Five years ago Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company, and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last concludes that it is possible, but finds that there are no silver bullets to greatness. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Gillette, Walgreens and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not-so-great, Collins lays a well-reasoned roadmap to excellence that any organisation would do well to consider. Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come. --Harry C Edwards

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

Not terribly good, 05 Nov 2007
Badly recorded. Little time between subjects. The descriptions of techniques are of little use without some sort of visual representation. My advice would be to produce a small accompanying booklet. Failing that, don't waste your money.

brilliant little book, 10 Oct 2007
NLP is a method, not a miracle revelation. And, of course it deals with common sense, but occasionally someone has to formulate the obvious so we become aware of it.

Although dismissed by some, I like this little book as it is concise and bitesized, free of unnecessary jargon and thus ideal to recommend to clients to continue the good work...

I even use it on occasion to refresh those skills which fall into limbo and some courses do not reach, even at 'train the trainer' level.

Go on, do yourself a favour and feel better for doing that; all you need to do is to give yourself permission. And that's your first NLP lesson.

Does what it says on the tin, 06 Oct 2007
Being new to NLP I was lent this book by a friend. I like the informal style and approach. Having struggled with the concepts in other texts I found this book direct and straightforward. The real learning comes in trying out the techniques. I found that by being completely honest with myself I really began to see some significant shifts in my approach to things that had been 'issues' Having now bought my own copy I like to dip back in when I feel the need. As I get more confident I may well buy other books on NLP too but I think the authors hit the nail on the head enough for me to get started

NLP demystified!, 06 Oct 2007
A really concise, clear read and accessible to all levels! Simple, easy to pick up and ideal if you want to learn NLP in bite-size junks!

States the obvious, 04 Oct 2007
This was my first delve into NLP and quite possibly my last. It seems the whole science of NLP is actually nothing more than common sense - thinking positively, replacing negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones...."Briliant"???? NO, just common sense. Seriously, I was very disappointed with this audio book.

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

Not terribly good, 05 Nov 2007
Badly recorded. Little time between subjects. The descriptions of techniques are of little use without some sort of visual representation. My advice would be to produce a small accompanying booklet. Failing that, don't waste your money.

brilliant little book, 10 Oct 2007
NLP is a method, not a miracle revelation. And, of course it deals with common sense, but occasionally someone has to formulate the obvious so we become aware of it.

Although dismissed by some, I like this little book as it is concise and bitesized, free of unnecessary jargon and thus ideal to recommend to clients to continue the good work...

I even use it on occasion to refresh those skills which fall into limbo and some courses do not reach, even at 'train the trainer' level.

Go on, do yourself a favour and feel better for doing that; all you need to do is to give yourself permission. And that's your first NLP lesson.

Does what it says on the tin, 06 Oct 2007
Being new to NLP I was lent this book by a friend. I like the informal style and approach. Having struggled with the concepts in other texts I found this book direct and straightforward. The real learning comes in trying out the techniques. I found that by being completely honest with myself I really began to see some significant shifts in my approach to things that had been 'issues' Having now bought my own copy I like to dip back in when I feel the need. As I get more confident I may well buy other books on NLP too but I think the authors hit the nail on the head enough for me to get started

NLP demystified!, 06 Oct 2007
A really concise, clear read and accessible to all levels! Simple, easy to pick up and ideal if you want to learn NLP in bite-size junks!

States the obvious, 04 Oct 2007
This was my first delve into NLP and quite possibly my last. It seems the whole science of NLP is actually nothing more than common sense - thinking positively, replacing negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones...."Briliant"???? NO, just common sense. Seriously, I was very disappointed with this audio book.

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

Not terribly good, 05 Nov 2007
Badly recorded. Little time between subjects. The descriptions of techniques are of little use without some sort of visual representation. My advice would be to produce a small accompanying booklet. Failing that, don't waste your money.

brilliant little book, 10 Oct 2007
NLP is a method, not a miracle revelation. And, of course it deals with common sense, but occasionally someone has to formulate the obvious so we become aware of it.

Although dismissed by some, I like this little book as it is concise and bitesized, free of unnecessary jargon and thus ideal to recommend to clients to continue the good work...

I even use it on occasion to refresh those skills which fall into limbo and some courses do not reach, even at 'train the trainer' level.

Go on, do yourself a favour and feel better for doing that; all you need to do is to give yourself permission. And that's your first NLP lesson.

