businessThink Rules for Getting It Right--Now, and No Matter What! by Marcum, Dave, Smith, Steve, Khalsa, Mahan [Wiley,2003] [Paperback]

by David Marcum

Businesses will only achieve their true potential, according to Dave Marcum, Steve Smith, and Mahan Khalsa, when the people that run them learn to "think business." In businessThink, the authors, all corporate veterans now with the FranklinCovey leadership development organization, propose eight rules that create a framework for cultivating this different thought process. "Most people are just going through the motions of doing (not thinking) business--merely practicing their comfortable old routines," they write. "Others, the really successful ones, are getting killer results through changing their thinking to become more disciplined, rigorous, creative, and sound." Applicable to any position, from staffer to senior executive, the principles check your ego at the door (to develop an open, united atmosphere); create curiosity (to uncover new options); move off the solution (to clarify the issue); get evidence (to clarify the problem); calculate the impact (to weigh investment against return); explore the ripple effect (to view the big picture); slow down for yellow lights (to watch for obstacles); and discover the cause (to understand underlying truths). Each element is fleshed out in one or more chapters that showcase them in identifiable, real-world situations. The combination adds up to a logical, feasible program that virtually everyone can follow. --Howard Rothman

Genres: Business, Audiobook

Unknown Binding

First published November 17, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Marcum and Steven Smith travel the world teaching people to utilize the corporate asset of ego and limit its liabilities. With decades of experience and degrees in management and psychology, they¹ve worked with organizations including Microsoft, Accenture, the U.S. Air Force, General Electric, Disney, and State Farm. Their work has been published in eighteen languages in more than forty countries.

Reviews

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books that has been in my bookself for over 10 years (published in 2002) and finally picked it up after getting several recommendations about it in a short period of time. It's nearly a 20 years old book but I would say that it has aged well and most of the principles are timeless (minus the company examples, all are big companies but not much used as book examples these days).

The 8 rules:
1) Check Your Ego at the Door. Work delicately with the egos of others to keep dialogue open. Change yourself to lead to a change in the business.
2) Create Curiosity. Ask questions and gather perspectives from your company’s collective intellectual diversity.
3) Move Off the Solution. Get to the underlying business issues. Make sure you’re not guessing. Focus your attention on the vital few issues.
4) Get Evidence. Collect the soft evidence to prove that the business problem or opportunity exists. Turn the soft evidence into hard evidence that the business can measure.
5) Calculate the Impact. Convert the hard evidence into a financial equivalent to make sure that there is a worthwhile impact or payoff.
6) Explore the Ripple Effect. Carefully consider who or what else in the company is affected by the problem or opportunity. Consider the relative weight of the importance of the issue compared to other initiatives in the company.
7) Slow Down for Yellow Lights. Know what has stopped the company from successfully doing something about this before now, or what might stop you in the future. If the impact of a problem or opportunity is big, ask “What has stopped you (or the company as a whole) from successfully resolving these issues before now?” If this is a new opportunity with no history, the yellow-light question is “What, if anything, might prevent the successful implementation of this solution from going forward?”
8) Find the Cause. Identify the cause producing the symptoms that are showing up. Treat the cause of the problem rather than the effects.

[Alberto Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way it all comes together at the end, even when the start was a little disjointed. Nonetheless, the book has great content. The book helps understand how to frame various aspects of business to improve performance.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Put me to sleep. Literally.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book...I got it as a gift, so felt compelled to read it. It discusses how to think smarter in business. Interesting, but there are better ways of spending valuable reading time.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read SEP 2002

[Lewis Hyam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on decision making and problem solving, which are two critical competencies in business life.

[Jeff Wombold · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow read but good refresher for those who are into business politics

[Mark Holencik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me some insights into getting to the real problem not just what it looks like on the surface.

[Leighton Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing set of principles for making the right choices every time!