The Irresistible Growth Enterprise: Breakthrough Gains from Unstoppable Change

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Summary: A COMPLEMENTARY PATHWAY TO THE DESIRED RESULT
Review: "The Irresistible Growth Enterprise" is a handy guide, which derives its strength from well-articulated sections. The contents of this book are complementary: promoting both motivation and innovation. They also provide broad and comprehensive analyses of the principal ideas of business management.
Although that I would say that this book is less than aptly summarized, I felt compensated by the spurts of brilliance which is evident on each page. Its problem-evaluation outlook makes it an essential practical guide to effective management techniques.
In a nutshell, I will describe this book as a sound management advisor. Despite feeling that its 280 pages would have yielded a dynamic 380, I have no negative comment for it. It is a complementary pathway, which leads to the desired management result. A fine piece indeed!

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Summary: What dot-com companies should have read
Review: As a board member of one Internet company and an advisor to three others, I can attest to the importance of discerning trends accurately. Most of the failures in high tech can be attributed to misjudgements about the market and competitive response. This book gives entrepreuners the tools to set their direction for true success. During my career as CFO of companies with over $7 billion in revenues, I learned many of the lessons the hard way. Don Mitchell and Carol Coles have given the secret of great success for anyone to read. I recommend it to all.

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Summary: Using Forces Beyond Your Control
Review: As CEOs we face many problems that are caused by forces beyond our control. This is especially true for CEOs of companies smaller than the Fortune 500. In fact, we are often tempted to put such problems in a different pile -- the ones we can't do anything about -- and hope something else changes. Don Mitchell and Carol Coles have taken away that excuse with the ideas in this very readable book. They show us that the forces beyond our control, these irresistible forces, often are the key to irresistible growth. We need to learn to understand the new opportunities these forces present and to leverage them to our advantage.

I am recommending this book to all of the CEOs and other senior executives who are members of Renaissance Executive Forums. Every month we deal with the big topics and learning how to manage change in this time of new paradigms is always on the agenda. This book will add value to these discussions.

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Summary: The Gods of Lankhmar meet Napoleon Hill
Review: Fritz Leiber's "Lankhmar" stories tell of a fail-safe system available to the citizens of Lankmar in case they were in grave danger of defeat: They could summon the Gods of Lankhmar, who would lay waste their enemies - and them, too. (Naturally, one does not summon them too often.)
Many leaders, thinking like managers, wait until drastic action is mandatory to save their organization - risking possible destruction in the process. Mitchell and Coles outline a series of steps, somewhat reminicent of Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" system, for recognizing danger (read: opportunity), planning for riding the crest of said opportunity, and for overcoming the organizational inertia that most large systems possess to make it happen.
Part of the change process is accepting risk: The "Gods of Lankhmar Effect" might do to describe the process they envision, as the change device carries the potential to expose the organization to collateral damage, or "creative destruction," as Shumpeter termed it. Knowledge of the risks involved contributes to the "stalls" many cohorts will use to block change. Much of the book is devoted to strategizing ways to overcome the more common ones.
Some of the stalls ("But that's not the way I thought it would be!") remind one of the reactions of individuals to personal loss - the grieving process is often described as a five-step one, including denial as an early reaction. Facing change of major magnitude, when the action called on for survival and the chance to prosper, may involve the preceived loss of what one holds dear. Like Themistocles, the innovative leader may have to sell his people on letting the Persians burn Athens, by offering a compelling vision of the marbled splendor awaiting the victors, as opposed to hoping that a conventional response to overwhelming force will somehow do the trick - magical thinking, if you will.
Tactics described by the authors start out with measurement concepts - an essential part of a rational decision-making process. Collecting relevant data, and knowing what that is, constitutes the first line of defense in directing organizational change. After all, what good is a thermometer when what is needed is a Geiger counter?
The essential quality of the book is this: Accept the need for overcoming a majority in your organization who will not see or accept change, and who may not accept the best alternative for meeting it, along with the consequent resourcing demands. Be prepared to identify and ally with those who come to share your vision. Anticipate dealing with stalling tactics, or be just another Cassandra - right on your predictions, but ignored by those you warn.
-Lloyd A. Conway

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Summary: Taking Advantage of the Irresistible Forces Affecting Us
Review: History is replete with companies done in by forces beyond their control. History also celebrates the rare examples of executives who turned these "irresistible" forces to their great advantage.

Can executives of companies see the wave soon enough, catch and ride (read manage) it to sustained growth, rewarding themselves, employees, customers and shareholders along the way?

