Book Summaries

Every day, seemingly intelligent and successful leaders and their companies make headline news because of poor decisions that can cause their businesses to stumble, making many of us scratch our heads in wonder: Why would such a successful business make that strategic decision? How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things highlights the ways in which the eight hidden barriers can interrupt your business, and author Neil Smith outlines a fast, and proven, process in which 12 principles...

How can great companies do everything right — identify real customer needs, deliver excellent innovations, beat their competitors to market — and still fail? The sad truth is that many companies fail because they focus too intensely on their own innovations, and then neglect the innovation ecosystems on which their success depends. In our increasingly interdependent world, winning requires more than just delivering on your own promises. The Wide Lens offers a powerful new...

For most businesses, success is fleeting. There are only two real choices: stick with the status quo until things inevitably decline, or continuously change to stay vital. But how? Bestselling leadership and management guru Jason Jennings and his researchers screened 22,000 companies around the world that had been cited as great examples of reinvention. They selected the best, verified their success, interviewed their leaders, and learned how they pursue never-ending radical change. The fresh...

Nothing causes bad decisions in organizations as often as poor listening. But Bernard Ferrari, adviser to some of the nation's most influential executives, believes that such missteps can be avoided and that the skills and habits of good listening can be developed and mastered. He offers a step-by-step process that will help readers become active listeners, able to shape and focus any conversation.