Rating: 
Summary: The new "Ries & Trout"?
Review: Easy and fast, as business must be. Nothing new, as everything on earth, but things that everybody needs to remember (or to know). This book must be besides the Ries &/or Trout books on your office. EXCELENTE.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple management philosophy that worths a read
Review: I think most people understand the importance of "speed" in the marketplace. The problem lies in "how" to incorporate this element into their daily business before they or their companies had been eaten by someone else. I am sorry that the author had not done a good job in this respect. He said a lot about the advantages of being speedy, but not practical methods of pushing it through bureaucracy, redtape, human resistance to change, the long term committment of top management......... Perhaps I had demanded too much from such a small book. However, I really believe the author is capable of giving us more, judged by his smooth and intelligent writing skills and choice of words. Below please find some copy and paste for your reference. Speed, merely for the sake of moving fast, without a destination inmind, is haste. Eventually, out of control, speed will land you in big trouble. But imagine how many more races you would win if you had a big head start. Think about the advantage you would have if you knew what the future was going to look like and were able to spot trends before the competition. Consider the power of being able to think about things quickly and accurately, tackling in minutes the same big issues and questions the competition would be processing for weeks. pg 9 Question everything...all the time. If you want to hone your anticipatory skills, accept nothing. Question everything. Ask how and why of everything that's presented to you. pg 19 A fund manager's best year will likely be his or her first. He or she is without a need to defend the previous year's choices and is able to ruthlessly assess the viability and potential performance of holdings in the fund. Dr. Richard Geist, professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. pg 101 It's not the strongest nor most intelligent of the species that survive; it is the one most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin pg 111 When you refuse to abandon, bad things always seem to happen. p.s. The main book title is very interesting. I think if the author did add one more word "idiot" in the end, the impact will be even bigger.
Rating:
Summary: Simple management philosophy that worths a read
Review: I think most people understand the importance of "speed" in the marketplace. The problem lies in "how" to incorporate this element into their daily business before they or their companies had been eaten by someone else. I am sorry that the author had not done a good job in this respect. He said a lot about the advantages of being speedy, but not practical methods of pushing it through bureaucracy, redtape, human resistance to change, the long term committment of top management......... Perhaps I had demanded too much from such a small book. However, I really believe the author is capable of giving us more, judged by his smooth and intelligent writing skills and choice of words. Below please find some copy and paste for your reference. Speed, merely for the sake of moving fast, without a destination inmind, is haste. Eventually, out of control, speed will land you in big trouble. But imagine how many more races you would win if you had a big head start. Think about the advantage you would have if you knew what the future was going to look like and were able to spot trends before the competition. Consider the power of being able to think about things quickly and accurately, tackling in minutes the same big issues and questions the competition would be processing for weeks. pg 9 Question everything...all the time. If you want to hone your anticipatory skills, accept nothing. Question everything. Ask how and why of everything that's presented to you. pg 19 A fund manager's best year will likely be his or her first. He or she is without a need to defend the previous year's choices and is able to ruthlessly assess the viability and potential performance of holdings in the fund. Dr. Richard Geist, professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. pg 101 It's not the strongest nor most intelligent of the species that survive; it is the one most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin pg 111 When you refuse to abandon, bad things always seem to happen. p.s. The main book title is very interesting. I think if the author did add one more word "idiot" in the end, the impact will be even bigger.
Rating:
Summary: Average Book
Review: If you did not read many books of management, you will certainly profit from reading this book. There'a a total lack of care for personel but a lot of good ideas.
Read a book on Emotional Intelligence together with this one, mix them both and get to work!
Rating: 
Summary: Good
Review: Lots of good stuff. Some you'll have read in other books, but that's not a negative if such info is presented in a new way, as it is here. I do think the choices of AOL and Hotmail as fast company examples were dumb choices, since Hotmail never actually turned a profit, it just grew to become an enticing buy for Microsoft, which is when the owners cashed in. AOL's troubled history is famous enough I need not repeat it here. But the other companies chosen (Charles Schwab, Clear Channel, among others) as examples are "legitimate" companies, aiming for profit and succeeding while growing quickly. And it's because of those examples I recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: There is an old story about the two fellows who went lion hunting in Africa. They searched for days to no avail, then suddenly-right in front of them-was a huge lion!
