Business Books

This book probably presents every scenario you can think of if you want to protect your estate. Reading this book will provide you with intelligent questions while you discuss your estate planning with your attorney.

The book is not only informative, but also entertaining and easy to read. No legaleez to wade through. I highly recommend it.

I felt the book was easy to read. Not one to be read in one sitting, however. I have done extensive estate planning, will preparation, and will updates. However, this book presented some options that I am considering. It also showed me a couple of loopholes that I thought I had closed, that I probably don't. Well worth the money and time to read. I expect to go back to this book several times. I will be taking it with me to an attorney appointment.

Estate planning is so important if you don't want your son in law running off with half your estate in the event of your kid's divorce. This book was a great asset to me ... and a real eyeopener as to what can happen at the reading of your will if you haven't equalized everything. the author even gives you his phone number that readers can call and ask questions free. The book is so good I bought 4 extra copies for friends.

Only estate book I've seen written in an easy-to-read, mini-case-study format. Very practical and thought-provoking advice. Tends to focus on little worst-case scenarios in an attempt to get people to plan properly for all the things that can go wrong in an estate.

For what it's worth, I thought the book was generally best-suited for estates with $100,000 to about $2,000,000 in assets. Don't get me wrong, there's something in here for all estate sizes - especially for people just starting the process of developing a plan. However, don't buy this book looking for technical discussions of advanced tax-minimizing strategies. If you or your clients have estates over this $2MM mark, this book can be a great thought-provoker, but some of the advice isn't really suitable for larger estates.

I have several estate planning books...the "how to" type and they are great. This is the book you need to read before you start filling in the blanks. I wish my parents had read this book. It would have saved my family relationships. This book gives you the basic information you need before drawing up your trust. Protect your beneficiaries and prevent family conflict by reading this book!

Learn from a guy who took a coffee retailer from 14 locations to over 3,500 in just a few years and created the momentum for the Starbuck's Brand. One who glamorized a cup of coffee and got America to culturally change and willing to pay over $4.00 for something they previous purchased for a under a $1.00. A huge shift in what is possible. This is a great read for those interested in leadership, strategic thinking and knowing your demographic. Good enough to pass on to a friend or colleague, but better kept as a resource for future projects.

Rubinfeld is one of the masters in the retail locationing process. I own about 50 books in English and German on retail management, but none has included the expert advice on the very specialized retail locationing process. At least not compared to Rubinfeld's understanding. Both from a very strategic point-of-view and down to the nitty-gritty details of the legal agreement.

Rubinfeld's experience from Starbuck's rapid expansion in the 90s is very helpful, but he also adds a lot of other interesting retail cases from his work as an independent consultant.

The book's website includes very interesting checklists, but is not as impressive as you would expect based on the references made in the book.

The title's focus on "Expanding your business ... across the globe" is misleading in my opinion. Rubinfeld's advice hardly crosses the Atlantic nor the Pacific Ocean. But if you are interested in his ideas and concepts, you'll soon see that it doesn't matter. The principles remain the same with some adjustments for local responsiveness...

Being a chairman of a small retail chain, I have already put the author's advice into practice in the negotiations for a new retail location. They are easy to follow.

I also highly recommend the book's excellent chapters on retail chain financials. It is one of the first books that clearly distinguish between retail chain earnings and store earnings. Rubinfeld's focus on having a robust proforma economic model is key - also in my experience. And this is irrespective of whether you own all the stores yourself or also include a franchise system.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

Rubinfeld has credibility, being the person who commanded the domestic and global expansion of Starbucks. Here, Art Rubinfeld gives very specific advice on not only the "what" but the "how." His well-rounded and varied background has has enabled him to perceive things the way he does and then implement his ideas. He worked as an architect and as a construction manager. Later as Brand Development Consultant for Adidas and Washington Mutual Bank, prior to joining
Starbucks. He took Starbucks From 100 stores to over 4,000
worldwide. The concept of Starbucks is, and has has been unique. Who thought, back in the early 1990s that this new coffee outlet would do what it has done? I didn't.

