But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?
Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't.
“Some of the key concepts discerned in the study,” comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people.”
Today, encyclopedias, jetliners, operating systems, mutual funds, and many other items are being created by teams numbering in the thousands or even millions. While some leaders fear the heaving growth of these massive online communities, Wikinomics proves this fear is folly. Smart firms can harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth, and success.
A brilliant guide to one of the most profound changes of our time, Wikinomics challenges our most deeply-rooted assumptions about business and will prove indispensable to anyone who wants to understand competitiveness in the twenty-first century.
Based on a $9 million research project led by bestselling author Don Tapscott, Wikinomics shows how masses of people can participate in the economy like never before. They are creating TV news stories, sequencing the human genome, remixing their favorite music, designing software, finding a cure for disease, editing school texts, inventing new cosmetics, or even building motorcycles. You'll read about:
• Rob McEwen, the Goldcorp, Inc. CEO who used open source tactics and an online competition to save his company and breathe new life into an old-fashioned industry.
• Flickr, Second Life, YouTube, and other thriving online communities that transcend social networking to pioneer a new form of collaborative production.
• Mature companies like Procter & Gamble that cultivate nimble, trust-based relationships with external collaborators to form vibrant business ecosystems.
An important look into the future, Wikinomics will be your road map for doing business in the twenty-first century.
Book Description
The new grand theory of leadership by Ram Charan . . . The breakthrough book that links know-how—the skills of people who know what they are doing— with the personal and psychological traits of the successful leader.
How often have you heard someone with a commanding presence deliver a bold vision that turned out to be nothing more than rhetoric and hot air? All too often we mistake the appearance of leadership for the real deal. Without a doubt, intelligence, vision, and the ability to communicate are important. But something big is missing: the know-how of running a business—the capacity to take it in the right direction, do the right things, make the right decisions, deliver results, and leave the people and the business better off than they were before.
For well over four decades, Ram Charan has been learning in the most visceral way the underlying reasons why leaders succeed and fail. As one of the most influential advisers to top management teams of leading companies around the world, he has had a front-row seat to observe the cause and effect of leadership practices and behaviors.
Ram Charan’s insight into the real content of leadership provides you with the eight fundamental skills needed for success in the twenty-first century:
• Positioning (and, when necessary, repositioning) your business by zeroing in on the central idea that meets customer needs and makes money
• Connecting the dots by pinpointing patterns of external change ahead of others
• Shaping the way people work together by leading the social system of your business
• Judging people by getting to the truth of a person
• Molding high-energy, high-powered, high-ego people into a working team of leaders in which they equal more than the sum of their parts
• Knowing the destination where you want to take your business by developing goals that balance what the business can become with what it can realistically achieve
• Setting laser-sharp priorities that become the road map for meeting your goals
• Dealing creatively and positively with societal pressures that go beyond the economic value creation activities of your business
Know-How is the missing link of leadership. By showing how the eight know-hows link to, interact with, and reinforce personal and psychological traits, Ram Charan provides a holistic and innovative portrait of successful leaders of the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
Some Good Insights.......2007-09-05
This book has some strong insights into identifying the skill set of performers and non-performers. It is also in some ways though too concise in terms of what Charan identifies.
For instance where he defines Tenacity - the drive to search, persist and follow through, but not too long.
I think Tenacity in leadership is terribly important and not something that has a point of stoppage.
I recently read Bob Prosen's "Kiss Theory Good Bye" and found its identification in terms of Crippling Habits that leaders/companies must overcome to be another inspiring book on how leaders and managers can truly empower long-term change in accountability and in terms of a company's bottom line.
Kiss Theory Good Bye: Five Proven Ways to Get Extraordinary Results in Any Company
Eight priorities for success as a CEO.......2007-08-30
Forty-five years of observing businesses and business leaders as a trusted business-advisor lead Ram Charan to conclude that eight areas of know-how are essential to success: Positioning the Business; Pinpointing External Change; Leading the Social System of your Business; Judging People; Molding a Team; Developing goals; Setting Laser-sharp Priorities; Dealing with Societal Pressures. Using relatable examples Charan explains what he means by these areas of know-how and then ends each chapter's discussion with some guidance on how to gather this know-how.
