Execution or Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless Customer Loyalty Is Priceless

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Author: Larry Bossidy

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliver results . . . whether you're running an entire company or in your first management job

Larry Bossidy is one of the world's most acclaimed CEOs, a man with few peers who has a track record for delivering results. Ram Charan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards of directors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companies are successful and others are not. Together they've pooled their knowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gap between results promised and results delivered that people in business need today.

After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidy transformed AlliedSignal into one of the world's most admired companies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executive magazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters of earnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn't just happen; they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline of execution: understanding how to link together people, strategy, and operations, the three core processes of every business.

Leading these processes is the real job of running a business, not formulating a "vision" and leaving the work of carrying it out to others. Bossidy and Charan show the importance of being deeply and passionately engaged in an organization and why robust dialogues about people, strategy, and operations result in a business based on intellectual honesty and realism.

The leader's most important job—selecting and appraising people—is one that should never be delegated. As a CEO, Larry Bossidy personally makes the calls to check references for key hires. Why? With the right people in the right jobs, there's a leadership gene pool that conceives and selects strategies that can be executed. People then work together to create a strategy building block by building block, a strategy in sync with the realities of the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked to an operating process that results in the implementation of specific programs and actions and that assigns accountability. This kind of effective operating process goes way beyond the typical budget exercise that looks into a rearview mirror to set its goals. It puts reality behind the numbers and is where the rubber meets the road.

Putting an execution culture in place is hard, but losing it is easy. In July 2001 Larry Bossidy was asked by the board of directors of Honeywell International (it had merged with AlliedSignal) to return and get the company back on track. He's been putting the ideas he writes about in Execution to work in real time.

Library Journal

Bossidy, an award-winning executive at General Electric and Allied Signal, came out of retirement to tend to Honeywell (and bring it back to prominence) after it failed to merge with General Electric. Charan has taught at Harvard and Kellogg Business Schools. Collaborating with editor and writer Burck, they present the viewpoint that execution (that is, linking a company's people, strategy, and operations) is what will determine success in today's business world. Bossidy and Charan aver that execution is a discipline integral to strategy, that it is the major job of any business leader hoping not just to be a success but to dominate a market, and that it is a core element of corporate culture. Details of both successful and unsuccessful executions at corporations such as Dell, Johnson & Johnson, and Xerox, to name a few, support not only their how-to method for bringing execution to the forefront but also the need for it. Each author addresses specific topics in paragraphs that begin with either "Larry" or "Ram," and this easy style adds to the appeal of a very readable book. Recommended for academic and public libraries.-Steven J. Mayover, Philadelphia Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Execution is the discipline of getting things done, and according to CEO extraordinaire Larry Bossidy, it is the leader's most important job. He explains that, in order to turn AlliedSignal around from a disconnected company with no productivity culture to one with a ninefold return for shareholders, he needed to create a discipline of execution. Together with Ram Charan, a Harvard professor and respected business author, he turns his ample experience into a plan that links people, strategy and operations.

According to the authors, execution is built on three basic blocks. The first block is composed of seven essential leadership behaviors. These are:

1. Know your people and your business.
2. Insist on realism.
3. Set clear goals and priorities.
4. Follow through.
5. Reward the doers.
6. Expand people's capabilities.
7. Know yourself.

The next building block of execution involves creating the framework for cultural change within an organization. A culture is a group of people who share the same values, beliefs, and norms of behavior. The authors write that values need to be reinforced by the people at the highest levels of the company. People's beliefs are conditioned by training, experience, what they hear inside and outside about the company's prospects, and their perceptions of what leaders are saying and doing. The authors explain that beliefs can only be changed when new evidence persuades them that they are false. Behaviors are beliefs turned into action, and are what deliver results.

A company's competitive advantage depends on the behavioral norms of how people work together. To improve how people work together, and to change other behaviors, the authors write, rewards must be linked to performance. They write that a business's culture defines what gets appreciated, respected and rewarded. The authors explain that if a company wants to create a culture of change, it must reward and promote people for execution.

The authors write that the third building block of execution is based on the job that no leader should delegate. This is the task of finding the right people and putting them in the right places. The authors explain that this depends on being systematic and consistent when interviewing applicants, appraising employees, and developing employees by providing useful feedback.

Once these three building blocks are in place, a solid foundation has been build on which core processes can be operated and managed efficiently. The authors write that the most important of these core processes is the people process. Since the people in an organization make judgments about markets, create strategies based on those judgments, and translate those strategies into operations, if the right people are not in place, the potential of a business will never be realized. The authors write that the key to finding the right people lies in whether individuals can handle the jobs of the future. Expertise in appraising and choosing the right people is developed through consistency of practice.

