realize that management requires an understanding of human nature. It returns us to psychology. After all, the business world is bound by the rules of psychology. Violate the rules and you may harm your business.

The book delivers harsh facts. Not all employees are going to do well at every task. Managers: stop thinking that everyone can do anything. They can't. It's unreasonable to believe it. It's better to create incentives -- both monetary and prestigue -- on the idea that someone may want to continue working in a similar capacity. The book cites attorneys who start out at a law firm at junior associate, associate, senior associate, and then work on to junior partner, partner, and senior partner. Throughout the process, the attorney does not radically change what he or she is doing. Instead, their work merely becomes more interesting and their pay (and equity in the firm) rises over time. That is, rather than promote someone to a position that is radically different from what they are doing, offer perks and monetary advantages as time goes on to your employees.

The book says to promote strengths rather than overcome employee weaknesses. Some people are just never going to be able to do well at certain tasks. The book's realistic edge says we ought to understand this and move on. We can't strive for perfectin in every avenue. Make sure that your employees are doing what they do best at. Therefore, the goals of the firm -- and the employees' morale, will coincide, allowing harmony to exist in the firm. This book has many golden nuggets of wisdom, and it definitely is a keeper.

Michael ... Read more

Book Description

Single most authoritative guide from the inventor of the technique.
* Presents unique modeling techniques for e-commerce, and shows strategies for optimizing performance.
* Companion Web site provides updates on dimensional modeling techniques, links related to sites, and source code where appropriate. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Practical Wisdom
There are a lot of data warehousing books out there that try to answer the question: 'Why'? Why data warehouses are needed to help businesses make better decisions - why the OLTP systems that run the business can't do this - and sometimes even why businesses ought to invest in data warehouses. These books were terrifically useful to us years ago, when we needed help (and scholarly footnotes) in our data warehouse project proposals.

This book is not one of those - it is all about: 'How'.

How to actually design and build a repository that will deliver real value to real people. In this reviewer's opinion, Ralph Kimball's many contributions related to the 'how' of data warehousing stand alone.

An engineer trying to just-start data warehouse expertise would have to read Ralph's Data Warehouse Toolkit first edition, his Data Webhouse Toolkit... a bunch of Intelligence Enterprise magazine articles... AND lurk on the Data Warehousing List Server...for a few years (all terrific resources - by the way) - in order to stockpile the knowledge that is crisply presented here.

No shortcuts that I can spot: all of the toughest dimensional design issues that I've tripped on - and can remember surfacing on in discussion groups over the past few years - are addressed in this significantly updated text. Not all of the solutions are 'pretty' - but it is clear that they thoughtfully address the problem. This rings true to my God-given 'bs' detector.

The authors have been listening to and addressing the data warehouse community's 'pain' through periodicals and posts - but this book pulls these point solutions together very nicely. I learned a surprising number of really useful new techniques, and was genuinely enlightened by the 'Present Imperatives and Future Outlook' section.

As in the first edition, there is minimal philosophical lecturing, and zero religion - perhaps the only reason to hesitate in describing it as the 'bible' of dimensional data warehousing. Authors of 'bibles' sometimes appear to be handcuffed by their need to be perceived as infallible - such is not the case here. Instead, we get generous helpings of real-world case studies - aptly used to illustrate a progressively more advanced series of design concepts.

This style absolutely works for me. And I suspect that engineering mindsets typical of the folks that build these things will surely agree.

In short, the Data Warehouse Toolkit Second Edition will significantly lighten the load of books that I carry between data warehouse engagements...

As essential as the first edition
I was undecided if I should buy this book after having read the first edition, but I'm happy I did.
The second edition updates many of the concepts contained in the first and includes some new chapters on hot topics like CRM and Telecommunications (which is the most important sector for dw at least here in Italy where I live).
I think that Kimball books are everything that's needed to design good, robust and flexible data warehouses, and this book maintains his high quality standards.

If you dont have it you ain't a Datawarehouse developer
The mandatory bible for any datawarehouse developer. Complete with examples and case studies, it will satisfy beginners as well as experienced professionals. I began with this.. and havent finished using it yet!

The best
This book simply is the best data warehouse book in the market, and an absolute must-read if you are in Data Warehouse field. The best part about this book is that it's not hogged down with technical non-sense, and it's quite easy to read and understand. Highly recommended.