An easy read that may leave you thinking, "He speaks common sense."
This book is recommended for business leaders who want to consider if they are giving the right priorities to their time and energies. Dennis DeWilde, Author of The Performance Connection
Common sense leadership advice.......2007-08-28
This book covers eight leadership principles in a generic way. The author uses the trick of using success cases that sustains his ideas, but neglects the countless other cases that do not fit his theory. Anyhow, it's an easy and worth read.
Use this to clarify thinking.......2007-08-26
The essence of the book is in the way the thoughts are organized and clarified - and the confirmation that many of our thoughts about running a company and who should be in the company are not just intuition.
It is good value for money and provides a good checklist. I think the first chapter sums it sum nicely; the financial essence of running a profitable company are the same, whether a shoe-shop, a pizza place or a consulting company. What makes the difference is the deep know how needed to succeed in the marketplace - and his value is in giving a framework around which a reader can do substantial self-assessment and put in place a good plan for self improvement.
I also think this is really a good read before making critical hires in particular - it allows one to step back a bit from the hurried pace of today's hiring and take a deep look at what is really needed.
If this book can also help prevent entrepreneurs going off into areas where they lack know-how, this alone would be a great outcome.
Good and Specific Ideas.......2007-08-24
"Know-How" provides a number of credible and helpful ideas on building and sustaining a successful organization. I particularly liked his brief comments on why G.M.'s year 2000 onwards push to regain market had failed, and would greatly have valued more material on strategic thinking. The bad news is, like many books, "Know-How" runs out of gas in its latter half - too many vague aspects relying very heavily on difficult-to-evaluate judgement.
Ram begins by asserting that personal attributes (eg. raw intelligence, commanding presence and great communication skills) are just one small slice of the leadership pie, and that their value is greatly diminished without know-how. ("Know-How" also points out that even management genius Jack Welch originally overemphasized personal attributes.) Some key know-how strengths include the ability to creatively and positively respond to societal pressures with significant impact (eg. global warming, fuel economy), and setting laser-sharp priorities aligning resources and actions to accomplish the goals.
Important personal traits include ambition (with integrity and knowledge regarding where to move), drive and tenacity (stick to the plan, but also realize when it is not working), self-confidence (not driven by a desire to be liked and thereby tolerate non-performers), psychological openness, and an appetite for learning.
Positioning is the central idea of one's business, and most will require at change within each decade. Declining revenues/market share are warning signs. Basic positioning question is "Why is what we offer better than the other options available?" Another is "Where can we win?"
New technology often creates a need to reposition - eg. Google's impact on newspaper advertising. This need may be obscured by conflicting signals - eg. a rise in one region's sales. Another example is Blockbuster vs. Internet movie downloads, or IPod vs. music stores. Down the road thinking is essential in these situations, taking competitors' likely actions into account. The political process now has greater impact than ever before, representing another key area for review - eg. societal positions on global warming, fuel economy.
Immelt of G.E. uses "Dream sessions" to assess trends. Invites customer CEOs (and 1-2 associates) in for a 1-2 day session to hear what the participants visualize for up to ten years. External trends, root causes, views from their customers and regulators are considered. Immelt is also likely to ask those CEOs where they think G.E. should put its R&D priorities.
Promoting cooperation among top leaders is another important concern for a CEO. A new CEO observed that Sherwin-Williams' division presentations degenerated into 7-hour general discussions constantly interrupted by questions from other heads. He decided to limit the presentations to one hour, without interruption, and require the audience to submit three questions - of which he would choose the best. Finally, he asked the division heads whether the meeting had benefited them. Considerable improvement resulted.
Ram suggests multiple people participate in the evaluation of leaders. The intent is more probing, balanced judgement. (However, my experience in an organization needing substantial transformation is that the prior culture's leaders are not likely to focus on the right strengths - eg. overvalue "teamwork" vs. results.)
Hiring criteria for new people should focus on 3-4 top issues; using a broad checklist results in selecting so-so performers with broader experience than most. At least some of the new leaders should come from areas expecting new growth - eg. Brazil, China, India (for an international organization), store managers for Home Depot.