The next core process explored by the authors is the strategy process. This process is based on linking people with operations so customer preference can be won, sustainable competitive advantage can be created, and shareholders can get paid. According to the authors, a strategic plan should define a business's direction and position the organization to move in that direction. The authors write that this plan must start with identifying and defining the critical issues behind the strategy, and linking this strategy to people will add realism to it. The authors devote a chapter of Execution to the details of conducting a strategic review.

The operations process makes the link between strategy and people. The authors explain that an operating plan provides the path on which people can take the business where it wants to go. This process breaks long-term output into short-term targets. To meet these targets, the authors add, people must make decisions and integrate them across the organization, putting reality behind the numbers. The authors write that the leader is primarily responsible for overseeing the seamless transition from strategy to operations, setting operational goals, and leading operating reviews that bring people together around the operating plan.

Why Soundview Likes This Book
The authors of Execution get to the heart of a new theory of leadership and organization and provide crucial advice about how to improve the links between people, strategy and operations. By offering leaders ways with which they can improve individual processes, the authors create a detailed roadmap by which leaders can master the discipline of execution. Breaking down their ideas into succinct and vital components, and using relevant examples from years of experience, they reveal many facets of operational excellence that can be applied to any business to create a clearer path to improved performance. Copyright (c) 2002 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

What People Are Saying

Michael Dell
If you want to be a CEO -- or if you are a CEO and want to keep your job -- read Execution and put its principles to work.
— Chairman and CEO, Dell Computer Corp.

Richard Schroeder
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan define the true meaning of leadership from an implementation point of view. Larry is the expert on productivity in the world of business, and this book demonstrates how leadership is the key to achieving ongoing financial success.
— Co-founder of Six Sigma Academy

Ivan Seidenberg
Larry Bossidy recognizes how execution in a business defines the true greatness of a company. He captures a lifetime of building winning formulas and puts them in a simple and practical context for executives at any level. Read it!
— President and Co-CEO, Verizon

Michael Useem
For those managers who have struggled to make it happen, fix a problem, get it done -- or otherwise transform winning strategies into genuine results -- here's the missing medicine from two who know from long experience what works and what doesn't. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan offer a compelling leadership prescription, and it comes down to realism, discipline, and above all, great execution.
— Professor of Management, Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania

Ralph S. Larsen
The best thought-out plans in the world aren't worth the paper they're written on if you can't pull them off. And that's what this book is all about. Execution is well written and gives sound, practical advice about how to make things happen. It is well worth the reading.
—Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson

R. L. Raymond
Good practical insight and advice on managing for results at firms of any size. Execution is key, and this book clearly explains what it means and how it brings together the critical elements of any organization -- its people, strategies, and operations.
— Chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobil

Jack Welch
A great practitioner and an insightful theorist join forces to write a compelling business story of 'how to get it done

Books about: Playboy or Access 2002 Bible with CDROM

Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty Is Priceless: How to Make Customers Love You, Keep Them Coming Back and Tell Everyone They Know

Author: Jeffrey Gitomer

Nationally syndicated columnist and sales trainer, Jeffrey Gitomer shows you how to convert satisfied customers into loyal customers.

Take Time for Your Life or For the Love of Murphys

Take Time for Your Life: A 7-Step Program for Creating the Life You Want

Author: Cheryl Richardson

America's #1 personal coach offers an inspiring, practical, seven-step program to help you create the life you want.

Step 1: If you think "selfish" is a dirty word, learn to practice extreme self-care--put yourself at the top of the list and everyone else will benefit!

Step 2: If your schedule doesn't reflect your priorities, stop reacting to life and take control of what gets your time and attention.

Step 3: Identify the things that drain you and eliminate them--people, places, and things--once and for all.

Step 4: If you feel trapped by money, investing in your financial health will stop making you feel like a victim.

Step 5: Kick the adrenaline habit! Identify the things that fuel you and discover healthy, new sources of energy.

Step 6: If you feel lonely or isolated, learn how to surround yourself with high-quality relationships that support, challenge, and encourage you to be your best.

Step 7: Don't let life get in the way of your spiritual well-being--connect to your inner wisdom and create a personal practice.

Packed with useful exercises, checklists, personal stories, and a wealth of resources, Cheryl Richardson's program will show you how to step back, regain control, and make conscious decisions about the future you'd like to create. Take time for your life--and begin living a life that you love.

