Harvard Business Review on Leading in Turbulent Times

I was actually not looking forward to reading this book after all of the disappointing business books I've read lately. I thought it would be just another book with some "expert" giving an opinion on how to tell others what to do in an economic downturn. However, I was completely surprised at what a good book this is. I think it should be required reading for business leaders. I have an MBA and it reminded me of a lot of what I studied in school but what you don't see practiced that often in reality. What really impressed me and made this different is that the statements made in this book are most always backed up with quantitative and qualitative data as well. I like to see that. When so many experts make statements of "fact" about how to handle business circumstances, I always think "prove it!" Well, that is done in here and why I think this book sets itself apart as exemplary. Since reading this book about a month ago I have paid attention to which companies are doing well, or at least better than expected, in this recession. A lot of them are the ones who have come out and said they did exactly what was suggested in this book. I believe after this recession, they can rewrite this book and will have a lot more supportive data to add to it. It was an easy read and not boring at all. Very thought provoking for ideas IF you are interested in ways to help a company make it through tough times.

Great content pertinent to the current business market economy. Easy to follow interesting topics that provide insightful examples of how to manage as an executive during a turbulent time in history. The book does not claim to solve all the problems, however, the educated approach, as is the case with all Harvard Business, helps examine what can be done to offer today's leaders direction without destroying the framework of the current business structure. The short article format offers readers flexibility regarding various topics. The higher educational organization of the content is factual rather than just canned concepts. I know that I will be able to shelf the book and pick it up at a later time as a useful resource now and into the future.

This books is a collection of essays from Harvard Business Review from different authors - the essays are clear, crisp, and keeps your mind occupied with various view points rather than a single author trying to drive a point. There are essays on moving upwards in a downturn economy, how to foresee and act on business environments, handling layoffs, cutting costs ... Each of these articles are well written and thought provoking. But there is a downside : The articles were written between 1998 and 2003, so if you read a line which says 'recent terrorist attacks ..', the author is referring to 9/11

Harvard Business Review is one of the finest periodicals on management thought, leadership and strategy. HBR took its finest articles from its best authors and compiled a series of paperbacks on topical subjects. This book is one of thouse, and although Leading in Turbulent Times was first published in 2003, but don't let that influence your purchase decision. The 8 articles contained in the book generally date from the late 1990's and earlt 2000's, and were initially written in response to the bursting of the tech bubble and subsequent economic recession. The lessons learned then about management, psychology, strategy and leadership may have been convenienetly forgotten by most of us over the last 8 years of economic prosperity, but are well covered in this book. In particular, the articles by David James on troubled company turn arounds and Joseph Badaracco on leadership were enyojable and timeless. Other articles on taking advantage of a crisis for positive change and on strategies for surviving and thriving in all business cycles were extremely insightful as well. If you are responsible for managing or leading in an organization that has been impacted by the current economic times, you will find this book on point, topical and extremely useful. I highly reccommend it, and the entire series, to anyone interested in management, leadership, strategy or best practices. You will not be disappointed.