Fortune The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time
How Apple, Ford, IBM, Zappos, and others made radical choices that changed the course of business
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4.0 • 46 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Decisions equal success--nothing happens until one is made. Businesses make millions of decisions every day. But once in a great while a leader makes a truly game-changing decision that shifts not only the strategy of a single company but how everyone does business. These big decisions are counterintuitive-they go against the conventional wisdom. In hindsight, taking a different direction may seem easy, but these bet-the-company moves involve drama, doubt, and high tension. What made Apple's board bring back Steve Jobs to the company? How did Johnson & Johnson decide to recall every bottle of Tylenol after a poisoning scare that involved only a small batch of the drug? What made Henry Ford decide to double the wages of his autoworkers, and how did that change the American economy for the next century? Here management consultant Verne Harnish, the CEO of Gazelles, and Fortune's editors provide the background stories behind the greatest business decisions of all time. In this fully original book, you'll get a glimpse into the thought processes leading up to these groundbreaking moments and will learn how the decisions have shaped the thinking of today's top leaders. The book also contains an insightful foreword by management guru Jim Collins, the author of Built To Last and Good To Great, which explains the importance of decision making in creating a successful company.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Decision-making is not about consensus. Harnish, a management consultant, presents 18 business cases, including major players such as Apple, General Electric, and Ford, whose leaders made extraordinary decisions to change the status quo, leading their companies to overwhelming results. Harnish argues that picking the best business decisions is "more art than science". He and his co-authors proceed by sharing a conceptual framework with four parts: people, strategy, execution, and cash. But Harnish says great timing and "good old-fashioned dumb luck" also play a role in making great decisions. The "counterintuitive" decisions discussed in each chapter will surely spark debate. Each story offers a look at the processes leading up to the groundbreaking moments. Readers will learn what made Apple bring back Steve Jobs to the company, and how General Electric's first-class training center set the tone for thousands of other corporate universities. This book will encourage business leaders to consider how to apply those strategies in their own organizations.
Customer Reviews
Every entrepreneur should read this
It is always more interesting to read about other peoples mistakes than only their successes. This book focuses on how companies managed to prevent mistakes by making the right decision at the right time. That seems even most valuable and educational than reading only about success or failure! I can highly recommend this book if you work in a company and are involved with strategic decisions or if you are an entrepreneur.
Absolutely Amazing
Greatest read of the year for me thus far! You can knock it out in a few hours and learn a ton.
Behind-the-scenes look into companies that have become household names!
This book is great for entrepreneurs - shows how even the simplest tweak in a business model could be the right one to give your company the success you want! Loved the stories about Zappos and Apple.