Synopses & Reviews
Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, David Ogilvy, Michael Dell-imagine that the world's greatest business leaders, past and present, were there to coach you whenever you faced a crucial business decision. They are, in The Little Book of Business Wisdom. In this unique resource, the most brilliant and successful managers, leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and CEOs of all time offer tips, advice, and rules on how to get ahead and how to succeed in business.
The Little Book of Business Wisdom brings together the speeches and writings of more than fifty business giants and presents their ideas and management secrets in their own words. These world-class leaders offer a range of practical advice on management and leadership, personal advancement, and accomplishing business objectives. You'll hear from Bill Gates on the "New Rules for the Age of Information," Thomas J. Watson Jr. on creating a corporate culture, and Lillian Vernon on how to succeed as an entrepreneur. P. T. Barnum shares his "Rules for Success in Business"; Warren Buffett imparts the investment principles that made him a multibillionaire; and Charles Wang lays out "Seven Steps to Being the Best." These are just a few of the major figures who reveal fascinating details of their characters and personalities as they educate, enlighten, and entertain you with their often surprising views on the most compelling issues that arise in every corner of the business world.
For easy reference, these essays and speeches are organized into eight categories, each of which highlights a certain aspect of business life. These include "Management Principles," "Leadership Secrets," "Qualities for Personal Advancement," "Wall Street Wizards," "Gunslingers and the Entrepreneurial Drive," "The Gurus," "Builders of Culture," and "Maxims for Life." Each essay is preceded by a brief introduction that places it in historical perspective and offers interesting and insightful information about the author's life and career. Highlighted passages call your attention to each author's most pithy, profound, or quirky ideas.
Offering timeless wisdom and practical advice from the most successful business managers ever, The Little Book of Business Wisdom is must reading for managers at every level, from the junior executive cubicle to the presidential suite.
Review
The Cutting Edge
The most successful business people are often also the busiest, acknowledges Peter Krass, a regular contributor to Investor's Business Daily and editor of the Book of Wisdom series. Therefore, he offers The Little book of Business Wisdom: Rules of Success from More Than 50 Business Legends. The advice is varied and often contradictory, but provides readers with a smorgasbord of ideas. From Lee Iacocca's guidelines for CEOs ("Make sure you're maximizing earnings today") to Lillian Vernon's questions for would-be entrepreneurs ("Are you prepared to work extremely hard?"), the advice is succinct but rarely simplistic.
--Publishers Weekly October 30, 2000
Synopsis
From P.T. Barnum to Lee Iococca to Sam Walton, this book is a quick reference to the wisdom of 50 great business legends. Topics range from motivating others to promoting yourself to conquering the competition.
Synopsis
Pearls from The LITTLE BOOK OF BUSINESS WISDOM
"The man who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won't succeed; you must have a larger ambition."-JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER
"Think about the customer, not the competition: Competitors represent your industry's past, as, over the years, collective habits become ingrained. Customers are your future, representing new opportunities, ideas, and avenues for growth."-MICHAEL S. DELL
"You've got to be out in front of crowds, repeating yourself over and over again, never changing your message no matter how much it bores you." -JACK WELCH
"Always break orders to save owners. There never was a great character who did not sometimes smash the routine regulations and make new ones for himself." -ANDREW CARNEGIE
"Don't speak up at a meeting until you have something meaningful to contribute. Talking to attract attention may call attention to your blank spots." -JO FOXWORTH
"Make 'em feel guilty when they do nothing. One thing I can't stand is people who don't act on a situation. I'd rather that people make mistakes than sit around and not do something."-DAVE THOMAS
About the Author
PETER KRASS, a freelance writer and editor who lives in New Hampshire, is the editor of all six volumes in Wiley's Book of Wisdom Series. Other titles in the series include The Book of Business Wisdom: Classic Writings by the Legends of Commerce and Industry; The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders; The Book of Investing Wisdom: Classic Writings by Great Stock-Pickers and Legends of Wall Street; The Book of Entrepreneurs' Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Entrepreneurs; and The Book of Management Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Managers. He has contributed extensively to Investor's Business Daily.
Table of Contents
Partial table of contents:
MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES.
Lee Iacocca: My Little Commandments of Management.
Bill Gates: New Rules for the Age of Information.
LEADERSHIP SECRETS.
T. Boone Pickens: The Art of Leadership.
John F. Welch, Jr.: Leading a Revolution.
QUALITIES FOR PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT.
David Ogilvy: Qualities I Admire.
Andrew Carnegie: The Road to Business Success.
John H. Johnson: How to Sell Anything in Five Minutes or Less.
WALL STREET WIZARDS.
Warren E. Buffett: Investment Principles.
Sir John M. Templeton: Time-Tested Maxims of the Templeton Touch.
Bernard M. Baruch: My Investment Philosophy.
GUNSLINGERS AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE.
J. Paul Getty: You Can Make a Million Today.
E. W. Scripps: Some Outlandish Rules for Making Money.
THE GURUS.
Warren Bennis: Five Key Skills.
Dale Carnegie: Be a Leader.
BUILDERS OF CULTURE.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield: Our Aspirations.
Howard M. Schultz: Starbucks Mission Statement.
MAXIMS FOR LIFE.
Al Neuharth: An S.O.B.'s Ten Secrets to Success.
Kemmons Wilson: Twenty Tips for Success.
Acknowledgments.
Credits and Sources.
Indexes.