An Indispensible Book
After six years of creating data warehouse applications, making a plethora of mistakes and learning stuff the hard way, I wish I had had this book at the start! Every other page offers a solution to some problem or other that I have had. In the project I am just starting I am facing new challenges and am finding help with them as well. The best part is how solutions I used in the past which were appropriate for those problems are contrasted with solutions for problems like the ones I am facing now. Almost as bad as solving a problem the wrong way (or overlooking it entirely) is reusing an old solution that does not fit the new problem. This book clearly spells out when each solution is appropriate. I can not speak too highly about how useful this book will be for you! ... Read more

Book Description

From the most trusted voice on transition, a revised edition of the classic practical guide to dealing with the human side of organizational change.

The business world is a place of constant change, with stories of corporate mergers, layoffs, bankruptcy, and restructuring hitting the news every day. Yet as veteran consultant William Bridges maintains, the situational changes are not as difficult for companies to make as the psychological transitions. In the best-selling Managing Transitions, Bridges provides a clear understanding of what change does to employees and what employees in transition can do to an organization.

Directed at managers and employees in today's corporations, Bridges shows how to minimize the distress and disruptions caused by change. Managing Transitions addresses the fact that it is people who have to carry out the change. When the book was originally published a decade ago, Bridges was the first to provide any real sense of the emotional impact of change and what can be done to keep it from disrupting the entire organization. With new information and commentary on layoffs, corporate suspicion, and the increasing tumult in the business world, Managing Transitions remains the definitive guide to dealing with change. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
Leading a full-time staff of 20 people and over a 1000 volunteers, and having read a number of books on change, I have found William Bridges book extremely helpful. Many talk about change without thinking about the people that change can effect. William helps us understand that change is situational, while transition is emotional. He puts flesh and bones on change.

This book is well organized, breaking down transition into three phases. Phase I: "The Letting Go Stage", Phase II: "The Neutral Zone" and Phase III: "The New Beginning" In each phase William helps us understand what to anticipate and gives us extremely practical advice and checklists.

I also enjoy the awesome quotes throughout the book. Here are some great qoutes from Phase II:

"It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's the place inbetween that we fear... It's like being between trapezes." Marilyn Ferguson

"It takes nine months to have a baby, no matter how many people you can put on the job." American saying

"An adventure is only an inconvience rightly understood. An inconvience is only an adventure wrongly understood." C.K. Chesterton

Get the book. It is well worth your investment. It will help you with your greatest asset: PEOPLE.

Answers the question: Why most organizational change fails?
William Bridges is one of the world's leading experts in the area of managing the human side of change. Bridges originally introduced the notion of "transition" in his first book, Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes (1980), which was a primer on coping with the tumultuous life changes we all face on a personal level. In Managing Transitions, Bridges applies the concept of transition within the context of organizational change.

Bridges asserts that transition is not synonymous with "change." A change occurs when something in the external environment is altered. In an organizational setting this would include changes in management, organizational structure, job design, systems, processes, etc. These changes trigger an internal psychological reorientation process in those who are expected to carry out or respond to the change. Transition is this internal process that people must go through in order to come to terms with a new situation. Unless transition occurs, change will not work.

Bridges believes that the failure to identify and prepare for the inevitable human psychological adjustments that change produces is the largest single problem that organizations encounter when they implement major change initiatives.

Unfortunately, many managers, when confronted with predictable change-induced resistance by those charged with implementing a change, respond in punitive and inappropriate ways that only serve to undermine the change effort. Due to their lack of understanding of transition, they do not possess the skills to facilitate it effectively.

Leaders and managers often assume that when necessary changes are decided upon and well planned, they will just happen. Unless the transition process is handled successfully by management, all that careful decision making and detailed planning will matter little.

We must face the fact that for a change to occur, people must own it. Unless people go through the inner process of transition, they will not develop the new behavior and attitudes the change requires. Change efforts that disregard the process of transition are doomed.

Bridges presents the reader with a simple three-phase transition model that eliminates much of the mystery surrounding the human side of change. He then provides would-be change agents with a series of checklists that serve as a road map for managing transitions in the real world.

Both research and experience remind us that although a change can be implemented quickly, the psychological process of transition takes time. Transitions can take a very long time if they are not well managed. Few organizations can afford to wait that long for the results.

