“Make the Rules or Your Rivals Will” by G. Richard Shell, Crown Business, $27.95
What you’ll learn: In a capitalistic system, there is no such thing as a level playing field. Shell shows that the field isn’t always tilted toward the biggest firms. It tilts toward smart firms and creative firms, too. “Make the Rules” is about being first to market, too, and how to turn “first” into sustainable competitive advantage (think Microsoft). On the legal downside, you have to know when it’s in your best interests to settle (think Napster).
The first half of the book deals with real-company legal and public relations “make-the-rules-make-the-money” strategies to protect their interests and promote their brand. You’ll find strategies that worked (Ford Motor did not infringe on an engine patent) and some that didn’t (Coke couldn’t restrict Pepsi, or any other company, from using “cola” in its name).
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
NEW BOOK
“Presentations That Persuade and Motivate” compilation of articles, Harvard Business School Press, $14.95
What you’ll learn: The keys to a successful presentation have nothing to do with eye-popping graphics–Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address didn’t have any. A successful presentation involves understanding your purpose and your audience; managing stage fright; and capturing and holding listeners’ attention.
And you’ll learn that most presentations are made to two audiences: decision-makers and those who are affected by the decisions. Presenters must appeal to both audiences to get their points across.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
BOOK TO REVISIT
“Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Some Don’t” by Jim Collins, Harper Business, $27.50
What you’ll learn: This interesting study, first published in 2001, explores the way good organizations can be turned into ones that produce great, sustained results. To find the keys to greatness, Collins’ 21-person research team read and coded 6,000 articles, generated more than 2,000 pages of interview transcripts and created 384 megabytes of computer data in a five-year project.
From that, Collins distills the findings into a cogent, well-argued and instructive guide.
–Publisher’s Weekly
