About this title: The now classic volume that became an immediate bestseller as well as a landmark business book. "One of those rare books on management that are both consistently thought-provoking and fun to read."--Wall Street Journal
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: 1982
ISBN-13:9780060150426ISBN:0060150424
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. Previous Owner's Inscription. read more
"Why I Read this Book: I was interested to know what it is that makes companies excellent. If I plan to do any type of work at all, be it start a business or work for one, it is fundamental to understand how the great companies of the world have done it.
Review:
Most of you have probably heard of McKinsey & Company, Inc. For those of you who have not, let me quickly note that McKinsey & Company is the most prestigious top tier management and strategic consulting firm in this world. The majority of its clients are of similar rank and stature. Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, the two authors of this book, have many years of combined experience working at McKinsey & Company. This experience led them to decide to go out and find the most successful companies in existence and understand what values, principles and techniques made them this way. This was their "search of excellence".
I had the pleasure of growing up around my father who spent the first part of his career after business school at McKinsey & Company while Waterman and Peters were in their tenure. Many of the stories he has shared over the years relate back to what he learned being around what he describes as "the sharpest and brightest people in the world". As far as I'm concerned, the road to McKinsey & Company lead him to a rarely-traveled place in the world that he may not have seen otherwise.
Tom Peters and Bob Waterman are amazing. As you read through the often dense, but intriguing chapters full of examples and stories from the best run companies in the world, you will begin to notice that only a very small bit of their findings are really groundbreaking. You might say "sure, that obviously makes sense" and "I would do that if I ran a company". As we should all know by now, common sense is not common practice. My guess is that most companies, both large and small, know these fundamentals and best practices. The key difference between being good and being excellent is that few companies have been able to take that knowledge and transform it into reality and in turn into excellence. This is the true story of the ones that did.
What is most valuable about this read is that it is the type of book that can relate to any business situation that you encounter whether you are the employee or the boss and owner. This book was written over 20 years ago and it is still 100% relevant and applicable to business as we know it today. It is to every single person's advantage to understand what it takes to be excellent. You may not be in charge of a big company, you may not be in charge of a big division, and you may not even be in charge of a small company or division. What is important to remember is that at any and every point in your life, you are in charge of the success of something. I can assure you that you will always be in charge of something in your career. And we all know that we are the presidents and CEO's of our own success.
It is up to us to create and find the excellence in every part of our life. This book provides a perfect modelfor excellence. Read it, understand it, and allow it to live in your business and personal life. I wish you well with your search for excellence. May it never end.
"After leaving my position as CEO of a small IT company after its new owner, an arrogant Wharton MBA, made my life hell, I decided to spend some time revisiting the old time business classics. While "In Search of Excellence, Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies" is truly an oldie, with several of the cited companies no longer in existence, and most no longer "great" companies, I think many of the concepts hold true: Be close to the customer, treat employees like adults, small is beautiful, try new things...good reminders for people who have been in business a long time, and good basic precepts for newbies."
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