Rubinfeld presided over and directed the Starbucks corporation's
growth in the 1990s, but he's also served as an independent
consultant for many other companies, so this adds to a more
multi-dimensional level of knowledge and numerous experiences of which to draw from. He specifically sites successes - and failures - with specific and detailed examples. Because of his background he can apply theory and also apply actual practice: from upper-lever strategy to front-line consumer. ( E.g. the 80:20 rule.)

Another concept: location plus people. The emphasis is on the
concept of retail and retail expansion, and the author doesn't stray from this as the foundation. Even of course, down to the store design which (Starbucks contains elements of the natural Earth, and presents the entity of the coffee bean and it's progression to the cup of java you get in-store). The complete retail puzzle involves many pieces. Strongly integrated throughout this book on retail is the concept of brand.

This book is categorized into 4 categories, with each category having a couple, to seven chapters. The Chapters zero-in on such areas as creativity, and customer loyalty; finding the best locations for your brand, management, staff and organization, for the big or small operations; implementation (translation: doing it). How to adapt, and continue to being dynamic and change, to maintain your customers. One useful term is what Rubinfeld calls "ideation." This is the
creation of new ideas. In the changing market place, this is the corner stone separating those who stay, from those who fade. Lots of proven ideas and concepts in this book.

Author Rubinfeld took Starbucks to its place in retail dominance by creating a brand identity, yet assuring that stores did not have a "cookie-cutter" feel to them. The author points out for retailers, the store is the experience, and this is key to estabilishing a foothold. The way Starbucks stores were put together allowed them to be located even in historical building and other places where a normal outlet might not be desired.

The book doesn't just cover marketing strategy. It also discussing hiring the right team, and how locations are chosen. This information is golden.

Chapters include
* Make No Little Plans--core values, first store, maximizing retail experienc

* Go Long: blueprint for execution

* Own Main & Main: location, hot spots, how to grow rapidly without stumbling

* Push the Envelope: Path to Growth

Can't think of another book that outlines how to get to mega-success in retailing as well as this one.

“Who doesn’t want to run his own business? Who doesn’t want to have her own store? If you’re young, you think about it from time to time. If you’re older, you wish you had opened that little shop before the kids came – or you plan to open it when you retire. We all want to control our destiny. We all want to express our creativity. We all want to build something that will last. But how do you start a retail operation? That’s the question I am most often asked. How do you create a going concern, one that will grow and build long-term value? That is another common query. ‘Built for Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe’ answers these and related questions (from the Introduction).”

Arthur Rubinfeld, the architect behind Starbucks’ expansion, helped build Starbucks into one of the world’s top brands, says that ‘Build for Growth’ distills what I have learned into a comprehensive view of what it takes to develop a winning retail concept. This shows you:

• How to combine core personal and company values with your business expertise to create a meaningful brand.

• How to creatively craft your on-the-street retail presence to capture the essence of your brand and develop customer loyalty.

• Hot to identify the best locations for your concept.

• How to build your management team, organization, and systems – whether you want to have one store or 1,000.

• How to systematically and aggressively execute your plans.

• How to successfully operate your business to keep customers coming back.

• How to innovate and renew your brand.

In addition, he says, “Other books deal with one or two of these topics, but none has taken a holistic approach to retail development, combining theory and practical ideas to cover the entire scope of what it takes to succeed in retail.”

In this context, this invaluable book has been organized into sections based on four fundamental principles: (1) Make No Little Plans, (2) Go Long, (3) Own Main & Main, and (4) Push the Envelope. Each of these sections has covered a major aspect of retail strategy, in order in which you will normally experience them as you grow your business.

I highly recommend.

