Going the Distance: Why Some Companies Dominate and Others Fail [Hardcover]

Kevin Kennedy (Author), Mary Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2003

Going the Distance identifies eight key obstacles to the long-term success of great businesses—and shows exactly how to overcome them. Former Cisco SVP Kevin Kennedy and leading consultant Mary Moore show how to assess corporate health and correct weaknesses in leadership, strategy, product, marketplace alignment, governance, and more—before it’s too late. Going the Distance provides a total framework for maintaining market leadership into the next generation!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Going the Distance identifies eight key obstacles to the long-term success of great businesses—and shows exactly how to overcome them. Former Cisco SVP Kevin Kennedy and leading consultant Mary Moore show how to assess corporate health and correct weaknesses in leadership, strategy, product, marketplace alignment, governance, and more—before it’s too late. Going the Distance provides a total framework for maintaining market leadership into the next generation!

About the Author

Kevin Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer for Openwave Systems, Inc., has served as a technical advisor to Congress and is on the boards of Quantum Corporation, JDS Uniphase, and Openwave Systems. He is also currently an advisor to Braven Capital. Prior to joining Openwave, Kennedy spent seven years at Cisco Systems, driving Cisco into new billion-dollar markets. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Cisco’s Service Provider line of business. Previously, during a 17-year career at Bell Laboratories, Kennedy was responsible for establishing technical vision, shaping strategy, and driving the product delivery of communications software and hardware programs.

Mary Moore has worked as both an executive and consultant for more than 25 years, primarily in high-tech environments. Formerly Vice President of Operations and Director of Human Resources at Stanford University, Moore has managed her own consulting practice for more than 12 years. She specializes in providing organizational development services to startups, venture-capital firms, and large enterprises.

Kennedy and Moore have spent more than 50 combined years living the challenges and solutions discussed in this book, in both large and small companies with widely diverse cultures, leadership, and markets.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: FT Press (April 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130461202
• ISBN-13: 978-0130461209
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Stop the Vanity Presses, September 11, 2005

By 

Peets (Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going the Distance: Why Some Companies Dominate and Others Fail (Hardcover)

If Kevin Kennedy leads like he writes, he must have been one of the most mediocre executives at Cisco. This book is a hair-ball of rambling thoughts and jingo-isms and its assertions are neither clear nor connected in any manner that demonstrates business acumen. I suspect this is one of those vanity books that masquerade as a business book. In the alternative, consider leadership books by Jack Welch, Larry Bossidy, and Rudy Guiliani. Whoever edited this book should be sent back to community college to read Strunk & White 'elements of style' on the merits of clear, concise and declarative writing. In this effort, I am afraid the English language was Mr. Kennedy's enemy, not his friend.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not quite there, July 17, 2005

By 

Tate C Bigelow "tate_c_bigelow" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going the Distance: Why Some Companies Dominate and Others Fail (Hardcover)

This book is just too long. If it were condensed to sub-100 pages it might be worthwhile as it contains some interesting ideas. Unfortunately most of the examples begin with "Cisco decided to..", "At Cisco we..., "The Cisco method of..." ......you get the idea. The authors cite "Good to Great" which is a real contrast, because the Collins team examines a wide variety of companies and industries rather than simply concentrating on Cisco. The book is also packed with graphics that -- let's face it folks -- are simply meaningless. I do not understand the reason for the other glowing reviews. Mediocre "at best".

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Going the Distance, June 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Going the Distance: Why Some Companies Dominate and Others Fail (Hardcover)

The authors definitely "go the distance" ... in demonstrating that Scott Adams' cast of Dilbertian characters is still alive and well in Silicon Valley!! For example, Leadership DNA = authenticity + orientation to service + bias for learning. Please. Save your hard earned cash, and re-read a real leadership book like Giuliani's or Jack: Straight from the Gut.