Rating: 
Summary: Give it to your staff
Review: This is just a delightful little book. I picked it up at La Guardia Airport after the blackout and read the whole thing while waiting for them to figure out how to get me home. It completely took me away from my problems and inspired me to be a better manager when I got back to work. My department managers tell me I try and control things too much, and I am going to try and practice what the owner of this coffee business did - he trusted his employees. Easy to say, I realize, but I am going to really try and let go a bit more and trust!More than anything else, however, I think this is a book that could give a message to your staff that THEY can make a difference in improving your business. They are the ones on the front line with your customer, whether it's the cashier or the person who cleans the dressing rooms, so make sure the attitude on display is the one you're proud of. Read this book (it takes about two hours) and see if you don't agree.
Rating:
Summary: Restored my faith in American business
Review: This is not only an inspiring book about a natural-born leader, but the other side of the awful business headlines we're seeing almost every day. I think there are more companies out there like the El Espresso, and I wish there was a way for them to tell their stories. Magazines and books are published constantly about "America's Most Admired Companies", presumably because people want to work in those places. Maybe there should be a special category of "America's Best Owner-Managed Coffee Shops" - I know I would want to work in this one.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Pillars for Success
Review: Who can argue with the four P's: Passion (experience and sustained passion about work), People (enduring staff relationships), Personal (a community of regulars), and Product (product excellence)? It is obvious that the P's make a business successful. I also recommend Optimal Thinking-How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman Ph.D. to integrate the thinking necessary for every employee to become an optimizer -- doing their best, optimizing profits and making the most of every situation.
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