Book Description
True North shows how anyone who follows their internal compass can become an authentic leader. This leadership tour de force is based on research and first-person interviews with 125 of today’s top leaders—with some surprising results. In this important book, acclaimed former Medtronic CEO Bill George and coauthor Peter Sims share the wisdom of these outstanding leaders and describe how you can develop as an authentic leader. True North presents a concrete and comprehensive program for leadership success and shows how to create your own Personal Leadership Development Plan centered on five key areas:
- Knowing your authentic self
- Defining your values and leadership principles
- Understanding your motivations
- Building your support team
- Staying grounded by integrating all aspects of your life
True North offers an opportunity for anyone to transform their leadership path and become the authentic leader they were born to be.
Personal, original, and illuminating stories from Warren Bennis, Sir Adrian Cadbury, George Shultz (former U.S. secretary of state), Charles Schwab, John Whitehead (Cochairman, Goldman Sachs), Anne Mulcahy (CEO, Xerox), Howard Schultz (CEO, Starbucks), Dan Vasella (CEO, Novartis), John Brennan (Chairman, Vanguard), Carol Tome (CFO, Home Depot), Donna Dubinsky (CEO/cofounder, Palm), Alan Horn (President, Warner Brothers), Ann Moore (CEO, Time, Inc.) and many others illustrate the transitions that shape the type of leaders who will thrive in the 21st century.
Bill George (Cambridge, MA) has spent over 30 years in executive leadership positions at Litton, Honeywell, and Medtronic. As CEO of Medtronic, he built the company into the world’s leading medical technology company as its market capitalization increased from $1.1 billion to $60 billion. Since 2004, he has been a professor at the Harvard Business School. His 2004 book Authentic Leadership (0-7879-7528-1) was a BusinessWeek bestseller. Peter Sims (San Francisco, CA) established “Leadership Perspectives,” a course on leadership development at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and cofounded the London office of Summit Partners, a leading investment firm.
Their Web site is www.truenorthleaders.com.
Customer Reviews:
Be a Mentor.......2007-10-05
If you have children, buy this book and have them read it. If they are to young, then read it yourself and teach them the principles given by author Bill George.
"True North" will help you develop a path to your authentic self. Leading from the strength of your authentic self will give you new opportunities to expand your personal influence. Perhaps the best use of that influence will be to mentor others to find their "True North".
One more thing, buy a copy for your boss. Who knows she may just become a true authentic leader.
Larry Kevin Adams
theactionator.com
Authentic Leadership!.......2007-09-09
I recieved the order sooner than I expected with no hassle, no problems at all!
TRUE NORTH.......2007-08-31
BILL GEORGE OFFERS AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT OUR CORPORATE/BUSINESS WORLD NEEDS SO BADLY TODAY - TRUE LEADERS. THIS SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR TEENS, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN COLLEGE, AND THEIR PARENTS. IF CEO'S AND THEIR MANAGERS FOLLOWED THE AUTHOR'S ADVICE, OUR WORLD WOULD BE A DIFFERENT - AND BETTER - PLACE.
A compass with no map?.......2007-08-31
I am not sure if the authors are clear on their objectives for this book. It certainly contains a wealth of information about leadership characteristics and behaviours but little practical advice.
It is also inspirational in places; however, I am left with what feels like a collection of random cameos of leadership wisdom, which in themselves are useful, but together lack cohesion. If the book is trying to say `look, the world of leadership is very complex, random and idiosyncratic' then it achieves this very well but if they are trying to provide direction in such a world then the book clearly fails.
There is no framework for potential leaders to follow, the authors only state that if you know your true north and your values you can be authentic, which is about as useful as a chocolate teapot at a tropical tea party.
If you are a successful leader already I dare say you would agree with most of this book but if you are an aspiring leader then providing the compass without a map is very cruel.
A must read for a leader or leader-to-be.......2007-08-01
I feel this book is a must read for a leader or leader-to-be. True North is one of those rare literary experiences in which engaging the material and reflecting upon it can help you with your development as a person and as a leader. It is my belief that no matter where you are in your life you should never stop working to develop yourself.
Bill George has achieved a tremendous amount of success within his life by applying the principles of True North. However, the greater testament to these principles is that Bill has achieved this success while remaining grounded, truly satisfied and deeply inspired. True North is about the type of leader that leads authentically and thus consistently--though we each express this leadership in our own individual way. It is this type of leader that will restore faith and trust in leaders and leadership that has been diminished, if not lost, in recent generations.
Success can be crippling and change you in ways you never thought possible. This is one of the risks in leadership. However, True North is a literary work that will help you find your compass--even if you have already strayed off course. There is no one right way to lead and True North is structured to help you learn about your leadership and how to stay grounded. You may already be equipped with some of this knowledge, but True North will present novel ideas that you have not yet been exposed to and is a great resource and reference.
Book Description
In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, more is no longer synonymous with better -- indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases, he says, need not be at odds with the things we truly value. McKibbens animating idea is that we need to move beyond growth as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. He shows this concept blossoming around the world with striking results, from the burgeoning economies of India and China to the more mature societies of Europe and New England. For those who worry about environmental threats, he offers a route out of the worst of those problems; for those who wonder if there isnt something more to life than buying, he provides the insight to think about ones life as an individual and as a member of a larger community. McKibben offers a realistic, if challenging, scenario for a hopeful future. As he so eloquently shows, the more we nurture the essential humanity of our economy, the more we will recapture our own.
Customer Reviews:
Ok, How did Communities get their wealth?.......2007-10-08
I read Deep Economy with an open mind, however, I found it to be riddled with particular political emphasis rather than real data about economics. In short, the ideas advanced are communal farming, environmentalism through global warming mandates, and outright communism.
