New Business Book Summary Available for Just Run It!

The many books written by CEOs of Fortune 500 companies about running a business actually have little to do with what it takes to run the typical small business. In Just Run It!, turn-around specialist Dick Cross explains that running a business is not nearly as complicated as most people think. Armed with a “back of the envelope” outline that addresses a business’s core competencies, market position, and customers, a company can determine how to best serve customers’ needs. A company should create a vision that draws people toward it, and then develop the strategy to execute effectively on that vision. Cross addresses practical considerations ranging from how to communicate effectively to how to read a balance sheet. He examines how work fits into a larger approach to the world, one that values others and thereby ensures their loyalty.

New Business Book Summary Available for Hardball

In Hardball, George Stalk and Rob Lachenauer explain that playing hardball in business means always playing to win. Businesses must exploit every legal means available to gain and use competitive advantages to acquire market share, build decisive advantages, and make permanent changes to their industries. Playing hardball is a mindset, but it also means following a set of guidelines for what to do--and what not to do--to stay in the game and win.

The Collaboration Economy

In The Collaboration Economy, Eric Lowitt puts forth a call to action for the public, private, and social sectors to work together to improve the environment, the economy, and ultimately, the world. Lowitt believes that this improvement can only come through collaboration. Whether it is the economy, water, energy, food, or the use of resources, each system must be healed in order for future success to occur. Through a global, rather than self-centered, perspective, CEOs and companies can create change. The responsibility falls on everyone. The most serious problems in society cannot be solved by turning inward to isolation, but rather through sharing thoughts and expertise from different areas to find a solution. Moreover, the goal should not be short-term profits, but instead, long-term sustainability.

Irv Rothman describes Out-Executing the Competition as “chapters about evolution,” both professional and personal. By being open to lifelong learning, Rothman experienced a paradigm-shifting moment concerning business models that shaped his entire career. The principle of customer-centric business models created by employees was the foundation of a series of successful business ventures. Once considered radical business philosophies, listening to customers and empowering employees are now fundamental practices required to sustain business success. In addition, Rothman’s life lessons show that business success is a product of hard work, being smart, acting prudently, taking calculated risks, adapting to innovations, and planning ahead. By applying business axioms consistently, value can be delivered reliably, market fluctuations can be responded to nimbly, and core business strengths can be leveraged to out-execute the competition.