The Biggest Game of All: The Inside Strategies, Tactics, and Temperaments That Make Great Dealmakers Great

This book is a must-read for anyone involved in mergers and acquisitions in the cable or media industries, a should read for people doing M & A in other industries and a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in business and investing. The author sat at the deal-making table with some of the best negotiators in the media and communications industries. His general advice about negotiating strategy and tactics is quite familiar, but he brings a unique insight into the motivations and manipulations of CEOs and investment bankers. Academics have long puzzled over why CEOs implement value-destroying M & A deals. Here's a first-hand, eyewitness account of how these big deals come to be. Even if you have little faith in the astuteness of executives, the author's revelations will surprise you. Just when you thought nobody could be that stupid, here comes an anecdote about another boardroom leader who was. The detail, it must be said, gets exhaustive at times, but if you love deals, we think that you'll be too absorbed to care.

I learned about this book watching Kudlow & Cramer interview the author. The war stories related are downright fascinating, especially the chapters covering TCI, AT & T and Comcast. Depending upon which side your on, some of the negotiations are not very pretty, but they led to closings. Mistakes were made, which are made crystal clear. But deals got done.I wanted to know who the author considered "great dealmakers" and what they had done to be so named. Some are household names. He focused, however, on those in the Media World, where he has established himself. The chapters on Mike Armstrong and Barry Diller are of special interest to me. I like the book and recommend it to those interested in learning from the inside how some major deals were done. In the end, that's what matters to change agents.

Leo just saved me a bunch of time. If i were going to write a book (not that anyone would want me to), this would be it. He talks about his experiences in bagging the big deals, both from a technical and emotional perspective. He walks through the steps that I and others have had to take to close a deal. The great thing is, although Leo has onlyh done the big deals, his rules apply to deals of all sizes.Thanks leo !

What a fun ride this book is! I loved it! I've read dozens of business books...and this is by far, one of the most entertaining and informative I've had the pleasure to read.The writing is well crafted to weave the personalities in and behind these billion dollar deals that literally shape our world. Insightful, valuable and funny...I found that some chapters had to be finished before I could put it down. The cover says it all..it's like being a fly on the wall in these big power deals. Kudos to Leo Hindery and Leslie Cauley!

One of the most brilliant business books written today... by the most interesting and accomplished man in the cable industry. The lessons learned from the deals that he has done transcend his industry and leave their own business legacy.