Does what it says on the tin, 06 Oct 2007
Being new to NLP I was lent this book by a friend. I like the informal style and approach. Having struggled with the concepts in other texts I found this book direct and straightforward. The real learning comes in trying out the techniques. I found that by being completely honest with myself I really began to see some significant shifts in my approach to things that had been 'issues' Having now bought my own copy I like to dip back in when I feel the need. As I get more confident I may well buy other books on NLP too but I think the authors hit the nail on the head enough for me to get started

NLP demystified!, 06 Oct 2007
A really concise, clear read and accessible to all levels! Simple, easy to pick up and ideal if you want to learn NLP in bite-size junks!

States the obvious, 04 Oct 2007
This was my first delve into NLP and quite possibly my last. It seems the whole science of NLP is actually nothing more than common sense - thinking positively, replacing negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones...."Briliant"???? NO, just common sense. Seriously, I was very disappointed with this audio book.

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

A Timeless Classic with Principles that still apply today!, 23 Aug 2008
Although originally written several decades ago, Carnegie's masterpiece about human
relationships is still timeless classic with principles that still apply today. Carnegie crafts a classic on how to create strong and lasting relationships with others through listening, understanding, and emphasizing. He argues convincingly that the way to win friends and influence people is to make others feel important. Simple, but extremely powerful concepts!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

A life changer, 24 Jan 2008
This audio book is quite simply a life changer. The messages, examples and stories are interesting and powerful and mostly common sense. It has opened my eyes to my poor social manners and boosted my confidence when in those situations. I now 'try to' listen rather than just talk and find myself holding back rather than interrupting a conversation when I have a thought. Situations I would shy away from I now heartily embrace and am loving it - I have never been so sociable!
It is already helping me in my family and business life as well. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and only wish I had listened to it years ago. It is quite simply improving me as a person with the result that I am happier and am earning more friends - how can you put a price on that?
NOTE: The book will help you see things in a new light. For example - I now even notice that my review is all about me and what I have gained from the book rather than what you will gain. Clearly, I still have quite some way to go - but what a fascinating journey it will be!

Give it to your sons to remember you for ever, 01 Dec 2007
This is a book to be read and practiced. This book makes you more human - in such a way you will find yourself gaining friends and keeping company with wonderful people. Treat this book like a treasured gift and share it with those you care for. It is a book that should be passed on to future generations.

I was really surprised at how much this book matters and how much I learned by reading it. It is a book that keeps on giving; and yes some of the advice may be obvious, but it brings the correct way in which to interact with others into the forefront of the mind, and that is why it is so valuable. It is an enjoyable read and should be a mandatory primer for all students as well as adults.

Another simple book that really surprised me is Understanding: Train of Thought.


How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, 12 Jul 2006
This was my first purchase of any form of CD training. Travelling many miles with my job its just great to listen to the CD's (8 in total) in the car and this allows me time to reflect and digest the key messages. The book/CD is told in stories and examples which really helps the author explain his points clearly. The reader has a very 'musical' voice, and whilst no singing, you never tire of the tone of his voice. I read some comments about the book which questioned honesty and being straight with others. I certainly did not come away with that thought, it has made me try even harder to find good in others rather than easily finding fault. This book will never date and it seems a shame that many of the principles discussed and set are ignored by so many of us in our business and day to day lives.

Everyone should read it!, 23 Jan 2006
The book can be read over and over, and is a useful help in life in general. Useful for all managers and supervisors.

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

Not terribly good, 05 Nov 2007
Badly recorded. Little time between subjects. The descriptions of techniques are of little use without some sort of visual representation. My advice would be to produce a small accompanying booklet. Failing that, don't waste your money.

brilliant little book, 10 Oct 2007
NLP is a method, not a miracle revelation. And, of course it deals with common sense, but occasionally someone has to formulate the obvious so we become aware of it.

Although dismissed by some, I like this little book as it is concise and bitesized, free of unnecessary jargon and thus ideal to recommend to clients to continue the good work...

I even use it on occasion to refresh those skills which fall into limbo and some courses do not reach, even at 'train the trainer' level.

Go on, do yourself a favour and feel better for doing that; all you need to do is to give yourself permission. And that's your first NLP lesson.

