BusinessThink: Rules for Getting It Right--Now, and No Matter What!

Having heard one of the authors speak recently, and I just finished the first half of the book, I think this book can help solve so many problems in business, especially when it comes to people, that we've chalked up to "that's just the way it is." Who hasn't been in a meeting before where everyone disagrees with what's being presented, but doesn't say anything until after the meeting, and then kill the project in subversive ways? Who hasn't been in a performance review where neither person has a clue about the performance as it related to the key goals of the team or the company, but pretended to come up with some important "objectives" for the next year without even knowing the what the company really wants to do? Who hasn't worked for a company where the strategy changes every quarter, or every day! The thing I found most compelling was the fact that we all think we're doing great, and there's no research to back up our confidence. When the author asked us to vote on our own confidence, only one guy admitted we wasn't extremely confident. It ended up he was the only guy in the room who was willing to admit the truth. This book teaches you how to swallow your pride, break down game-playing, and get focused on the real needs of the business. Fortune magazine wrote an article last week, "Why companies fail." This book should be titled, "Why people fail." If you ever find yourself going home from work saying "I don't get it" then get this book.

Is Business Think the next groundbreaking book by a Deming or Drucker? No. It is, however, the first of its kind in getting people to work together, regardless of egos or politics, and gets people focused on the business, where it should be in the first place. I suppose that is, in its own way, at least breaking with tradition. When you read this book, you will find yourself saying, "That's EXACTLY how it is!" and then the authors give you ways to deal with all the strange stuff we usually do in business that causes us to fail. This is great corporate "basic training."

What a great new book. What caught my eye was how many heavy hitters (Tom Peters, Warren Bennis, and Ram Charan)recommended it. It is good. 1. Business Think emphasizes that thinking matters. We've gone way too far with the ready, fire, aim. Poorly thought out presentations, projects, meetings, reorganizations. Businesses that succeed don't get more done, they get more of the right things done. 2. Business think teaches employees how to gain political traction rather than whine. While they think they are making helpful suggestions, most employees bring complaints and gripes to their boss because they think about ways to improve their job, not the business. So when they bring suggestions that help their team but would hurt other departments or the company's bottom line,the executives don't listen. Before you can talk your bosses language, you have to think like the CEO. It's sad because most employees have good ideas but thinks no one listens. 3. Business Think shows you that you have to listen first to your boss or board or the finance department before they will listen to you. And it shows you how to do it. The book has a Fast Company style of writing that is snappy and edgy for a while and then wears a little thin. But it keeps a serious subject from getting boring. I'm going to buy it for my entire department. We do way too much training for managers. It's time to train the people to think like their manager. If you ever got rated down for not thinking strategically, this book is the best I have seen for laying out how to be seen as a player.

The days of jumping into the deep end of the pool and seeing if you sink or swim are long over. The key to success in today's business world is preparation and you do that by thinking. In this excellent book, the authors, through an easy to understand eight rule model, show readers how to rid themselves of the the "that's the way we've always done it" mentality and to develop a "seventh sense" for knowing what or will not work. As the authors' say, "predetermined, premeditated, premature solutions have no inherent value. Zero!

BusinessThink is a fresh idea in a sea of business rheteric. This book provides managers with tools necessary to solve business problems in today's rollercoaster ride of business. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a way to refresh and enliven their business unit.