Rating: 
Summary: "Simply Stunning" where it matters....
Review: You have to ask yourself simply.... Do you want to win? If you do then read this book. There is no book comparable to this one. No other autobiography does a better job of distilling the attitudes needed to win, the criteria for evaluating what really are issues confronting you and the behaviors needed to set into motion the winds of change. You can customize the learnings in this book to suit you if you lead a team of six men or if you lead an organization of six hundred thousand. Typically books like these touch on three aspects of corporate life: Information, Knowledge and Wisdom. A Manager who understands the functionality of business can write a book that informs. A leader who understands patterns relating to his industry and to management in general can write a book which makes you more knowledgable. This the case for most good business books. But very rarely someone comes along who highlights the guiding principles that define dynamism, creating and managing change and the elements of reinvention. Forget any doubts you may have and pick up this book. It's a solitaire.
Rating: 
Summary: Not an Autobiography
Review: REVIEW: This book falls into the standard popular management/business book category for the mass market similar to the book published about a year earlier by another retiring prominent CEO of a large multinational company, "Jack: Straight from the Gut". However, there are significant differences between the two and the main differences are reflected in the titles. As the titles suggest, "Jack" is more of an autobiography told in a very opinionated manner whereas Gerstner's book is more about the company during Gerstner's years and how (in broad terms) the company transitioned to a more flexible, entrepreneurial organization.The book is organized into five parts: (1) Gerstner's beginnings at IBM, (2) Strategy, (3) Culture, (4) Lessons Learned, and (5) Observations. The first four parts are mostly about IBM and the transformation whereas the last section is mostly about Gerstner's views on industry, society, journalists, etc. I highly enjoyed sections 1-4 but felt section 5 didn't really fit the book purpose and it seemed almost as though the editor/publisher convinced him to add the section in order to make the book the standard size. The problem with section 5 is that Gerstner's states clearly that he believes the book should be about IBM and the turnaround, but section 5 is a half hearted attempt to give some personal musings about miscellanious things that at best seem like good political opinions and at worst sound like whinings. However, excepting section 5, I got more out of this book more than Welch's. Gerstner clearly tries to lead the reader to greater understanding of the IBM situation, the thinking behind the decisions that were made, and the resulting turnaround. He does this in a style that doesn't suggest his answers are universal ones. He recognizes that imparting better understanding rather than the right answers is the appropriate goal for helping others to achieve better results in complex environments. This book probably doesn't deserve a permanant place on your bookshelf (i.e. it is unlikely to be a classic), but if your looking for better understanding of the IBM turnaround or of large business in general, this is a good book to read. If your looking for a better understanding of an individual CEO read Welch's book. STRENGTHS: Written in the standard style of popular business books so it has fairly short chapters and is easy to read. Doesn't try to espouse too much theory or universal answers. Does a good job at explaining why certain decisions were made and certain strategies selected. Doesn't get bogged down in stock prices and financial data. WEAKNESSES: Section 5, Gerstner's observations I thought was off target and weaker than the remainder of the book. Little insight into Gerstner himself (but that wasn't the book's intention). Some sections were a bit too brief and could've used additional detail.
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Summary: Corporate Leadership
Review: I quite admire Louis Gerstner's courage to have taken up the challenge of rebuilding IBM. Indeed his account of the journey was quite detailed and educating for an aspiring CEO or a CEO who wants to take his company global. His frankness about isues and his opinions I believe helped revive IBM. The section on Strategy and culture was quite educating for a CEO who wants to keep his company sane and the employees he reqiures. It is worthy of note though not all his decisions were the best around, but he was decisive and that is key for leadership. Very Good book on Management and especially visionary leadership, though he belived more in strategy than vision! I particularly liked what he said about Compaq! They bragged about revenue beating IBM after after they bought DIGITAL. Now compaq had to be swallowed by HP for what? Envy of IBM by HP or envy of Dell by Compaq!
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Summary: Elephants Can Dance!