What People Are Saying

Marianne Williamson
"Cheryl Richardson is a wise and loving woman. Her advice is as excellent as it is fun to read"
-- author of A Return to Love

Table of Contents:

See also: Restaurant Service or The Frugal Oenophiles Lexicon of Wine Tasting Terms

For the Love of Murphy's: The Behind-The-Counter Story of a Great American Retailer

Author: Jason Togyer

"Five-and-ten stores were immensely popular during the middle fifty years of the twentieth century, selling cheap, dependable goods to people from all walks of life. Now the product of a bygone era, these stores were revolutionary in their time, but few today appreciate how important they were in creating our present-day consumer culture. In this caring but honest look at one of the best-known chains of five-and-tens, Jason Togyer traces the history of the G. C. Murphy Company, headquartered in McKeesport, Pennsylvania." "Though not the largest chain, nor the first, Murphy's is remembered today as a commercial trailblazer, a corporation run with honesty and integrity, and, at its peak, a retailer whose more than 500 stores managed to outsell those of the giant F. W. Woolworth Company by a factor of three to one. Making extensive use of both the company archives and anecdotes from former employees and customers, McKeesport native Togyer recreates with outstanding detail the world in which the G. C. Murphy Company emerged; its survival and growth during the Great Depression; its response to a strained economy during World War II; its fight against rapidly expanding competitors such as K-Mart; its struggle and recovery in the 1970s; and its unsuccessful battle to stave off Wall Street raiders in the 1980s." Though modern-day shoppers may not know the Murphy name, they know the legacy it left behind. From its adventurous selling tactics to its strict code of corporate ethics, the G. C. Murphy Company should be remembered not as a dusty relic, but as a pioneer in the American business world.

Business Ethics or QBQ The Question Behind the Question

Business Ethics

Author: O C Ferrell

This accessible, applied text covers the complex environment in which managers confront ethical decision making. Using a managerial framework, the authors address the overall concepts, processes, and best practices associated with successful business ethics programs—helping students see how ethics can be integrated into key strategic business decisions. The Seventh Edition incorporates comprehensive and rigorous updates that reflect the ever-increasing academic and governmental attention being given to this area. The textbook program provides an abundance of real-world examples and cases, as well as exercises, simulations, and practice tests that provide plenty of opportunity for students to master the text material.

Table of Contents:

I. AN OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS ETHICS. 1. The Importance of Business Ethics. 2. Stakeholder Relationships, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Governance. II. ETHICAL ISSUES AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF BUSINESS ETHICS. 3. Emerging Business Ethics Issues. 4. The Institutionalization of Business Ethics. III. THE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING PROCESS. 5. Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership. 6. Individual Factors: Moral Philosophies and Values. 7. Organizational Factors: The Role of Ethical Culture and Relationships. IV. IMPLEMENTING BUSINESS ETHICS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY. 8. Developing an Effective Ethics Program. 9. Implementing and Auditing Ethics Programs. 10. Business Ethics in a Global Economy. V. CASES. 1. Wal-Mart: The Challenge of Managing Relationships with Stakeholders. 2. The Coca-Cola Company Struggles with Ethical Crises. 3. The Fall of Enron: A Stakeholder Failure. 4. Tyco International: Leadership Crisis. 5. Martha Stewart: A Brand in Crisis. 6. Verizon: The Legacy of WorldCom and MCI. 7. Arthur Andersen: Questionable Accounting Practices. 8. Sunbeam Corporation: "Chainsaw Al" and Greed. 9. Global Crossing: Inflated Sales Lead to Bankruptcy. 10. Firestone: A Reputation Blowout. 11. Microsoft: Antitrust Battles. 12. Nike: From Sweatshops to Leadership in Employment Practices. 13. The Healthcare Company: Learning from Past Mistakes? 14. PETCO Develops Successful Stakeholder Relationships. 15. Texas Instruments Creates a Model Ethics and Compliance Program. 16. Starbucks' Mission: Responsibility and Growth. 17. Home Depot Implements Stakeholder Orientation. 18. New Belgium Brewing: Ethical and EnvironmentalResponsibility.

Book review: Meals That Heal for Babies and Toddlers or Dr Earl Mindells Unsafe at Any Meal

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life

Author: John G Miller

Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change.

Fish! helped raise flagging morale.

Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done.

QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability.

The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.

The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, "Who dropped the ball?" "Why can't they do their work properly?" or "Why do we have to go through all these changes?" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: "How can I improve this situation?" "What can I contribute?" or "How can I make a difference?"

Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change.