I have read lots of books and articles about coaching, but no one like this.
The way the content is presented forces you to learn, to keep reading and feel confident.
After every chapter you can read an inspirational thought.
The way the book has been constructed, to use a visible expression, shows author's interest of teaching in a simple fashion way. The graphs are very good and the content very well organized.
Every coach should have this book.

This book is great book to whom is working and coach, also I sure that if I new about this book before, when I was a learning coaching it could be very good learneing book, and in the far past when I was a manager at HP it could help me to manage differnet peolple and co-worker.
Ami Gabay
IsraelCoach Anyone About Anything: How to Help People Succeed in Business and Life

Coaches, Leaders, Parents, Teens, Educators, Employers, Employees, Anyone with a Pulse:

If you genuinely care about your success or the success of another...If you or someone you love desires better...You can save yourself the frustration of trying to figure out which book will deliver results.

Chapter Six is my favorite. By itself, it stands above the crowd and shows the way to achievement by teaching how-to:

+ Improve Knowledge
+ Sharpen Skills
+ Build Confidence
+ Motivate - Others & Yourself
+ Discover why most people don't take the action they need to succeed.
+ Who wouldn't want to know this?

Though the utility of some of the charts are not immediately obvious, they quickly become useful tools because the authors present solid substance and real-world examples over fluff and fiction.

This book is easy to read and the proven methods are easy to implement.

For yourself or someone you love, I highly recommend is as an opportunity to grow into the life you desire. You can make a difference. Will you?

If you want to know what coaching is all about, this is a great place to start. I've read other coaching books which were long on theory and short on practicality. This book stays useful and reasonably easy to read throughout. There were legitimate takeaways and I have a couple of the exercises book marked. The end gets a little off subject, but anytime a book provides legitimate takeaway value, it's worth a shot.

If you think on starting to coach co-workers, family, friends, team, thumb around and look for another book. The authors start mentioning you can read the book from cover to cover (what I did). I would recommend reading it upside down.

Writing is not clear enough, and, unless you are an experienced and enthusiastic coach, nothing will make sense for you.

On their defense I have to say the version I read was translated into Portuguese and some of the essence may have been lost in the process.

A life changing and life enhancing book. Speaks to the deeper considerations for what our right livelihood is, how it affects others, and how to discover it. I just bought it as a gift to a thoughtful young man considering what to do with his work life - now that he just finished his first job.

David's work has inspired me in very practical ways and it is truly a read for those who yearn for purpose in their lives. My constant discovery of my "firm persuasion" helps me both at work and at home and dealing with the insanity of 9/11. It is easily one of the top 50 books in my business library and I quote from it regularly when I teach managers and leaders!

One of the best books I've read that describes the nature of work and the human condition. Whyte captures so beautifully the emotions I feel as an independent consultant who spent time inside some large organizations. These days I feel that need to be "part of something", and just as strongly feel the need to use my own voice and find my own way should I go back inside an organization. Whyte describes this tension of wanting to be a part and wanting to express who you are inside an organzation brilliantly. I can't imagine anyone who hasn't struggled with these fundamental questions. It was affirming to know that my conflicts with those desires are not unusual.

I always enjoy reading Whyte's work. Few writers have equaled his command of the English language and his story-telling ability. The book evokes a great deal of empathy as many modern day workers struggle to find personal meanings to work/employment. Whyte provides a personal insight into how one may purposefully stay true to oneself. The reading is relatively lighter than most of his poetic works and is very enjoyable and thought provoking. If one doesn't like the content, he/she will at least enjoy the author's mastery in writing, especially his transitions from one point to another. Whyte is one of the few authors that can weave together difficult concepts with artistic cohesiveness and elegance. Highly recommend it.