These are not tools for the advancement of society, as McKibben suggests, but a return to the comfort of the Dark Ages.
I was very disappointed in the content of the book, being lectured for the first 36 pages on the same uncredited drivel that Al Gore had preached about in his tour on global warming, the very irony of which, wherever Al Gore went, it snowed.
In later chapters, McKibben actually comes out as a liberal by advocating what he believes is the solution for all the societal 'chaos' going on - state socialism.
Truly this book would have been better written if it had been left blank.
If You Care for the Earth.......2007-09-29
This book is a must for anyone who wants to make a change to save the earth. The author has insight and experience about how our present course of living will lead to the destruction of the world as we know it. It's real, but there is hope and Mr McKibben shares that hope with the reader.
Useful Inefficiencies.......2007-08-29
McKibben is one of our best modern thinkers on environmentalism and conservation, ever since debuting with his classic "The End of Nature" in 1989. In this new book he has largely tackled mainstream economic theory and how it has inflicted worldwide damage on the environment and on human communities. Standard development economics suffers from an unyielding focus on efficiencies and consumption, but this more often than not leads to widespread damage and unhappiness. Planners and politicians focus obsessively on per capita utility and efficiency, and vehemently disdain anything that may reduce efficiency for some individuals but may very well improve communities and the planet. McKibben's great contribution here is his coverage of new studies of human happiness. Especially in America, we have passed the point of gaining any more happiness from increased consumption of things, and we have become largely unhappy over the ensuing loss of community and nature. A new worldwide understanding of how economics really works has become imperative - more is no longer better.
McKibben has located many useful examples around the world of communities practicing new sustainable development strategies with demonstrated benefits for all involved. Unfortunately, the areas in which such great things are happening have particular political and economic conditions that make such experiments beneficial (including the American location McKibben covers most often - politically distinctive rural Vermont). The underlying flaw in this book is that McKibben must resort to pretty wishful idealism when applying these local success stories to the world economic system. A related problem is that the second half of the book, where the rubber should be meeting the road in realistically applying the local to the global, largely degenerates into repetitive descriptions of benefits in lieu of real prescriptions for change. However, McKibben definitely deserves credit for explaining in an accessible way all the tragic flaws of mainstream economic theory (see the books and articles he cites for the real lowdown), and it's about time us regular folks resisted the power players - for the benefit of ourselves and our larger community. [~doomsdayer520~]
Turbines and Prayer Wheels.......2007-08-06
This is a wonderful book that swings your emotions from despair to joy and back. I marveled over the story of the village of Gorasin in Bangladesh where the people said no to pesticides after living with their devastating effects and the village has become an organic oases. That is the theme of the book, communities with members from near or far working together to make lives better.
McKibben mentions Heifer International, one of my favorite organizations, and their impact on one man in China with the donation of 48 rabbits and lots of technical advice and the wave of change in his community because of his successful rabbit enterprise.
A group called Future Generations trained some villagers in Tibet and the villagers devised and installed a system that carried water "through a series of split-bamboo pipes, and then through a turbine that used the dynamo from a junked car. A hydrology expert could have helped them build a more efficient system, but all the locals knew how to repair this setup."".....(Also, the hydrology expert might not have thought to use the water pouring out of the turbine to spin a prayer wheel.)"
World community - helping local people meld the old and the new.
But, McKibben asserts, it is time for the haves of the world to share more than knowledge, it is time to cut back on what we use. "Most obviously, if the rich world began making less extreme demands on the planet, poor countries would have more physical margin to work with - a little slack. ...If we Americans can use less coal and gas and oil, we'll in effect free some of the atmosphere to absorb the carbon that the poor world must emit to meet basic needs."
There is so much more in this book to ponder and act on, put it high on your reading list.
Quite a scary future.......2007-07-23
Wow, makes me want to move to Vermont and become an organic farmer. I found this book to bring up some very good points about our current unsustainable economic situation. Over the past 300 years we have created an economic "machine" based on efficiency and production that will be very hard to change intentionally. McKibben offers some ideas on what the new New Deal will need to be if we want to continue a sustainable economy, which includes taking everything back to a local scale. Food, work, consumer goods need to develop inside the community where one lives. Less efficiency, more community and "neighborliness". It's a great idea. I just wonder if people will choose this before the collapse of our current system or try to figure something out after it's too late. I pesimistically think the latter.
Book Description
Many technical professionals are tossed into their new position of managing an IT department without enough training or experience let alone a clear idea of what is expected of them. Other technicians are trying to decide if they should join the ranks of management, and want the real facts about managing and managing other technical pros before they decide.
To compound the issue, most companies have become highly dependent on their IT departments for their day-to-day business operations often including revenue generation so the tasks are critical and the learning curve is steep.
The IT Managers Handbook, 2nd edition provides essential information needed to manage the new responsibilities thrust on you (or the ones you would like to have): vital tasks such as creating budgets, evaluating technologies, administering compliance, and managing staff.
A completely updated and expanded second edition that provides practical, easily accessible management advice written specifically for new IT managers:
· Brings you up to speed on those business practices most critical to effective IT operations: recruiting, budgeting, resource planning, managing personnel, and working with vendors.
· Includes expanded coverage on such critical IT management topics as security, disaster recovery, storage, government/regulatory compliance, and project management.
· Organizes information modularly so you can delve directly into only the topics that you need.
· Provides a unique management perspective on those specific technical issues with the most significant business ramifications.
· Includes new material on key technology topics such as open source, wireless, handhelds, outsourcing, offshoring, and operations, as well as updated coverage of e-commerce, remote access, intranets, and LAN/WAN management.
