Rating: 
Summary: Real lessons for running a business
Review: I bought a copy of this book at my local bookstore but I wanted to go online to tell the world how valuable I think it is. I see that some people just don't like the parable format for teaching old managers new tricks, but I think it works just fine (which is why it has been around since the Bible, for goodness sake!). I got involved with the simple story right away but realized after looking at the discussion questions in the back that the author has constructed the book carefully so that readers can learn something from every single chapter. You don't have to read it in a single sitting.I have plenty to do at the office, but those questions have inspired me to see if people at work would want to join a book club and begin with this one. I would be happy to make the coffee.
Rating:
Summary: An uplifting story
Review: I bought this book because Amazon recommended it along with Good to Great, which I had heard was one of the best business books of all time. Amazon shipped them together and I had them sitting on my desk for several days together. So many people came in and, naturally, were curious about what their manager was reading. They looked at Good to Great casually but really seemed to get excited about this little book. I felt I should probably read it so I could discuss it intelligently, and I have to say it is a powerful, highly enjoyable story. There's a reason these fable and parable books are so successful: they engage people at a very basic level. They encourage them to share their own stories. The inspire them to make things better in their own departments and businesses. I think that's really important and I look forward to the day when businesses embrace books like this and use them to improve their relationships with employees and customers. I am trying to be hopeful in a time when things in corporate America are looking pretty grim indeed. This book helped me be that way.
Rating:
Summary: Why can't all fable books be like this?
Review: I have been reading business fable books since my first boss gave me one at least ten years ago. Now I give them to my own staff, because I think they show rather than tell. Ken Blanchard has kind of had the market to himself, and many of his books have been good in the past. No so anymore. This one reminds me of vintage Ken Blanchard - real, easy-to-digest business lessons in a story that I found to be just charming. I work for a large corporation, but my department is run like a small company with our own cost center and everything. So fortunately I can buy a dozen books and give them to my people without approval from anyone. Read it yourself first, but if you're looking to motivate your people, remind them that the customer comes first, and renew their energy level, then I recommend this book highly.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I have never written a review on Amazon before, but I was so surprised and, frankly, taken aback by this book that I felt I had to share my feelings. First of all, I didn't buy it but saw it among the books my husband received thanks to his status as a book reviewer. He doesn't review books like this, so he was ready to take it to our son's school library. I picked it up because the cover looked appealing, and I was hooked the moment I started. First of all, it's a refreshing story about a business that is succeeding almost in spite of itself, and certainly in the face of heavy competition from the chains. This little coffee shop can be seen as a David amid the Goliaths in Seattle. The story itself is pretty simple, but the way it's told is just very special. You really start to pull for the owner of this place, and, before you know it, you've started internalizing some of the principles the author (who I'm assuming is really the consultant in the story) talks about. My own little company, an interior design/upholstery business in Westchester County New York, has had it's share of problems, primarily with employees who don't really want to pay the dues they say they will. I am going to give this to everyone I interview, ask them to read it and be prepared to discuss it at the final interview. If they can tell me how they will use the principles on the job, then I will probably hire them. They're so simple yet so often forgotten by employees who think they know it all when it comes to customers. While it may be easy to dismiss this as a book just for small businesses, I think it has excellent, real-world advice even for the smug CEOs who have removed themselves so far from the customer that they don't even know what their own products cost. Get this book, read it, and see if it doesn't make a difference in the policies you make for your business. It may be a humbling experience, but I suspect you will be a better executive because of it.
Rating:
Summary: Totally delightful
Review: I have read a lot of these business fables, sometimes with a healthy dose of skepticism. This one is among the best. Even though the "principles" probably seem basic, I agree with the authors that people need to be reminded of them daily. The story itself holds up well on its own, but I think you can easily give or recommend this book to people on your staff who need a little "inspiration" and it will totally energize them.
Rating:
Summary: Totally delightful
Review: I have read a lot of these business fables, sometimes with a healthy dose of skepticism. This one is among the best. Even though the "principles" probably seem basic, I agree with the authors that people need to be reminded of them daily. The story itself holds up well on its own, but I think you can easily give or recommend this book to people on your staff who need a little "inspiration" and it will totally energize them.
Rating:
Summary: A caffeine high
Review: I have to admit that after reading this book I had to go out and have a big cappucino. There's nothing especially new here, but I've never seen it presented in such a nice story framework. If you're looking for a way to motivate your staff, placate your investors, and basically make yourself feel like you made the right decision in opening a small business, then this is the book for you. I own a small chain of delis and I can see how this could make a difference in how my employees deal with customers, so I am willing to invest in a few hundred dollars and give it to my district managers to pass around. I think it could change their thinking - forever.
Rating:
Summary: Totally delightful
Review: I heard about it. I bought it. I read it. I loved it. I believed it. I use it. It works. I succeed.
Rating:
Summary: The way to think about business
Review: I heard about it. I bought it. I read it. I loved it. I believed it. I use it. It works. I succeed.
Rating:
Summary: It really does what it says it will do
Review: I heard one of the authors on a radio show recently and the points he made intrigued me. I went to my local Borders store to look for the book. They claimed to have four copies but couldn't locate a single one. No wonder people prefer to shop online! Anyway, I read the book last night and I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I usually say that if a business book gives me just one good idea for improving my employees' performances, then it has done it's job. This one offers at least four, and the main character is so trusting that he inspired me to give my staff a little more leeway than I have been. The only problem I had was with the consultant character, who seemed like she was trying to make the point that only consultants can help managers fix their businesses. I hired one in 2001 when I saw a big downturn in my office cleaning business and about all I got out of it was a [very large]bill. This book [didn't cost much]and I found it much more useful - for the short and the long-term.
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