Publishers Weekly

This is a quick but deep book that explores the role of personal accountability in one's work and personal life. In his own work experience, Miller found that many people look for others to blame their problems and conflicts on. He proposes that instead of asking who is to blame for the situation, we should ask, "What can I do to improve the situation?" Only by being able to ask this "question behind the question" can we take ownership of the problem and start working toward a solution. Throughout the book, Miller (who has consulted for major corporations with his firm, QBQ, Inc.) recounts real-world situations in customer service, retail sales, personal relationships and the corporate boardroom and the positive and not-so-positive ways they were handled. Each example reinforces the message that personal accountability and ownership of a problem not only leads to a resolution but also lifts people willing to take ownership and action above those looking to play the "blame game." From responsibility, says the author, comes leadership and greater career opportunities. In one's personal life, Miller says, ownership of conflict can also lead to enhanced relationships and greater enjoyment of daily life. Agent, Barret Neville. (Sept. 13) Forecast: According to Putnam, this book sold 250,000 copies when Miller self-published it, and Putnam is positioning it as the next Who Moved My Cheese? Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

A rather simple tool that encourages personal accountability, the QBQ (question behind the question) drives Miller's organizational development firm of the same name. Rephrasing issues is the trick: begin with what or how, personalize with I, and focus on action. Thus, "When will they take care of the problem?" turns into "What can I do?" The advice here is admirable (e.g., stop procrastinating, change oneself) though hardly revelatory. The brief, breezy chapters crackle with energy, but, as they lack coherence and linear structure, the resultant zap dies out. Occasional lectures and corniness are forgivable; recycling material from Miller's previous Personal Accountability: Powerful and Practical Ideas for You and Your Organization (1999) is not. Stick with the prior title if you have it; otherwise, order on demand. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership or The Economic Naturalist

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You

Author: John C Maxwell

In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell combined insights learned from his 40-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. Some highlights of the revised edition of this New York Times bestseller, which has sold more than a million copies, are:

• All-new recording of the revised and updated text read by the author.
• Every chapter has been revised.
• 2 chapters - "The Law of Addition" and "The Law of the Future" - are entirely new.
• 5 chapters are 75% revised.
• Application pieces follow every chapter.
• Leadership evaluation is included.

Go to: The Leaders Companion or Options Futures and Other Derivatives

The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas

Author: Robert H Frank

and/or stickers showing their discounted price. More about bargain books

740 Park or The Attractor Factor

740 Park: The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building

Author: Michael Gross

From a bestselling author and journalist renowned for his access to the rich and famous comes the epic story of the last great apartment building erected on Manhattan's Gold Coast--home to countless 20th Century icons including Bouviers, Rockefellers and Chryslers, as well as modern Midases like Edgar Bronfman, Henry Kravis, Ronald O. Perelman and Saul Steinberg.

Seven-forty Park Avenue is the best known and most lusted-after co-op apartment building in New York—and so, in the world. Built by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s grandfather, James T. Lee, the building has long housed America's oldest, richest, and most powerful families. Their stories are juicy, startling, and above all entertaining, but no more so than the story of the building itself—and in 740 Park, Michael Gross tells all.

The backbone of the book is the building: the financial, artistic, and social stew that brought it into being. Interwoven are stories of the inhabitants who set the building’s tone and made its social and financial reputation—including Countess Kotzebue, a five-times married multimillionaire; Marshall Field III, whose family was a model of patrician dysfunction; C. Channing Blake, the Friendly Ice Cream heir, whose gay lover lived on one floor of the duplex he shared with his wife; Kamel Abdel Rahman, the Palestinian billionaire believed to have been murdered by his third wife; and many more.

Michael Gross knows this world intimately, having explored its every nook and cranny. More than just a sensational read, 740 Park is rich in social history, providing a glimpse into a world that most of us can only dream about.

October 2005 - Vanity Fair

"Worthy."

April 18, 2005 - The New York Observer

"The Lolita of shelter porn...740 Park delves into the rarified world of one of the city's most exclusive co-ops, where billionaires like Ronald Lauder, Steve Schwarzman and David Koch rest their heads."

September 26, 2005 - Crain's New York Business

"Quite wonderful."

October 2005 - Harper's Bazaar

"Hot read."

October 6, 2005 - curbed.com

"The rich and pissed off hit the roof."

The New York Times - Janet Maslin

The curb appeal of all this is clear. The reader's role is that of designated ogler; the writer's job is to celebrate wealth, trace bloodlines back to the Mayflower and savor schadenfreude … Outside the work of Edith Wharton or Jane Austen, it's rare to find such brazen speculation about exactly what people are worth.

