Longaberger: An American Success Story
by Dave Longaberger

“They” say you should never judge a book by its cover. “They” are not always right. In this case, it’s just the opposite. At first glance, you see a picture of what looks like a picnic basket covering 2/3 of the cover. Upon close examination, you see what appears to be miniature people and trees around the base of the basket, and you realize that this is actually a picture of Longaberger’s seven-story office building created in the precise form of its trademark classic Market Basket! Scores of readers have seen pictures of this one-of-a-kind structure in leading magazines, newspapers, and television stories, while others have taken advantage of the daily tours which attract 25 to 30 busloads of curious visitors a day during busy season. This unique cover is just a sample of the remarkable story you’ll find in the pages of this American success story.

Dave Longaberger is no longer with us. He passed away in 1999. However, after reading this book, I can easily visualize him joyously weaving away in that Great Basket in the Sky as he keeps a loving eye on his 8,700 employees and 70,000+ independent sales associates across the U.S.

Dave reminds me a lot of Walt Disney—a remarkable entrepreneur with a unique vision, unorthodox business methods, and a rare belief in people, resulting in the creation of one of the largest and most successful private companies in America. He never went to college or took a business-training course. From a bare-bones beginning with a handful of part-time employees in 1972, Dave created a sprawling campus of office facilities, production plants where basket makers create more than 40,000 high-quality baskets every day, and tourist attractions in and around central Ohio.

Dave’s dedication, tenacity, and rare people skills combined to produce the privately-owned company which currently thrives to the tune of $1 billion in sales under the leadership of President and CEO Tami Longaberger. This organization screams of “Employer of Choice,” and you’ll certainly understand why when you learn the 18 management principles on which Dave built this empire.

This inspiring story of family tradition and pride will keep you riveted from cover to cover. This story is a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration, education, and a great story!

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 8.)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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The Ultimate Business Library: 50 Books That Shaped Management Thinking (Ultimate Business Series)
by Stuart Crainer

Here is a Business Library for your business library. In 323 pages, you’ll find a one-stop guide that provides succinct, insightful summaries of 50 books that have changed the business world—broken new ground, set new standards, or revolutionized old, entrenched concepts.

Of the thousands of business books which have been published over the past century, do you know which ones represent truly breakthrough thinking? Do you know who created these landmark concepts: reengineering, discontinuous change, scientific management, satisfying the customer? This unique collection provides a complete overview of the art of management.

The summaries are written in a crisp, lively style that helps clarify the concepts of the original works, no matter what time period they are from. In addition, Gary Hamel, another noted author, has written a brief commentary on each book. His illuminating insights provide context to help us understand the place of each book in business history.

In addition to the “top 50,” the book also includes mini-descriptions of 50 “runners-up”—other management books that have had significant impact. This is a book full of ideas—and an idea can cause a revolution. The Ultimate Business Library is the best way to get up to speed on important business ideas. It might even inspire you to create some breakthrough ideas of your own!

You’ll wear the book cover off this gem!

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 8.)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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It’s Not the Big That Eat the Small … It’s the Fast That Eat the Slow: How to Use Speed as a Competitive Tool in Business
by Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton

Why is AOL the most profitable new media company in the world, swallowing up one company after another and adding millions of new subscribers, while Prodigy and CompuServe are mere memories?

How did Hotmail vault from being a cool idea to being worth more than $400 million in the eyes of Microsoft in 24 months?

What transformed Charles Schwab from a company with four brokers trading stocks around a single table into the world’s largest financial services firm? 

Breakthrough consultants Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton reveal how the planet’s most successful companies surged to the forefront of their industries and always managed to stay one step ahead of the competition.

This war chest contains all the secrets and tactics used by the fastest business people to achieve great success in their chosen fields—at dizzying speed.

In this engaging and informative guide, you will learn how to:

• Think FAST by anticipating and spotting trends
• Make FAST decisions by applying rules and reassessing strategies
• Get to market FAST by exploiting your advantages and institutionalizing innovation
• Stay FAST by remaining flexible and keeping close to the customer.

Jennings and Haughton traveled the globe and penetrated the world’s fastest companies to witness the methods used by quick, dominant leaders in business ranging from retail sales to fast food, from financial services to communications. If you want to think quicker and faster all the information you need is here. You’ll find lessons from the speediest international business and companies on how to become faster than anyone else in today’s ever-changing business world.

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 6.)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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Now, Discover Your Strengths
by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, Ph.D.

From the coauthor of the national bestseller First, Break All The Rules comes the revolutionary program that shows you how to develop your unique talents and strengths—and those of the people you manage. It’s based on the Gallup study of more than two million people.

At the heart of the book is the Internet-based StrengthsFinder Profile, the product of a 25-year, multimillion-dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths. This book contains a unique identification number that allows you to access the profile on the Internet. This Web-based interview analyzes your instinctive reactions and immediately presents you with your five most powerful signature themes. Once you know which of the 34 themes you lead with, the book will show you how to leverage them for powerful results. With profound insights on how to turn talents into strengths, and with the immediate online feedback at its core, this is one of the most ground-breaking and useful business books ever written.

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 6.)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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Learning Journeys: Top Management Experts Share Hard-Earned Lessons on Becoming Great Mentors and Leaders
by Marshall Goldsmith, Beverly L. Kaye, and Ken Shelton

Here’s another masterpiece that belongs in your library and should be shared with everyone in your organization. This book brings together a “who’s who” of today’s most successful leadership experts and consultants, who share personal lessons—many learned the hard way—about what it takes to attain success. These intimate stories—about childhood experiences, school life, friendship and marriage, sports, and, of course, careers and business—reveal a compelling truth about what enables individuals to stand out as great mentors and leaders: They seize opportunities to learn wherever they find them.

Each essay includes questions for reflection to help readers apply the lessons learned to their own lives and careers. You’ll learn a great deal from such notable world-class thought leaders as: Joel Barker, Wally Amos, Elizabeth Pinchot, Warren Bennis, Peter Block, Stephen Covey, Nancy Adler, Charles Garfield, Beverly Kaye, Spencer Johnson, Lou Tice, and many others.

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 6.)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will
by Noel M. Tichy and Stratford Sherman

This runaway national bestseller was originally published in 1993. In a recent cross-country trip on behalf of a client, I was fascinated to find this classic prominently displayed on the bookshelves of every major airport I passed through. There’s a good reason for this well-deserved longevity. In short, the content of this masterpiece is as relevant today as it was the day it was written. Maybe even more so. 

This is an inside story written by two men who observed General Electric from very different vantage points—one as a deeply involved participant and the other as a skeptical outsider. The result—an in-depth, honest, revealing rendition of the Welch Revolution. Noel Tichy is a professor at the University of Michigan School of Business and director of the School’s Global Leadership Program. He also ran GE’s executive training center for two years. Stratford Sherman is a management specialist on Fortune Magazine‘s board of editors and has been covering the world of business since 1977. He’s been writing about GE for more than a decade. 

This is the first scholarly attempt to pin down the secrets of GE’s phenomenal success. Its straightforward, riveting content is sprinkled with eye-opening case studies. This is a must-read for every student of business regardless of your current position, product, service, company or industry. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find in this totally involving read:

The Six Rules Jack Welch Lives by:

• Control your destiny or someone else will.
• Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were.
• Be candid with everyone.
• Don’t manage, lead.
• Change before you have to.
• If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 6.)

About Harry K. Jones

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.

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