Customer Reviews:
Provides a thorough overview of what to expect in IT management........2007-08-09
As someone who has taken a circuitous route to the world of IT, the book, IT Manager's Handbook, Second Edition: Getting your new job done has helped me get a handle on all of the territory working in IT encompasses. When I first started working at my current IT position at a small company it seemed that my job's duties were coming at me from every direction. The authors, Bill Holtsnider and Brian D. Jaffe, do a great job addressing the variety of problems and solutions that come with managing IT. This book would best serve someone crossing the thresholds of working purely in technology or mainly in management.
At smaller businesses like where I work, it is fairly common to not have an "IT manager" or even an IT staffer. Instead often a manager, engineer, or administrative assistant will be pressed into IT service. The IT Manager's Handbook would be a valuable `read' for such an accidental IT manager.
Great Book.......2007-05-09
Really excellent reference book. Im starting as an IT Manager and this book is my head reference.
Book Description
In the grand scheme of things, money's not that important. It's important only to the extent that it allows you to enjoy what's important to you. And not worrying about your finances is critical to having a life that excites you, nurtures those you love, and fulfills your highest aspirations. If you want to make smart choices about money, based on what is important to you--your core values--this book is for you.
This informative and well-written book will help you build a financial strategy, starting with your own unique values--what is truly important to you. By defining these unique values, you can create a plan that not only looks good on paper, but spurs you to follow through and achieve your goals. Values-Based Financial Planning: The Art of Creating and Inspiring Financial Strategy will help you realize what's important to you, align your financial choices with the great life you want, and become inspired to do whatever it takes to have that life.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book "Must Read".......2007-10-07
I have been investing over 18 years with a this concept. Love it, It pays, I sitting on a very nice nest egg. Trust, your values are the key to successful plan. I have many friends that think they can do this by themselves and are broke. All the trades online will take you down the drain. I have seen it. The book is on target. It is a quick read, to the point. After reading this one read the book Elephant in the Room.
My advice to you is...........2007-07-30
If you are an Advisor, read the book for the good of your clients. If you are a client, read the book for your benefit and the benefit for your Advisor. The main focus is on personal values, but the issue of the Client-Advisor relationship is explored as well. You may be a nightmare Advisor, or you may be a nightmare Client. Find out, and if so, fix it!
Give Credit Where Credit Is Due.......2006-06-16
As a financial professional who strives daily to help my clients make smart choices about their money, I am impressed by Bill's personalized approach to helping people take control of their lives by showing them ways to create and implement a viable foundation for their ideal financial future. There are many approaches of course, perhaps infinite, to planning wisely for your future. No one method or process is perfect. However, if you're truly serious about taking financial control over your future, whether you invest for yourself or work with a competent professional, then seek ideas and methods that are focused on helping YOU fulfill what's important to you in life. Bill's work talks directly about doing this and in beneficial ways that can help you make real progress towards achieving your lifetime goals and fulfilling your values.
Solid and broad-picture financial book for investors.......2005-05-26
Bachrach does a great job at helping investors identify their own personality type and recognize what is really important to them in investing. You wont find stock tips in this book but you will find the tools needed to create an overall roadmap and financial plan to help you meet your true root financial goals. This is the important part. One of my favorite points that Mr. Bachrach makes, one that I emphasize with people I advise is that there are certain things you can't hire someone to do for you: spending time with your family, exercise, travel etc. There are some things you can delegate- financial planning is one of them. Bill Bachrach also has a healthy and objective view about advice for investors who are not sure if they want to use the services of an advisor.
If you want the book with the hot trading tip of the day to add to your 500 book collection of investing books, this is not the book for you. If you are looking for an overall strategy to help meet your financial goals then this book is recommended.
Live your life following what's most important- Your Values.......2004-03-01
Bill Bachrach's book can help all investors, young and old, to reach all their financial goals so they can live the best possible life. Because everyone is different, that best life will be different for everyone.
Even the "do-it-yourself" investor can make better decisions by understanding that investing is not about getting the highest returns all the time, because no one can do that, but, it is about getting the returns they need to reach their financial goals without taking undue risks.
"Collaborators", those who like to get ideas from, and bounce ideas off, an investment salesperson, can make better decisions about where to invest their money.
Finally, "Delagators", those who want to spend their time on those things that are more important than money, such as their health, their important relationships, and their career or retirement, can have a way to find a "Trusted Advisor" who will help them reach their financial goals by preparing a proper investment, tax, and estate plan and coach them to implement the plan.
Inside, the reader will find a blank "Financial Road Map" to complete at home, or, with their advisor. There is also a valuable comparison of a "Trusted Advisor" and a "Salesperson" to help in the selection of someone to help implement the plan.
Bill Bachrach has developed this approach over the last fifteen years. Bill has been recognized as one of the most influencial people in the financial services industry in the U.S.A. He has coached hundreds of advisors in North America and around the world in his process. His stated goal is to help change the financial services industry to become more client oriented.
Book Description
In the wake of continuing corporate scandals there have been few, if any, CEOs that have stepped forward as models of "doing things right"—except the former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, Bill George. George has become the unofficial spokesperson for responsible leadership—in business, the media, and academia.
In Authentic Leadership Bill George makes the case that we do need new leaders, not just new laws, to bring us out of the current corporate crisis. He persuasively demonstrates that authentic leaders of mission-driven companies will create far greater shareholder value than financially oriented companies. During George's twelve-year leadership at Medtronic, the company's market capitalization soared from $1.1 billion to $460 billion, averaging 350er year.
George candidly recounts many of the toughest challenges he encountered -- from ethical dilemmas and battles with the FDA to his own development as a leader. He shows how to develop the five essential dimensions of authentic leaders—purpose, values, heart, relationships, and self-discipline. Authentic Leadership offers inspiring lessons to all who want to lead with heart and with compassion for those they serve.
