[.ca] It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It's the Fast That ... (ISBN 006093672X)

From Amazon.com:
The tortoise and the hare--not to mention a popular '60s-era adage--warned us that Speed Kills. Not so fast, contend Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton, international consultants who have worked together since 1976. In It's Not the Big That Eat the Small... It's the Fast That Eat the Slow, the two argue that only the swiftest of corporations will thrive in the 21st century. They then outline a program, based on best practices developed by contemporary speedsters like Charles Schwab and AOL that readers can work into their own businesses by similarly focusing on "commerce, resource deployment, and people." Its four parts examine ways to create environments that anticipate the future, reassess operations and personnel and make appropriate adjustments whenever necessary, launch a "crusade" while "staying beneath the radar," and maintain velocity through institutionalization and close customer relationships. "This book will show you how to think and move faster than your competition," they write, adding that "being faster doesn't mean being out of breath. It means being smarter." Many of their suggestions will be familiar to those who follow the business of business improvement, but the singular (and quite convincing) context to which Jennings and Haughton now apply them help make this book unique. --Howard Rothman

The new "Ries & Trout"?:
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.

Speed Plus Torque = Victory!:
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.

Some flaws, but overall a good value:
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.

Good:
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.

Average Book:
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!