I was "moved" and inspired by this book which was a gift from a respected Executive Coach. This books assists all that want to deepen their connection to their life's work or find out what their life's work is. The author states that far too many people trudge through a mediocre work life - scrambling through day-to-day "busyness" towards exhaustion. Rather he encourages more time for self-reflection and analysis. While many most often want to get away from work - it's where many spend the majority of their time, and it's where many spend much of it wishing they were somewhere else, doing something else. Many overlook how work can actually be our greatest opportunity for discovery and growth - and author explains how. The Chapters include the following:

1) Setting out with firm persuasion
2) A stranger at the door
3) From Powerlessness to participation
4) Ambition, Horizon and Arrival
5) A short Sea Crossing
6) From Exhaustion to Wholeheartedness
7) Arrival and Authenticity
8) When the real you wants out
9) Escaping the Prison of Time and Work
10) A voyage through the hours of the day

egonomics is the kind of excellent, well-researched book that only comes along every few years. The content plays a vital role in our journey from good to great as part of a major service organization in a large, global company. Specifically, the principles, processes, and tools that apply humility, curiosity and veracity to our business issues, have allowed us to have candid and productive dialogue that were difficult, if not impossible, to have before we read this book and applied it.

egonomics goes beyond self-assessment and self-awareness. This book provides grounded, practical, insightful answers that drive behavior and performance improvement. Applying the principles and practices in egonomics has allowed us as a team to work through significant organizational changes by engaging in focused, candid discussions and subsequently acting on key issues tied directly to business results. Their material has had a direct and positive impact on our performance that I don't think we could have achieved in any other way.

'Egonomics' is a superb account of the effects of excessive and inadequate ego on business performance. Thankfully, the authors took a practical and applied approach to their work instead of the more typical complex, theoretical approach so often seen in other bodies of work. There is ample evidence for anyone who pays attention to human interaction, particularly in the business environment, of these qualities of humility, curiosity, and veracity either contributing to or detracting from productivity at every level of the organization. If `Level 5' leaders possess these qualities as well, that's about all I need to know to be sure we're on the right track, aside from good common sense. Few authors have laid it on the line and it's long overdue. Marcum and Smith have done the business world a huge favor.

Jerry Stigall- Director, Organization Development
Douglas County Government

This book is a huge advance over their prior tome and worthy of national attention. Almost every page sparked some thought for me which is more than I can say for most of the more than 300 volumes in my personal library on business and leadership.

I really liked their idea of duality. This insight excited me and made me say to myself, "I've never thought of that." When the "freshness" of an idea like duality can get me motivated to implement that concept NOW, the book has struck pay-dirt with me.

I likewise really liked humility as being the equilibrium and not the direct antithesis of ego and the concept of "unconditional positive regard (UPR)."

I could really put to use Smith and Marcum's list of practical non-defensive humility openers:

"You might be right...," "I haven't really considered that...," "Even though that's hard to hear, I appreciate your bringing it up...," "Even though I'm not happy about what you're saying, I'm glad I'm hearing it now rather than later. What are some...," "Would you mind saying more about that?"

I wish we all could impliment the concepts of this book--maybe some world politicians will also get their hands on a copy !

People with unbridled egos see themselves as the suns in their individual universes, and believe that all important activity and thought revolve around them. "We would rather speak ill of ourselves than not talk of ourselves at all," observed the worldly wise French nobleman François de La Rochefoucauld 300 years ago. His aphorism is still relevant. In business as in life, unchecked ego sabotages the achievement of important goals. Employees resent and oppose narcissistic executives, regardless of the value of their ideas or the quality of their leadership. However, the brutally competitive business world can also swallow timid, self-effacing souls alive. The best leaders have neither too much nor too little ego. David Marcum and Steven Smith explain how to find the right balance. They offer distressing examples of ego run amok while also providing practical demonstrations of how a healthy dose of ego can be your best ally. We recommend this book to managers who wonder why the rest of the world has so far failed to recognize their greatness, to high achievers who think they may need a reality check and to human-resource professionals, who often have to clean up the messes that egotistical executives leave behind them.