Bill George helps readers answer vital questions such as: What should I do when my personal values conflict with company business values? How do I make trade-offs between the needs of my customers, my employees, and my company's shareholders? Do I really want to devote my talents to business? Authentic Leadership provides a tested guide for character-based leaders and all those who have a stake in the integrity and success of our corporations.
Customer Reviews:
One of the Best Leadership Books I've Read All Year!.......2007-02-02
Authentic Leadership was easily one of the most fascinating business books I've read all year. I didn't buy this book, it was a text book one of my employees purchases for one of their college classes. I never read any of my college course books and I'm pretty certain Seth didn't read this one. His loss!
Authentic is a powerful book written for CEOs and company leaders in a post-Enron environment. Taking its cues from the deception, mismanagement and destruction caused by the leaders of Enron, WorldCom, Aurthur Anderson and Global Crossings, George writes his book from the other side of the playing field. This isn't a book about growing your profits, increasing stock value, or building your self (as CEO) up, but about how truly authentic leadership does all of those things plus more.
George is in business to help people, not to gain wealth. Pursuing the latter without the former may lead to temporary gains but many companies led by such CEOs find themselves in financial disaster later. By pursuing an authentic leadership style George proves that not only are the people the company serves better off but the company is better off as well.
This is the book every corporate and business leader needs to read. George recounts numerous stories from his corporate leadership experiences and isn't afraid to tell it like it was. Having worked for in-authentic companies in the past George tells of the trials and ultimately his decisions to move on despite the risks involved. He draws from his own experiences as CEO of Medtronic and how his decade of authentic leadership help drive the company from less than one to over seven billion dollars in revenue, all while adhering to the companies core values.
Leadership with Integrity.......2006-01-01
Authentic Leadership is a refreshing book, written by an executive who stresses ethical leadership at a time when the country is dealing with a series of corporate scandals. According to the author, authentic leaders "are those who are committed by a purpose or a mission; people who live by their values everyday and who know the true north of their moral compass. The lead with their hearts, not just their heads, and have compassion for the people they serve. They do so with the discipline and commitment that get great results, not just for the shareholders but for all their stakeholders, their customers, their employees, and the communities they serve."
Bill George believes that authentic leaders "genuinely desire to serve others through their leadership. They are more interested in empowering the people they lead to make a difference than they are in power, money, or prestige for themselves. They are guided by qualities of the heart, by passion and compassion, as they are by qualities of the mind."
Drawing on his experiences in corporate America, the author has identified five essential dimensions or qualities all authentic leaders possess, which are:
1) understanding their purpose;
2) practicing solid values;
3) leading with heart;
4) establishing connected relationships; and
5) demonstrating self-discipline.
Having identified these qualities, he then goes on the discuss them in detail.
The book's epilogue is powerful in that it identifies many of society's challenges and leaves the reader with a series of thought-provoking questions that may stimulate a new or renewed course of action. Some of the more important questions are:
1) What is your unique calling?
2) Can you find your passion and couple it with your ability to make a difference in the world, such as reducing poverty, eliminating abuse, stopping discriminations, helping other heal, restoring our environment, building organizations dedicated to service, helping people develop themselves, improving quality of life for others, or bringing joy to the world?
3) What will be your legacy?
Bill George has made a significant contribution to society, not only through his ethical stewardship in corporate governance, but also by writing a book that provides guidance on how one might become a true leader. Authentic Leadership is an interesting and inspirational book. So important do I view this book that I purchased more than a hundred copies to give out to potential leaders in the field of corrections.
A Compelling Invitation.......2004-06-04
The day after I read this brilliant book, I read an article in the Dallas Morning News (Tuesday, September 30, 2003) in which sportswriter Gerry Fraley discusses the Minnesota Twins whose payroll is $110-million less than that of the Yankees. (The Twins won 90 games this past season and had just defeated the Yankees in the first game of the American league playoffs.) As Fraley notes, the Twins are renowned for how they treat their people. One of them is Al Newman who is currently struggling with a life-threatening illness. Here's a brief excerpt from Fraley's article:
"When beloved third-base coach Al Newman was hospitalized in Chicago this month because of a brain hemorrhage, general manager Terry Ryan remained with him for the entire 11-day stay. While Newman was hospitalized, the Twins clinched the Central title at home. Manager Ron Gardenshire stopped the postgame celebration, brought out Newman's uniform top and reminded the crowd of what he had done for the club."
If I understand George's key points in Authentic Leadership, both Ryan and Gardenshire offer examples of it. Specifically, they demonstrate "the highest integrity, [are] committed to building enduring organizations...who have a deep sense of purpose and are true to their core values...who have the courage to build their companies to meet the needs of all stakeholders, and who recognize the importance of their service to society." George addresses what he views as a need for new leadership when in fact the need is to increase the number of authentic leaders, not only in business but in government, religion, and the military. We need more men and women who "genuinely desire to serve others through their leadership...are more interested in empowering the people they lead to make a difference than they are in power, money, or prestige for themselves. They are as guided by qualities of the heart, by passion and compassion, as they are by qualities of the mind."
George invites, indeed urges his reader to "rediscover the secrets of creating lasting value" in literally all areas of contemporary life. On page 6, he poses a series of questions and then in the 17 chapters and Epilogue which follow, he responds to each. However insightful those responses may be, and they are, I think the primary purpose of the questions is to guide and inform each reader's consideration of the various issues which those questions suggest. With all due respect to what George so generously shares from his own life and career, the nature and extent of the reader's own engagement in self-exploration will ultimately determine the value of this book.
