A MUST Read for the Board Room or the C Suite!
345143
This book is a MUST read for anyone who has an interest in maximizing efficiency and personal gain in business, management, or leadership roles.  Nancy Falls weaves wonderful lessons through delightful and insightful stories based on her tremendous personal experiences.  I look forward to more works from Nancy Falls!
3780007
This book is the CEO's playbook for how to build a stellar organization & culture. It is chock-full of actionable advice and strategies that will save money and increase profits. Many business books are fast reads that are quickly tossed away. But I will return to this book at later dates, when I am ready to employ more advanced strategies, such as building a sales team & training them.
1432867
There is a saying in old schools, "We can't all be scholars, but we can all be good to each other." In my experience, senior executives and board members tend toward the latter when confronted with critical IT decisions.

This book is a fast introduction to the *must understand* knowledge for senior-most executives - and their support staff - when called to make governance decisions. It should also be read by and in the library of all those who support senior executives, joining Harwell Thrasher's "Boiling the IT Frog", and England's "Plus! Standard+Case", Steve Bell's "Run Grow Transform", Charlie Betz's "Architecture & Patterns for IT", and (of course) all the appropriate committee-wrought frameworks, guidelines, and standards.
2246439
Boards That Excel is the perfect title and take-away after reading Joe White's insightful book.  It provides a lens into the boardroom and the importance of a culture of transparency, integrity and accountability in achieving desired outcomes. It should be required reading for  directors, the senior leadership team and shareholders to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the role that  corporate governance plays in any organization.
Linda Walker Bynoe, Director, Anixter International, Northern Trust, Prudential Retail Mutual Funds and Trustee, Equity Residential
3125875
Mr. VanSteenis conveys both wisdom and practicality in his book.  For aspiring young executives, it is a must read, as colleges simply do not prepare you to deal with the realities of the work place today.  I passed on the book to my daughter who recently returned from 5 yrs in the military - it was a 'wow' moment for her as she did not know some of the ghosts which hide in the corporate world.  Excellent book.
3857689
Excellent book! Great ideas and a 1 hour read. I told my board members it is a must read!  5 stars!!!
4272752
This is an office must have read, I've bought a copy for every member of my team and they love it!
4108322
Very nicely done!  An easy to read story of how one person can make a difference in turning around a floundering company by providing service leadership.  I loved reading this book as it clearly presented the same concepts that our new CEO was implementing right before our eyes.  I even asked him if he helped write the book!  By utilizing the strategy presented by Mark in this short story, our company has transformed from its once mediocre performance to a company on a path to greatness.  I highly recommend taking the time to read.  Everyone who has read it thus far has appreciated the ease of reading and the messages learned.
4331673
Daren shares some great business insights in this book. I wish it was around back when I was a Director and huge on building leaders on my team! This is a perfect book to share with your team to drive uncomfortable conversations around productivity and make the work environment a fun and thriving workplace!
4510486
This should be required reading for any C-suite occupant! Brian Solis has produced nothing but stellar books based on his forward thinking vision of how business should be conducted in the 21st Century.
1403907
This is a must-have/read for todays auditors! I liked how the book addresses problems that we as auditors encounter on a daily basis (i.e., difficult clients, presenting issues to clients) and how to counter those with effective communication. I thought the wrap-up at the end of the chapters was a brilliant idea. I usually take notes when reading through a book but didn't need to with this one because the key concepts/ideas were at the end of the chapter and able to make notes from that. It is a fantastic read and Ill definitely keep referencing it throughout my career.