As for the G.M. vignette, when Wagoner took over in 2000 its N.A. market share had been slipping for years, particularly due to Toyota and Honda. Cash generation and margins were shrinking and factories were far below capacity. Wagoner decided to regain market share (probably the politically most popular choice, though my review of others is that it is rarely accomplished), and focused on rebates to accomplish this. Market share did go up, but cash and margins fell; its bonds were downgraded to junk status. Reality was that Toyota and Honda have major competitive advantages - shorter cycle times for new models, and fewer models requiring redesign investment. Also, neither were saddled with G.M.'s health care costs, and the operational excellence added an additional boost to margins. Ram suggests that G.M. should instead have killed off unsustainable product lines - eg. Hummer, Saab, and focused on improving results of those remaining.
Book Description
John Wood discovered his passion, his greatest success, and his life's work--not at business school or leading Microsoft's charge into Asia in the 1990s--but on a soul-searching trip to the Himalayas. Wood felt trapped between an all-consuming career and a desire to do something lasting and significant. Stressed from the demands of his job, he took a vacation trekking in Nepal because a friend had told him, "If you get high enough in the mountains, you can't hear Steve Ballmer yelling at you anymore."
See how John Wood came to start Room to Read and write Leaving Microsoft to Change the World in this video clip: high bandwidth or low bandwidth |
Instead of being the antidote to the rat race, that trip convinced John Wood to divert the boundless energy he was devoting to Microsoft into a cause that desperately needed to be addressed. While visiting a remote Nepalese school, Wood learned that the students had few books in their library. When he offered to run a book drive to provide the school with books, his idea was met with polite skepticism. After all, no matter how well-intentioned, why would a successful software executive take valuable time out of his life and gather books for an impoverished school?
But John Wood did return to that school and with thousands of books bundled on the back of a yak. And at that moment, Wood made the decision to walk away from Microsoft and create Room to Read-an organization that has donated more than 1.2 million books, established more than 2,600 libraries and 200 schools, and sent 1,700 girls to school on scholarship-ultimately touching the lives of 875,000 children with the lifelong gift of education.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World chronicles John Wood's struggle to find a meaningful outlet for his managerial talents and entrepreneurial zeal. For every high-achiever who has ever wondered what life might be like giving back, Wood offers a vivid, emotional, and absorbing tale of how to take the lessons learned at a hard-charging company like Microsoft and apply them to one of the world's most pressing problems: the lack of basic literacy.
Book Description
John Wood discovered his passion, his greatest success, and his life's work—not at business school or leading Microsoft's charge into Asia in the 1990s—but on a soul-searching trip to the Himalayas. Wood felt trapped between an all-consuming career and a desire to do something lasting and significant. Stressed from the demands of his job, he took a vacation trekking in Nepal because a friend had told him, "If you get high enough in the mountains, you can't hear Steve Ballmer yelling at you anymore."
Instead of being the antidote to the rat race, that trip convinced John Wood to divert the boundless energy he was devoting to Microsoft into a cause that desperately needed to be addressed. While visiting a remote Nepalese school, Wood learned that the students had few books in their library. When he offered to run a book drive to provide the school with books, his idea was met with polite skepticism. After all, no matter how well-intentioned, why would a successful software executive take valuable time out of his life and gather books for an impoverished school?
But John Wood did return to that school and with thousands of books bundled on the back of a yak. And at that moment, Wood made the decision to walk away from Microsoft and create Room to Read—an organization that has donated more than 1.2 million books, established more than 2,600 libraries and 200 schools, and sent 1,700 girls to school on scholarship—ultimately touching the lives of 875,000 children with the lifelong gift of education.
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World chronicles John Wood's struggle to find a meaningful outlet for his managerial talents and entrepreneurial zeal. For every high-achiever who has ever wondered what life might be like giving back, Wood offers a vivid, emotional, and absorbing tale of how to take the lessons learned at a hard-charging company like Microsoft and apply them to one of the world's most pressing problems: the lack of basic literacy.