Does what it says on the tin, 06 Oct 2007
Being new to NLP I was lent this book by a friend. I like the informal style and approach. Having struggled with the concepts in other texts I found this book direct and straightforward. The real learning comes in trying out the techniques. I found that by being completely honest with myself I really began to see some significant shifts in my approach to things that had been 'issues' Having now bought my own copy I like to dip back in when I feel the need. As I get more confident I may well buy other books on NLP too but I think the authors hit the nail on the head enough for me to get started

NLP demystified!, 06 Oct 2007
A really concise, clear read and accessible to all levels! Simple, easy to pick up and ideal if you want to learn NLP in bite-size junks!

States the obvious, 04 Oct 2007
This was my first delve into NLP and quite possibly my last. It seems the whole science of NLP is actually nothing more than common sense - thinking positively, replacing negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones...."Briliant"???? NO, just common sense. Seriously, I was very disappointed with this audio book.

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

A Timeless Classic with Principles that still apply today!, 23 Aug 2008
Although originally written several decades ago, Carnegie's masterpiece about human
relationships is still timeless classic with principles that still apply today. Carnegie crafts a classic on how to create strong and lasting relationships with others through listening, understanding, and emphasizing. He argues convincingly that the way to win friends and influence people is to make others feel important. Simple, but extremely powerful concepts!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

A life changer, 24 Jan 2008
This audio book is quite simply a life changer. The messages, examples and stories are interesting and powerful and mostly common sense. It has opened my eyes to my poor social manners and boosted my confidence when in those situations. I now 'try to' listen rather than just talk and find myself holding back rather than interrupting a conversation when I have a thought. Situations I would shy away from I now heartily embrace and am loving it - I have never been so sociable!
It is already helping me in my family and business life as well. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and only wish I had listened to it years ago. It is quite simply improving me as a person with the result that I am happier and am earning more friends - how can you put a price on that?
NOTE: The book will help you see things in a new light. For example - I now even notice that my review is all about me and what I have gained from the book rather than what you will gain. Clearly, I still have quite some way to go - but what a fascinating journey it will be!

Give it to your sons to remember you for ever, 01 Dec 2007
This is a book to be read and practiced. This book makes you more human - in such a way you will find yourself gaining friends and keeping company with wonderful people. Treat this book like a treasured gift and share it with those you care for. It is a book that should be passed on to future generations.

I was really surprised at how much this book matters and how much I learned by reading it. It is a book that keeps on giving; and yes some of the advice may be obvious, but it brings the correct way in which to interact with others into the forefront of the mind, and that is why it is so valuable. It is an enjoyable read and should be a mandatory primer for all students as well as adults.

Another simple book that really surprised me is Understanding: Train of Thought.


How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, 12 Jul 2006
This was my first purchase of any form of CD training. Travelling many miles with my job its just great to listen to the CD's (8 in total) in the car and this allows me time to reflect and digest the key messages. The book/CD is told in stories and examples which really helps the author explain his points clearly. The reader has a very 'musical' voice, and whilst no singing, you never tire of the tone of his voice. I read some comments about the book which questioned honesty and being straight with others. I certainly did not come away with that thought, it has made me try even harder to find good in others rather than easily finding fault. This book will never date and it seems a shame that many of the principles discussed and set are ignored by so many of us in our business and day to day lives.

Everyone should read it!, 23 Jan 2006
The book can be read over and over, and is a useful help in life in general. Useful for all managers and supervisors.

Some valuable cherries of wisdom in this fruit cake of a book, 27 Jun 2008
Having found Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" an extremely useful tool for organising my life, I really looked forward to what might lie in store with this "8th Habit" volume.

In many ways, I found reading it very much like eating a fruit cake - insofar as the pearls of wisdom and practical advice that were so densely packed in the "Seven Habits" - (I have my MS Outlook organised into Covey's "Urgent and Important, Important and Not Urgent . . ." system) were still there, but they were mixed more thinly through the dough of the fruit cake.

The subtitle of the book is "Finding Your Own Voice and Teaching Others to Find Their's" and indeed it does have some extremely valuable lessons to give about empowerment and about delegation. But perhaps it's most important message is that we are now in the age of the "knowledge worker" in which everyone, from the most menial worker to the highest paid executive, is an expert in their own field and must be treated with the respect they deserve in order to get the best results.

For me, that insight, and the change it has brought to my own work practices, is easily worth the price of the book and therefore I have no problem in recommending it as an accompanying volume to Covey's other excellent works.

