In the Words of Great Business Leaders

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Summary: Reveals remarkable insights into great business leaders
Review: Brilliant, practical, obsessed with the day-to-day details of running a company-all are characteristics of the greatest business leaders of our time. This book reveals remarkable insights into these men and women, teaching timeless lessons about business, money, and even human nature. It also features thorough background information on each leader, telling the stories of their struggles to succeed, their triumphs, and how their various experiences-both good and bad-formed their business philosophies.

From the consummate salesmen... like William Wrigley, Jr., who started a soap business in the late 1800s with only US$32 to his name and by 1922 was selling ten billion sticks of gum per year.

To hustling hard workers... like Edwin Land, president of Polaroid-which may have been the first start-up company in history to get US$750,000 out of Wall Street on a promise of inventing things for which there was no market.

To self-made successes... like John D. Rockefeller, who never raised his voice or made cutting remarks, but left no doubts about his power and became one of the richest men in the country.

And, of course, the bosses... like Harvey Firestone, whose early days as a traveling salesman gained him valuable lessons that would serve him well as he created the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company-which, thanks to Firestone, would weather the Great Depression without even having to consider reducing its dividend.

In the Words of Great Business Leaders delivers enlightening, surprising, and motivating information for business readers of all industries. It presents the accumulated experience of twenty business legends, in their own words. Each leader provides inspiring and motivating wisdom that runs the gamut from investing to setting priorities to making the most of opportunity.

Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School in London.

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Summary: In the Words of Great Business Leaders
Review: I have recently read this fascinating book by Fenster. As a business leader in my own right I was fascinated to find that buisness leaders from long ago had a lot to offer me in terms of advice and philosophies. I highly reccommend this book to anyone with a passing interest in business. That is everyone

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Summary: A Wealth of Wisdom and Eloquence
Review: Most executives have a personal business library, consisting of titles which are most relevant to their respective needs and interests. Here is an excellent candidate to consider. Fenster has anthologized a wealth of insights from a diverse range of sources, including several one would not perhaps think of as "great business leaders." For example, Mary Pickford, Madame C.J. Walker, Clarence Birdseye, and Margaret Rudkin. Of course, there is a generous selection from the usual sources such as Andrew Carnegie, Sam Walton, John D. Rockefeller, Albert P. Sloan, Jr., David Packard, and Herb Kelleher. The quotations are organized within five Parts:

Talk About Convincing: SALESMEN

No Stone Left Unturned: HUSTLING HARD WORKERS

The Thoughts That Count: SELF-MADE SUCCESSES

The Buck Stops: BOSSES

No Matter What Everyone Else is Doing: MAVERICKS

This would be a terrific source for material to be included in correspondence, internal and external newsletters, speeches, business plans, formal proposals, and multi-media presentations. The same material also offers new insights or reminders which can help to clarify thoughts, especially during a problem-solving process. Fenster includes a brief introduction to each Part and then a brief bio of each great business leader quoted. One of my personal favorites is what Herb Kelleher says about Perspective: "Think small and act small, and we'll get bigger. Think big and act big, and we'll get smaller." Some of the hundreds of quotations will be familiar to each reader...others will not. All are worthy of inclusion in this entertaining as well as useful collection.

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Summary: Great insight into different business leaders
Review: This book does a very good job of presenting descriptions of some of the world's greatest business leaders. It shows their methods to success, personal philosophies, and business strategies. A good book for someone wanting a 'catch all' covering lessons in business leadership shown first hand by the most successful men/women in the past 200 years.

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Summary: Wit and Wisdom
Review: This book introduces you to people you've heard of, but never realized the importance of their contributions to the world of business. I thought the book contained a lot of real situations and humor, which was a nice surprise. Very informative and owning a business of my own, I found a lot of inspirational leadership and management ideas which were never brought into focus for me in all the other business and management books that I have read.

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Summary: In the Words of Great Business Leaders
Review: This book is incredible. I was able to learn the business philosophy of several well known and successful leaders from both past and present. It was remarkably insightful. As a leader of several hundred employees and a multimillion dollar budget, it has certainly helped me refocus on important business principles. Principles that are sometimes forgotten during the hustle and bustle of day to day business. The leaders profiled in this book generally had a very clear focus on what they wanted to accomplish and how they would accomplish it. A similar set of princilpes seemed to guide their successes. I am enormously grateful that I have been exposed to their wisdom. I am a better leader now that I have read it (several times).

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Summary: Timeless Principles
Review: This book is incredible. I was able to learn the business philosophy of several well known and successful leaders from both past and present. It was remarkably insightful. As a leader of several hundred employees and a multimillion dollar budget, it has certainly helped me refocus on important business principles. Principles that are sometimes forgotten during the hustle and bustle of day to day business. The leaders profiled in this book generally had a very clear focus on what they wanted to accomplish and how they would accomplish it. A similar set of princilpes seemed to guide their successes. I am enormously grateful that I have been exposed to their wisdom. I am a better leader now that I have read it (several times).

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Summary: Delightful Enthusiasm for Best in Business
Review: This book is very entertaining. The anecdotes and quotes from famous business leaders are colorful and inspirational. These are great lessons about life, not just business. The author's intelligent format keeps the book lively.

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Summary: Technical Director
Review: Well written combination of biographical sketches of the most important and successful business leaders, past and present, as well their words of wisdom. Recommended for those already successful and those just starting out.