Synopses & Reviews
The flood of information, unprecedented transparency, increasing interconnectedness—and our global interdependence—are dramatically reshaping today's world, the world of business, and our lives. We are in the Era of Behavior and the rules of the game have fundamentally changed. It is no longer what you do that matters most and sets you apart from others, but how you do what you do. Whats are commodities, easily duplicated or reverse-engineered. Sustainable advantage and enduring success for organizations and the people who work for them now lie in the realm of how, the new frontier of conduct.
For almost two decades, Dov Seidman's pioneering organization, LRN, has helped some of the world's most respected companies build "do it right," winning cultures and inspire principled performance throughout their organizations. Seidman's distinct vision of the world, business, and human endeavor has helped enable more than 15 million people doing business in more than 120 countries to outbehave the competition. In HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything, Dov Seidman shares his unique approach with you. Now updated and expanded, HOW includes a new Foreword from President Bill Clinton and a new Preface from Dov Seidman on why how we behave, lead, govern, operate, consume, engender trust in our relationships, and relate to others matters more than ever and in ways it never has before.
Through entertaining anecdotes, surprising case studies, cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, and revealing interviews with a diverse group of leaders, business executives, experts, and everyday people on the front lines, this book explores how we think, how we behave, how we lead, and how we govern our institutions and ourselves to uncover the values-inspired "hows" of twenty-first-century success and significance.
Divided into four comprehensive parts, this insightful book:
Exposes the forces and factors that have fundamentally restructured the world in which organizations operate and their people conduct themselves, placing a new focus on their hows
Provides frameworks to help you understand those hows and implement them in powerful and productive ways
Helps you channel your actions and decisions in order to thrive uniquely within today's new realities
Sheds light on the systems of how—the dynamics between people that shape organizational culture—and introduces a bold new vision for leading and winning through self-governance
The qualities that many once thought of as "soft"—values, trust, and reputation—are now the hard currency of success and the ultimate drivers of efficiency, performance, innovation, and growth.
With in-depth insights and practical advice, HOW will help you bring excellence and significance to your business endeavors—and your life—and refocus your efforts in powerful new ways.
If you want to stand out, to thrive in our fast changing, hyperconnected, and hypertransparent world, open this book and discover HOW.
Review
“In his book
HOW Mr Seidman explained why he feels behaviour (as opposed to the more fashionable management notions of engagement or motivation) is the key to organisational success….Thought leadership, and big ideas, are rare. But here is a challenging thought for you. Outbehave, outperform, outgreen – or out you go.”
–The Financial Times Business Life columnist Stefan Stern
“The book has understandably received a second wind, propelled by the global economic turmoil. Books like Seidman’s on the importance of trust and building and strengthening corporate reputation are being heralded as the voices of sanity.”
–Economic Times journalist Arati Menon Carroll
“Dov Seidman captures the power that Ray Kroc instilled in us at McDonald’s from the day he opened his first restaurant in 1955—a culture based on values puts the customer first. In today’s world, focusing on the ‘how’ is critical to accelerating momentum. HOW is required reading for anyone seeking enduring success in business or life.”
– Jim Skinner, CEO, McDonald’s Corporation
“In HOW, Dov Seidman takes the idea of 'success' even further, redefining it as a quest for significance. Isn't that what we all really want? To have a positive impact, to make a difference, to excel? To do that you have to achieve significance, and Seidman brilliantly shows you HOW. This book will change your life in profound ways.”
–Author Marcus Buckingham
“Dov Seidman’s book introduces you to the world of how in a way that will revolutionize the way you think about, assess, and experience success.”
– Former Chief Learning Officer, Goldman Sachs and former head of leadership development at GE, Steve Kerr
Review
"Any book endorsed by Bill Clinton has to be worth a look. Across its pages, moral philosopher and LRN founder Seidman argues that in our hyperconnected world, how we do things matters more than ever. The first version of how came out in 2007, but an updated version was recently released on the basis that its teaching are now even more applicable in a post-recession age. Seidman argues that the global downturn demonstrated the interconnectedness of the world in a way that we previously couldn't have begun to fathom, and the need to understand that the way we behave has ramifications for others-near and far. So what are you waiting for"? (
Elite Business Magazine)
"My friend Dov Seidman has dedicated his life's work to studying how people conduct their business and their lives. As we settle into the twenty-first century with all of its unique challenges . . . it's clear that people worldwide will rise or fall together. Our mission must be to create a global community of shared responsibilities, shared benefits, and shared values. This new focus will require all of us to think about the how, and to find new ways to take action to solve the global issues that none of us can tackle alone."