In their new book, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise: Breakthrough Gains from Unstoppable Change, authors Donald W. Mitchell and Carol Coles lay out a road map for managers that, if followed, will allow them to take advantage of forces beyond their control. Authors of the popular The 2,000 Percent Solution, Mitchell and Coles show how CEOs can benefit from flexibility when they confront irresistible forces and provide a set of principles for shaping vision, strategy, tactics, management process and organizational structure.

The book identifies external factors and obsolete ways of thinking. For example, "companies that strategize only to optimize the forces when they are positive, will face grave difficulties when the forces shift directions," say Mitchell and Coles. A lack of understanding can lead to "inappropriate action or no action," the authors suggest in their book.

In separate chapters, they describe a wide range of stalls commonly faced by companies in a section called, Overcoming Stalls and Taking Actions.

These stalls include:

A lack of direction;

Wishful thinking that favorable conditions will return;

A sense of helplessness about actions to take;

A defensive reaction and denial of the seriousness of the forces;

Relying only on the company's resources to handle the situation;

Covering up problems and "throwing in the towel";

Being too independent and believing they can succeed;

Being overly optimistic about succeeding; and

Underestimating the impact.

Mitchell and Coles set out eight steps that will allow companies to manage these irresistible forces successfully:

1) Recognize how measurements can help your company identify and understand more about irresistible forces;

2) use your own leading indicators to anticipate shifts in irresistible forces;

3) identify the future best practices for locating, anticipating and adapting to change in irresistible forces;

4) extend your vision to accomplish best practices beyond anyone else in the future;

5) identify the ideal best practices for benefiting from irresistible forces;

6) determine how to operate close to ideal best practices for locating, anticipating and adapting to your irresistible forces;

7) enhance your people's ability to achieve the benefits of irresistible force management; and

8) repeat steps one through seven for improved effectiveness in using the management process.

Last, the authors urge readers to "embrace the forces," encouraging managers to "seek out the irresistible forces" as a basis for early action. Survival, growth, and personal opportunity are at stake and at hand. They lay out a course of action for taking the lead inside your company and mobilizing people.

A chapter personalizes the entire process for each reader's overall life.

Rating:
Summary: Taking Advantage of the Irresistible Forces Affecting Us
Review: History is replete with companies done in by forces beyond their control. History also celebrates the rare examples of executives who turned these "irresistible" forces to their great advantage.

Can executives of companies see the wave soon enough, catch and ride (read manage) it to sustained growth, rewarding themselves, employees, customers and shareholders along the way?

In their new book, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise: Breakthrough Gains from Unstoppable Change, authors Donald W. Mitchell and Carol Coles lay out a road map for managers that, if followed, will allow them to take advantage of forces beyond their control. Authors of the popular The 2,000 Percent Solution, Mitchell and Coles show how CEOs can benefit from flexibility when they confront irresistible forces and provide a set of principles for shaping vision, strategy, tactics, management process and organizational structure.

The book identifies external factors and obsolete ways of thinking. For example, "companies that strategize only to optimize the forces when they are positive, will face grave difficulties when the forces shift directions," say Mitchell and Coles. A lack of understanding can lead to "inappropriate action or no action," the authors suggest in their book.

In separate chapters, they describe a wide range of stalls commonly faced by companies in a section called, Overcoming Stalls and Taking Actions.

These stalls include:

A lack of direction;

Wishful thinking that favorable conditions will return;

A sense of helplessness about actions to take;

A defensive reaction and denial of the seriousness of the forces;

Relying only on the company's resources to handle the situation;

Covering up problems and "throwing in the towel";

Being too independent and believing they can succeed;

Being overly optimistic about succeeding; and

Underestimating the impact.

Mitchell and Coles set out eight steps that will allow companies to manage these irresistible forces successfully:

1) Recognize how measurements can help your company identify and understand more about irresistible forces;

2) use your own leading indicators to anticipate shifts in irresistible forces;

3) identify the future best practices for locating, anticipating and adapting to change in irresistible forces;

4) extend your vision to accomplish best practices beyond anyone else in the future;

5) identify the ideal best practices for benefiting from irresistible forces;

6) determine how to operate close to ideal best practices for locating, anticipating and adapting to your irresistible forces;

7) enhance your people's ability to achieve the benefits of irresistible force management; and

8) repeat steps one through seven for improved effectiveness in using the management process.

Last, the authors urge readers to "embrace the forces," encouraging managers to "seek out the irresistible forces" as a basis for early action. Survival, growth, and personal opportunity are at stake and at hand. They lay out a course of action for taking the lead inside your company and mobilizing people.

