All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft: Insider Strategies to Help You Succeed

This book was published in 14 languages and was a national best seller. Reading it, I can see why. The tips in this book make sense for any industry, any job. Also a look behind the scenes at Microsoft and how they do things is fascinating, and at times funny. The sequel, "The Microsoft Edge," is also useful and actually funnier.

Excellent quick reading that seems like common sense, but if it was we'd all be doing this right?Julie Bick hits it right on the nose. Some of the items we've all heard before. However, some were very new to me.I plan on reading the next one. To give you a flavor of the contents below is an outline of the entire book:-----------------------------------------------------------------INTRODUCTION1.All I really needed to know about running a business I learned at Microsofta. SETTING UP TO PLAYi. Eat your own dog food, but don't believe your own press releasesii. Examine your mistakesiii. Let people failiv. Sometimes tankers can look like speedboatsv. Let your employees hear your customersvi. Don't bet against your own teams creativityvii. Tailor your message to your customerviii. Every process can be improvedix. Stay smallx. Act like a leaderb. WINNING THE GAMEi. If you can't win, change the rulesii. Think three moves aheadiii. Hit em, where they ain'tiv. You can change your imagev. Win-win deals: what they care about and what your care aboutvi. Try it out in the real worldvii. Make big betsviii. Big events make good deadlinesix. Give your employees a piece of the pie-----------------------------------------------------------------2. All I really needed to know to do my job well I learned at Microsofta. BECOMING AN EXPERTi. The elevator testii. Know who your customers are and who just isn't yetiii. The swot teamiv. Know the business inside and outv. Know the questions your boss is going to askvi. Make decisions as if you owned the companyb. GETTING THE JOB DONEi. Work smart not longii. I don't know is okay, especially coupled with I'll find outiii. Humor can get you out of sticky timesiv. Real employees do eat lunchv. Creativity is not a one man jobvi. If you are going to drop the ball, arrange for someone to catch itvii. Their experience versus your instinctviii. Work faux pasc. MANAGING YOUR MANAGERi. Make your boss look goodii. Don't waste your boss's timeiii. Bring solutions not problemsiv. Prepare your manager for bad news earlyv. See how your boss works and what (s)he needsvi. Let `em know how they're doingvii. Give your boss two chancesviii. If you bail out from a bad bossix. Don't burn bridges-----------------------------------------------------------------3. All I really needed to know to be a good boss I learned at Microsofta. LEADINGi. Communicate the strategyii. Give your team timeiii. Give your team a hill to climb overiv. Give creditv. And take blamevi. Act the way you want your team to actvii. Send your team into Bill Gatesviii. Prepare a class of successes not a successorb. GETTING THROUGH THE ROUGH SPOTSi. It's almost never as bad as you think it isii. Stay flexible your job may change completely in six monthsiii. Be the designated jerk for your teamiv. Beneath you? Not Beneath the resultsc. A GOOD BOSS GETS THE BEST TEAMi. Manage your team one person at a timeii. Mentor your teamiii. Friend versus Bossiv. No surprises at review t

This book is a must read for anyone who wants simple strategies for succeeding in business. The advice coupled with the anecdotes makes it fun, insightful and engaging. This is truly the stuff that has been key to the success of Microsoft and is just as applicable to other businesses

This is one of the best business books of it's kind. It's very informative (tell stuff other books don't. Stuff that is actually useful) and it's very entertaining (the stories here and there are great and give good examples of the topic). If you have something to do with business or computers (in genereal) you will want to read this book. P.S. The author is pretty hot too.

This book gives real, usable information to improve your management and marketing skills. Ms. Bick doesn't rely on buzz-words and catch phrases -- she simply relates successful strategies from one of the worlds most successful companies. It should be required for any M.B.A. student. It's also a fun read. P.S. Don't show it to your competition