The good news is that leaders can learn basic transition management strategies. Armed with these skills, they can lead employees through complex and difficult changes with renewed energy and purpose, and can actually accelerate the process of transition.

With as many as half of all major organizational change efforts failing, leaders must learn new strategies and skills that will increase the odds of success. Bridges has provided us with a toolkit for managing the human side of change that is well worth considering.

A Must Read!
This is one of the most succinct and clearly written business books you will ever read. Author William Bridges uses language with care and precision, delivering the goods without any superfluous jargon. He cites many welcome quotations on change and innovation from a wide range of writers and thinkers whose work is not usually found in business books. He places these quotations in context with aptly chosen examples of recent business transitions, bringing intelligence and sensibility to a subject too often addressed only with clichés and cant. Only those who have read many business books can fully appreciate the value of such an approach. Others will merely find that they are able to read this book from cover to cover without at any point having to wonder what the author really means to say. Managing transitions is really about helping people deal with fear and uncertainty - the key is to build trust and confidence. Everything Bridges says flows from that common sense insight, and seems obvious and necessary once he says it, though it may not seem as evident to you until you read his book. We highly recommends that you do so.

crap
if you think this book is good, then you are bad.

MANAGING change and more!
This book shows you how to MANAGE transitions and why transitions fail. It is an excellent read. If you want to know how to make the MOST of change, you have to be an Optimal Thinker. So read Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self too. ... Read more

Book Description

The most comprehensive Six Sigma reference available, now revised and expanded

Completely rewritten and reorganized, this second edition of The Six Sigma Handbookcovers all the basic statistics and qualityimprovement tools of the Six Sigma quality management system. This new edition reflects the developments in Six Sigma over the past few years and will help maintain the book's position as the leading comprehensive guide to Six Sigma.

Key changes to this edition include:

• New chapters on DFSS (Design for Six Sigma); Minitab, the most popular statistical software for Six Sigma; Six Sigma philosophy and values; flowcharting; and SIPOC
• Coverage of the core problem-solving technique DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)
• Dozens of downloadable, customizable Six Sigma work sheets
• New material on important advanced Six Sigma tools such as FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

Reviews (13)

The Complete Guide to Six Sigma
The title says it all. Thomas Pyzdek covers everything that one needs to know to successfully implement six sigma concepts. After a brief introduction of the history behind six sigma, Pyzdek provides a detailed summary of the tools, methodologies and techniques necessary to successfuly tackle a six sigma project. Both "soft and hard" tools are described. The methodology is understandable. Pyzdek takes special care to explain where specific techniques can (and cannot) be applied. This is especially helpful for the reader that has forgotten more then they remember about statistics.

Pyzdek is ideallly suited to write this book. He is one of a limited few authors that has a strong statitical education coupled with an in-depth knowledge of business. PLUS he can write.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone that is serious about making improvements through the application of six sigma methodology. Everything that ones needs to know is here in one book. And for those that need additional information the references are excellent.

Not Just Another Statistics Tome
I have been doing Six Sigma projects for GE worldwide for over six years. I was very pleased to find a book that doesn't pontificate about the benefits of Six Sigma without telling the practitioner what to do on a Monday morning. The organization of the tools using the DMAIC framework is especially useful for the beginning BB who is trying to make sense of the weeks of training while they are executing their projects.

Some sections, such as the TVM and Risk and Reliability analysis, are missing from the usual BB training and are welcome additions for extending the traditional Six Sigma methodology to 'Lean' type projects.

Screen shots of Minitab and Excel make it a useful resource for refreshing techniques learned long ago.

The application of reliability analysis to call center abandonment rates is an interesting application of known techniques to a new area.

"The Six Sigma Handbook" is one of only a few reference books on Six Sigma that I have at my desk.

Reviewing for CSSBB? - use Breyfogle
If you are studying for the Six Sigma Black Belt certificate I recommend you use Breyfogle's book as your general reference. Breyfogle's book is more complete and structured in the exams format so its easier to study and reference during the exam.

Good luck.

Complete and Helpful
We have taken the time to extensively read and assess the best selling texts on the topic of Six Sigma. We find this text to be the most complete and helpful for those who desire to be certified as a six sigma professional and for those who are certified and need a complete manual to use as a reference. Our firm uses it for all three levels of Six Sigma Certification training. The value ad of this text is that it also includes valuable topics all managers need if they want to improve the performance of their divisions, departments or lines of supervision. Thumb through it and let your own curiosities be your judge. You will not be disappointed.

