Customer Reviews
A New Way to Look at Growing Your Business - By: NYC Reader, 16 Nov 2008 
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... & Others Don't" by Jim Collins was a real eye opener for me.
In this book, Jim Collins, observes 28 companies over the span of 5 years. Over this period of time 11 of the companies make the leap from "Good to Great". The findingsin this book were truly eye opening & inspirational. I loved the chapter on Level 5 leadership. Collins starts the chapter using a quote by Harry S. Truman "You can accomplish anythingin life, provided that you do not mind who gets the credit". This is the essence of the book.
I also loved thatin this book he speaks about how the executives that ignited the transformation for companies that went from good to great, did not figure out how to drive the bus, but how to get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off) & then they figured out where to drive it.
Another book I really enjoyed reading about transformation is Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment by Ariel & Shaya Kane. Any person who is looking to grow their business would greatly benefit from reading both these books.
A Classic work for Leaders - By: Paul Sloane, 04 Sep 2008 This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build & empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise & easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.
A Book That Gets Down To Business - By: Darren G. Burton, 31 Jul 2008 If you are like me & struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great & informative text.
This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups & downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works & why, & what definitely should be avoidedin the business world.
If you arein business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.
How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good
Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1
Darren G. Burton
The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence' - By: Rory Ridley-Duff, 29 Jun 2008 
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.
The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company & make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task & the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.
The team then interview & investigate the companies themselves & come up with some interesting & thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).
So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers & makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people & the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.
You could sum it up in one page..... - By: KJW, 06 Apr 2008 
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarisedin just one page rather than needing a whole book.