The material is exceptionally well-organized. The quality of writing is first-rate, and especially effective because of the conversational tone of George's observations and suggestions. Although there are frequent references in this book to "companies," the questions posed and the issues associated with them are also directly relevant to all other organizations (regardless of size or nature) in which there is a compelling need for authentic leaders. Daily, it seems, there is evidence of such need in news accounts of corruption in all areas of our society. Corporate executives are indicted and convicted of fraud. Officers in the military are demoted, discharged or, in some instances, imprisoned as are clergy in various denominations. Although the reasons for their behavior vary, all of them betrayed the trust of those to whom they were accountable and for whom they were responsible.
Authentic leaders are first and foremost authentic human beings. For me, this is George's key point and because it seems so obvious, it may also seem simplistic. On the contrary, he has cut through all the rhetoric and urges his reader to examine her or his core values. For most of us, that is an immensely difficult, perhaps painful experience. In this context, I am reminded of the fact that in The Inferno, Dante reserved the last and worst ring in hell for those who, in a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. Throughout all manner of organizations, there are women and men who are authentic leaders and should be commended. The reality is, their respective organizations need more of them. More to the point, all of us in our global community need more of them. In his unique and compelling book, George challenges us to join their number.
Insightful!.......2004-04-23
Few companies got more marketing mileage out of their culture than Medtronic. Its former CEO, author Bill George, is proud of his company's squeaky clean corporate record. Despite all the clichés he may muster, despite his occasional preachiness, perhaps no CEO has written a more lucid or insightful series of reflections on the challenge of managing a corporation in twentieth century America. Read this book and you will learn some obvious lessons and some new ones: that leaders should be honest, that they will be tempted to cut corners in pursuit of short term profits but really ought to resist that temptation, that devotion to customers is at least as important as devotion to shareholders (provided you make your numbers every quarter) and that managers at Enron and WorldCom did the wrong thing, but we can learn a lesson from them. We acknowledge that Bill George may be as close as American executive ranks have come to producing a moral philosopher.
There is a better way to lead: Ethical Leadership.......2004-03-14
This book describes timeless leadership principles by a man who, as he writes, has spent his entire life learning and working to become a better leader.
Bill George has written an inspiring book for all who aspire to be good leaders. He states his case for authentic leadership: values centered and performance oriented, using a candid and open style. He writes about his many experiences in a leadership role: as CEO of Medtronic, and with Litton, and Honeywell - describing challenges leaders face and how they deal with them.
Personally, I like to read and understand more about leadership - what is being a good, effective leader. This book appeals to me because it seems to confirm what I feel is important about being a good business leader: "Good leaders are people of the highest integrity, true to their core values, with the courage to build enduring organizations to meet the needs of all their stakeholders, and who recognize the importance of their service to society" (Bill George, slightly re-written).
I recommend this book to all who wish to understand more about leadership, and what it is to be a good leader.
Book Description
A quick introduction on how to use Lean Six Sigma to improve your workplace, meet your goals, and better serve your customers.
Lean Six Sigma combines the two most important improvement trends of our time: making work better (using Six Sigma) and making work faster (using Lean principles). In this plain-English guide, you’ll discover how this remarkable quality improvement method can give you the tools to identify and eliminate waste and quality problems in your own work area.
Packed with diagrams, cartoons, and real-life examples, What is Lean Six Sigma? reveals the “four keys” of Lean Six Sigma and how they apply to your own job:
- Delight your customers with speed and quality
- Improve your processes
- Work together for maximum gain
- Base decisions on data and facts
You’ll see the big picture of what your company hopes to gain with Lean Six Sigma, how it may affect your work area, and what it can mean to you personally.
Customer Reviews:
What is Lean Six Sigma Book Review.......2007-09-21
This book is an excellent primer for people considering instituting the Lean Six Sigma process within their company. It is an easy and quick read. We have used multiple copies to introduce the process to our empolyees.
What is LEAN SIX SIGMA?.......2007-06-11
Excellent Lean Six Sigma overview book - suitable to hand out during Yellow Belt or Green Belt Training as a support to the participants. As a Certified Black Belt, I can confirm the material is correct (for the experts) & can be understood (for the folk new to LSS).
An accelerated explanation of how to produce more and better results, in less time, and at a lower cost .......2007-05-16
It seems eminently appropriate that a book which explains what Lean Six Sigma is (and isn't) should exemplify the same principles it addresses: It delights its reader with the speed by which its material is covered and with the quality of that material, it offers immediate help with mastering whatever the given process (or processes) may be, its authors work effectively with their reader to achieve the desired objectives within that reader's organization, and they prepare their reader to make better decisions, based on verifiable data.
Many people who consider purchasing it may be deterred by terms such Six Sigma and Lean which tend to be associated only with immensely large and complicated organizations such as GE and Motorola. In fact, authors Mike George, Dave Rowlands, and Bill Kastle include a number of mini-case studies throughout their narrative that suggest how decision-makers in almost any organization (regardless of size or nature) can apply Lean Six Sigma to produce more and better results, in less time, and at a lower cost if (huge "if") there are leadership at the top of the given organization, buy-in and sustained commitment at all levels and in all areas, sufficient resources, and accurate and consistent performance measurement.
For me, some of the most valuable material is provided in Chapter 8, "Making Improvements That Last." After explaining the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) process, the authors make skillful use of various "Figures" that serve two separate but related purposes: they highlight key points, and, they facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of those points later. For example, Figure 8.1: Sample Project Charter that demonstrates how to capture the essence of a Lean Six Sigma project. It describes what the team should accomplish, who will work on the project (and in what roles), timelines and other key information. Then with Figure 8.3: Value Stream Map, the authors indicate with the example provided how the value stream map, based on an actual process, captures the main sequence of activities in the boxes across the top line. If executed with rigor and discipline, the DMAIC process offers a framework for effective collaboration that will reveal real solutions to root problems.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones's Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation and their more recent book, Lean Solutions: How Companies and Customers Can Create Value and Wealth Together. Also, Michael George's Lean Six Sigma for Service: How to Use Lean Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions, The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed (with John Maxey and David T. Rowlands) and Fast Innovation: Achieving Superior Differentiation, Speed to Market, and Increased Profitability (with James Works, and Kimberly Watson-Hemphill).