This book has changed my life!, 25 Aug 2006
This book has profoundly changed the way I perceive my work, family, and myself. In short, I now have a reverence for the greatness in each of us - and desire to treat others accordingly. As I remember and practice the principles taught so eloquently my Mr. Covey in this book, I find myself at peace with others and myself.

There is a spiritual dimension to our lives, relationships and potential that Mr. Covey taps into. Unfortunately, we have ignored these principles for too long in our families, organizations and society. And we have paid the price. Covey's book is a timely, refreshing and unique contribution that is a must read for everyone who wants to find their talent, passion, need and conscience - their voice!

Interesting and Inspiring Summary of the Book, 11 Apr 2006
Stephen Covey's book "The 8th Habit" contains a lot of very good ideas but is rather padded. This audio CD provides a very useful summary of the key points in the book. Although it is still a bit preachy at times, it does avoid most of the homely self-indulgent anecdotes of the book. The audio CD though, has one major weakness in my view - it doesn't spend enough time on what I feel is the most important feature of the book - the 4 Roles of Leadership. Barely 10 minutes of the CD covers this vital development plan for 21st century leaders(and that coverage is fairly poor). So read the book, reinforce the key points with the CD, and skim the book again focussing on the leadership aspects. That should help you get to grips with the material.

9th Habit - Be Concise and Get to the Point, 14 Dec 2005
I've been through the 7 Habits and First Things First, now I'm on the 8th Habit. Boy—is this dull! This is mostly a re-hash of the 7 Habits with more of a focus towards teams, leadership and businesses. As someone who works mostly on my own and not in a team, this book did not seem overly relevant to those in a similar position.

There are a few new ideas in here but not many. The short films are a nice touch which helps to break things up a little. I listened to this while out walking so couldn't just stop and watch them when instructed.

Ironically for a book about “finding your voice,” I found Mr Covey's voice extremely dull, lifeless and uninspiring—not a patch on Tony Robbins’ level of excitement—I often felt myself wandering off into a daydream while listening and then having to rewind to see if I had missed any astounding revelation (which for the most part, I had not).

A manual for greatness, this is not—a cure for insomnia, quite possibly.

Rehash and mish-mash, 21 Mar 2005
This is basically a rehash of previous material with a few bits and pieces thrown in from other authors like Jim Collins et al.
Stephen Covey has had one great idea, the 7 Habits, which he has capitalised on for some time this book adds a bit of substance to that idea but it is poorly written, repetitious and makes some sweeping statements with little evidence to back them up. Covey is fond of saying things like, "the research shows..." but he rarely ever lets you know which research. Stephen Covey has continually advocated principle centred leadership, however his material is vague on how, specifically, one should put this into practice the eight habit adds little by way of clarification.
My recommendation is that if you want a good book on leadership try The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, Good To Great by Jim Collins or Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard.
One can't help but wonder if Stephen Covey lived for another twenty years would we see a ninth and a tenth habit. Just when I thought I was doing well with seven he comes along and introduces and eighth, bummer, its like learning to drive all over again - help someone, I need a programme to help me kick these crazy habits.

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

Not terribly good, 05 Nov 2007
Badly recorded. Little time between subjects. The descriptions of techniques are of little use without some sort of visual representation. My advice would be to produce a small accompanying booklet. Failing that, don't waste your money.

brilliant little book, 10 Oct 2007
NLP is a method, not a miracle revelation. And, of course it deals with common sense, but occasionally someone has to formulate the obvious so we become aware of it.

Although dismissed by some, I like this little book as it is concise and bitesized, free of unnecessary jargon and thus ideal to recommend to clients to continue the good work...

I even use it on occasion to refresh those skills which fall into limbo and some courses do not reach, even at 'train the trainer' level.

Go on, do yourself a favour and feel better for doing that; all you need to do is to give yourself permission. And that's your first NLP lesson.

Does what it says on the tin, 06 Oct 2007
Being new to NLP I was lent this book by a friend. I like the informal style and approach. Having struggled with the concepts in other texts I found this book direct and straightforward. The real learning comes in trying out the techniques. I found that by being completely honest with myself I really began to see some significant shifts in my approach to things that had been 'issues' Having now bought my own copy I like to dip back in when I feel the need. As I get more confident I may well buy other books on NLP too but I think the authors hit the nail on the head enough for me to get started

NLP demystified!, 06 Oct 2007
A really concise, clear read and accessible to all levels! Simple, easy to pick up and ideal if you want to learn NLP in bite-size junks!

