| Guts!: Companies that Blow the Doors off Business-as-usual |
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Product Details
Kevin and Jackie Freibergs previous book, Nuts!: Southwest Airlines Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, described the unconventional leadership that made Southwest an airline industry dynamo. In GUTS!, the Freibergs look at twenty-five gutsy and extraordinarily successful businesses and introduce the chief executives who are creating a new corporate ethos that blows the doors off business-as-usual.
Drawing on five years of research, the Freibergs provide a behind-the-scenes look at these intensely focused, passionate, and unconventional leaders and their companies. Among them:
" James Blanchard, CEO of Synovus Financial, a financial services giant with more than 16 billion dollars in assets
" Roy Spence, Jr., President of GSD&M Advertising, which AdWeek magazine named Southwest Agency of the Year seven times
" James Goodnight of SAS, a world leader in intelligence software
Although the leaders in the book represent a wide-range of industries, they share a common vision: They see business as a heroic cause and understand that good leadership isnt a matter of position, but of influence. They reject hierarchical rules, rituals, and expectations, and have replaced in-the-box management with a culture based on passion and innovation. They regard their employees not as human resources, but as individuals with unique gifts and talents. And make everyone in the company responsible for the companys brand and culture.
An exciting follow-up to Nuts!, which has sold nearly 500,000 copies in hardcover and paperback, GUTS! proves that it is possible to have fun, live your values, and still make money.
From the Hardcover edition.
Product Reviews
 (4 stars) - For all managers
Guts! Companies that blow the doors off business-as-usual" should be read by everyone who manages other people. It is not the ultimate training manual for management but there are a lot lessons to be learned from it. Managers need to know that being fun, innovative and caring does not make you soft or ineffective or whatever it is you are afraid of revealing. In fact, it could be the complete opposite. Being an employee and never in the position of management, I believe almost every employee would respond positively to a boss who shows heart. Every manager should read this book and ask themselves, why can't I do that for my employees? What is it that I am afraid will happen if I show a little flexibility? What do my employees really need to make them productive and committed to our mission, flexible hours, day care, an indoor exercise gym? Taking care of your employees so they will take care of you is not a new idea. However, managers frequently forget this fact and need to be reminded over and over again. This book proves that management and staff can both enjoy their jobs and be profitable too! Just show a little guts and try something different.
 (2 stars) - Guts spilling all over...
Superficial treatment of subjects. Tired examples (How many times can we read about Southwest & SAS?). Very little new or inspiring in this book. Two thumbs down.
 (3 stars) - A quick peek inside some successful organizations
The husband-and-wife time of Kevin and Jackie Freiberg offer up a book filled with leadership advice built around stories of successful companies ranging from SAS to Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines to Synovus.
In general, I'm skeptical of business books which profile large companies written by people who have never run a large company. First, there's the "do as I say, not as I do (or have done)" credibility gap. And second, this genre tends to attribute too much of a company's overall success or failure to a single personality.
Having said that, I think the Freibergs have done a decent job of wrapping their high-level advice (e.g., create a sense of ownership, lead with love, make business heroic) around stories and interviews that are engaging, well-written, and carefully selected to make their point. And it's always intriguing to learn how a name-brand organization got its start.
On the other hand, be prepared for some dramatic (over-?)simplification of complex realities. The company case studies are less case studies and more one-dimensional illustrations the authors carefully package to make the point they want to make. Sometimes it feels just a little glib, as in "let me tell you this cute story that just so happens to illustrate the general leadership principle I'm pushing in this chapter."
My favorite chapter was about how gutsy leaders lead with love. As a person of faith, I find the idea of servant leadership (popularized by authors such as Robert Greenleaf and Peter Vail) powerful and resonant with my own religious beliefs. I also enjoyed the chapter on how effective leaders tie their organization's mission to a heroic cause. To illustrate this point, the authors tell the story of how one teacher's (Sandra McBrayer) heroic vision to teach homeless kids galvanized the San Diego community to build an entire school for disdvantaged kids called Monarch High School (complete with its own restaurant created with the help of Ralph Rubio, cofounder and CEO of Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill).
The book is visually attractive -- not quite as arresting as Tom Peter's new book called "Re-imagine!", but the layout, color, pull quotes, and photos call attention to the main points well.
Overall, it's worth a quick read for some interesting stories and a few ideas to consider as you think about how to improve your own organization's culture.
 (1 stars) - Why bother?
Why bother to read a book when a review alone clearly indicates that the author didn't do their homework. For example, according to other reviews, this book describes SAS as one of the most spectacular companies. However, that is just the company's excellent PR at work. Obviously there was nothing resembling investigative journalism. To include SAS in this book when there is a wealth of unethical behavior, payoffs, etc. going on there is just lazy work by the authors and questions the entire book's credibility.
 (5 stars) - Inspiration Food!
When you're looking for inspiration to lead your team, this is the perfect food.Be prepared for generous servings of pride of ownership,innovative approaches,hard work and a caring,human touch combined with gutsy risk-taking ability! The recipe works for all customers, whatever their mood,appetite or circumstances.
On the surface,it appears to be the opposite of "Neutron Jack's" 'tough-guy'approach but deep down they both share a common management style-cherishing and valuing employee contributions at all levels.
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