Lean Six Sigma.......2007-01-12
Our organizations is implementing the Lean Six Sigma concept, so I wanted to read about it. What I have read so far, the books is intersting and covers the material very well.
great intro book to lean 6.......2007-01-03
Go AIRSpeed! I suggest this book to all servicemen and women who are part of AIRSpeed. Great inrto into the world of lean thinking.
Book Description
The ultimate tool for smooth dialogue and high billings! The Almanac contains countless recruiter-tested tactics for handling every phase of the search process, including: The target market presentation for new business development---The quick counteroffer countertactic---The silent observer technique for interviewing control---The take-away close---The one question you should always ask before extending an offer. Also includes over 25 practice dialogues to help improve your selling vocabulary and handle difficult situations with ease. A vital source of ammunition for rookie and veteran recruiters alike. A terrific value! Paperback, 144 pages. Bill Radin is a top-producing recruiter, manager and trainer whose innovative techniques have helped thousands of recruiting professionals achieve peak performance and career satisfaction. "Right on target! The Recruiter's Almanac is readable, reliable, rational and respectable." ---Robert O. Snelling, CEO, Snelling Personnel Services.
Customer Reviews:
Must Have for Newer Recruiters.......2007-07-16
If you are a newer recruiter, I would highly reccomend you buy this book. I read it from cover to cover three times, and have modified several of the scripts to my own style and have them pinned up at my desk. They are a great reference for overcoming objections, and I use them daily.
Useless book.......2007-04-04
This is a useless book, dont waste your money on this. This book is for someone who does not know anything about recruitment process. If you are a beginner then there are other choices also....there is nothing special in this book.
Good for any recruiter.......2007-01-10
I bought a copy of this book for each member of my staff. We read a chapter or section each week and discuss at our weekly staff meeting. We have found many good scripts, retorts and strategies that we can use in our business. I will say that some of the scripts were too harsh for our tastes. We are all female and all agreed some of the scripts would make us very uncomfortable to say. Maybe a man would see them differently? Regardless, the overall learning is tremendous. Something to keep on your desk at all times and re-read often.
For Recruiters by a Recruiter.......2007-01-09
Good workbook for going over all your recruiting methods and procedures. A very good help mate.
Important base for recruiters.......2004-07-04
Perfect book for recruiters. Clearly and easily. Best book to systematize your knowledge, skills and get new. I reccomend it.
Book Description
Provides clarity, strategy, and utility to the financial management and asset management of social sector organizations.
--Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management
This nuts-and-bolts workbook guides nonprofit executives and boards through the budget cycle, offering practical instruction on completing each step of the process. This one-source budgeting tool kit is specifically designed to give nonprofits everything they need to prepare, approve, and implement their own budgets. It is a start-to-finish guide that is comprehensive and easy to use. It provides smaller nonprofit budgeters and non-financial nonprofit managers with a simple, systematic method to create, maintain, and track their budgets. Examples, to-do lists, worksheets, schedules, and other hands-on tools help readers get down to work. Murray Dropkin draws on years of experience in working with nonprofit financial management to make this workbook an essential tool for anyone involved in financial management within a nonprofit organization.
Customer Reviews:
Needs Updating.......2007-05-12
Contains some decent tips but disappointing overall. Lacks treatment of the issue of restricted funds, essential to non-profit budgeting. Does not provide insight into effective use of spreadsheet programs like Excel which are essential to budget building. Does not show modern methods for calculating overheads like the FTE system. Contains a plethora of forms that can be used in various stages of the budget building process.
To the point.......2007-03-25
The book gives you straight forward step-by-step directions for developing a budgeting process that allows you to move the key budgeting tasks down into the organization to those who will do the tasks being budgeted. You are given informative examples of the key steps in budgeting and lots of forms to adapt and use in your organization. One of the best books on budgeting I have read.
Excellent Purchase.......2007-01-04
Being a new treasurer in a newly formed non-profit organization, this book is extremely helpful in planning and executing asset management. It was recommended by the national organization's board and it is well worth the purchase purchase price.
Excellent Resource.......2006-11-07
This book has been very helpful to our fiscal staff and me. I have used it to assist our department directors prepare their budgets for the first time. It has saved me hours of work.
Budget Management .......2006-04-23
When I purchased this book I thought it might be outdated for my organization. I was wrong - this is an excellent budget WORKBOOK. The author did an excellent job in bringing the complex and problematic issues of budgeting for Nonprofit organizations and takes you step by step into the process. The book covers everything from the start of the budget to financial reporting of the budget. This book also provides numerous samples of budgets. If your a budget manager or director - this book should give a fresh new way to look at the budgeting process.
Book Description
The definitive history of Hewlett-Packard and its legendary founders, based on unprecedented access to private archives
This is the most authoritative version ever of the most famous start-up story in business history. In 1938, working out of a small garage in Palo Alto, California, two young Stanford graduates named Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard built their first product, an audio oscillator. It was the start not only of a legendary company but of an entire way of life in Silicon Valley—and, ultimately, our modern digital age.
Others have written about the rise of Hewlett-Packard, including Packard himself in a bestselling memoir. But acclaimed journalist Michael S. Malone is the first to get the full story, based on unlimited and exclusive access to corporate and private archives, along with hundreds of employee interviews.
Malone draws on his new material to show how some of the most influential products of our time were invented, and how a culture of innovation led HP to unparalleled success for decades. He also shows what was really behind the groundbreaking management philosophy—“the HP Way”—that put people ahead of products or profits.