Six Sigma Handbook That Gets Used 6 times a week
I've had more than a few occasions to use this text. It is excellently
written and provides a great mix of pragmatic and technical topics that
have helped me on several different 6S teams I'm working. Can't say that
I've read it cover to cover, but can say that it is an excellent handbook.
I'll bet I'm averaging a half-dozen accesses a week.

Joe Maciulla
Manager, Engineering and Advanced Programs QA
Raytheon Missile Systems ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Buy this book!
For anyone involved in business this book gives very practical advice on not only the methodology for pricing new products but also changing the strategy of one's existing pricing policy.

Look for a sustainable competitive advantage, maximise contribution margin, concentrate on value and profitability and then market share will follow are some of the key philosophies contained in the text. Concerning the value of this book, it is worth the price alone just for the chapter on costings and formula for calculating what level of sales a company can afford to lose/must gain after a price increase/decrease in order to break even.

A common complaint about business books is that they are all OK in theeory but contain little in the way of explanations of how to implement - this book however offers not only theory and case study examples but also practical instructions on what needs to be done to improve pricing strategy. Overall very, very impressive and a must read for anyone involved in finance, sales or marketing functions. As someone has already said these guys really know their stuff and it works!!

Superb guide to pricing as business strategy
Written with great clarity, "The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing" is a phenomenal book. It begins with an explanation of strategic pricing, and proceeds to cover competition in the market place, segmentation of buyers, pricing and the marketing mix for industrial and consumer goods, as well as the psychology of pricing. Also covered are models for determining price sensitivity, implications of sales staff price setting and negotiation, and finally, legal aspects of pricing.

After reading this book, you will understand the pitfalls of pursuing market share at all costs and common mistakes businesses and sales people make when setting or negotiating price. You will view your current pricing structure and strategy in a new light, and be able to spot the weak spots. You'll have a better picture of how to attract the right buyers, those that can be served profitably.

The book indirectly touches on topics covered in Co-opetition, and Thinking Strategically, as well as elements of the Theory of Constraints (see Eli Goldratt's "The Goal" and "It's Not Luck" or "Management Dilemmas" by Eli Schragenheim)

I can't recommend this book highly enough. As for the other reader who states:

"After reading this book, I was able to talk circles around the $20,000 "marketing consultant" we were considering."

believe it, it's that valuable!

Absolutely essential !
A must-have practical guide for any marketing executive, interested in improving his organization's performance.

Get into a new world of pricing strategy
One of the most focused book I have read recently. If anyone wants to learn about the factors influencing pricing strategy or developing right value proposition for their pricing decisions, this is the book. A must read. If you're skipping it then I would say that you are missing something.

Scholarly and comprehensive
Strategy and Pricing is the comprehensive work on pricing, with hundreds of chapter sections dealing with academic and business elements of pricing. The scholarly nature of the book is exhaustive. Of the three major price works ("Strategy and Tactics", "Power Pricing" by Dolan, and
"Winning the Profit Game. Smarter Pricing, Smarter Branding" by Docters, et al) I think Prof. Nagle has the definitive treatise. For those who like a more prescriptive discussion of price, and some leading edge ideas, "Winning the Profit Game" might be a better read. Power
Pricing is perhaps better at organizational issues. The Docters book is the easiest read, with some humor along the way. ... Read more

Book Description

Presenting twelve breakthrough practices for bringing creativity into all human endeavors, The Art of Possibility is the dynamic product of an extraordinary partnership. The Art of Possibility combines Benjamin Zander's experience as conductor of the Boston Philharmonic and his talent as a teacher and communicator with psychotherapist Rosamund Stone Zander's genius for designing innovative paradigms for personal and professional fulfillment.

The authors' harmoniously interwoven perspectives provide a deep sense of the powerful role that the notion of possibility can play in every aspect of life. Through uplifting stories, parables, and personal anecdotes, the Zanders invite us to become passionate communicators, leaders, and performers whose lives radiate possibility into the world. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Stretches your thought process
The Zander's redefine the way you look at things and view situations. I found the book to be a combination of art/creativity and psycho-analysis. Some of the principles I had a hard time really owning.

It reminds me a bi