Publishers Weekly

Of all Manhattan's fabled East Side dwellings of the super-rich, 740 Park Avenue has perhaps the best pedigree. Designed by Rosario Candela and developed by James T. Lee, Jackie O's maternal grandfather, as a cooperative haven for the elite, it had the misfortune to open just as the stock market crashed in 1930 and was forced to operate partly as a rental for some decades. The last sale was to Lee himself, for son-in-law "Black Jack" Bouvier, his wife and daughters Jackie and Lee. John D. Rockefeller Jr. signed a rental lease in 1936 for a massive apartment (more than 20,000 square feet), and Marshall Field III took another. Gross (Model) has solidly researched the denizens of the building, who they were, what they did, and who and how many times they married. This information, while exhaustive, is also exhausting. Things perk up as we approach the modern era, and the old rich give way to a newer cast of sometimes dubious billionaires. Ron Perelman, Henry Kravis, Steve Ross and Steve Schwartzman are cited among the newer tenants. A bit of a bore for average readers, this will be a useful tome for those interested in New York's social history. Agent, Dan Strone. (Oct. 18) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In 1930, one of the grandest Manhattan apartment buildings opened for occupancy. Designed by leading architect Rosario Candela and built by developer James T. Lee, the grandfather of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, its simplexes, duplexes, and triplexes, with mansion proportions, provided comfortable shelter to many of the nation's wealthiest families and their servants. Gross (contributing editor, Travel & Leisure magazine; Model) uses the building as a means of telling stories about its rich and famous inhabitants. Among those who lived at 740 Park Avenue were John D. Rockefeller Jr., the Bouviers, and, later, the Steinbergs, Perelmans, and Bronfmans. Gross tells the reader about Manhattan real estate development, social anti-Semitism, and how the richest live: their marriages, eccentric offspring, businesses reverses, and pet charities. It's a long book, much of it a work of synthesis from other titles, but it also offers quotes and anecdotes from the author's own interviews. In addition, it can sometimes be arduous to read, especially when Gross writes about one family, drops them for another, then picks them up in a later chapter. Floor plans on the book's endpapers (not seen) will help keep the reader oriented. Recommended for larger public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/05.]-Elaine Machleder, Bronx, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

What People Are Saying

Fortune
"Jaw-dropping apartment porn."
—October 31, 2005

Donald Trump
"740 Park is a historical building that is worthy of the comprehensive and fascinating coverage that Michael Gross has devoted to it. This book is as entertaining as it is informative...it's a terrific story."

Dominick Dunne
"In 740 Park Avenue: The World's Richest Apartment Building, Michael Gross penetrates the bewitching and private worlds of the privileged and very rich denizens of 740 Park Avenue on New York's Upper East Side. Gross, a born story teller, delights in his tales of upstairs and downstairs over the decades in the grand building. This is social history at its best."

People
"[A] great read...a gossipy history with revealing tales."
—November 14,2005

Star
Shocking and sometimes tragic."
—October 31, 2005

Hartford Courant
"Epic...truly, the story of American capitalism...a fascinating glimpse inside...the most fabulous living spaces known to man."
—Nov 4, 2005

The Jewish Week
"[An] erudite work about the American dream...The book probes - and prods and skewers, enticing readers."
—Oct 28, 2005

Interesting textbook: The Science of Sherlock Holmes or Id Rather Teach Peace

The Attractor Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth (or Anything Else) from the Inside Out

Author: Joe Vital

Discover the secret to lifelong wealth and happiness!

Now in an expanded paperback second edition that includes an Attractor Factor IQ test, exercises for putting lessons into practice, new stories, and more, Dr. Joe Vitale presents his even more powerful and effective five-step plan for attracting wealth, happiness, and success to your life.

"Whatever you want to attract to your life, Joe Vitale has the secret to make it happen. I highly recommend you get this book and get started today."

—Morris Goodman, author of The Miracle Man

"I got enough by the end of chapter one to create a major energy shift in my life! Joe's easy, direct, and knowledgeable presentation allowed me to embrace important principles effortlessly."

—Dee Wallace, actress and star of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

"Joe Vitale not only appeared in The Secret, he is one of the few who knows and lives attraction! Contained in the five steps that Joe maps out in The Attractor Factor are the keys to endless abundance. This book instructs on how to take control of your beliefs and focus, ultimately attracting the life of your dreams. If you just do what Joe tells you, you will create an abundance far beyond what you can currently imagine. The Attractor Factor is the secret that The Secret doesn't tell you."

—David Schirmer, wealth coach and star of The Secret

"Just when you think you understand how the world works, Joe Vitale comes along and takes you to a whole new place. He's engaging, entertaining, enlightening, and, oh boy, does he ever stretch your thinking."

—Ian Percy, registered psychiatrist and member of the U.S.and Canadian public speakers halls of fame

"This book has the potential to change humanity."

—Dr. Rick Barrett, author of Healed by Morning

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments.

Foreword (Dr. Robert Anthony).

Preface. The Author's True Confession.

Chapter 1. Miracles Never Stop.

Chapter 2. What's Your Attractor Factor IQ?

Chapter 3. An Attractor Factor Case Study.

Chapter 4. The Truth About the Law of Attraction.

Chapter 5. The Proof.

Chapter 6. What Are You Dismissing?

Chapter 7. How to Attract Money.

Chapter 8. It Can Be Another Way.

Chapter 9. A Shortcut to Attracting Whatever You Want.

Chapter 10. An Introduction to the Attractor Factor.