Customer Reviews:
John Wood, you inspire me!.......2007-09-07
Reading about John Wood's motivations and personal sacrifices, I found myself re-engergized for the volunteer work I do. This book is not just for business people, but for anyone who wants to make a difference in this crazy, beautiful world we live in. Providing children with books whether on a global scale or locally is one of the best gifts (and investments) a person can make. Bravo John! And thanks for making your adventures accessible to the rest of us.
Life Altering Book.......2007-08-21
I managed to finish this book on a flu episode with a fever that lasted two days. It was a great companion at that horrible time.
Now, i read a lot of books. And over time, i got to quickly notice good books from bad books. And ever more, i get to know great books from "books you buy to balance your shelf" books. I try to buy only good books and strive to get all the great ones. This is one of the great ones.
When first browsing through Amazon(yes, i am a very loyal customer), i noticed the title. And being the geek that i am, i wondered what it would talk about(you have to admit, MS and changing the world do not mix easily). I was afraid it would turn out to be a lame book as many books which carry a similar title are. So i took a gamble and i bought it.
It talks about the story of a man(John Wood, marketing executive working at Microsoft) who took a "no-computers" vacation to Nepal. And this vacation changed his life. He describes his life in detail. The details are typical of a modern young successful man working in a high-tech firm. Basically his life consisted of work, work, work and an almost non-existent social life(or any other kind of life for that matter). He thought he was happy this way, we all do, until we stop and take a good look at what we have accomplished.
In Nepal, he noticed that even though some provinces had schools, there were no books and no libraries. So he started out with a little project of collecting a few books for one particular school in Nepal. This all started with a promise to return to Nepal with books. And the whole idea avalanched into one of the most successful projects. An organization that builds schools/libraries and provides books and scholarships for young girls.
I don't want to give out too many details. The beauty of this story is in the events that took place and their chronological order. So i don't want to spoil it. However, i will talk about why i liked this book so much.
John saw the kids in Nepal. He saw that they were trying to learn, but with very poor resources. He also understood that education is the most important gift that you can bestow on a child. Especially girls, since these girls will grow up with this education in mind and carry this belief over to their children and families. "You educate a girl, you educate an entire generation."
After John returned from Nepal, he tried to get back to his old lifestyle. But he could not. How could he? Everything he will do now will seem so empty. How can he go on working knowing that there are children in the world that are not getting the opportunities that we take for granted. He felt so empty. And even if, according to our standard, he is very successful....his life felt meaningless in light of this issue. Everything he accomplished looked so insignificant.
What is truly remarkable though, is that he ran his organization in the same way he would run a normal business. So unlike the other charities around, he never asked people for money out of pity. So instead of showing children with sad faces and sick people like all charities do, he showed the schools he built and the books that he got and the children making use of all of this. It is his belief that contributers do not give money to charity because they don't know where their money is going. They never see results.
I also believe that any book you read must alter your life in some sense. This book did just that. I learned that you shouldn't listen to all the nay-sayers. I learned that for every 1 idea you come up with, there will be a 100 people telling you how it won't work. I also learned to never give up.
If i would only take away one thing from this book, it would be my current favorite quote(which according to the book is an old Chinese quote)
Those who say it cannot be done should not criticize those who are doing it.
This books is highly recommended with 5/5 stars.
great inspiration along with fantastic advice for those who want to change the world.......2007-08-20
Wood brings a fresh, business-like perspective to the often stale world of not-for-profits. His personal journey from career success, to existential angst, to leaving the rat race to change the world is a true inspiration.
Giving back by giving effectively.......2007-07-06
There are plenty of books about one individual's accomplishments in the march to change the world. This book is different because--along with his passion for education and libraries--John Wood brings a model for transforming that passion into sustainable organizations on the ground. If you are actively involved in a nonprofit organization, you will enjoy John's down to earth advice about focusing on results, fundraising, and having fun while you're doing the hard work.
going from corporate executive to do gooder champion.......2007-06-05
This is a good book to understand risk that is inspired by passion. this guy had everything to lose and so much to gain and he did it. Kudos to him and kudos for a well written book.