States the obvious, 04 Oct 2007
This was my first delve into NLP and quite possibly my last. It seems the whole science of NLP is actually nothing more than common sense - thinking positively, replacing negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones...."Briliant"???? NO, just common sense. Seriously, I was very disappointed with this audio book.

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

A Timeless Classic with Principles that still apply today!, 23 Aug 2008
Although originally written several decades ago, Carnegie's masterpiece about human
relationships is still timeless classic with principles that still apply today. Carnegie crafts a classic on how to create strong and lasting relationships with others through listening, understanding, and emphasizing. He argues convincingly that the way to win friends and influence people is to make others feel important. Simple, but extremely powerful concepts!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

A life changer, 24 Jan 2008
This audio book is quite simply a life changer. The messages, examples and stories are interesting and powerful and mostly common sense. It has opened my eyes to my poor social manners and boosted my confidence when in those situations. I now 'try to' listen rather than just talk and find myself holding back rather than interrupting a conversation when I have a thought. Situations I would shy away from I now heartily embrace and am loving it - I have never been so sociable!
It is already helping me in my family and business life as well. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and only wish I had listened to it years ago. It is quite simply improving me as a person with the result that I am happier and am earning more friends - how can you put a price on that?
NOTE: The book will help you see things in a new light. For example - I now even notice that my review is all about me and what I have gained from the book rather than what you will gain. Clearly, I still have quite some way to go - but what a fascinating journey it will be!

Give it to your sons to remember you for ever, 01 Dec 2007
This is a book to be read and practiced. This book makes you more human - in such a way you will find yourself gaining friends and keeping company with wonderful people. Treat this book like a treasured gift and share it with those you care for. It is a book that should be passed on to future generations.

I was really surprised at how much this book matters and how much I learned by reading it. It is a book that keeps on giving; and yes some of the advice may be obvious, but it brings the correct way in which to interact with others into the forefront of the mind, and that is why it is so valuable. It is an enjoyable read and should be a mandatory primer for all students as well as adults.

Another simple book that really surprised me is Understanding: Train of Thought.


How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, 12 Jul 2006
This was my first purchase of any form of CD training. Travelling many miles with my job its just great to listen to the CD's (8 in total) in the car and this allows me time to reflect and digest the key messages. The book/CD is told in stories and examples which really helps the author explain his points clearly. The reader has a very 'musical' voice, and whilst no singing, you never tire of the tone of his voice. I read some comments about the book which questioned honesty and being straight with others. I certainly did not come away with that thought, it has made me try even harder to find good in others rather than easily finding fault. This book will never date and it seems a shame that many of the principles discussed and set are ignored by so many of us in our business and day to day lives.

Everyone should read it!, 23 Jan 2006
The book can be read over and over, and is a useful help in life in general. Useful for all managers and supervisors.

Some valuable cherries of wisdom in this fruit cake of a book, 27 Jun 2008
Having found Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" an extremely useful tool for organising my life, I really looked forward to what might lie in store with this "8th Habit" volume.

In many ways, I found reading it very much like eating a fruit cake - insofar as the pearls of wisdom and practical advice that were so densely packed in the "Seven Habits" - (I have my MS Outlook organised into Covey's "Urgent and Important, Important and Not Urgent . . ." system) were still there, but they were mixed more thinly through the dough of the fruit cake.

The subtitle of the book is "Finding Your Own Voice and Teaching Others to Find Their's" and indeed it does have some extremely valuable lessons to give about empowerment and about delegation. But perhaps it's most important message is that we are now in the age of the "knowledge worker" in which everyone, from the most menial worker to the highest paid executive, is an expert in their own field and must be treated with the respect they deserve in order to get the best results.

For me, that insight, and the change it has brought to my own work practices, is easily worth the price of the book and therefore I have no problem in recommending it as an accompanying volume to Covey's other excellent works.

This book has changed my life!, 25 Aug 2006
This book has profoundly changed the way I perceive my work, family, and myself. In short, I now have a reverence for the greatness in each of us - and desire to treat others accordingly. As I remember and practice the principles taught so eloquently my Mr. Covey in this book, I find myself at peace with others and myself.