—From the Foreword by President Bill Clinton
"Dov Seidman's How is a brilliant social-ethical study. It simplifies for the reader the complexity of vital challenges facing humanity today. Students and teachers alike will profit from reading this book."
—Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate
"Dov Seidman basically argues that in our hyperconnected and transparent world, how you do things matters more than ever, because so many more people can now see how you do things, be affected by how you do things, and tell others how you do things on the Internet anytime, for no cost and without restraint . . . and so it must be with us. We need to get back to collaborating the old-fashioned way. That is, people making decisions based on business judgment, experience, prudence, clarity of communications, and thinking about how—not just how much."
—Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times columnist
"A trained moral philosopher, Dov Seidman has built a highly successful business on the theory that in today's wired and transparent global economy, companies that 'outbehave' their competitors ethically will also tend to outperform them financially."
—Fortune magazine
"In his book HOW Mr Seidman explained why he feels behaviour (as opposed to the more fashionable management notions of engagement or motivation) is the key to organisational success….Thought leadership, and big ideas, are rare. But here is a challenging thought for you. Outbehave, outperform, outgreen – or out you go."
–The Financial Times Business Life columnist Stefan Stern
"The book has understandably received a second wind, propelled by the global economic turmoil. Books like Seidman's on the importance of trust and building and strengthening corporate reputation are being heralded as the voices of sanity."
–Economic Times journalist Arati Menon Carroll
"Dov Seidman captures the power that Ray Kroc instilled in us at McDonald’s from the day he opened his first restaurant in 1955—a culture based on values puts the customer first. In today’s world, focusing on the ‘how’ is critical to accelerating momentum. HOW is required reading for anyone seeking enduring success in business or life."
–Jim Skinner, CEO, McDonald’s Corporation
"In HOW, Dov Seidman takes the idea of 'success' even further, redefining it as a quest for significance. Isn't that what we all really want? To have a positive impact, to make a difference, to excel? To do that you have to achieve significance, and Seidman brilliantly shows you HOW. This book will change your life in profound ways."
–Author Marcus Buckingham
"Dov Seidman's book introduces you to the world of how in a way that will revolutionize the way you think about, assess, and experience success."
–Former Chief Learning Officer, Goldman Sachs and former head of leadership development at GE, Steve Kerr
Synopsis
With a new introduction from Dov and new foreword from the illustrious William Jefferson Clinton, Seidman enhances HOW for an even more global, wired, and changing world. It has never been more important to differentiate yourself from competition that is quick to reverse engineer your products or services and deliver them even cheaper. "How" you do what you do is what will lead to enduring success - in retaining the best employees, achieving efficiencies that directly improve your bottom line, meaningful partnerships that see growth, and more. Creating a worldview based on values instead of using carrots and sticks or trying to manage vast organizations through command and control will accelerate momentum, create passion, and put you and your business or career on an exciting track for significance beyond temporary success. This updated edition also provides guidance to help you distinguish between what you have the right to do and what is right, and show you where to turn for help in this new global economy.
Synopsis
An updated edition of the classic book on how to find sustainable competitive advantage in the 21st centuryThe flood of information and unprecedented transparency reshaping today's business world has dramatically changed the rules of the game. It's no longer merely what you do that sets you apart from others, but how you do it. Sustainable advantage and enduring success—for both companies and individuals—now lie in the realm of HOW. In this new era, our behavior is the ultimate source of competitive advantage. For two decades, Dov Seidman has helped some of the world's most respected companies build "do it right," winning cultures, and now he's making his unique approach available to everyone in HOW.
Now updated and enhanced, HOW includes a foreword from President Bill Clinton and new insights from Dov Seidman on the relevance of HOW in a post-crisis, globally-interconnected and thus interdependent world. Seidman shares the power of "sustainable values"—the values that literally sustain us as individuals and institutions and help us forge enduring relationships—and the "inspirational leadership" required for our 21st century realities.
- Seidman's distinct vision of the world, business, and human endeavor has enabled more than 15 million people doing business in over 100 countries to outbehave the competition
- Exposes the forces and factors that have fundamentally changed the world in which business operates, placing a new focus on the "hows" with which we conduct ourselves
- Through entertaining anecdotes, surprising case studies, cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, and revealing interviews with a diverse group of business leaders, experts, and everyday people on the front lines, this book explores how we think, how we behave, how we lead and how we govern ourselves to uncover the values-driven "hows" of 21st-century success
For business people looking to stand out and thrive in our fast changing, hyper connected, and hyper transparent world, HOW refocuses efforts in powerful new ways.
Synopsis
"My friend Dov Seidman has dedicated his life's work to studying how people conduct their business and their lives. As we settle into the twenty-first century with all of its unique challenges . . . it's clear that people worldwide will rise or fall together. Our mission must be to create a global community of shared responsibilities, shared benefits, and shared values. This new focus will require all of us to think about the how, and to find new ways to take action to solve the global issues that none of us can tackle alone."
