Hit the Ground Running: A Manual for New Leaders (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: gain belief, tribal knowledge, Aladdin Mills, Wall Street, Hit the Ground Running Rule (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At a tumultuous time in business, this book makes a smart appeal to the new generation of leaders. Though his research comes from a pre-crash environment, business writer Jennings (Less is More) derives rules from interviews with 10 highly successful CEOs based in solid, honest values like simplification, communication and cooperation: "don't deceive yourself," "ask for help," "cultivate a sense of urgency," etc. Unfortunately, Jennings's chatty delivery focuses more on anecdotes than points and strategies. Chapter four, "Find, Keep and Grow the Right People," offers useful background on Staples but buries the nut: "People don't quit teams; they only quit organizations... Staples CEO Ron Sargent has mastered the art of turning an organization into a team." Team-developing strategies (promoting from within, making "everyone an owner," prioritizing diversity) are examined only briefly. Rule eight, "Be accountable," is represented well in Goodrich's "top-to-bottom accountability," but gets weighed down in clumsy metaphors like, "I'm convinced that if you stop and take a deep breath, all companies have a smell." Though it isn't an MBA-level tome, this volume's affable approach might work for those new to business books or for befuddled managers with time to spare.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“A great read and a fantastic book filled with powerful information for anyone who wants to lead!”
—Roger Staubach, executive chairman, Americas, Jones Lang LaSalle; Hall of Fame quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys

“Even though this is a practical management book, it reads with the speed of a series of short mystery novels.... These real-life stories make it clear that any leader can be successful if he or she is willing to step up and do the essentials necessary to guide the organization to significant and sustainable results.”
—Dan Coughlin, President, The Coughlin Company

“I read Hit the Ground Running from cover to cover. It is a great read and one of the most interesting and useful business books I have ever read.”
—Jim Goodnight, CEO, SAS Institute

“Hit the Ground Running proves that good guys can and do finish first when they provide value-centered leadership that places the needs of customers, employees, and shareholders before the needs--or ego--of the CEO. A great read for any aspiring leader.”
—Kevin L. Robert, CEO, Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting

“Hit the Ground Running boils down the experience of ten successful new CEOs. The result is a list of rules any leader—new or seasoned—can live by.”
—Mike Koehler, president and CEO, Teradata Corporation

“Jason has hit the mark again! The journey of each CEO reminds me of my favorite Bible verse about business, “The rewards of humility and fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life.”
—Larry P. Ferguson, chairman and CEO, Schreiber Foods

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (March 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591842476
• ISBN-13: 978-1591842477
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #142,076 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jennings' most important as well as his most entertaining book thus far, March 19, 2009

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have read and reviewed Jason Jennings' three previously published books and consider his latest, Hit the Ground Running, to be his most informative and most entertaining, indeed his most valuable book thus far. The narrative is driven by rigorous and extensive research conducted by Jennings and his associates. Through a process of elimination best explained in the book, he selected nine exemplar companies and their CEOs and explains how each of the nine combinations (i.e. company and its CEO) demonstrates an especially important "Rule." Jennings devotes a separate chapter to each of the ten, the last being "Be a Fish Out of Water." His focus is primarily on the nine CEOs and suggests that the best way to measure the performance of a CEO and compare one anther to each other is to calculate the total amount of economic value they created. "We defined economic value as the sum of the profits generated, dividends paid, increases in sales and profits, and the increase in the company's share price during the CEO's tenure." After all of the nine CEOs who took over companies because of death, retirement, resignation, or the poor performance of their predecessor, they hit the ground running and "almost doubled revenues, more than tripled earnings per share, nearly tripled EBITDA, and doubled their company's net profit margins." How did they accomplish these exceptional results? Jennings provides the answer in this book.

In Jennings' previous books, his focus is primarily on companies that, after rigorous and extensive research (including on-site visits and interviews with C-level executives), survived a series of cuts. For example, prior to writing Less Is More, Jennings and his research associates examined thousands of companies, selected eighty for further study, and finally identified eight great companies that use productivity as a competitive tool in business. And then prior to writing Thing Big Act Small, Jennings and his associates conducted research on 110 companies, eventually reduced the number to 17 "finalists," and then selected the nine publicly traded companies that were the "best performers" in that then increased revenues and profits by 10% or more each year for ten years or more.