A chapter personalizes the entire process for each reader's overall life.

Rating:
Summary: How to keep a business growing consistently
Review: Most businesses tend to grow for a while and then hit a point where they stall. "The Irresistible Growth Enterprise" focuses on how to get past a stall and use various growth enhancing techniques to get started again. The various things discussed in this book that cause a business to stall include Irresistible Force Stalls, the Directionless Stall (Where are we going and how do we get there?), the Wishful Thinking Stall (That's not the way I thought it would be), the Helplessness Stall (What do we do now?), the Defensiveness Stall, the Independence Stall (We can do it all), the Overoptimization Stall, the Cover-up Stall, and the Underestimation Stall.
The second part deals with Irresistible Force Management, how to determine the forces that affect your company, how to use them to develop a best practice scenario, and how to monitor results.
There are many good management books on the market today. Very few cover the problem of why a business enterprise stops growing and what to do about it to the extent that this one does. Because of this extended coverage of an often overlooked or marginalized area this is a recommended read for anyone wishing to jumpstart a stalled business or keep from getting into a business stall.

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Summary: For Corporate Executives Who Think They're Poised for Growth
Review: Nimbleness and strategic thinking can go hand-in-hand. The power is in understanding the forces around you that can inhibit progress or send you careening off in the wrong direction. With that understanding, and the ability to act in a timely manner, you can achieve considerably greater success in the corporate world.

The first ten chapters of this insightful book address the factors that can stall progress. This portion will be quite educational for executives who haven't realized how many things could get in their way-many without even appearing to be blockages. Consider these stalls: lack of direction, wishful thinking, helplessness, defensiveness, independence, overoptimism, cover-up, and underestimation. Getting a little uncomfortable? Welcome to the club. These inhibitions are more common than you might think. However, knowledge is power; so understanding what's happening to you will give you the capacity to break through.

The stalls, thinking habits that get in our way, can be overcome. And the authors show readers how to get past the stalls with solutions and challenging questions. A liberal supply of anecdotes from the authors' consulting experiences illustrate the messages to help readers "get" what's happening and what they must do. With a deeper understanding of the company's conditions, you'll be motivated to really dig in and make some things happen.

The next eight chapters of the book will give you the tools you need, enhanced by lots of examples to help you understand the applications. The authors describe how measurement, environmental awareness, studying of best practices, and working differently with your people can make a substantial difference in your success. The epilogue chapter emphasizes why it's important to begin this work now, and not procrastinate. The velocity of change in the world has increased significantly, with more competition and other companies whose executives have read books like these and are striving to apply the principles.

A valuable touch from the authors is an appendix that applies their concepts to personal and family life. This section is a gift. Another appendix focuses on the internet and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by this vehicle.

The book is enhanced by summary introductions to each chapter (like executive summaries), a bibliography, and index. It's a work that will engage your thinking and stimulate some interesting-and productive-discussions among your leadership team.

Rating:
Summary: Some Good Examples, A Little Too Much Theory
Review: The Irresistible Growth Enterprise is the second book I read by Donald Mitchell. There are certainly some very good examples given by Mitchell. The one at the beginning of the book describing how the diaper industry changed certainly is intriguing. The efforts of one company's going beyond the call of duty to secure transportation to meet a client to cultivate a business relationship is fairly captivating. Also, I especially like the emphasis given to the importance of utilizing data to measure and analyze trends.

However some notable downfalls of this book is the overuse of stall jargon seems a bit disconnected from many business people especially those who are not on an executive level. Is it really necessary to detail a dozen stall methods that hurt business? A few have merit but others are just not very captivating. Somehow these situations do not seem all inclusive. The style is a little bit too much like a college textbook: too much theory and not enough practical examples.

This book may be irresistable for a small business owner. Maybe this specific audience can relate wholeheartedly to what Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles are saying. However, for the rest of us, its more hit than miss but merely a sixty-forty split. And equates to a three-three and a half star rating.

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Summary: Lesson for Software Development Folks, Too!
Review: There's little I can add beyond the accolades and recommendations, but I am registering my positive endorsement of this book to software development managers. Mitchell and Coles offer lessons we often must remind ourselves, especially when managing demanding projects with a tight timeline. Too often projects become disasters because of knee jerk reactions that lead to the "quick fix." The first half of the book is a must read for anyone in the industry from a philosophical viewpoint. Every software development manager can relate to the metaphors offered. The second half of the book is equally valuable in terms of team work and focused management.