I am not a big fan of "How to" books as I normally find it dry with little linkages to real life examples. However, I found "Execution" to be totally valuable and practical. Real life "how to" and "how not to" lessons from a senior executive from GE and the ex-CEO of Allied Signal (Bossidy) and the wealth of experience from a legendary advisor to global companies (Charan) brought this book alive. The New York Times branded it as "A valuable and practical management guide that is must-reading for anyone who cares about business". Although I found the flow of the topics a little tangled, there are a more than a few gems that you can take home.
The Personal MBA : Master the Art of Business
by Josh Kaufman
An MBA book that is a Best Seller - my curiosity was piqued. I just needed to know what was so different about this book from the many others that profess to teach you about the MBA in 10 days or less.
The information contained, especially in the chapters on 'The Human Mind' and 'Working with Yourself and Others' offered some excellent insights that you may be hard pressed to learn in a business school. Although my views may differ from Kaufman's about the benefits of a formal MBA education, I found this book to be a breath of fresh air in the area of business education. B-Schools should take notice about the practical insights the book has to offer and to start incorporating them in the curriculum.
The 1% Windfall
by Rafi Mohammed
Review soon ...
The Great Game of Business
by Jack Stack, Bo Burlingham
This book is not for the traditional. It discusses about concepts from the real life experiences of Jack Stack. Jack turned around SRC, a near bankrupt company into one of the best performing small companies in the US. He created his own style of management - open-book management that lets everyone in on financial decisions. It's a radical approach that lays the foundation for The Business GRID's training programmes - teaching people about business and giving employees the knowledge and tools help them understand how to contribute to the success of their organisation and eventually to their own.