This is simply one of the best books written about a subject that can be quite messy and obscure to identify. The issue of "ego" is seldom talked or written about. But, it is the dividing line when it comes to a "Great" organization and a mediocre one.

Simply an outstanding book! A Must Read for Anyone in Leadership.

Although I am not yet through the book, I am very excited to start putting into practice the principals behind with in it. It is an answer to prayer!

This is an excellent product to help people with their finances and establish a budget. Dave Ramsey has a great plan to help people get out of debt and stay out of debt. This should be required reading for all young people entering adulthood.

Dave Ramsey speaks from experience. He is incredibly black and white, and full of faith. I actually did some of the things he recommended in the past when I was younger and had debt, and not only did they work, they gave me an incredible sense of control.

This book is a very approachable method in reviewing and planning your finances. It is intended to be used by implementing a chapter a week, but if you have already accomplished the beginning items, you can move a bit faster...as long as you pay attention to the lessons you are skipping and are sure you understand them.

The characters he uses for illustration purposes are one dimensional, but readers can easily see themselves or those close to them in the characters.

The workbook is NOT BORING, NOT DRY, and easy to understand. It can be used in conjunction with the Financial Peace (or Financial Peace Revised) book, but works well on its own. After reading it, if you are understanding that materialism is good, but not to be worshipped, you can accumulate a good bit of wealth in a reasonable period of time.

The book is very motivating. Anyone can understand it, anyone can use it. You don't have to be broke, up to your eyeballs in debt or bankrupt to appreciate it. In fact, you'll have a leg up on those who are.

If you are looking for a way to plan you future, are facing a promotion and want to be wise with your money, or are just interested in a basic, non-threatening way to learn about home economics and investing, this is the book to read.

Comes with great forms to help you evaluate equity, learn about your household budget (he calls it a 'cashflow' plan), percentages of income should be dedicated to what expenses, etc.,etc.

It helps to see budgets in black and white and be reminded how simple it is supposed to be for us.

Dave Ramsey hits it on the head - I wish I had read it at 18 years old. Personal money management can be tough, but this book (as well as all the Dave Ramsey books) gives very clear, concise instruction on how to manage your life's fortune (or how to create a life's fortune).

He is hysterical and animated - It's easy, fun reading.

I started reading "The Financial Wisdom of Ebeneezer Scrooge" expecting to see financial "ghosts" of past, present and future. I wasn't disappointed. What I didn't expect to see was financial failures of Bob Crachit. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that in spite of our perrenial wink and nod associated with the poor among us, The "Bob's" do bear some responsibility to be educated about their situation.

The book seems to be practical in its application of conservative financial wisdom. I say "seems to be" because it's up to me to apply the tools. I think I can, I think I can...

This is one of the most clever approaches to helping people find their way to financial freedom. I have read many many books on personal finance and it has always confounded me as to why more people don't take an interest in their financial future. This book shows how mind traps that were set in youth can keep people from making the right financial choices. The authors talk about "money scripts" that people carry with them and that influence their money behavior. The authors cleverly use the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit showing what their money scripts might have been and how those scripts influenced their behaviors in A Christmas Carol. The exercises are excellent. It took me a while but I eventually identified some of my own money scripts. Frankly, this method could be used to help identify life scripts that keep us from achieving our ultimate potential as well.

The authors come through as genuinely wanting to help their readers. I have read books that were promoted as self-help financial books but in the end were books to promote an author's seminars rather than providing sound advice and help.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to start today to shape a better financial future for themselves and their families.

Enlightening regarding the way you view money and how this affects so many other areas of your life. The impact of early script imprinting and its affect on your adult life is both fascinating and helpful.

The three authors take a good look at the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and pull out valuable lessons about money and the emotions behind them. This is a great book for anyone who really wants to understand their relationship with money. The exercises are easy and yet thought provoking. A great read for the holidays.