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.
Customer Reviews:
High rating for a textbook, but it deserves it........2007-08-11
I have had several textbooks in Management between an Undergraduate, Graduate and Business itself. This was no different in that I expected the same old stuff, but was very pleasantly surprised at the authors candor about our perceptions of business practices. It didn't mince words on several tactics used by management and explained why so much doesn't work. It got my attention and I continued my reading with far more interest. There really isn't anything more complimentary I can say than I intend to sell all other books to new students, excect this one which I will hang on to and reference.
great results from this book.......2007-07-06
This is a wonderful book. If you deal with people who need to change how they do their work you must read this book.
great, short, valuable.......2007-07-04
This is a great book for all people who deal with people that are dealing with change. I have found this book useful when being a change agent for a company, or just for management in my own company. Part of the value of this book is it describes the emotional aspect of change. People are not always (usually) logical. Emotions play a large part. Knowing how to deal with the emotional aspect of change is essential. This book gives you great insights in this area.
Managing Transitions by William Bridges.......2007-05-13
This book is great! I was/am dealing with some pretty significant transitions -- the sudden death of my 21 year-old daughter, and a major division re-org at an S&P 500 company. Several months earlier, my VP had mentioned the book and suggested that all of his direct reports to read it. I did and it really hit home.
The author does an excellent job of describing the emotional and organizational impact of change and the mechanics of the process we use to get through it. We use the same basic process to deal with all change -- personal and professional -- and it has been very helpful to understand how it works. There is also a section in the book about the life cycle of an organization and that was illuminating. The book provided some tools to help me make critical decisions.
I bought six copies of the book and have given them out to friends and co-workers.
Great ~.......2007-05-07
This was a great book and well needed. If your your in or responsible for transitions. This is for you - an eye opener to some great ideas and the author takes the reader to both sides of the good and bad involving the transitional process and how it should be done. Great insight!
Amazon.com
Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Who Moved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature of cheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are "littlepeople," mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It's not just sustenance to them; it's their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they've found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out.
Dr. Johnson, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and many other books, presents this parable to business, church groups, schools, military organizations--anyplace where you find people who may fear or resist change. And although more analytical and skeptical readers may find the tale a little too simplistic, its beauty is that it sums up all natural history in just 94 pages: Things change. They always have changed and always will change. And while there's no single way to deal with change, the consequence of pretending change won't happen is always the same: The cheese runs out. --Lou Schuler
Book Description
The Change Survival Kit is an A-Mazing Way to Deal with Changes in Your Work and in Your Life. It reminds you to use what you discovered in the "Cheese" story - and enjoy it!
The kit contains:
A copy of the #1 Hardcover Book
12 Animated Reminders
24 Screen Saver Prompts
12 Desktop Wallpapers
Photo-Top Mouse pad
FREE! Multi-Level Maze Game
Customer Reviews:
It's an OK book.......2007-10-04
Just like most of the people, I got this book from my employer (I hope it's not a sign of restructuring :)).
I'm afraid that I do a too good job of reviewing the book one would no longer need to buy it anymore. In essence, the whole book can be summarized in about 10 statements. In all fairness though, these are insightful and worth meditating on statements.
So, like I said... An OK book.
Thought Provoking.......2007-10-03
The book is an easy and quick read but the story will put thoughts in your head that you will think about for years if not a lifetime. Life brings us all challenges so this book is for all of us... That is, unless your life is perfect.
Genuinely Insulting..........2007-09-29
Genuinely insulting to the independent thinker. Yeah I know, it's been said countless times but I felt the need to reinforce that notion. If you're someone that's more comfortable being a follower and having your life and work environment structured for you then you're more likely to enjoy this book and find something meaningful in it. If you're someone that uses logic and reason to guide your decisions then don't waste your time or money on this rehashed brainwashing manual. This is a book written for unquestioning, mindless followers, not a book for leaders. But a tool that leaders would use to try and control their subordinates.
who moved my cheese.......2007-09-21
Light, but nevertheless thought provoking reading. Good for an hour or so by the fire.
