Winners Never Cheat: Everyday Values We Learned as Children But May Have Forgotten

"Play by the rules. Keep your word." This is, easier said than done. But it's still a vital principle to stand and abide by. Honesty and integrity are certainly not always followed in the competitive business world. However integrity, trust, and reputation, is an ideal. And in some industries, the only ones that survive and prosper are those that cultivate, trust. When someone ascends to the stratosphere in any niche, profession, or circumstance they can advise the rest of us, and base this advice largely on past anecdotal experiences. Author Jon Huntsman has achieved many things and he's had a lot of experiences in life. He worked as a staff assistant to Richard Nixon, on H.R. Halderman's staff. Not willing to cow-tow to unethical requests, he didn't last long in in Nixon's administration. He was also one of the few upper-level staffer to emerge out of Watergate unscathed. Huntsman didn't like Nixon because he didn't give enough to charity. He became a billionaire in the international business realm -- He also came from nothing. The world has grown more complex and fast-paced in recent decades. And appropriately, this book does NOT say that the world of business competition is all roses, because it isn't the case. But the value of integrity is very powerful. Beginning with Chapter One: Lessons from the sandbox to the philosophical points of this book vs. reality in 2006: Huntsman strongly advocates building and maintaining employee loyalty. This has proven to be the most productive model. Turnover does lessen it today, however. In recent years there have been several instances of unethical behavior in U.S. business. Indictments and convictions for fraud, and numerous other crimes committed. Is this corruption and criminal activity in U.S. business practices increasing? Or, was it just not as exposed as much in the past? Is the American business mind-set and model changing for the worse? Maybe. Maybe not. Whatever the case, the recent crimes have resulted in a substantial loss of public, regulatory, and legal faith and trust, in accounting, basic transparency. Workers' incomes have declined for decades, but CEOs give themselves multi-million dollar salaries, lump-sum pay raises, and bonuses - even after - pensions are wiped out. The Board prospers even in companies that are losing millions and even billions of dollars, per year. Who should be reading this book? I do like Huntsman's withdrawal from Mitsubishi business project in Thailand he'd invested in, by refusing to pay bribes. Unfortunately, companies that want into East Asian markets have to grease some elbows to be allowed in. The corporations and business people that pay, get in. Those that don't, are excluded. It's not right, but that's the way it is. Huntsman did note that he'd made "handshake deals" on price, securing his position, even though later the the price increased shortly thereafter before purchasing. In the U.S. and most places in the world today,

No matter what business you're in, these principles apply to your work and your life. None of them are new - honor, fairness, honesty and respect are as old as time - but this is a refresher course that reinforces what you already know about morality and ethics. Author and successful business leader Jon M. Huntsman can cite himself as living proof that you don't need to compromise your core values to become a success - or even a billionaire. If you're a leader or aspire to be a leader in any field, this quick read is well worth your time. We recommend it to help you focus on values that the modern world often tramples. The message is sweet, simple and clear: stick to your beliefs staunchly, even if it costs you in the short term, because character, integrity and long-term results are what really count.

I read a lot of memoirs "written" by business leaders and wealthy people. Seldom do I expect to be uplifted by what they have to say. Instead, I usually find them doing a fast shuffle in print to explain why they facilitate much inhumanity to their fellow beings. Winners Never Cheat is a very happy exception to the typical book in this genre. Jon M. Huntsman isn't a perfect human being. He is subject to being swayed, using bad judgment and making mistakes the same as the rest of us. Where he is virtually unique, however, is in recognizing and attempting to correct his errors as soon as they become apparent to him. He provides his examples in the context of two backdrops that will fascinate you. The first is inside the Nixon White House as "the boys" put loyalty above their responsibilities. Mr. Huntsman didn't play along, and he's one of the few Nixon-era insiders who didn't draw a prison term before it was all over. The second describes his rapid scramble up to the top of the business world through the ups and downs of the chemical industry's cycles. Just a few years before he became a billionaire, Mr. Huntsman was very close to being bankrupt -- having to borrow against his holdings to pay off his philanthropic promises. His points are all pretty clear. We all know right from wrong by the time we are still children. But we soon find ourselves drawn away from doing the right thing by the siren song of personal advantage. He argues strongly against anything other than the moral approach. He doesn't make any arguments you couldn't have made yourself. His book becomes eloquent, however, as he describes expensive decisions he made to put people and doing the right thing first. My reaction to this book is that it's the applied version of Dr. John Maxwell's excellent book, There's No Such Thing as Business Ethics. I recommend both that book and this one to you very highly. Be the leader you would like to admire for following moral principles!

This little book is small in size only as it covers significant and wide ranging discussions on a persons moral compass. The author is probably one of the most successful and positive people I have ever read that would write a book that focuses on the positive side of human nature. The author believes in being honest, fair and gracious at almost all costs. He argues that if we all focused on these aspects of our human contact, then many other positive results will present themselves. Not only is this book a wonderful pick me up for anyone fighting their way through the corporate jungle, but it is full of bits of solid management techniques for those of us in the business world. Even the authors personal story is a wonderful look at how someone can become such a success treating people fairly and honestly. Overall I can not say enough positive about this book. It is a great shot in the arm and a road map for a positive legacy. This book is a keeper and one that you will find reading over and over.

"Winners Never Cheat" is a tonic for our jaded age. To those already imprisoned in cynicism this book will read like a bunch of soft platitudes suitable only for children, but worse than useless to anyone trying to make it in the "real world". Of course, the cynics are not objectively correct. Cynicism and bad behavior are only necessary when you deem them to be the tools of your trade. If you decide that lying really is a losing long term strategy and that short run gains aren't worth long term losses, well, lying becomes a stupidity and easily avoided. This is not to say that the kind of honorable behavior Huntsman advocates in this book leads to easy business success or a world of bright flowers and constant sunshine. Far from it! Competition is still tough and things still go wrong. It is simply how you compete and what you do to get things right that matter. These "everyday" values make for a more sustainable success that lead to better personal interactions, trust, and a more enjoyable life for everyone. Business failure is unpleasant, but it is transient. Corrupting your character for short term success is bitter and not easily undone. Huntsman fills this short book with anecdotes from his own successful career. We learn about lessons he learned in the Nixon Whitehouse working on HR Haldeman's staff. The author describes how he handled various negotiations for rather large business deals. He tells us that lawyers are invaluable as business tools, but not as a substitute for business thinking or creativity. He describes his personal relations with a few business leaders of large companies. In a couple of these I feel he raises some questions that are never directly addressed. For example, he describes the Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell as a friend without addressing what the huge and expensive reserves write down implies about the leader's character and leadership ability. He also mentions Armand Hammer as a friend! All I can suggest is to read about Mr. Hammer's true character in Edward Jay Epstein's terrific "Dossier". It is actually frightening to contemplate these two men being actual friends. I have to assume that Mr. Huntsman was simply using friend as a polite title the way Congressional enemies refer to each other as "my good friend". They could not possibly share genuine ideals and have anything in this book actually mean anything. It is also clear that Mr. Huntsman has no use for Wall Street bankers. He must have hand some bad experiences in dealing with them. This makes me wonder why he ended up taking his company public. I also wonder if the bankers who helped him do so were honorable in his eyes or of low character. If they were honorable, shouldn't he have noted the exception in his book? If they were scumbags, why didn't he walk away from the deal? Mr. Huntsman also makes a huge point of charitable giving. His personal example is inspiring and demonstrates what considered and generous giving c