3462811
I wish I had been privy to this book when I set up a family business partnership 6 years ago.  If we had considered the multitude of ways that a family partnership could go wrong and put our partnership charter in place from the outset, we likely would have avoided the 3+ years and counting of misunderstandings, pain and destruction of what was a wonderful family.  We're truly the living cautionary tale of what bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and hopeful will get you in the long run - exactly what David Gage talks about in his book.  He guides you through the kinds of questions you should be asking yourself prior to getting into a partnership as well as the questions you should be asking if you find yourself already in one.  He gets to the heart of issues such as each partners' vision for the company, it's strategic direction, the complicated issues surrounding who should get how much of the profits from the company and when you should start taking those profits out of the company.  He also addresses the things that nobody every seems to talk about but will greatly impact the success of the partnership - the values each partner holds and whether they're compatible, what each partner perceives as fairness in the operation, and how to mesh individual operational styles.  Finally, he gives instruction to help plan for the unexpected and how to resolve interpersonal conflicts that arise.  He provides a very proactive stance in the formation of a company - an ounce of prevention is worth tens of thousands of dollars of cure, excrutiating heartache and endless therapy visits!  There are certain books that should be a staple in any business owners' library - this is definately one of them!!
767744
Although this book is a quick read it lends itself completely to those in the corp, education or .org world or anyone looking for some easy, clear and doable steps to a better functioning team. The fable format was interesting and intriguing. The context of the book and its issues comes to life in most board rooms across the country and world. You will use the simple strategies recommended in this book for life. READ THIS BOOK, you will not be disappointed.
1230555
First a disclaimer: I know Sid Fuchs as a successful CEO many times over. Thank goodness he wrote a book! In Get off the Bench he distills in detail valuable insights into and practices for strategic networking. The book will offer you a keen appreciation for the black and white rules, for the highly nuanced, unwritten ones, and guidelines for creating and maintaining a healthy network. There's a second story though that should get any executive or high-potential's attention. That story is part of his personal formula for C-level success: integrating strategy and relationships as a disciplined practice to create value for you and for others. Enjoy it for both!
3415234
I thought this was a very well written book.  While most of the book is common sense, I am always amazed at how often CEO's of large organizations miss these key elements.
I would recommend this to anyone climbing the ladder.  Employ this common sense and your career will go far.  It is common to get caught up in the strategy and miss the boat on implementation!
I would also recommend this to any CEO that sits in their office with the door closed.  This book is a great reminder to get out there and implement the strategy you envisioned!
828553
"The Case For Virtual Business Processes" is a must read for CEOs, CIOs, IT professionals, and all those interested in the key requirements for successful businesses in these hypercompetitive times!  This book transforms information technology discussion from "how and wow" to "why" - linking the power of recent technology capabilities to their logical process transformations.
Replacing processes of a given organization with electronic/information infrastructure (BPV) holds great promise of increased mission, flexibility, and profits. However to successfully implement such strategies one needs to master new disciplines.
Ms. Young and Mr. Jude skillfully lead us through those waters discussing concepts like "incrementalization" and "business process valuation."  Their book focuses both on a narrative of key concepts and processes and also shows "this new world in action" through case studies. Overall this book is a pioneering effort that explores new fruitful territory for both IT and Strategic Management.  It takes the past concepts such as IT return on investment (ROI) to a new level by shifting them to the strategic next step.
I believe the first companies that implement the concepts in this book will be viewing everyone else in the rear view mirror.  I can't wait for more books on this subject!
Blaise Stephanus
Adjunct Faculty
MCIS University College
University of Denver
2977090
This book couldn't be more timely and should be must reading for CEOs and their top managers. It's a highly readable book written by an experienced business journalist. The author brings the 18 lessons to life with examples of how a wide variety of companies from IBM to Lego to Altria/Philip Morris try to manage their reputations.
The book is a nice mix of companies with serious reputation trouble and others that nurture their good reputations with great care. You'll enjoy reading the author's frank assessment of companies with reputation problems like Martha Stewart Living and Disney, but you may learn the most from the reputation strategies of highly successful companies like Johnson & Johnson and FedEx. I was impressed that the author was tough but always fair. He doesn't mince words about problems at such companies as Merrill Lynch and Starbucks, but he evenhandedly presents the company's perspective and strategy.
"The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation" is a book you will want to read and re-read as challenges inevitably arise to your own company's reputation.