Customer Reviews

Business at the Speed of Now: Fire Up Your People, Thrill Your Customers, and Crush Your Competitors

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I found this management book a little deceptive. It's relatively brief, yet it delivers an amazing number of thougthprovoking ideas and practical tools. The stories and examples make it vastly more interesting than the typical business tome. We will be putting a lot of John Bernard's advice to work in our company this afternoon. I can't remember the last time a management book not only stirred my imagination but stimulated me to make some immediate changes in the way we interact with each other and our customers. I highly recommend this book to entrepreneurs who know the value of agility in a digital world. I'd like to buy up all the printed copies, just to keep them away from my competitors!

a truly provocative look at the business would we have today. Truly extraordinary and not too complicated to read either. Especially in our current economic climate it's important to understand what's going on right now.

John Bernard's book is important for all leaders to read! It captures the importance of communicating differently to make the changes necessary in your company. Loved the 7 deadly sins on page 28, it is why managers fail. On page 35 John writes, " Employee engagement is not about people feeling all warm and fuzzy; it is about people possessing the knowledge, skills, and authority to act swiftly and skillfully without waiting for permission." This is so true and the reason the Four Seasons is so successful. It is all about really listening to your people. On page 200 John provides a clear way to make sure everyone understands the vision and impact it makes with individuals and the organization. I have been training companies for almost 20 years on leadership and communication, this book supports what I do. I will refer to it in my programs and recommend it to my clients. Thanks for ideas John! Allison Clarke

This is an extremely useful book to hold up to your organization like a mirror to first reflect upon, then act upon what you see. I am going into a new role where I'll be assessing the current state of leadership and organizational effectiveness, and defining the new state looking ahead. Toward this end, the concepts, tools, checklists, and frameworks provided in these pages provide me with a great start. I also appreciate the stories woven throughout. They both kept my interest and showed how the tools work in practice. A great read for today's complex, networked business environment!

As with any other strategy, speed needs to be used selectively rather than impulsively. In Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (pronounced "chick-sent-me-high-ee") acknowledges the importance of speed but as a strategic option, not an imperative, when striving to achieve peak performance. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, companies should move as fast as appropriate...but no faster. The speed to which John Bernard refers in his book's title enables an organization to stay ahead of its competitors' threats as well as its customers' expectations.

Many (most?) business leaders embrace what James O'Toole so aptly characterizes in one of his books, Leading Change, as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." In a word, "then": whatever was done until now that has been successful. Marshall Goldsmith observes, "What got you here won't get you there" to which Bernard responds, "What got you here won't even keep you here." At best, "then" is a fond memory and for many (most) people, "now" is a continuation of it.

Bernard offers 12 admonitions. He assigns a separate chapter to each, explaining how to formulate and then implement a plan to achieve high-impact results with sharply-focused initiatives:

1. Prepare for Yes (e.g. empower front-line people with authority)

2. Put an End to Then (i.e. simplify the flow of work)

3. Drive Growth with Yes (i.e. create a culture of contagious affirmation)

4. Gain the Speed You Need (e.g. "travel light" in terms of "baggage")

5. Create the Context for Speed (e.g. base decisions on verifiable facts)

6. Achieve Critical Breakthroughs (with a seven phase process)

7. Close the Execution Gap (with seven-step transparency initiative)

8. Equip Everyone with the Core Skill (with seven-step problem-solving process)

9. Banish Fear, Build Trust (e.g. be sensitive to individual needs to earn trust)

10. Stop Bossing, Start Teaching (e.g. remove "no" and "yes" from your vocabulary)

11. Accelerate the Shift [from Then to Now] with five initiatives (Pages 195-196)

Bernard makes skillful use of several reader-friendly devices such as the "Speedometer" self-audit at the end of each chapter than enables the reader to identify areas in greatest need of immediate attention in her or his organization. areas relative to the subject of the given chapter. Then on Pages 215-216, the reader can calculate the NOW score based on net scores from Chapters 1-11. Bernard also explains what each total score means. I also commend Bernard for including a framework for a "Then-to-Now Breakthrough Plan" that each reader completes. There are also dozens of Figures inserted throughout the narrative that either demonstrate transition processes (e.g. Figure 1.2, "Mass Production versus Mass Customization," Page 8) or summarize key points (e.g. Figure 8.2, "Rules for Total Transparency," Page 142).

I agree with John Bernard's concluding thoughts: "The journey from managing in the then to managing in the now does not differ from the hero's journey [portrayed by Joseph Campbell in his classic, The Hero with a Thousand Faces], and it always includes predictable experiences and struggles. It's no coincidence that the hero's seven steps on the path to success parallels the 11 chapters of this book when viewed as 11 steps." Most change initiatives either fail, or fall far short of original expectations. Business leaders who read and then (preferably) re-read John Bernard's book will be well-prepared to fire up their people, thrill their customers, and crush their competitors. If that is their vision, and it is certainly an admirable one, I presume to remind them of Thomas Edison's observation: "Vision without execution is hallucination."

You do not want your competition to read this book before you do. If you need either inspiration to improve your organization or the tools to execute those improvements, you need to listen to what John Bernard has to say. Mr. Bernard takes such lofty subjects as leadership, employee engagement, organizational planning, customer-centric strategy, execution and breakthrough idea creation and blends them seamlessly into one framework, then provides the practical tools to implement at every level of the organization..

This book and its underlying philosophy will set apart the next generation of organizations.

John Bernard's book is an excellent read. What makes this book highly recommended is that Bernard offers a broad set of tools that give executives and leaders real tools that they need right now. This book is a model for a business book that is actionable, practical and deep enough to help you apply the ideas while still being engaging and interesting. Buy a copy NOW!

There's an almost-hidden gem in this book. John Bernard leads off observing the demands of today's business climate and wraps up with a philosophy that values the contribution of everyone in an organization. In between appears something equally important - no, more important: a road map for creating an environment that invites and empowers everyone to contribute. The management system Bernard describes in chapters 5-8 provides a refreshingly concise approach to running an enterprise. This system draws on the great innovations of the last 30 years such as value chain analysis, process mapping, balanced scorecards, total quality management, and lean six sigma. Without complexity, the system packages them for practical application. The beauty of this approach is that it creates a shared view of priorities, processes, and key metrics throughout an organization. With everyone on the same page, employees become engaged and enabled to deliver great results. In short, the book goes far beyond the familiar call for management to pay attention to employees. It presents a logical way to organize operations so that employee involvement becomes a competitive advantage. Impressive.

Bernard recognizes the magic of being able to say "Yes" to the customer. He describes how existing systems and processes stand in the way of yes, and lays out what wt will take to unleash your people and organization so they can give your customers what they want, when they want it. I loved this book!

Leo Hopf, author of "Rethink, Reinvent, Reposition"

I usually stop halfway through a business book, but I found this one a great read. I found myself thinking of all my former work experiences and identifying how my old supervisors/superiors just didn't get it. Trying to make improvements and make a difference was impossible as I, the employee was never given the room to make it happen. Finally someone that understands...it is not about the egos of the management team. Empower your staff while giving them clear accountable measures. Yes, your employees are texting and using facebook at work. Use it. Embrace it and watch your business grow. John Bernard gets it and understands the challenges of running a business in today's world. John Bernard gives you something to think about.