Brain Rules (John Medina, 2008) 8.0/10
How We Decide (Jonah Lehrer, 2009) 8.2/10
How The Mighty Fall (Jim Collins, 2009) 6.7/10
World Wide Rave (David Meerman Scott, 2009) 7.2/10
The Element (Sir Ken Robinson, 2009) 8.2/10
Jeff Immelt and the New GE Way (David Magee, 2009) 5.0/10
The Talent Code (Daniel Coyle, 2009) 6.5/10
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert B. Cialdini, 2007) 7.0/10
The Ten Commandments for Business Failure (Donald R. Keough, 2008) 7.3/10
The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets (Peter D. Schiff, 2008) 5.2/10
The Brand Bubble (John Gerzema and Ed Lebar, 2008) 6.0/10
A Sense Of Urgency (John P. Kotter, 2008) 6.5/10
Who (Geoff Smart and Randy Street, 2008) 6.8/10
Reality Check (Guy Kawasaki, 2008) 7.2/10
Tribes (Seth Godin, 2008) 4.7/10
Talent (Edward E. Lawler III, 2008) 5.8/10
Business Stripped Bare (Richard Branson, 2008) 7.8/10
Call Me Ted (Ted Turner with Bill Burke, 2008)
Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell, 2008) 6.0/10
Tuned In (Craig Stull, Phil Myers & David Meerman Scott, 2008) 7.2/10
Inside Steve's Brain (Leander Kahney, 2008) 6.0/10
Yes! (Robert Cialdini, et al, 2008) 6.7/10
The Answer (John Assaraf & Murray Smith, 2008) 7.2/10
Six Disciplines Execution Revolution (Gary Harpst, 2008) 4.0/10
The Future of Management (Gary Hamel and Bill Breen, 2008) 7.3/10
Meatball Sundae (Seth Godin, 2007) 7.0/10
“I have been asked literally thousands of questions. But most of them come down to this: What does it take to win?”
From the front cover, although a bit overstated, “No other management book will ever be needed.” - Warren E. Buffet, is not too far off the truth.
“Winning” by Jack Welch, arguably the CEO of the 20th century, with Suzy Welch, the former editor of Haverd Business Review. Jack Welch turned G.E., General Electric, into one of the most competitive organisations in the world and also the most prestigious “talent” machine in the corporate world. Winning is a management book loaded with everything, you name it, leadership, HR, culture, budgeting, strategy, mission, etc.
Contents
Underneath It All:
1. Mission and Values
2. Candor
3. Differentiation
4. Voice and Dignity
Your Company
5. Leadership
6. Hiring
7. People Management
8. Parting Ways
9. Change
10. Crisis Management
Your Competition
11. Strategy
12. Budgeting
13. Organic Growth
14. Mergers and Acquisitions
15. Six Sigma
Your Career
16. The Right Job
17. Getting Promoted
18. Hard Spots
19. Work-Life Balance
Tying Up Loose Ends
20. Here, There, and Everywhere
…
Let’s compare the book the the ideal business book that’s easy to understand, distinct, practical, credible, insightful, and provides great reading experience.
Ease of Understanding: 8/10: The book is straightforward and spot on. On each topic, you’ll quickly say “Yes!” or “No!”. You also do not have to think too much because 90% of the times is about G.E. The only drawback is the structure of the book that different chapters are separated; they are not perfectly tied together. It is just a minor drawback.
Distinction: 7/10: It is just another management book on leadership, HR, strategy, etc. It just happens to be one of the best!
Practicality: 8/10: All of us are not going to turn our companies into G.E. However, the book is practical. You would not be thinking “How will I do this?.” On the other hand, you might think “Will I have the gut to do it?.” All the instructions in the book are very simple for, example; “…strategy is actually very straighforward. You pick a general direction and implement like hell.” He then wrote about the simple five slides needed in strategy making.
Credibility: 10/10: The book gets full mark on “credibility” and I see no reason to take any mark off. If you are playing golf, you’d better listen to Tiger Woods. Reading the words from arguably the CEO of the century is a sure bet. Success of G.E. is not a myth.
Insight: 6/10: Unfortunately, this book is not “deep” enough. Jack and Suzy Welch covered many topics (probably every basic topic on management). They are straight to the point with very little information and basically no research on any topic. However, who we are to ask for “supporting data” from Jack Welch!
Reading Experience: 9/10: Reading the book is like being in the room with Jack Welch and he keeps yelling “Do this! Trust me! Stop that! Stupid! Nonsense!” Reading the book is exciting when Jack Welch tells us blunt but bold techniques on how to make the company win. But if you “hate” Jack Welch, or Suzy Welch, or G.E., or all of them. The reading experience will not exceed 1/10!
Overall: 8.0/10: Winning by Jack Welch with Suzy Welch deserves a place in your bookshelf. It is a no-nonsense management book with practical ways to improve your companies. It is easy to understand and is written by one of the best CEOs in modern history. However, if you dislike this former CEO or his company, skip this book fast. It can be the book that you hate most. Otherwise, read it and follow the winning path.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
This book has been published for more than three years already but it is one of my favourites.
I want to make sure that there are books that can get an 8 or more marks based on my reviewing method!
December 18th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
[...] Reviews Call Me Ted (Ted Turner with Bill Burke, 2008) Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell, 2008) 6.0/10 Winning (Jack Welch with Suzy Welch, 2005) 8.0/10 Tuned In (Craig Stull, Phil Myers & David Meerman Scott, 2008) 7.2/10 Inside Steve’s Brain [...]
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:56 am
[...] 7.8/10 Call Me Ted (Ted Turner with Bill Burke, 2008) Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell, 2008) 6.0/10 Winning (Jack Welch with Suzy Welch, 2005) 8.0/10 Tuned In (Craig Stull, Phil Myers & David Meerman Scott, 2008) 7.2/10 Inside Steve’s Brain [...]
June 8th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
[...] 7.8/10 Call Me Ted (Ted Turner with Bill Burke, 2008) Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell, 2008) 6.0/10 Winning (Jack Welch with Suzy Welch, 2005) 8.0/10 Tuned In (Craig Stull, Phil Myers & David Meerman Scott, 2008) 7.2/10 Inside Steve’s Brain [...]