From Worst to First : Behind the Scenes of Continental's Remarkable Comeback

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Summary: A Great Book about the Best Airline
Review: A suberb chronicle of the quest to bring Continental Airlines out of the ashes and mold it into the best airline in the World. Having flown Continental on numerous occasions it is interesting to read about the behind the scenes actions and history of this proud and excellent airline. Great reading about a great airline!

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Summary: Easy to read
Review: Although Gordon Bethune tends to be rather repetitive in this story of Continental's turn around, he writes an informative and easy to read book. He gives a basic outline of the major strategies used to change ways at Continental but without too much detail .... this makes it a quick read.

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Summary: Universal Concepts in any Business
Review: An excellant book! Gordan's ideas are strongly emphasized in each chapter as he deals with the strategies of creating a winning team. His stories and metephors for dealing with issues that face all types of business are a slap of reality. They clearly explain his motivation and decision making. Coming from a technical background, Gordan explains this very plain and simple. I am in the IT world now, and see many strong points that could be applied from this book.

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Summary: "It's about people, and nothing but people."
Review: Anybody who has been in the workforce a few years will bond with Gordon Bethune's central message: "It's about people, and nothing but people." Who among us hasn't worked for the secretive sociopath, or the authoritarian arse? These are the creeps whose subordinates are constantly looking over their shoulders rather than at their work at hand. These were the types who created the revolving-door syndrome at Continental's corner office. Let's face it, no matter how big the company, the poop invariably filters down to the rocky bottom, which was exactly where Continental was. It even had employees yanking company insignia off their uniforms before leaving work. Enter Bethune. His solution was simple. Burn the company s.o.p. manual and start over with the Golden Rule. He started to treat employees as human beings to see if they reciprocated. They did. He gave them latitude in decision-making to see if they could resolve problems on the spot. They did. He told them what was wrong, and asked for their patience and help to fix it. He got it. He gave them a timetable and, ever since, he has been meeting or beating his deadlines. Finally, he rewarded employees for a job well done. Mr. Bethune's account initially seems a trifle pretentious. Frank talk often does. On the other hand, he openly admits that he merely used basic horse sense with everyone he worked, eschewing "business-grad" consulting malarkey. "Suddenly," he exclaims, "our employees are running a good airline." Speaking of business grads, Bethune's wonderfully-prosaic effort is an all-the-more-reliable gauge to the real world of business in that he is a career sweathog. He learned it all in the trenches, rather than hire ivory-tower pretenders who took notes from the pressbox. Any supervisor who has wondered about high employee turnover should read this book.

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Summary: Motivational, in the best sense of the word
Review: Being one of the many customers turned off to Continental Airlines during the Frank Lorenzo years, I was interested in reading about how people today can call them one of the best. Once again, the formula turns out to be simple: ignore the stock traders, and concentrate on your customers and employees. Keep them happy, within the bounds of financial sanity, and the profits will follow naturally. A well-written book with lots of solid examples. Mr Bethune, however, comes across as very much filled with his own importance -- although he repeatedly makes the point that he is replaceable -- and doesn't give enough credit to the subordinates that worked hard to carry out his ideas.

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Summary: Must read for managers at all levels
Review: Bethune is very candid. He is honest about how poor his company ran for many years, and he explains, very simply, how he and his management team fixed it. His analogies are funny, and it's easy to understand why he's developed a loyal following among Continental's employees in a remarkably short time. Clearly, he's a people person, and his personality makes the book fun to read and not at all a typical business book. Also, Bethune is quick to give credit to his management team and his employees. This book is a lot of fun -- a must read for anyone who cares about managing people and running a successful business.

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Summary: A good story, well told
Review: Bethune makes it clear that a company turnaround requires a lot more than closing facilitities and firing employees (Take that, Chainsaw Al!). It requires a comprehensive plan that includes getting your finances in order, treating your customers right but first treating your employees like valued partners, admitting your mistakes, communicating about everything, involving employees, customers and distributors (e.g., travel agents) in the change process and being willing to make hard choices. The book tells us how Continental did it and those of us who are frequent flyers notice the difference. The main criticism of the book is that it is repetitive, too full of homey stories and a just a bit self-congratulatory (although he is justifibly proud). Our business book club, composed of senior-level human resources professionals, liked the book.

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Summary: An easy and entertaining read
Review: Gordon Bethune and Greg Brenneman miraculously saved Continental. Bethune isn't your typical Fortune 500 CEO. His unique style and background are interesting. From the book, you'll read how much nerve it must have taken to pull off this great comeback. Bethune and his team are true people managers, and it is great see this type of approach so successful. By saving Continental, Gordon Bethune has eclipsed Robert Six, Continental's founder and long- time CEO. The book is a must for airline buffs and anyone who manages people regardless of what business you're in.

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Summary: Hammering in what everyone knows
Review: Gordon Bethune certainly turned around Continental by using common logic and Management techniques. What is not clear is how did Continental slip to such depths before and also what are the Challenges that still need to be overcome ? The book is interesting but one tends to jump pages since there is a lot of repetition. All the same it is a good book for it does hammer in that PEOPLE COUNT and one cannot ignore that.

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Summary: Gordon Bethune a "master in understanding the human element"
Review: Gordon Bethune truly understands the human element and what motivates an employee to put forward his best! Listening and respect is key and Mr Bethune shows a true understanding of this logic. I am 12 year employee and have been through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Gordon should be paid 6 times his salary if he would stay with us. This book was so inspiring that I carry its principles with me each and every day I am dealing with customer.