Overrated.......2007-09-17
This book has been considered a classic by many and used widely in the corporate world. In my opinion, however, if you are seriously considering reinventing yourself or improving how you manage life, this book won't get you there. Change doesn't come about with a superficial one-hour read. Consider a book like "The Path of Least Resistance" by Robert Fritz. It will take more time and effort, but I think it's a seminal work in the field of human motivational theory. If you give it a chance, it might transform you.
Mario Alonso, Ph.D; author of "Family Business Survival: Six Key Tasks Required for a Successful Family Business" www.AlonsoStrategyConsulting.com
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Book in Gitomer's latest
- Not Impressed
- I have to admit... it's helpful
- Yes Attitude
- Another great book from Jeffrey Gitomer
|
Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS (Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Books)
Jeffrey Gitomer
Manufacturer: FT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Business & Investing
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| Books
General
| Sales & Selling
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
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Techniques
| Sales & Selling
| Marketing & Sales
| Business & Investing
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ASIN: 0131986473 |
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book in Gitomer's latest .......2007-09-27
I think this is a great book for anybody that needs an attitude adjustment or not. It is just a very good book with exercises in the book to help you realize what you are doing that could be setting you back or negative. Or what you are not doing that can help you improve and be more positive. It makes you think and ponder. Most people think they have a positive attitude. You may be surprised after taking his evalution tests whether you are. This book helps you go from a positive attitude to a Yes Attitude which is even better. Read the book it is definitely worth your time. And then say YES!
Not Impressed.......2007-08-29
Maybe 5 pages out of the whole book ENCOURAGED you to BECOME Positive with a YES attitude. The rest of the book was FLUFF.
He writes books...that's his job. He needs to sell books to buy the Beemer.
Did this book help me become MORE Positive?..... NO
Did it tell me how to become MORE Positive?..... NO.
So I went ahead and bought the "Magic of Thinking BIG" from Amazon instead.
ONE STAR because I liked the cover of the book.
Very overpriced and does NOT deliver.
I have to admit... it's helpful.......2007-08-14
Honestly, I wanted to dislike this book. It seemed shallow and more like a powerpoint presentation than a book.
Let's start: too simplistic, dumbed-down. Obvious. A rehash of what I already know. A huckster pushing a product...
But I have to admit that I just found it useful. I actually started to read it for 15 minutes a day in the morning - every weekday. And I actually found that it did help my attitude, that it did help me move forward and respond more positively to those around me. That it did help me take an extra moment when I am about to say something negative... and think it over.
I've started adopting various ideas from the book... and they help.
I'm almost embarrassed by liking this book. But it has been worth 10x the cover price to me.
In the end - well, I just will say "thanks".
Yes Attitude.......2007-08-11
This book was awesome. Very easy to read and FULL of inspirational things to think about and actions to take. I bought this book for all my employees to remind them to keep their "Yes" attitudes!
Another great book from Jeffrey Gitomer.......2007-07-23
Again another great book from Jeffery Gitomer. I discovered him lately, however I consider him one of the greatest contemporary writer about sales and motivational. Like other books also the Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude is easy to read, I am not a native English speaker, direct to the subject, full of common sense and the last, but not the least, 100% applicable everyhwere.
Book Description
Lean production has been proven unbeatable in organizing production operations, yet the majority of attempts to implement lean end in disappointing results. The critical factor so often overlooked is that lean implementation requires day-to-day, hour-by-hour management practices and skills that leaders in conventional batch-and-queue environments are neither familiar nor comfortable with.
Creating a Lean Culture helps lean leaders succeed in their personal batch-to-lean transformation. It provides a practical guide to implementing the missing links needed to sustain a lean implementation. Mann provides critical guidance on developing and using the key elements of a lean management system, including: leader standard work, visual controls, daily accountability processes, maintaining a process focus, managing key HR issues, and much more. In addition, a questionnaire is included to help assess current management practices and monitor progress.
