Clicks and Mortar: Passion Driven Growth in an Internet Driven World

According to Lew Platt (former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard) in the Foreword, this book "looks at the three most significant aspects of this business transformation [ie how a well-established company moves into the new millennium] in what I consider to be their order of importance. First is the building and sustaining of a culture based on strong values....In the second section of the book, Dave and Terry explain what this means in terms of day-to-day personal conduct and day-to-day business decision making. The change required from pre-Internet times is profound....Then, in the third section, the authors look at some fundamental business practices and give us some guidance in adapting traditional business concepts to the Internet world. They chose the practices of measurement, marketing, and management of technology as the disciplines that would be most important in the next decades." Platt's comments are dead-on. The authors organize their excellent material within three Parts: Culture at the Core: Creating a Passionate Corporate Culture in the Internet AgeLeadership Practices: Inspiring Passion-Driven GrowthManagement Practices: Bringing Passion to the Internet WorldAll of us have encountered people who, for lack of a better descriptive, come across as "evangelists." They are SO enthusiastic about where they work, about what they do, and -- especially -- about their opportunities to serve others, associates as well as customers. They are always eager to go what Napoleon Hill calls "the extra mile." You know the type. They come in early, stay late, volunteer for an inconvenient or unpleasant task, etc. In my view at least, these are the most valuable currency of "human capital." I mention all this in fervent support of Pottruck and Pearce's frequent emphasis throughout the book on the importance of "passion." Southwest Airlines, to cite but one example from my own experience, contrinues to sustain a "passionate corporate culture" inspired by passionate leaders and managers who drive continuous growth. It is no accident that Southwest Airlines and the other "most highly admired companies" are also the most profitable, year after year after year.If you have a passion to help your own organization to prosper, you and your associates must expect to be in what Leonard Berry (author of Discovering the Soul of Service) describes as a "constant state of innovation to improve the value proposition....But the innovation is channeled and purposeful only when it revolves around strong values. It's really a wonderful circle. The right kind of corporate values lead to the right kind of customer value. Values inspire people, and inspired people do great things. When they do, they find ways to produce value for customers, and that improves either cost or revenue or both." Pottruck concludes the book with an affirmation that "the Internet and its cousins make it possible for each of us to become more powerful and more responsible, to contribute in ways w

Wow! The dynamic duo of Pottruck and Pearce have presented a truly inspiring book in *Clicks and Mortar*. Accelerated changes brought forth by the Internet economy have created a lot of excitement, hype, and of course, confusion. When things are changing so fast, what should you do to keep creating or maintaining competitive advantage?Instead of fighting price wars and throwing all kinds of marketing tricks, practical wisdom of both authors look into something much more fundamental: energizing passionate leadership to communicate fundamental values and vision, in order to build and foster a corporate culture so strong - like DNA ingrained in every cell - whereby every person may be empowered to act upon such values, and constantly innovate to provide the best customer experience. That is their secret to creating employee and customer loyalty. Wouldn't you feel proud to work in a company like that? Or, if you were a customer, wouldn't you want to be dealing with a company like that?Just read the book and learn from them, as they had masterfully filled and articulated every chapter with wisdom, practical advice, and colorful anecdotes. In addition, they also mention several other great titles worth reading, including *The Innovator's Dilemma* - one of my favorites on the topic of innovation.If you are a management consultant, business executive, or even a technologist, this book will really make you think about the kind of companies that will weather the Internet shakeout...It's time to be passionate about what you believe, and make a difference!

This book surprised me on several levels. One is that Pottruck is refreshingly but not inappropriately candid about more than business. By way of supporting his notion that consensus-building and compromise (not just "leadership") is vitally important to any organization that seeks to succeed, he reveals that a reason that his (two) earlier marriages failed was not because he had a "wife problem," but because he was, in fact, a "husband problem." He claims that he had used the traditional "executive" operating methods within his marriages, meaning a "you're in charge of this, and I'm in charge of that," way of doing things. Rather than acting as a reasonable "division of labor" model, this ended up being merely divisive, since it provided neither the experience of sharing and compromise within the marriage(s), nor the relationship-building practice that is so essential - in business and marriage. Wow! That's pretty interesting and univerally useful material for a business book. Pottruck's use of personal anecdote is appropriate and trenchant throughout. Wise authors, and a very worthwhile book.

You get five excellent books for the price of one with Clicks and Mortar. Let me explain. This is the first book that I have read about innovating with e-commerce that truly straddles the divide between existing business principles and the new economy. Unlike many of the books on e-commerce which are written by consultants, pundits, Web site designers, and technologists, this book is written by business people who have successfully made the transition into using the Internet to enable all their stakeholders. That perspective alone makes this book a valuable contribution to the literature, because it allows everyone to understand the overall business perspective of how to think about this new technology.Beyond that benefit, the book also serves as a fine best practice example of developing e-commerce businesses based on the successful experiences of Charles Schwab. The details of this example are much more complete than I have read elsewhere, and Charles Schwab is one of a handful of firms that have successfully changed their business models. In fact, the company has appeared on my CEO 100 list more times than any company other than Clear Channel Communications and Tellabs.Third, this book is valuable for focusing on people (customers, employees, suppliers, partners, and regulators) as the basis for thinking about technology and new business opportunities. The book does so in a sound and thoughtful way that will be helpful to companies that are not challenged by new technologies, as well as those that are. If you are a humanist, or someone who believes that business starts with creating a customer, you will find that this book expands your perspective on great ways to do that. The authors understand that passion for a larger purpose is the glue (the mortar of the title) to bring people together to advance service for customers (using clicks, in this case, through computer technology). Fourth, this book also has value in filling in gaps in the perspective of most business people, technologists, and new business developers. The beauty of the book is that it does so in a way that will encourage the dialogue and community across narrow perspectives to build something better. Finally, the book transcends its narrow example base of Charles Schwab by referring to other books, studies, and companies to provide a full perspective on effective ways to drive innovation and improvement in a large or small organization. The book is easy to read and interesting. Although financial services is not my favorite subject, I enjoyed what the authors had to say about Charles Schwab. The rest of the material was even more compelling and useful.The book is also very well organized. Summaries of key points are interspaced with more fully developed arguments and examples. The authors alternate in presenting their ideas and experiences, so you also get the benefit and the interest inherent in two voices and speakers.

In Clicks and Mortar, Terry Pearce and Dave Pottruck cut through the dot.com hype to present a clearly drawn vision of what "Passion-Driven Growth in an Internet-Driven World" looks like. At the core of that vision is the need for strong company values which guide management decisions and are effectively communicated in word and action. The authors do not diminish the importance of strong financial performance and increased shareholder value. Rather they argue that successful companies inspire the loyalty of their customers and their employees by listening to them and letting them know their opinions and commitment are vital to success. Well written and tightly woven, Clicks and Mortar is a must-read for executives and a detailed blueprint for knowledge workers who have a choice about where to work, where to invest, and where to do business. I plan to place my bets on companies like Schwab where management is not afraid to make bold decisions which transform their companies based on feedback from their customers, their employees, and changing market forces.