There is a spiritual dimension to our lives, relationships and potential that Mr. Covey taps into. Unfortunately, we have ignored these principles for too long in our families, organizations and society. And we have paid the price. Covey's book is a timely, refreshing and unique contribution that is a must read for everyone who wants to find their talent, passion, need and conscience - their voice!

Interesting and Inspiring Summary of the Book, 11 Apr 2006
Stephen Covey's book "The 8th Habit" contains a lot of very good ideas but is rather padded. This audio CD provides a very useful summary of the key points in the book. Although it is still a bit preachy at times, it does avoid most of the homely self-indulgent anecdotes of the book. The audio CD though, has one major weakness in my view - it doesn't spend enough time on what I feel is the most important feature of the book - the 4 Roles of Leadership. Barely 10 minutes of the CD covers this vital development plan for 21st century leaders(and that coverage is fairly poor). So read the book, reinforce the key points with the CD, and skim the book again focussing on the leadership aspects. That should help you get to grips with the material.

9th Habit - Be Concise and Get to the Point, 14 Dec 2005
I've been through the 7 Habits and First Things First, now I'm on the 8th Habit. Boy—is this dull! This is mostly a re-hash of the 7 Habits with more of a focus towards teams, leadership and businesses. As someone who works mostly on my own and not in a team, this book did not seem overly relevant to those in a similar position.

There are a few new ideas in here but not many. The short films are a nice touch which helps to break things up a little. I listened to this while out walking so couldn't just stop and watch them when instructed.

Ironically for a book about “finding your voice,” I found Mr Covey's voice extremely dull, lifeless and uninspiring—not a patch on Tony Robbins’ level of excitement—I often felt myself wandering off into a daydream while listening and then having to rewind to see if I had missed any astounding revelation (which for the most part, I had not).

A manual for greatness, this is not—a cure for insomnia, quite possibly.

Rehash and mish-mash, 21 Mar 2005
This is basically a rehash of previous material with a few bits and pieces thrown in from other authors like Jim Collins et al.
Stephen Covey has had one great idea, the 7 Habits, which he has capitalised on for some time this book adds a bit of substance to that idea but it is poorly written, repetitious and makes some sweeping statements with little evidence to back them up. Covey is fond of saying things like, "the research shows..." but he rarely ever lets you know which research. Stephen Covey has continually advocated principle centred leadership, however his material is vague on how, specifically, one should put this into practice the eight habit adds little by way of clarification.
My recommendation is that if you want a good book on leadership try The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, Good To Great by Jim Collins or Situational Leadership by Ken Blanchard.
One can't help but wonder if Stephen Covey lived for another twenty years would we see a ninth and a tenth habit. Just when I thought I was doing well with seven he comes along and introduces and eighth, bummer, its like learning to drive all over again - help someone, I need a programme to help me kick these crazy habits.

Truly terrible. Dont waste your time., 16 Jan 2008
My God. Never have I heard such a weak set of obvious ideas padded into such a marathon of self congratulatory waffle.

8 hours of audio book? The message could be communicated with far more impact and without loss of detail in an hour tops. I find myself able to read the newspaper while listening to this droning American and still able to follow the banal course of the message, such is the pace of the reading and the level of repetition - if you've missed a bit, just listen a minute longer, he's bound to repeat himself (and again, and again).

He goes on and on, saying the same thing a dozen times, presumably for "effect". The only effect for me being frustration and boredom.

And as for the idea that someone starting a business, initially as a one man band, is going to write an organisation chart with a dozen positions, write role descriptions for each, and sign his own name against a "contract" for each position? Truly bizarre and not of the real world. Even if you thought it would be a template for slotting in new hires as you expand the business, the likelihood is the business needs will have changed and your org chart and position contracts will all be in the bin.

Save a day of your life, dont bother with this book.

G

This is the only business development programme you'll ever need., 04 Nov 2007
In this book Michael Gerber sets out the basis for his E-Myth. It will strike an immediate chord with everybody who runs a business, whether they are successful or whether they are wondering why it is so difficult to achieve what they had in mind when they set out on the entrepreneurial path. I strongly recommend that you read the book, and when you have finished, log onto the website and continue your journey to understating how successful business actually works.

Rubbish, 23 Oct 2007
Don't believe a word of what the person above has said, I literally have read hundreds of reviews and use the book as a guide to develop my business projects. I currently have 3 succesful businesses and part of it is down to this book and the philosophy Michael Gerber teaches.