The lion saw them, too, and thought, "lunch!" One of the men reached into his knapsack, retrieved his running shoes, and began putting them on. His friend, incredulous, mocked, "You'll never outrun that lion." The first man responded, "I don't have to outrun the lion; I just have to outrun you!" The speed of business has increased, along with the speed of change. Today, and in the years ahead, the prizes will go to the companies that anticipate the trends, then move most quickly and wisely to put themselves in the right place at the right time. Those firms that allow any employee-at any level-to tie them to tradition or to get in the way of progress risk extinction. Given the title, we'd expect to find the secrets in the pages of this book. Readers will find quite a few tips, some great lessons, snappy writing, and valuable summary lists at the end of each chapter. There's a lot of good content here, but also some annoying redundancy. This well-organized book moves steadily and deliberately through a collection of strategies that stimulate thinking and action. A number of examples are offered to illustrate fast movement and not-fast-enough movement. Many of the anecdotes and case studies come from the same companies, which is both good and bad. We see deeper into these companies, but miss the opportunity to appreciate the strategies and actions of a wider range of organizations. Hearing about the same companies over and over again made me wonder if the authors had investigated any other examples. The sameness got old. Toward the end of the book, the reader may sense some repetition, as if the authors forgot they had mentioned these things or were looking for filler to complete the manuscript at the end of their writing process. I sensed some redundancy in the main body of the book, but as the manuscript drew to a close I almost lost interest because I was reading words I'd already read. There's a lot of good content in this volume, so I'll still recommend it. Look for the tips, the advice, and the strategies that will inspire you to make notes, turn down pages, and highlight various sections. While the book wasn't 100% for me, there are a lot of valuable and thought-provoking lessons in these pages. Many of the ideas and observations are sufficiently thought-provoking to stimulate change in the way you do things, particularly if you perceive yourself to be in a competitive environment. This review refers to the hardcover edition.
Rating:
Summary: Good Overview of Thinking and Decision Processes for Speed!
Review: This book is the best one I have read to date on helping a company accelerate its ability to move ahead of the competition by being better at sensing the environment and reacting to it. Those who are interested in checking their organizations for stalled thinking in this regard will find a useful list of areas to investigate and improve. "Do more with less and do it faster." That's the mantra that the authors have investigated through their case histories of Charles Schwab, Clear Channel Communications, America On Line, H&M (clothing stores), Hotmail, Telepizza (European home delivery pizza chain), and Lend Lease (Australian company). The book is organized into four sections: Fast thinking; fast decisions; get to market faster; and sustaining speed. Each one contains a number of key points, with subpoint details to further elaborate. Here's how Fast Thinking is organized: "Speed . . . without a destination in mind, is haste." The focus of this section is on creating improvements in your business model or new business models. The key sections under the heading are to anticipate; spot trends; put ideas through a thorough testing process to probe for their downside weaknesses; and being sure that the best idea wins by changing the company environment. Each of these sections is illustrated with examples from the companies that were studied and more detail on the key elements. In this example, you should see the potential weakness of the book. It correctly points you toward spotting trends, but cannot possibly teach you what you need to know in just a few pages. So you will want to expand on the points here by reading other books that deal with these areas in more depth. In essence, the book then is an outline of the business processes you need for innovation in business models, choosing the right ones, getting them implemented well, and staying agile. The primary metaphor is to Wayne Gretzky, who was famous for his ability to anticipate where the puck would go next . . . and to aim for that spot. If you can determine what is "likely to occur in the next few months and the next few years [that] is enough to give you an edge . . . ." While I have not studied all of these companies, what was said about the ones that I know well was certain accurate and full of insight. I assume the rest was done equally as well. Many of the conclusions are similar to my own work on irresistible forces. Of the four sections, I thought that the first section on fast thinking had the most original material, and will be the most valuable for many companies. If you have problems with fast decisions and getting to market fast, you may find it hard to change very quickly. But if you are already in pretty good there, the first section can increase the flow of good new ideas for you to consider. Many CEOs tell me that this is a limitation for them. I do have some concerns. If everyone organizes for speed, how sustainable will that be? Perhaps it would be better to organize to grasp advantages that then become unavailable to others. Also, what is it going to be like to work for a company like this? What is your family life going to be like? For readers who are interested in these questions, I suggest you read Professor Robert Reich's new book, The Future of Success. It has many thought-provoking ideas on this subject. After you have organized for maximum speed that makes sense for your business and the personal lives of those involved, I suggest that you consider how the experience can be made much less demanding on everyone. That's the area where the most innovation is needed. May you make rapid progress towards worthwhile goals . . . and have time to smell the roses along the way!