Chapter 11. What's Your Prosperity IQ?

Chapter 12. Step One: The Springboard.

Chapter 13. Step Two: Dare Something Worthy.

Chapter 14. Step Three: The Missing Secret.

Chapter 15. Step Four: Nevillize Your Goal.

Chapter 16. Step Five: The Ultimate Secret.

Chapter 17. The Million Dollar Secret Formula.

Chapter 18. The Shocking True Story of Jonathan.

Chapter 19. The Experiment: Intentional Meditation Foundation.

Chapter 20. Common Questions (with Answers).

Bibliography.

Index.

About the Author.

Special Offer.

Beyond the Attractor Factor.

Built from Scratch or Home Buying For Dummies

Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew the Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion

Author: Bernie Marcus

When a friend told Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank that, "You've just been hit in the ass by a golden horseshoe," they thought he was crazy. After all, both had just been fired. What the friend, Ken Langone, meant was that they now had the opportunity to create the kind of wide-open warehouse store that would help spark a consumer revolution through low prices, excellent customer service, and wide availability of products.

Built from Scratch is the story of how two incredibly determined and creative people-and their associates-built a business from nothing to 761 stores and $30 billion in sales in a mere twenty years.

Built from Scratch tells many colorful stories associated with The Home Depot's founding and meteoric rise; shows that a company can be a tough, growth-oriented competitor and still maintain a high sense of responsibility to the community; and provides great lessons useful to people in any business, from start-ups to the Fortune 500.

Great Stories

• "Ming the Merciless": The inside account of the man who fired Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus
• "My people don't drive Cadillacs!" How Ross Perot almost got involved with The Home Depot
• "Take this job and shove it!" The banker who put his career on the line to get The Home Depot the loan that enabled it to survive
• "Folks, I tell ya, if these Atlanta stores were any bigger, we'd be paying Alabama sales tax." Home Depot's first good ol' southern advertising campaign

A Company with a Conscience

• When disasters like the Oklahoma City bombing or Hurricane Andrew happen, Home Depot associates don't ask for permission to respond. They react from their hearts-whether that means keeping their store open all night or being on the scene with volunteers and relief supplies.
• The Home Depot doesn't just contribute money to organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Christmas in April, but also provides its people to help lead and grow these community efforts.

Great Lessons

• Know your customer: In The Home Depot's case, customers don't pay for wider aisles and a pretty store, but for a wide assortment and low prices
• Why everyday low prices mean more sales overall: The marketing philosophy The Home Depot learned from talking with Sam Walton
• Market leadership: Why The Home Depot never goes to a major new market with plans to open just a few stores
• The strategy for profitable growth: How The Home Depot redefined its U.S. market from its $135 billion traditional "do-it-yourself" base to a much larger pond of $365 billion
• How to change the rules of the game: How The Home Depot bypassed almost all middlemen, allowing it to pass on huge savings to customers

Built from Scratch is the firsthand account of how two regular guys created one of the greatest entrepreneurial successes of the last twenty years.

Bernie Marcus is a cofounder of The Home Depot and currently serves as chairman of the board. From the company's inception until 1997, he served as CEO. With his wife, Billie Marcus, he founded the Marcus Developmental Resource Center, which provides support services for mentally impaired children and their parents. He sits on many boards of directors, including the New York Stock Exchange, and participates in many civic organizations, including the City of Hope, a cancer research center.

Arthur Blank is a cofounder of The Home Depot and is the company's president and CEO. He serves on the board of trustees of several organizations, including the North Carolina Outward Bound School, the Carter Center, Emory University, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs and was honored by the City of Hope for his fund-raising leadership.

Bob Andelman lives with his wife and daughter in St. Petersburg, Florida, and has collaborated on many bestselling business books, including Mean Business and The Profit Zone.

The Wall Street Journal - James R. Hagerty

Built From Scratch, the founders own account, is far more fun to read than Inside Home Depot, written by Chris Roush, a journalist who was denied access to many of the insiders. The founders' book gives only their viewpoint. It was ghost-written by Bob Andelman, who isn't known for restraining the vanities of his subjects.

Publishers Weekly

There was a time when you could ask American consumers to choose between good service and low prices. As a countless number of retailers who are now bankrupt learned the hard way, those days are gone. Today, shoppers expect both, having found them at places such as Wal-Mart and the Home Depot. Here, the founders of the Home Depot, the countrys largest home improvement chain, stress that coming up with a good ideaand the Home Depot was the first of the oversized do-it-yourself chainsis not enough. Would-be moguls not only have to execute well but also have to recognize that competition is inevitable. Thats why Marcus and Blank say they built the company on more than just buying in volume and passing along the savings. They contend that the real keys are making sure employees know what the company stands for so that they go out of their way to serve customers. They also preach a no-mercy attitude toward the competition. Blank once asked a rival if he had seen the movie Jaws. He then said to the man: Imagine we are in the back yard swimming pool together. Now imagine that the Home Depot is Jaws. Stories about the founders early days working at other companies are not always clear, and characters zip by with little explanation. Still, the authors manage to explain the Home Depots success and do an excellent job of explaining the 14 principles that guide the company in a chapter called, appropriately, How We Manage.

