“Bob Herbold gets to the heart of why successful organizations and individuals often go into a tailspin, and how this can be avoided. His thorough reviews of specific companies we all know make this a very useful book, and I highly recommend it.”-Indra K.Nooyi, President & CEO, PepsiCo, Inc.
“This book rings painfully true….Bob Herbold demonstrates with clinical precision that a company's fall from grace can frequently be traced back to its time of greatest achievement. Before you get too depressed, however, take heart-he also gives you all the tools you need to avoid that ignominious fate.”-Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive Officer, WPP Group PLC
“It's very instructive to read the detailed case studies showing how some successful companies lose their way, while others remain successful. Through these rich examples, Bob Herbold shows how to sustain success.”-Koh Boon Hwee, Chairman, DBS Group Holdings/DBS Bank, Asia
“Seldom do you find a book with as many powerful, useful reminders that help you face up to reality and deal with problems. I strongly urge you to read it.”-Grant L. Kelley, Principal & CEO, Colony Capital Asia
Product Details
ISBN-13: 9780071509442
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies, The
Publication date: 3/7/2007
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 377 KB
Meet the Author
Robert J. Herbold was hired by Bill Gates to be Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft Corporation. During his seven years as COO, from 1994 to 2001, Microsoft experienced a fourfold increase in revenue and a sevenfold increase in profits. Prior to Microsoft, Herbold spent 26 years at The Procter & Gamble Company, the last five years as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Herbold is now the Managing Director of Herbold Group, LLC. He is also a Senior Executive in Residence at INSEAD in Singapore, a member of President Bush's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and a director serving on several corporate boards.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
The Issue: Success is a Serious Business Vulnerability
A Classic Example: General Motors 7
Why Does this Happen? 15
Legacy Thinking and Behavior can be Avoided: Toyota 21
Beware of the Nine Success-Induced Traps 29
Trap # 1 Neglect: Sticking with Yesterday's Business Model
Face Reality, then Aggressively Tackle Your Vulnerabilities: IBM, eBay, Agilent Technologies, Sony 43
Reapply What Works: Fidelity Investments, Nucor, Wal-Mart, Toyota 55
Trap # 2 Pride: Allowing Your Products to Become Outdated
Uniqueness: An Absolute Essential: Chrysler 69
Make Well-Analyzed Big Bets: Verizon, Microsoft 77
Continually Revitalize Your Core Products and Capitalize on Inflection Points: Texas Instruments, Toyota, EnCana 86
Trap # 3 Boredom: Clinging to Your Once-Successful Branding After it Becomes Stale and Dull
Be Clear and Concise, but Most of All be Distinctive: Procter & Gamble, McDonald's, Harley-Davidson 101
Focus Relentlessly on Details and Execution: Starbucks 109
Stay Relevant: Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble 115
Trap # 4 Complexity: Ignoring Your Business Processes as They Become Cumbersome and Complicated
Don't Wait for the Crisis: Schneider National, Bank One 128
Demand New Approaches to "Proven" Processes: Procter &Gamble, Samsung, Dell 137
Trap # 5 Bloat: Rationalizing Your Loss of Speed and Agility
Are You Paralyzed by Your Current Business Practices?: Kodak, Citigroup 153
Assign Top Talent to the Tough Issues and Get Out of Their Way: Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Nike 162
The Key to Speed and Agility is Leadership: Hewlett-Packard, Intel 171
Trap # 6 Mediocrity: Condoning Poor Performance and Letting Your Star Employees Languish
Set the Bar High in Selecting People and Setting Expectations: Coca-Cola, Microsoft 184
Don't be Afraid of Bringing in Fresh Talent: Microsoft, Harrah's Entertainment 195
The Broader the Experience, the Better: eBay, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble 203
Trap # 7 Lethargy: Getting Lulled Into a Culture of Comfort, Casualness, and Confidence
Clarity, Simplicity, and Repetition are Essential: Southwest Airlines, General Electric 215
Get a Product Edge and Use it to Overhaul the Culture: Motorola 227
Avoid the Curse of an Internal Focus: Boeing 237
Trap # 8 Timidity: Not Confronting Turf Wars, Infighting, and Obstructionists
Break Up Fiefdoms and Launch Your Plan: Sony, Morgan Stanley 248
Assemble a Team You Believe In: Porsche 258
Beware of Vague Accountability and Isolationists: Unilever, Hewlett-Packard 265
Trap # 9 Confusion: Unwittingly Providing Schizophrenic Communications
Where are We Going and How are We Doing?: IBM, Wal-Mart 280
Make Expectations Crystal Clear: Gillette 290
The Key to Continual Success: A Questioning Attitude
Resting on Your Laurels is Never an Option!: Apple 305
Notes 313
Index 321
Customer Reviews
Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution
5 Star
(0)
4 Star
(0)
3 Star
(0)
2 Star
(0)
1 Star
(0)
Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules
Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked,
or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to
Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original
and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you
and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not
violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help
ensure that your review can be posted.
Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13
We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer.
However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or
to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.
What to exclude from your review:
Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the
information on the product page, please send us an email.
Reviews should not contain any of the following:
- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation
Reminder:
- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its
sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the
review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly
those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com
also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend
Create a Pen Name
penname is available!
By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the
Terms of Use.
Overview
...