Make your own mind up or read other reviews...

e-myth revisited, 14 Jan 2007
What a load of waffle! I usually tried to read this book last thing at night in bed, it was so boring I was lucky if I managed a page per night (beats sleeping pills). I decided to throw this book away because it would take me a year to read it! Each chapter starts promising but then tends to waffle on too much & you have to go back 2 pages to find out exactly what you thought you were going to find out, read another page & again go back 2 pages! Should change title to E-Myth each page revisted.

Personal finance author and lecturer Robert Kiyosaki developed his unique economic perspective through exposure to a pair of disparate influences: his own highly educated, but fiscally unstable father, and the multimillionaire eighth-grade dropout father of his closest friend. The lifelong monetary problems experienced by his "poor dad" (whose weekly paychecks, while respectable, were never quite sufficient to meet family needs) pounded home the counterpoint communicated by his "rich dad" (that "the poor and the middle class work for money," but "the rich have money work for them"). Taking that message to heart, Kiyosaki was able to retire at 47. Rich Dad Poor Dad, written with consultant and CPA Sharon L. Lechter, lays out his the philosophy behind his relationship with money. Although Kiyosaki can take a frustratingly long time to make his points, his book is nonetheless a compelling advocate for the type of "financial literacy" that's never taught in schools. Based on the principle that income-generating assets always provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs, it explains how the former might be acquired so that the latter eventually can be shed. --Howard Rothman, Amazon.com

A Classic work for Leaders, 04 Sep 2008
This is essential reading for leaders of organisations. Collins used meticulous research to find out what enables companies to make the leap from good to great. He describes a number of common themes. One is 'level 5 leadership' - self-effacing servant leaders who build and empower their teams. Another is the emphasis on choosing the right people before aligning the strategy. The book is clear, concise and easy to read. If you want to build a high performance organisation then this work must be on your reading list.

A Book That Gets Down To Business, 31 Jul 2008
If you are like me and struggle to keep a business running at a profitable level, then you need books like this one. In my opinion, "The Businessman's Bible" is an alternative title for this great and informative text.

This book is gleaned from facts acquired through years of researching the ups and downs of thousands of companies, to learn what works and why, and what definitely should be avoided in the business world.

If you are in business or even contemplating going into business, then you must read this book.

How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good

Real Life Dramas - Volume One: 1

Darren G. Burton

The contemporary equivalent to 'In Search of Excellence', 29 Jun 2008
This strong text is the contemporary equivalent of 'In Search of Excellence' that every self-respecting manager had on their bookshelf during the 1980s. Time will tell if the conclusions of this book are any more reliable than Peters & Waterman's contribution.

The pretext of this book is 'how do you take a good company and make it great?' Finding case studies to answer this question is no easy task and the research team set about it by finding companies that performed at the industry average for 15 years, then outperformed the market for the next 15 years by a factor of 3:1.

The team then interview and investigate the companies themselves and come up with some interesting and thought provoking findings. Out of these investigations come some concepts that will have enduring impact on management discourse - the most notable of which is the concept of a Level 5 leader (a person combining personal humility with professional will).

So why not a 5 star rating? The one weakness is the relatively lightweight approach to case study. From an academic perspective, this book repeats the same mistake made by so many other studies - it interviews only senior managers and makes too much use of media reports (written by journalists who talk to senior managers). Whilst I appreciate the access issues, good quality case study work involves a wider range of people and the theoretical conclusions of this book may - like its 'excellent' predecessor - unravel due to a failure to investigate any views other than those of managers.

You could sum it up in one page....., 06 Apr 2008
This book came highly recommended, but actually is rather boring - the whole gist of it could have been summarised in just one page rather than needing a whole book.

This book is Good but not Great, 06 Apr 2008
I was co-erced into reading this at work and as business books go its one of the better ones and I actually fully believe in the principles it sets out as a recipe for success.

The research and analysis has obviously been done well but at times, like a lot of academic work, the interpretation of data is subjective, leading to a few jumps in reasoning.

That said, you can't argue with much of it. Reading and understanding this book is easy, applying the theory to reality is much more difficult. Unless you are at the right level in an organisation with a team of committed colleagues who also subscribe to the same theory you will not reap the rewards but may end up frustrated.

Our organisation (FTSE 100) paid lip service to the principle within half of one business unit - but centres of excellence within an otherwise unfocused organisation can be unbalancing and rarely lift the whole company to excellence.