There have been attempts in recent years to discredit the HP Way as soft and outdated. But Malone argues that the HP Way was a hard-nosed business philosophy that combined simple objectives, trust in employees to make the right choices, and ruthless self-appraisal. It created an innovative and ferociously competitive company—arguably the world's greatest company.
This business adventure story will be perfect for entrepreneurs, young managers, and students, not to mention the tens of thousands of current and former HP employees.
Customer Reviews:
Instructive biography of tech pioneers Hewlett and Packard.......2007-07-27
This is a book about the ability of corporate culture to preserve a company through hard times and periods of transition. The case in point is Hewlett-Packard. Michael S. Malone's solid corporate biography skirts hagiography as he covers the business that Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard built, and why and how they built it. Malone only touches upon their personal lives in relation to the company's development. He doesn't deal much with the nitty-gritty of their problems, but he does set out the broad picture of where they succeeded (often) and tripped up (rarely). A nice feature of the book is the use of stars in the text that refer you to a section in the back of the book that summarizes the lessons illustrated by that part of the story. At times Malone brings up object lessons maybe once too often (for example, the buyout and hiring of Tektronic's sales reps). Still, we find that his many valid, interesting insights counteract that issue, and recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of technology.
Learn about how Bill & Dave built HP, but also about the role of personal character in long term success.......2007-07-23
This is an excellent biography of the Hewlett-Packard Company. Obviously, it is impossible to tell that story without telling something of the William Hewlett and David Packard, but it does not delve into every aspect of their personal lives. The author keeps things squarely focused on the founding and building of the company and the character of that company.
Michael S. Malone does a fine job of showing us how the character of the Hewlett-Packard company flowed directly from the personal character of Bill & Dave. This is a great lesson for today's business men and women. The old saying about bad businesses is that a fish rots from the head. It is absolutely true. It is not possible to have a long term organization this is simultaneously financially successful, competitive to dominant in its market space, with a great workforce, and is widely admired, on a long term basis without a strong example from its leaders. The organization always takes on the characteristics of its leaders, for good or ill. The fact that so many people talk about the experience of working at Hewlett-Packard under Bill & Dave as a privilege speaks libraries of volumes about what they achieved and why.
We get a brief treatment of their youth and how they each met Fred Terman at Stanford. This was a pivotal relationship for all three men. The relationship that Bill & Dave kept with Terman and Stanford is also a testament to their character. Yes, the great company did have its origins in that dirt floor garage on Addison Avenue, but rather than simply retell that myth, Malone shows us what the physical reality of the garage meant to Bill & Dave (nothing) versus the use they made of the myth to build their corporate culture (everything). Malone also shows us what the post-Bill & Dave leaders did in restoring the garage as a symbol of a corporate heritage they paid lip service to while they were actively throwing away.
I loved learning about the product development discussed in the book. Obviously, only a few of the major products could be discussed because HP did so many hundreds of great products over the year. The whimsical reasons chosen for some of the names is great. For example the HP 35 calculator was given the number based on the number of keys it had.
Malone is at his very best in showing us how the culture of HP developed at its founding, what put stresses on it as they company grew, and how Bill & Dave successfully adapted it during their tenure as it became a public and global organization. Frankly, few entrepreneurs have managed to take a startup to successful global enterprise. Where Bill & Dave ran into some difficulties was in handing over the leadership of the company to others. Not that they weren't good people, but the HP Way is such a part of the character of Bill & Dave that it is hard to have that same mix in anyone else. Even they required the pair of them to have it.
This book makes no apologies about considering the Fiorina years a disaster and Malone shows why he believes this. She considered the HP Way anachronistic and was bringing her dot-com CEO as rock star credentials to this venerable firm. Luckily, the culture resisted her efforts. While she won a major battle in the Compaq acquisition, she ended up losing the war because she could generate almost no internal support. And Bill & Dave had used the employee stock purchase program to put a large chunk of the company in the hands of those who had made the company a global success.
I hope that more of today's business people can learn from these legends of business and learn the real lessons of what makes a company great. Of course, boards will have to set aside the sensationalists, the fabulists, and look for men and women of real substance and character to run their corporations. Maybe more of them should go back to being private if being public is what puts pressure on companies to do the Enron, Adelphia, WorldCom, and Tyco stupidities. Remember, stressful situations don't test character, they reveal it. Start with character and you will always do better than finding out about the lack of it when disaster strikes.
This should be considered a business classic.
Once upon a time, in a garage...........2007-06-07
Most (if not all) of the "Fortune 100" companies began as very small operations and that is certainly true of Hewlett-Packard which William Hewlett and David Packard co-founded with $538 in 1938, literally in a garage in Palo Alto, California. Their first product was an audio oscillator and one of their first customers was Walt Disney Studios which purchased eight of them to use during the creation of Fantasia. The company's subsequent growth is largely explained by sales of H-P's testing equipment during World War II (revenue grew from $34,000 in 1940 to almost $1-million in 1943) and expansion accelerated 50-100% throughout the 1950s.
What we have in Michael S. Malone's biography, Bill & Dave, includes a thorough (at times obsequious) account of how Hewlett and Packard led their company's growth until their successor, John Young, became president in 1977 and CEO the following year. In later chapters, Malone shifts his attention to events which resulted in Carleton S. ("Carly") Fiorina's appointment as president and CEO in 1999 and then as chairman in 2000. She was forced to resign in 2000.