Rating:
Summary: Speed Plus Torque = Victory!
Review: This is the first of two books by Jennings which I have recently read. (The other is Less Is More.) It was written in collaboration with Laurence Haughton. The subtitle reveals their core assertion: "How to Use Speed as a Competitive Tool in Business." Correctly, they stress the importance of using speed to achieve and then sustain a decisive competitive advantage. They also realize that there are times for an organization to be a sprinter but other times to proceed as if in a marathon. In the Prologue, Jennings and Haughton explain that they "began with a blank canvas. No points to prove, no axes to grind, and no one to impress. We truly wanted to figure this 'speed thing' out and boil it down into easy-to-replicate tactics." They developed criteria for selecting the fastest companies and then focused on them: Charles Schwab, Clear Channel Communications, AOL, H&M, Hotmail, Telepizza, and Lend Lease. The book presents a number of real-life lessons from these high-speed companies and their full-throttle executives. The authors also provide "time-proven instructions on becoming faster than anyone else." The material is organized within four Parts: Fast Thinking, Fast Decisions, Get to Market Faster, and finally, Sustaining Speed. In their Epilogue, the authors observe that, early on in their research, they discovered that "truly fast companies that have demonstrated the ability to maintain momentum aren't naturally any faster than their slower-moving rivals. But they are smarter." What's the difference? The truly fast companies avoid, "blow up," or get past various "speed bumps," refusing to be delayed or prevented from getting to where they want to be. As I read this book, I began to think of an organization as a vehicle. As such, what are its requirements? First, a specific and appropriate destination. Next, a capable driver. Then, a sufficiently powerful engine and enough fuel to keep it running. Also, a transmission with different gears (including reverse), shock absorbers, and brakes. Gauges keep the driver fully informed of available fuel, oil pressure, speed, time, etc. Jennings and Haughton discuss "speed bumps" and could have just easily included a discussion of terrain and weather. A number of organizations -- S&Ls 15-20 years ago and dot coms more recently -- have failed because they could not cope with "rough roads" and "foul weather." In several instances, imprudent speed was a factor in their demise. I want to stress this point because Jennings and Haughton do not glorify speed per se. In certain situations, however, speed is the determinant insofar as success and failure are concerned. Rapid response to customers' needs, for example, or to a new business opportunity. To extend the vehicle metaphor, executives also need a multi-gear "transmission" as well as an accelerator and brakes...and the skill to use each as well as the wisdom to know when. Jennings and Haughton have a Snap! Crackle! and Pop! writing style which is eminently appropriate to the subject. They also have a delightful sense of humor which substantially increases the entertainment value of their work even as they focus on an especially serious subject: business competition in an age and at a time when it has never before been so intense and when prudent speed frequently determines the difference between organizational life or death. This is a brilliant achievement. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Jennings' Less Is More as well as Curt Coffman and Gabriel Gonzalez-Molina's Follow This Path.
Rating:
Summary: simple stuff that's commonly ignored
Review: Why ever hire overpriced consultants? Have your management team read this book and implement their suggestions. Each point is well thought out, easy to read, and applicable for most businesses. What really blew me away was that this book contains easy business common sense stuff that companies (especially larger ones) ignore because of politics and butt-covering. It's easy to get lost in the minutae of the daily grind so these gems, packaged in a book, are valuable focusing tools. If managers would stop and read this, a lot of companies would move at a rapid clip. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Yawn
Review: Without a doubt, this is one of the most practical business management books I have read. I have even recommended it to some friends who are business school professors. This book is all about what works. It teaches you to plan ahead to achieve maximum speed and maximum results. It is a must for all executives, managers and business owners.
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