Najam

Excellent! Spanning 20 years, this was more of a private history lesson on GE, Globalization, deal making, six sigma, and executive succession. A real inside look at how culture can make or break a company and an inside view of the world of movers and shakers. It was 14 hours worth of listening, that I finished in two days. A must read for all in corporate world.

If the author is correct in his facts, I think Jobs just got lucky with the first apple and his $100 Mil payoff. His saving grace from his NEXT computer venture was the genius of other people in the form of Pixar, which he high jacked. Book gave me the impression that his current success is a result of the engineering talent at apple today, not his own. To summarize the book, he is a "can do" guy, but not business savvy, extremely insecure and vengeful. Book is too detailed, gets into personal lives of other people, jumps around (no real chronology) and is a tad boring at times. If u have an extra book credit pick it up for the historical value but no real insights here on Apple's strategy (as there was none), their future or more than 3 quirky cool insider-stories.

I think the research is definitely a bit off and a lot of the substance is reprocessed from other popular books and thought leaders and presented in an opinionated and at times arrogant demeanor. Also bothersome is the ambiguous references to personal meetings and sources i.e ?WAGs? that many futuristic predictions are derived from. I point this out to support comments in other negative reviews about less than accurate research and borderline arrogance. Yes you will find that in this book. I read the negative reviews before I bought the book and can honestly say it is worth it! Folks this is an opinionated lecture from one of the country?s top 20 if not the top 10 thought leaders, it?s not a research paper. Arrogant by his own admission, he pokes and prods the entrenched corporate mentality that is instilled in many of us, daring us to reinvent, redefine, recreate, rejuvenate and in short reimagine. You will not find any blueprints or flowcharts to follow his prescriptions but you will find excellent examples of where the leadership mentality should be (from the leadership mindset, mind you) and a few best practices. He is right on the money on his observations on the future of middle management, the state of education and the potential of the businesswoman and baby boomer market. If you are a part of any government body, any rigidly structured company structure or culture or if you are a purveyor of a mundane product or service then you will not like this book. I think, if you are in marketing, part of a creative team, responsible for managing a group of people or if you are a student you will identify with his observations and see his predictions around the corner. Get the book! Its worth the dough!