Library Journal

When Chris Roush approached Marcus and Blank about his book on Home Depot (Inside Home Depot, LJ 1/99), they denied him access, preferring to tell their own story. While it is more folksy and humorous, it essentially covers the same information, with the addition of intimate details of many business relationships and dealings. Blank, the company's president, chief operating officer, and chief executive officer, and Marcus, the chairman of the board, began Home Depot in Atlanta with little backing. But their shrewd merchandising ideas and ability to work with key players not only surprised many in the industry but created a corporate culture that competitors are now trying to emulate. The authors candidly discuss setbacks, including a multimillion dollar discrimination settlement, as well as ideas gone awry. Most libraries should have at least one of these books on Home Depot, and larger public libraries and business collections should consider both.--Steven J. Mayover, Free Lib. of Philadelphia Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A pair of hardware merchandising buddies chat about how they built one of the most successful big-box retailers ever. These moguls of do-it-yourself did it themselves: they built the Home Depot. In two decades, they built their business from the ground up to employ 200,000 "associates" in nearly 1,000 locations. It's a kick-ass company, they are proud to announce, and indeed, it is. It has eliminated distributors and wholesalers from its network. It browbeats manufacturers for uncommon price concessions and rebates while great quantities of inventory are drop-shipped directly to their outlets. Founders Bernie and Arthur and their cohorts are fierce competitors, and they tell you so with broad grins. They allow managers much latitude, they say, even as they stress the tight reins on merchandise, distribution, finances, and infrastructure. The story is in the words of Arthur and Bernie, and their words are interchangeable. It's all colloquial lumberyard schmoozing, and the scurrying metaphors are pleasantly mixed: "I opened the door and [he] ran with it," and "sometimes they run with a red herring and get burned with it." Some words are jerry-built to fit: associates are "inculturated" with Home Depot values—but you get the idea. The inculturation stresses care for the customer in particular and corporate decency in general. (It seems to work.) Bernie and Arthur thrive on merchandising and playing with the big boys, like Ross Perot and the late Sam Walton, but they don't neglect the details. They acknowledge that many mom-and-pop stores haven't been able to survive the Home Depot's thorough competition. The message is that the day of mom and pop has passed (though Bernieand Arthur are now considering opening small neighborhood shops now that the old folks are gone). A garrulous handyman chronicle of a ubiquitous corporation, this text is constructed of plain pine, without a coat of writer's varnish, by a couple of guys in orange aprons. (8 pages b&w photos, not seen)

Table of Contents:

	Acknowledgments
	Introduction "We Take Care of the Customer and Each Other"	xv
Part I
1	Two Regular Guys "We Can Finish Each Other's Sentences"	3
2	Origins "You've Just Been Kicked in the Ass by a Golden Horseshoe"	20
3	The Financier "My People Don't Drive Cadillacs"	43
4	The Merchant, Act 1 "Never Be Satisfied with How Things Are"	54
5	The First Stores "They Locked Me Up Because I Sold at Such Low Prices!"	65
Part II
6	The Associates "Make Mistakes, Learn from Them, and Move On"	103
7	The Customers "Let's Take a Walk and We'll Find It Together"	132
8	Building the Brand "Low Prices Are Just the Beginning"	145
9	The Competition "Market Dominance Is Important"	162
10	Growth "It Was Like Basic Training; You Learned How to Do a Lot of Things, Then You Went to War and Improvised"	177
11	The Merchant, Act II "Who Is Staring Out the Window, Wondering Where We Will Be in Five Years?"	206
12	Strategic Partners "We Had to Be Psychologists, Lovers, Romancers, and Con Artists"	215
13	How We Manage "You Are Wearing an Invisible Collar"	237
14	The Communities We Serve "Our Culture Is About Making Sure People Understand That They Are Empowered to Do What Is Right"	275
Part III
15	The Future "Responding to Change Is One of the Reasons for the Success of The Home Depot"	297
16	Legacy "We Took a Lot of Chances"	313
	Index

Interesting book: Black Mass or Tourists of History

Home Buying For Dummies

Author: Eric Tyson MBA

Though fun and exciting, buying a home can also be complicated and confusing—and most people learn the hard way that a wrong move can cost dearly. In order to find the perfect home at the best price, you must have skill, foresight, and a little guidance from experienced professionals.

Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition provides just that! Packed with invaluable advice in an objective, down-to-earth style that will have you sitting in your dream home in no time, this friendly guide contains everything you need to know to play the home buying game. It has the tools you need to:

• Improve your credit score and select a mortgage

• Choose a time and place to buy

• Determine the price you want to pay

• Assemble an all-star real estate team

• Make use of the wonderful world of the Internet

• Negotiate your best deal

• Inspect and protect your home

• Handle and become responsible for the title

• Cope with buyer’s remorse

Featured in this guide are tips and tricks on things you should do after you seal the deal, as well as things you ought to know about real estate investing. Also included is advice on how to sell your house, as well as a sample real estate purchase contract and a good inspection report. Don’t get chewed up by the real estate market—Home Buying for Dummies, Third Edition will lead you to the home you want!

Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook or The World is Flat

Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook

Author: Dave Kansas

Unravel the Mysteries of the Financial Markets—the Language, the Players, and the Strategies for Success

Understanding money and investing has never been more important than it is today, as many of us are called upon to manage our own retirement planning, college savings funds, and health-care costs. Up-to-date and expertly written, The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook provides investors with a simple—but not simplistic—grounding in the world of finance. It breaks down the basics of how money and investing work, explaining:

• What must-have information you need to invest in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds

• How to see through the inscrutable theories and arcane jargon of financial insiders and advisers

• What market players, investing strategies, and money and investing history you should know

• Why individual investors should pay attention to the economy

Written in a clear, engaging style by Dave Kansas, one of America’s top business journalists and editor of The Wall Street Journal Money & Investing section, this straightforward book is full of helpful charts, graphs, and illustrations and is an essential source for novice and experienced investors alike.

Get your financial life in order with help from The Wall Street Journal.



Look for:

• The Wall Street Journal Complete Personal Finance Guidebook
• The Wall Street Journal Personal Finance Workbook
• The Wall Street Journal Complete Real Estate Investing Guidebook

Library Journal

Kansas (editor, "Money & Investing" section, Wall Street Journal; TheStreet.com Guide to Smart Investing in the Internet Era) has written a helpful guide for anyone who has questions about investing and the stock market. He stresses that his book is "just a starting point" and advises: "Don't let this book be the last stop in your investment education. Continue to learn and discover, and by doing so, you will be better positioned to prepare your financial future." For a crash course on finance and investments the book may be read from cover to cover, but readers can also readily access single subjects such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, Wall Street, or real estate investing. Charts and tables illustrate such basics as how to read balance sheets or the stock market tables in the Wall Street Journal, and a glossary defines an array of investment terms. In addition, there is an annotated list of online resources and books at the end of each chapter. This book is recommended especially for beginners, but experienced investors will like it for quick reference. It should be purchased by public libraries and libraries supporting undergraduate programs in business.-Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, New York Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Read also What Got You Here Wont Get You There or The Speed of Trust

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (Further Updated and Expanded)

Author: Thomas L Friedman

"One mark of a great book is that it makes you see things in a new way, and Mr. Friedman certainly succeeds in that goal," the Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote in The New York Times reviewing The World Is Flat in 2005.

In this new edition, Thomas L. Friedman includes fresh stories and insights to help us understand the flattening of the world. Weaving new information into his overall thesis, and answering the questions he has been most frequently asked by parents across the country, this third edition also includes two new chapters--on how to be a political activist and social entrepreneur in a flat world; and on the more troubling question of how to manage our reputations and privacy in a world where we are all becoming publishers and public figures.

The World Is Flat 3.0 is an essential update on globalization, its opportunities for individual empowerment, its achievements at lifting millions out of poverty, and its drawbacks--environmental, social, and political, powerfully illuminated by the Pulitzer Prize--winning author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree.

Table of Contents:

Introduction to the 3.0 Expanded Edition     ix
How the World Became Flat
While I Was Sleeping     3
The Ten Forces That Flattened the World     51
11/9/89
8/9/95
Work Flow Software
Uploading
Outsourcing
Offshoring
Supply-Chaining
Insourcing
In-forming
The Steroids
The Triple Convergence     200
The Great Sorting Out     233
America and the Flat World
America and Free Trade     263
The Untouchables     278
The Right Stuff     308
The Quiet Crisis     337
This Is Not a Test     374
Developing Countries and the Flat World
The Virgin of Guadalupe     403
Companies and the Flat World
How Companies Cope     441
You and the Flat World
Globalization of the Local     477
If It's Not Happening, It's Because You're Not Doing It     489
What Happens When We All Have Dog's Hearing?     515
Geopolitics and the Flat World
The Unflat World     533
The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention     580
Conclusion: Imagination
11/9 Versus 9/11     607
Acknowledgments     637
Index     641