This book is worth the price for several different reasons. First, the style is sympathetic, and most people reading this book do not want to have an author shaking a finger at them for their financial living styles. Second, the use of Dickens' famous short story as a lesson outline is not only clever, but also very easy to relate to. Although everyone knows that the miser gets turned around in the end of the story, few have likely stopped to notice that old Scrooge had to go through several stages to realize his money pathology. Also, the book points out that Scrooge was an eager student! The third is that the book is not overly long, and the story flow makes the reader want to keep going, even though we kind of know what is likely to happen in the next chapter.

The author's personal twist near the conclusion is endearing, and of course will not be given away here. It can be a good thing to know that the authors and consultants have had difficult times also. The only example/actual character that sounded less credible, though, was that single woman who earned a quarter million dollars a year, but somehow could never save any money. Yikes! Nobody most of us know.

The general wisdoms in this book are not all that unpredictable. Most have to do with "you are not your money," "it's the LOVE of money that's not good," "you don't escape most problems by getting more net worth," and so forth. True, and always worthwhile being reminded of such. A personal view: too much time spent on the generality of these admittedly good thoughts, not enough numbers thrown in. A good example is the statement (recently found by some uncredited survey, I think) in the middle of "Scrooge" that people usually are better off getting to about $50K annual income; after that, increased happiness doesn't come in the nearly the proportion that increases in net worth do. Probably true, and things like this probably should have been forcefully mentioned a number of times. Readers like to hitch onto tangible, named amounts. Still, it WAS mentioned, and the clever reader will find the passage. A good buy.

How do you try again, when your first attempt fails?

Steven Blank has studied the early stages of product ventures and the impact of decisions made by entrepreneurs, and this is his attempt to retell their story. This book can appear at first to be a step-by-step how-to book, but look again. At least five years of a company's life has been condensed into 200-pages. Instead, I think of this book as an outline, with good advice on how the successful entrepreneur will make it to the next step on his or her journey, and a tale of the heroes that have come before and perished. After reading this book you will been forewarned of the common mistakes that have turned even the most well-prepared executives astray.

And you will have something that has not yet been attempted. A framework of what successful entrepreneurs must absolutely do to star their venture and see it through to a fully-grown company.

This book is not just for entrepreneurs who must eventually scale their business, but for those companies whose products have already created some success and growth, and for well-established companies introducing new products. Even a small garage business or a group of teenagers without investment money who must decide how much time to spend building a product and how much time to spend selling it should read this book. After reading Blank's book, its clear that you must do both at the same time, and learn and iterate. There is no way to get around it, and Steven Blank makes a compelling case why you should do it this way.

I learned a lot from this book, and what I learned will definitely have an impact.

Appendix A, about the job titles (he recommends against any) and the roles of the team during the early phases of a startup's life was particularly interesting.

I've only had the book for about two weeks, but I've already bought additional copies for some of the people I work with. I'll eventually need a new copy for myself as my copy is already getting worn and tattered from overuse.

Highly recommended

If your planning to start a startup, this book may save you time and money. And also help you to find an early market soon and really understand the difference from the mainstream. Mr. Blank writes as if he is talking to you at an appoint an fostering your possible problem before the time that you really face them.

Every startup marketer must read this book. I've led two startups from launch to IPO filing as the VP marketing - and despite my experience, I still learned a ton from The Four Steps to the Epiphany. I wish I had this book at the beginning of my career. This is the number one book that I recommend on the startup marketing blog [...].

This book is, without a doubt, the best book I've read about venture validation and the correct process of building a company. It is completely changing the way I look at starting a business.

It helped me explain to myself the "mystery" of why some of my previous internet ventures succeeded and more importantly, why others have failed.

Steven Gary Blank argues a solid case why successful company building can only follow the process of:

1. Customer Discovery - stating (and then testing using the early-market) your hypotheses about the product, problem it solves, pricing, market, business model and competition.