—From the Foreword by President Bill Clinton
"Dov Seidman's How is a brilliant social-ethical study. It simplifies for the reader the complexity of vital challenges facing humanity today. Students and teachers alike will profit from reading this book."
—Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate
"Dov Seidman basically argues that in our hyperconnected and transparent world, how you do things matters more than ever, because so many more people can now see how you do things, be affected by how you do things, and tell others how you do things on the Internet anytime, for no cost and without restraint . . . and so it must be with us. We need to get back to collaborating the old-fashioned way. That is, people making decisions based on business judgment, experience, prudence, clarity of communications, and thinking about how—not just how much."
—Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times columnist
"A trained moral philosopher, Dov Seidman has built a highly successful business on the theory that in today's wired and transparent global economy, companies that 'outbehave' their competitors ethically will also tend to outperform them financially."
—Fortune magazine
About the Author
Dov Seidman's professional career has focused on how companies and their people can operate in both a principled and profitable way. He is the founder and CEO of LRN. Since 1994, LRN has helped hundreds of companies simultaneously navigate complex legal and regulatory environments and foster ethical cultures. In 2008, LRN acquired environmental innovation firm GreenOrder. Today, LRN operates globally and reaches, works with, and helps shape winning organizational cultures inspired by sustainable values in hundreds of companies with over 20 million people working in more than 100 countries around the world. Fortune magazine called Dov the "hottest advisor on the corporate virtue circuit" and he was also named one of the "Top 60 Global Thinkers of the Last Decade" by the Economic Times. Dov became the exclusive corporate sponsor of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Prize in Ethics in 2008. He is a Harvard Law School graduate who also earned a bachelor's and master's degree in moral philosophy from UCLA and a BA with honors in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University.
Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Preface xiii
Prologue: Making Waves 1
Part I: How We Have Been, How We Have Changed 13
Introduction: The Spaces between Us
CHAPTER 1: From Land to Information 17
Lines of Communication.
Getting Flattened.
CHAPTER 2: Technology's Trespass 25
The Ties That Bind Us.
Distance Unites Us.
Can You Hear Me.
Now?
The Age of Transparency.
The Persistence of Memory.
The Information Jinni Is Out of the Lamp.
CHAPTER 3: The Journey to HOW 41
Just Do It.
The Certainty Gap.
The Limitations of Rules.
Outbehaving the Competition.
How We Go Forward.
Part II: How We Think 57
Introduction: The Paradox of Journey.
CHAPTER 4: Playing to Your Strengths 63
Help.
You Can Judge a Book by Its Cover.
Looking Out for Number Two.
The Evolution of What Is Valuable.
Believe It.
CHAPTER 5: From Can to Should 81
Rules as Proxies.
Dancing with Rules.
On the Tip of Your Tongue.
Unlocking Should.
Risk and Reward.
CHAPTER 6: Keeping Your Head in the Game 103
Distraction.
Small Lapses, Large Costs.
Dissonance.
Doing Consonance.
Friction.
Putting It in the Whole.
Part III: How We Behave 125
Introduction: How We Do What We Do.
CHAPTER 7: Doing Transparency 129
Beyond Proxies and Surrogates.
ICU, UC Me.
The Market Defines You.
Say You Are Sorry.
Interpersonal Transparency.
Sig, Don't Zag.
CHAPTER 8: Trust 157
The Soft Made Hard.
How High Is the Ceiling?
Going on a TRIP.
Tripping.
Doing Trust.
Trust Is the Drug.
Trust, but Verify.
CHAPTER 9: Reputation, Reputation, Reputation 181
Reputation in a Wired World.
Reputational Capital.
Mismanaging Reputation Management.
A Second Chance.
Part IV: How We Govern 209
Introduction: Innovating in HOW.
CHAPTER 10: Doing Culture 215
The Sum of All HOWs.
The Spectrum of Culture.
The Four Types of Culture.
Five HOWs of Culture.
CHAPTER 11: The Case for Self-Governing Cultures 241
Self-Governance on the Shop Floor.
Freedom Is Just Another Word.
Taking Culture for a Test-Drive.
Closing Gaps.
Values in Action.
A Journey to Culture.
Why Self-Governance Is the Future of Business.
CHAPTER 12: The Leadership Framework 267
Leadership.
Walking the Talk.
The First Five HOWs of Leadership.
Circles in Circles (A Thought).
The Leadership Framework, Continued.
Afterword 299
HOWs Matter 305
Acknowledgments 307
Notes 315
Selected Bibliography 331
Index 337