Highlights: Distinguishes the much-discussed, abstract concept of "lean culture" from the concrete, implementable practices of lean management. Describes and illustrates 4 key principles of lean management: leader standard work; visual controls; daily accountability process, and discipline. Shows how visual controls bring process focus to life, tie in lean's requirement for highly disciplined execution, and make leaders' new jobs far easier to explain, model and evaluate. Moves beyond models and theories of lean management to show how to implement the daily practices that are the key to implementing and sustaining a lean transformation. Lots of case examples, figures and photographs.
Customer Reviews:
Great reference on real lean.......2007-10-05
This book fills an essential gap between Liker's Toyota Way and the many books on Lean Tools.
We intentionally didn't begin our lean transformation in our large service orgnization until we had this book because we saw the folly in trying to implement a bunch of lean tools without the necessary management system.
We have visited some Tier 1 Toyota suppliers and Kaizen really means continuous improvement not a succession of week-long projects that many big-time consultants and organizations focus on.
This book is our defacto lean transformation handbook and I am glad to see that it has become a standard reference for at least two MBA programs in the area.
Book has quite an impact on new lean leaders.......2007-06-19
This is a fantastic book, one of the small number of "core" lean books that I recommend to people. I've used the book with many healthcare clients who are new to lean. They have loved the book so much that they have read it three times, learning something new each time, and learning something different at each stage of their lean learning journey. The most frequent comment I hear is that the book means one thing to them before they start but it means even more to them after they have "struggled" with a lean environment on their own, revisiting the book and its concepts helps immensely.
Mann's book helps make concrete the vague notion of a "lean culture" and spells out steps leaders can take to start moving in that direction. The book doesn't promise quick fixes, nor should it, but it puts you on the right path to developing your people, your leaders, and your problem solving skills. Kudos to David Mann for a very practical, actionable guide for lean leaders or those of us who strive to become lean leaders.
Clearly shows you why something so simple is so hard to do.......2007-04-11
I've been doing Lean since 2000 (Six Sigma earlier, 1997) and have been applying general Toyota methods with what I'd consider a very good amount of success. The problem has been, how do you convey the necessity of the Toyota Lean method as a complete "business system" as opposed to JIT and "tools" thinking for busy, batch-thinking individuals? This book fills the gaping void.
Pro:
-Straight forward principles, complete and thorough
-Appear to be true to the Toyota principles as I have seen demonstrated by ex-Toyota executives/leaders turned consultants
-Drives to the heart of lean as a business system, with many elements that I've personally tried or seen work well
-A Shingo Prize winner... impressive
-Avoids excessive Japanese terminology (not an issue for me, but sometimes an issue for others)
Con:
-I think that the power of IT applications is somewhat understated, and pitfalls of using or attempting to use IT-related systems not well described. Would like to see a better description of pitfalls and issues more specifically. Until then, think of IT as you would if you were automating a process... it had better be high volume and well understood/mature.
Bottom Line: I think this a must-have text, and it is excellently written and laid out... plus it's to the point reinforced with numerous short case study examples. I'd recommend pairing this book with "The Toyota Way" (read that first to pave the way for this book). Also consider "The Toyota Way Fieldbook" as the ideal 3rd text to study. A word of caution, these books require a whole new way of thinking and commitment.
New Lean Leader's Review.......2007-04-01
Good easy to follow book. Interesting sections of different leader's responsibilities and the amount of time they should spend on standard work relative to their position. Also, intersting ideas on how to collect and follow up on worker's improvement ideas.
Managing in a Lean Organisation.......2007-03-08
There are many books on the principles of lean, how to map value streams, 5S and so on. I am not aware of any other books devoted to how managers should behave in the lean environment. This book concentrates on the management "process" and recommends a number of key behaviours for lean leaders:
1) Leader standard work - i.e. standard tasks, notably walking the work area and reviewing performance on the "gemba", as a regular activity;
2) Visual controls - linking cell and value stream visual management with strategy;
3) Daily accountability meetings.
It is fairly straightforward to understand, and it is a short book (less than 200 pages) but it makes its points well and its clear focus highlights the importance of these simple activities and behaviours for managers to reinforce and sustain the lean philosophy. I particularly like the chapter on people and participation. The book could have an easier style but overall I recommend it for all managers moving towards lean. Without managers displaying the lean culture in their actions, the transformation will not hold.
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