Although I greatly admire what William Hewlett and David Packer accomplished throughout the establishment and development of the company whose name properly honors them, I do not share other reviewers' high regard for Malone's discussion of them. Before I even began to read this book, I was put off by the subtitle's assertion that Hewlett and Packard "built the world's greatest company." To the best of my knowledge, neither ever made that claim and it seems to me (one man's opinion) that it is both presumptuous and incorrect for Malone or anyone else to do so. If Malone is to be believed, Hewlett and Packard almost never did anything wrong whereas Fiorina, for example, almost never did anything right.
Malone's perspective is understandably subjective (another person's opinion, fair enough) but his judgment seems biased. Others who had a close association with both Hewlett and Packard throughout the 1940s and 1950s all agree that they were exceptionally intelligent, thoroughly decent human beings. Their talents, skills, and (yes) qualities of character are the core values of what is frequently referred to as "The H-P Way." But they were not deities and would be the first to point that out in no uncertain terms.
My rating of this book is explained by the fact that Malone provides a wealth of historical information about an especially important era (i.e. the birth and adolescence of high technology) and a wealth of biographical information about two men who were among the most effective business leaders during that era. I am grateful for what I learned.
That said, I regret that Malone's perspectives are not more circumspect and his judgment more balanced. In the final section of his book, he provides an especially sentimental account of what occurred on December 6, 2005, in a quiet Palo Alto neighborhood. Here's how he concludes the book: As older visitors to the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" passed through the garage "like pilgrims at a holy shrine, [they] looked as much at the lovingly restored but still worn and uninsulated plank walls as at the historic items. After all these years, after all that has happened, it is still here, they told themselves. Together, we have survived." The tone of reverence and adoration in this and other passages in the book, in my opinion, compromises the authentic significance of who William Hewlett and David Packard were as well as the authentic importance of what they achieved.
Great Book.......2007-06-04
Very well written, good empathy with characters as they are well described, fascinating time period starting with the invention of the radio and running up to modern days. Good look at the development of Silicon valley and how the culture of universities like Stanford has changed over the last 100 years.
Review of Bill & Dave: How Hewlett & Packard Built the World's Greatest Company.......2007-05-14
I had the preveledge of working at HP from 1963 to 2001. Michael Malone did a great job of capturing the true charter and greatness of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard and the way they pulled together a group of people that did in fact built the worlds best company. It was a hard working group of individuals that became " family " that believed that collectively they could accomplish almost anything. He captured the spirit of HP through the glory years and the tough times. But through it all it is a testomony to The HP Way and the HP people that kept the company from coming apart. It came colse to losing it's way but it is now begining to find it's way back to the greatness that it is capable of becoming. This is a must read for any student of HP and The HP Way and should be read by anyone wanting to build a truly great organization.
Bruce Myers
Book Description
MAKE MONEY IN SHORT-SALE FORECLOSURES
Foreclosures are the most profitable way to invest in real estate. But most real estate books on foreclosures don't tell you how to invest in short-sale foreclosures—properties with even more profit potential than regular foreclosures. A short-sale foreclosure is a lender accepting a loan payoff for less than the amount owed. This comprehensive new guide from renowned real estate authors Chantal and Bill Carey covers all the ins and outs of short-sale foreclosure investing, from finding properties to negotiating with lenders, to closing the deal and making a bundle. Inside you'll find all the information you need to succeed:
- Finding great short-sale foreclosure deals
- Dealing with owners in financial distress
- When to buy short-sale foreclosures
- Creating equity in foreclosure properties
- Writing successful short-sale offers
- FHA, VA, and private mortgage insurance short-sales
- Purchasing short-sale properties at auction
- Understanding escrow, closing, and title insurance
- Flipping short-sale properties
Customer Reviews:
Slightly helpful - Maybe.......2007-01-27
The book has a couple good points, and is probably benefical to a novice pre-foreclosure investor, but is not worth the time or money of any pre-foreclosure investor thats ever closed a deal before. Most of the examples in the book 'window dressed' profits on deals by not listing all expenses involved.
Solid information.......2007-01-16
I found this book pretty good.... It definitely spelled out all the details of short sales.... I think for property investors trying to understand exactly what is involved with short sale purchases this book is perfect. The book was written at a level that I enjoyed....not overly complicated.
Review.......2006-08-13
I was extemely disappointed in this book. In the title ........How to Bypass Owners and Buy Directly from Lenders....Yet on page 93 you learn that this is NOT possible as you must have the owners permission prior to ever contacting their lender. I found the title misleading as to the content.
One of my top three real estate investing books.......2006-05-21
This book will help you accurately determine the market value of a property. Looking back, I can take Bill and Chantal's way to determine this and realize my mistakes. There were times I had properties in my hand but was too low on my market value comps. Also what I learned from this book was when to know it is a property for a short sale (less than 15% equity) and when it is not. Did you know that 95% of investors out there, according to Bill and Chantal, will walk away and not bother with short sales? This book outlines the steps to follow the process of negotiating a short sale and have it come out in your favor. Very good read!!! It is hot off the press.
Books:
- Wireless# Certification Official Study Guide (Exam PW0-050)
- 3D Game Engine Design, Second Edition: A Practical Approach to Real-Time Computer Graphics (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive 3D Technology)
- A Course in Game Theory
- A History of the Federal Reserve, Vol. 1: 1913-1951
- Advanced Industrial Economics
- Analog Behavioral Modeling with the Verilog-A Language
- Applied Econometric Time Series, 2nd Edition
- Applied Regression Analysis: A Second Course in Business and Economic Statistics (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac®) (Applied Regression Analysis: A Second Course in Business & Economic)
- At War's End: Building Peace after Civil Conflict
- Basic Blueprint Reading and Sketching (Delmar Learning Blueprint Reading)
Books Index
Books Home
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- In the Pink: Dorothy Draper--America's Most Fabulous Decorator
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General
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Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value (J-B Warren Bennis Series)
Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't
What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