2. Customer Validation - selling to early-market and starting to develop positioning

3. Customer Creation - setting (realistic) year-one objectives according to your market type (new or existing), positioning the company and product, launching the company and product and last, creating demand.

I recommend it to all entrepreneurs and plan to use it myself, step by step, in future ventures.

My only points for improvement for next editions are:
1. Such wide page layout makes reading (especially speed reading) difficult
2. Proofreading, visuals check and design improvement are required to make this book a perfect 5-star

"For many who work in health care today, overwhelming business pressures and perceived barriers to change have nearly extinguished their flame of passion to help others.

Join Quint Studer and thousands of Fire Starters nationwide on an awe-inspiring journey of purpose, worthwhile work, and making a difference.

Hear Quint's personal story and learn how you can apply specific prescriptive tools and practices to create and sustain a worldclass organization... a great place for employees to work, physicians to practice and patients to receive care.

LET YOUR FLAME BURN BRIGHT."

[from the book of the back cover]

Whether one is in healthcare or a non related industry, this book provides superb solutions to providing excellent customer care. As a certified brand strategist, I greatly appreciate Mr. Studer's articulation that one must, and can, hardwire the processes in order to achieve true and perpetual customer service. And he points it out so very well - if one first focuses on superb employee relations, then one will achieve a high level of customer relations.


It is my observation that too many consultants go into companies, identify the customer service issues, hold one or more rah rah events, and then move on to their next project. More correctly, I believe a consultant's responsibility is to work with organization clients to, as Mr. Studer so clearly addresses, hardwire the processes which then will indeed achieve the relationship with employees, channel partners and customers that will so clearly set them apart from their competitors, thereby creating customers who become advocates.

If you are looking for a way to make a difference in your organization from a leadership perspective,(or even on a personal level) you must read this book. Rather than focusing on the negatives, it focuses on the positives of creating excellence-for the patient, the staff, the physicians and all who come in contact with the organization. It is well worth the read!!

Leadership and managment roled into one do-it-yourself manual. There are many books out there about management and leadership theory. Theory is important because creates the mindset that is the foundation for success. We are often then put to task creating our own application. Or we could read and implement the systems laid out in Hardwiring Excellence, the singule best book on HOW TO manage and lead to greatness. Could I be any more clear?

While Quint Studer focuses on what he know best, big healthcare, this book can and is being applied to every industry. (I have applied its systems to hospitality, customer service, and production.) The fact that Quint focused on what he does best is a great example of leadership, and an example of how Quint practices what he preaches.

I have the priviliege of living the same city as Quint Studer and interacting with his organization on a regular basis. I can attest that they practice everything they preach and have excelled wilding while doing it.

I just re-read this book in anticipation of Quint's new book, Results that Last (I think it's due out in October). The practical recommendations for healthcare leaders found in this book just make sense for leaders in any industry. I am really looking forward to seeing how he builds on these ideas in a book that is aimed at business in general.

Herman and Gioia have done an excellent job of outlining successful strategies based on their own experience as well as the experience of successful organizations. Their simple, but complete, list of critical components for becoming (or remaining) an employer of choice provide a valuable guide. I particularly like the inclusion of examples and quotes from organizations that use these approaches and techniques. This is a complete "how to" guide. A must read...and, a must use book.

Herman & Gioia's EOC is a virtual quick-trip to understanding how the EOCs have achieved their elite status. Easy reading, practical advice supported by diverse cases from leading companies. The summaries of best practices alone are worth reading. Readers wanting more detail can refer to the chapter notes citing specific bibliographic sources.

The chapters on Culture and Enlightened Leadership contain insights into what leaders personally and specifically can do to create the kind of organizational environment that is attractive to employees. Those chapters would be useful to those leaders who sincerely want to "walk the talk." The chapters on Growth and Opportunity and Compensation & Benefits provide poignant "how-to" tips for addressing some of the key advancement, development and pay-related reasons that younger employees are defecting to other competitors. The chapters on Care of People and Meaningful Work would be useful to HR officers wanting to improve employee relations and job design to help reduce the skyrocketing cost of undesirable turnover.