Some good lessons here for everyone and a great book to read if you're studying for your MBA but to be honest if you at the right level in an organisation to effect this scale of change this book will probably only serve to reinforce what you already know.

Not terribly good, 05 Nov 2007
Badly recorded. Little time between subjects. The descriptions of techniques are of little use without some sort of visual representation. My advice would be to produce a small accompanying booklet. Failing that, don't waste your money.

brilliant little book, 10 Oct 2007
NLP is a method, not a miracle revelation. And, of course it deals with common sense, but occasionally someone has to formulate the obvious so we become aware of it.

Although dismissed by some, I like this little book as it is concise and bitesized, free of unnecessary jargon and thus ideal to recommend to clients to continue the good work...

I even use it on occasion to refresh those skills which fall into limbo and some courses do not reach, even at 'train the trainer' level.

Go on, do yourself a favour and feel better for doing that; all you need to do is to give yourself permission. And that's your first NLP lesson.

Does what it says on the tin, 06 Oct 2007
Being new to NLP I was lent this book by a friend. I like the informal style and approach. Having struggled with the concepts in other texts I found this book direct and straightforward. The real learning comes in trying out the techniques. I found that by being completely honest with myself I really began to see some significant shifts in my approach to things that had been 'issues' Having now bought my own copy I like to dip back in when I feel the need. As I get more confident I may well buy other books on NLP too but I think the authors hit the nail on the head enough for me to get started

NLP demystified!, 06 Oct 2007
A really concise, clear read and accessible to all levels! Simple, easy to pick up and ideal if you want to learn NLP in bite-size junks!

States the obvious, 04 Oct 2007
This was my first delve into NLP and quite possibly my last. It seems the whole science of NLP is actually nothing more than common sense - thinking positively, replacing negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones...."Briliant"???? NO, just common sense. Seriously, I was very disappointed with this audio book.

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

A Timeless Classic with Principles that still apply today!, 23 Aug 2008
Although originally written several decades ago, Carnegie's masterpiece about human
relationships is still timeless classic with principles that still apply today. Carnegie crafts a classic on how to create strong and lasting relationships with others through listening, understanding, and emphasizing. He argues convincingly that the way to win friends and influence people is to make others feel important. Simple, but extremely powerful concepts!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

A life changer, 24 Jan 2008
This audio book is quite simply a life changer. The messages, examples and stories are interesting and powerful and mostly common sense. It has opened my eyes to my poor social manners and boosted my confidence when in those situations. I now 'try to' listen rather than just talk and find myself holding back rather than interrupting a conversation when I have a thought. Situations I would shy away from I now heartily embrace and am loving it - I have never been so sociable!
It is already helping me in my family and business life as well. I cannot recommend this book highly enough and only wish I had listened to it years ago. It is quite simply improving me as a person with the result that I am happier and am earning more friends - how can you put a price on that?
NOTE: The book will help you see things in a new light. For example - I now even notice that my review is all about me and what I have gained from the book rather than what you will gain. Clearly, I still have quite some way to go - but what a fascinating journey it will be!

Give it to your sons to remember you for ever, 01 Dec 2007
This is a book to be read and practiced. This book makes you more human - in such a way you will find yourself gaining friends and keeping company with wonderful people. Treat this book like a treasured gift and share it with those you care for. It is a book that should be passed on to future generations.

I was really surprised at how much this book matters and how much I learned by reading it. It is a book that keeps on giving; and yes some of the advice may be obvious, but it brings the correct way in which to interact with others into the forefront of the mind, and that is why it is so valuable. It is an enjoyable read and should be a mandatory primer for all students as well as adults.

Another simple book that really surprised me is Understanding: Train of Thought.


How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, 12 Jul 2006
This was my first purchase of any form of CD training. Travelling many miles with my job its just great to listen to the CD's (8 in total) in the car and this allows me time to reflect and digest the key messages. The book/CD is told in stories and examples which really helps the author explain his points clearly. The reader has a very 'musical' voice, and whilst no singing, you never tire of the tone of his voice. I read some comments about the book which questioned honesty and being straight with others. I certainly did not come away with that thought, it has made me try even harder to find good in others rather than easily finding fault. This book will never date and it seems a shame that many of the principles discussed and set are ignored by so many of us in our business and day to day lives.

Everyone should read it!, 23 Jan 2006
The book can be read over and over, and is a useful help in life in general. Useful for all managers and supervisors.
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