Review: Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? is Gerstner's chronology of and reflections on the years that he ran IBM. He details the situation that he faced when he left RJR Nabisco for IBM and how he was unsure initially as to whether he could turn the company around. Gerstner outlines the steps that took and the policies that he put in place to change the strategy and culture of the company. He notes that when he came, IBM was a company where you were "guaranteed" a job for life, even while the company was laying people of by the masses. He also points out that as opposed to competing with their competitors such as Unisys, HP, Dell, Oracle and others, most of managers time was spent in internal political contest. Through a strategy of listening to customers' needs, eliminating the compensation and recognition systems that created the internal fiefdoms and partnering with customers, quasi-competitors and other industry leaders, he was able to restore IBM to a more stable position within the industry. He also changed the perception of the company from the conservative black suit, white shirt previously required to be worn by all employees to that of a dynamic company which became synonymous with e-business (a term coined, incidentally, by IBM). As Gerstner says towards the end of the book, his strategy was based on a simple concept, that of an elephant dancing: While an elephant stands still, ants can scurry around the floor, but if the elephant can dance, all of the ants will be forced from the floor. Will the strategies Gerstner mentions work for others? Potentially -- Gerstner cautions against simply trying to drop his strategies into other situations. If nothing else, knowing what worked at IBM (and more importantly what didn't work and how it was fixed) provides additional management tools for us all. The book, which was written entirely by Gerstner (no ghostwriter, etc.), is remarkably candid. Gerstner outlines the areas where he feels he succeeded and those where he failed or which remain a qualified success. He also highlights the struggles along the way and the way he refined and changed his programs over time. Gerstner's candidness is really this book's greatest strength and will make it a business-classic in the years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Too general.
Review: The first part of the book, which covered Gerstner's background and decision to join IBM, read very well. Unfortunately, the rest of the book lagged and didn't clearly address the actual turnaround. Rather than writing about turnaround techniques and difficult decisions, he spent most of his time discussing corporate emails, giving a high-level overview of the industry, and describing general business observations.
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Summary: Pragmatic and to the point
Review: The first book since Lance Armstrong's "It's not about the bike" that I've read in two sittings. Gerstner's straightforward explanation of what it takes to initiate and sustain large-scale change is simple and honest. One gets to see that there's no rocket-science here, just a common sense approach to deciding what is important for your business, making sure your people are capable of and motivated to achieve your goals, and are held accountable. A must-read if you are involved in any way with organisational change.
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Summary: CEO greed in America
Review: The book is a good example of CEO greed in America. You will discover how Lou legally stole hundreds of millions from IBM at the expense of the poor IBM employee at the bottom working his/her [tail] off.
Rating:
Summary: Very interesting story
Review: This book is very easy to read and keeps the reader's attention throughout. I felt that the author got into just enough detail to make his points without dragging down the pace of the book. Being able to see inside the "IBM machine" to understand how it functioned and how it changed was very fascinating to me. Getting thousands of people to change the way they think about their jobs, about IBM's business, and about the culture of the company just seems like an incredibly daunting task, yet he walks the reader through just how he did it, while reminding us all that it's only impossible if you believe it is impossible (an excellent life lesson). While reading the book I found myself asking if I would have made the same decisions that Gerstner did. In many cases the answer was yes (Monday morning quarterbacking is great isn't it?), but there were many decisions that he had to make that took a lot of guts, and in some cases they were the wrong decisions. He freely admits that not all of his ideas worked, but it was better to try, fail, learn and move on, than never to try at all. Throughout the book Gerstner gives credit to many people that were instrumental in the turnaround. I respect a person who doesn't assume all of the glory. I can see why he was able to get thousands of people to believe in and follow his ideas. He comes across as a very charismatic individual. Easily one of the top ten people you would love to meet at a party. In the appendix of the book the author includes copies of employee communications so that the reader can gain a better understanding of the situation at the time. Some of these are letters to employees; some are announcements, while others are e-mails to Gerstner himself from employees. I found this to be an excellent addition to the book, providing additional insight into his and IBM's world. Conclusion
This was a very good book and highly recommended for anyone in management. I believe it to be an excellent case study in what happens when companies become complacent, and an equally valuable case study in how to turn a company around. I believe it has some very instructive advice while at the same time reminding the reader that every situation is different, and that sometimes you have to go with your gut feel. This book gives the reader the unique opportunity to get inside the mind of one of the great, and highly successful businessmen of our time, during a time when he was attempting to tackle perhaps his greatest life challenge. I found the book very informative and insightful, and will most likely find myself reading it again. Rating
I gave this book a rating of four stars out of five. While I found the content fascinating, the author's style could have been better. I found some sections to be a little too brief and needing a bit more elaboration. The flow could have been a bit smoother also. All in all, I would still definitely recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: Pretty good book, at least the 1st half. The second half was pretty boring.
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Summary: Great book for Business Students
Review: Our graduate level class was studying various business models, new and old. This book is a great example of how a man came into a dying business and transformed its business model. I know Gerstner has many critics...but the bottom line is...he saved the company. He did it by reinventing the way IBM did business. I was very impressed with this book. It's worth the money.
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