In sum, Herman & Gioia's book is a cornucopia of pithy, actionable suggestions based on relevant EOC case examples. Any leader "worth his/her salt" should reap a significant ROI by effectively implementing even a few of those ideas to help attract and retain talented people.

How to Become an Employer of Choice was published in a year when the biggest problem most companies had was hiring and retaining talented people. Reading the book today it strikes me as a shame that companies are not as eager to pursue the excellent advice given in this book on building strong devotion to your company in the workforce. The problem may seem very far from your mind right now, but being an employer of choice has a tremendous value even when the labor market is easy.

The book starts with a good explanation of why you would want your company to be an employer of choice. One of the nice things in this book is that each chapter is peppered with sidebar anecdotes about real world examples of the concepts being discussed. Most of these anecdotes come from Herman and Gioia's personal research and consulting work, and they are quite helpful.

In the next chapter, there is a survey of the attributes of a company that is an employer of choice. This is probably the least prescriptive of the chapters, but it does offer useful ideas. The succeeding three chapters, on culture, enlightened leadership and care of people give very specific advice about things you can do to work on your company from the inside. There is a wealth of practical material here, and I find much of it as useful for smaller companies as for large ones.

The chapter on growth and opportunity gives excellent advice on nurturing your best people through education. I like the fact that the chapter gives an appropriate balance of suggestions about using both internal and outside educational resources.

The chapter on meaningful work emphasizes the usefulness of measurement and the use of culture to help employees get a sense of satisfaction from their jobs - no matter how small.

In the chapter "Compensation and Benefits" Herman and Gioia offer a wealth of ideas that go beyond the obvious "pay for performance". In particular, the ideas about making the benefits package fit well into your employees' lives are well founded. The whole chapter is a really good survey of ideas for rounding out your benefits package that I have found useful both for my own company and for my strategy clients.

The chapter on "Making a Difference" focuses on community involvement. This creates a strong sense of pride in the companies that do it, and the chapter has a number of excellent ideas for companies of any size or budget.

The last chapter, "Getting Started", unfortunately offers the least practical advice. This is a shame because I think for most of us, the challenge of applying the great ideas in this book will be daunting. Fortunately, there is a great appendix with some techniques for measuring your performance as an employer of choice, so we are left with what I would consider the most important tool for getting started.

Overall, this is a super book with good concepts, supporting anecdotes, and a treasure trove of useable, practical advice on becoming an employer of choice. Even if you are having an easy time with hiring right now, you will be much better off for applying the great stuff in this book!

(Robert Bradford is CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning and co-author of Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast)

Despite the "employers' market" created after thousands of layoffs since the tragedy of September 11, companies must work harder than ever to become an "employer of choice." Herman and Gioia have developed what is sure to become a standard for how to get and keep your most valuable employees.

With case studies from a variety of organizations that include actual accounts of what works--and what doesn't, Herman and Gioia have managed to walk the fine line between research and reality. In simple, everyday language, this practical, hands-on how-to guide explains the process of developing an "employee-centered culture" that allows employees and their businesses to thrive.

"How To Become an Employer of Choice" is a must-have for any business seeking an edge in today's ever-competitive marketplace.

Dianna Booher
Author of communicate with Confidence, E-Writing, and Get a Life

How to become an employer of choice is a well organized compendium of timely suggestions for things organizations can do to attract, retain and motivate high quality employees in this volatile labor market. The authors use clear, straightforward langage to identify the business rationale for creating and maintaining a work environment that invites and rewards the best and the brightest, and encourages them to stay, even in the face of other offers. The suggestions the authors make don't require a major overhaul or reorganization of your company. Instead they present common sense alternatives to the traditional business model that are relatively easy to implement. Good ideas here for all kinds of companies and other organizations.