The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best [Hardcover]

Richard Koch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2003

A new 21st century individualism is overtaking “corporation-as-king” capitalism, transforming the way we work and live. Today, real power rests in the hands of creative individuals like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg, who are changing the world one great idea at a time. In THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL, Richard Koch reveals the secret of their success: they discovered what they do better than anyone else and rode it for all its worth.
In this inspiring sequel to his classic bestseller THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE, Koch shows how to maximize success in your career and life by using the proven principle that 80 percent of changes in the world result from the most powerful 20 percent of actions and ideas. He’ll show how to use your own powerful “20 percent spike” – your most creative ideas and unique skills – to measure the amount of value you bring to your employer, clients or customers. For most people, there is a huge disparity between their intrinsic value and the compensation they receive for their efforts. THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL shows how to narrow that gap.
Drawing from his own success as an entrepreneur, as well as from the stories of scores of companies and individuals who have flourished as a result of an 80/20 mind-set, Koch offers a step-by-step method to remodeling a career or existing business, or creating a new one – one that most benefits you. He provides valuable insights on finding 80/20 partners, hiring 80/20 employees, and running an 80/20 business.
By building a team that supports your efforts and excels in areas where you lack experience or knowledge, you’ll be able to focus your time and energy on your strengths. Productivity and profits will soar because you’ll be doing what you do best and enjoy the most. By using the 80/20 strategies outlined in the book, you can take control of your career and financial future.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A new 21st century individualism is overtaking ?corporation-as-king? capitalism, transforming the way we work and live. Today, real power rests in the hands of creative individuals like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Spielberg, who are changing the world one great idea at a time. In THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL, Richard Koch reveals the secret of their success: they discovered what they do better than anyone else and rode it for all its worth.
In this inspiring sequel to his classic bestseller THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE, Koch shows how to maximize success in your career and life by using the proven principle that 80 percent of changes in the world result from the most powerful 20 percent of actions and ideas. He?ll show how to use your own powerful ?20 percent spike? ? your most creative ideas and unique skills ? to measure the amount of value you bring to your employer, clients or customers. For most people, there is a huge disparity between their intrinsic value and the compensation they receive for their efforts. THE 80/20 INDIVIDUAL shows how to narrow that gap.
Drawing from his own success as an entrepreneur, as well as from the stories of scores of companies and individuals who have flourished as a result of an 80/20 mind-set, Koch offers a step-by-step method to remodeling a career or existing business, or creating a new one ? one that most benefits you. He provides valuable insights on finding 80/20 partners, hiring 80/20 employees, and running an 80/20 business.
By building a team that supports your efforts and excels in areas where you lack experience or knowledge, you?ll be able to focus your time and energy on your strengths. Productivity and profits will soar because you?ll be doing what you do best and enjoy the most. By using the 80/20 strategies outlined in the book, you can take control of your career and financial future.

About the Author

RICHARD KOCH is the bestselling author of THE 80/20 PRINCIPLE. An extraordinarily successful entrepreneur, his ventures have included consulting for hotels, restaurants, personal organizers, and the distilling industry. A former consultant with The Boston Consulting Group and former partner of Bain and Company, he currently lives in London, England.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Business (August 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038550957X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509572
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stand-alone, the 80/20 Individual needs not a predecessor, April 11, 2005

By 

David Ross (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best (Hardcover)

After reading the 80/20 Individual without reading Koch's first book, I can say it is well worth the read on its own. The initial chapters of the book seemed like an autobiography to me and, frightfully, I almost put it down. But the author jumps off this base of case studies and solid historical references (besides being a hugely successful entrepreneur/consultant, Koch has also a history degree in his pocket), head-first into solid, practical content. I loved the no-nonsense language. The author takes the natural selection process of business life at face-value, even referring to the value-creating knowledge from a century of capitalism as "business genes." And without spoiling the story, I would summarize the idea as this: Take the absolute best of yourself, consumate your talents with the absolute best business genes you can seduce, and leverage the combination with a business structure that places you in the direct path of credit for the results. True to the buyline on the cover, this book "shows you how".

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The 80/20 Individual, November 14, 2004

By 

Sean (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best (Hardcover)

This book was good but I enjoyed the previous book The 80/20 Principle more. My reason for that is that much of what was covered in the 80/20 Individual was just a regurgitation of the 80/20 Principle.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful!, October 14, 2003

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 80/20 Individual: How to Build on the 20% of What You do Best (Hardcover)

Author Richard Koch contends that individual initiative is responsible for most progress, given that 20% of entrepreneurs or innovators are responsible for 80% of results and new ideas. Koch focuses on how to be a successful entrepreneur by working with a small team of supporters. He discusses the importance of good ideas, great colleagues, a powerful value proposition, good partners and, of course, ample capital. He suggests a trend toward a new breed of corporations based on individualism, though Bill Gates and Warren Buffett alone do not necessarily make a trend. While Koch writes in a breezy, engaging style, the 80/20 mantra becomes generalized and repetitious. It's a popular expression, but does it always apply? The other chapters are more solid, though they restate known entrepreneurial principles and techniques, dressed in 80/20 lingo. As such, we suggest, they may be a good introduction for the new entrepreneur, if not for the rugged individual who has already mastered the percentages.