As previously indicated, the focus in this book is primarily on the first-year performance of nine CEOs: Patrick Hassey (Allegheny Technologies), Marshall Larsen (Goodrich Corporation), Frederick Eppinger (The Hanover Group), Howard Lance (Harris Corporation), Jeffrey Lorberbaum (Mohawk Industries), Ronald Sargent (Staples), Keith Rattie (Questar), Mike McCallister (Humana Inc.), and finally, Tim and Richard Smucker (The J.M. Smucker Company). After lengthy interviews, Jennings notes an obvious connection between and among them, one overpowering characteristic that all the CEOs shared: "They told the truth. None of them deceived themselves about anything, nor did they surround themselves with executives who did; they all practice the Golden Rule; and as a result, they've become the best performing CEOs in the nation."

While reading this book, I was fascinated by a process that did not occur in any of Jennings' previous three books: Those interviewed seemed to assume control of the book's narrative (albeit unintentionally) and their contributions invested the narrative with an energy, substance, and direction quite unlike any others I have observed in other business books about exemplary CEOs. Literally, for me the book took on a life of its own. In this context, I am reminded of what a French Romantic poet (perhaps Baudelaire) once said when asked how to write a poem. His response: Draw a birdcage and leave the door open. Then wait and be very patient. After a while, if you are lucky, a bird will fly through the open door. Then you erase the cage. That is the best way I know of to describe how Jennings enables the CEOs interviewed to share their thoughts and feelings about what they and their associates did and how they did it during each CEO's first year. All of them stressed the importance of others' contributions to the success achieved. Consider this brief quotation from Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching:

"Learn from the people
Plan with the people
Begin with what they have
Build on what they know
Of the best leaders
When the task is accomplished
The people will remark
We have done it ourselves. "

That attitude explains how Eppinger gained credibility when he became CEO of The Hanover Group and why Lance asked his associates for their assistance when he became CEO of Harris Corporation. As is also true of the CEOs of the eleven "Good to Great" companies that Jim Collins interviewed, the nine CEOs that were interviewed by Jennings and his associates (notably Laurence Haughton) indicate almost no personal ego. They seem almost obsessed about the success of their companies but insist that that success is not about them. This is authentic humility, not false modesty, and (in my opinion) demonstrates the power of Lao-Tzu's observation.

In my opinion, one of Jennings' most important points is indicated when he discusses how and why high-performance leaders (including the exemplary CEOs) view themselves as stewards. Their decisions are guided and informed by the Golden Rule or an equivalent thereof, they are authentic and humble, their ego is so healthy they do not hesitate to acknowledge their own limitations and ask others for assistance, they are purposeful listeners, they surround themselves with as many talented people as possible, they empower others to lead and sincerely and enthusiastically delighted by their success, they focus on what is most important now and will continue to be important in the future, they trust but verify, they never preserve their neutrality in a moral crisis, they are allergic to waste, (as Einstein suggests) they make everything as simple as possible...but no simpler, they always set an example for personal accountability, (invoking a football term) they "move the chains" toward each objective, they cultivate and sustain "a fierce sense of urgency," and they follow what Bill George characterizes as their own True North. As George explains, it is "the internal compass that guides you as a human being at your deepest level. It is your orienting point - your fixed point in a spinning world - that helps you stay on track as a leader. Your True North is based on what is most important to you, your most cherished values, your passions and motivations, the sources of satisfaction in your life. Just as a compass points toward a magnetic field, your True North pulls you toward the purpose of your leadership."

On Pages 206-225, Jennings includes 120 brief quotations from the best performing CEOs he discusses in his book. I conclude my review with several that clearly indicate a strong sense of stewardship. "I need everyone to respect and support one another and work with each other. Everything else is B.S." (Fred Eppinger) "The CEO's job is to be a destination expert. The CEO's job is to let everyone know where we are going." (Pat Hassey) "The idea of aligning your business with your customers is as natural as breathing. I wouldn't know how to do it any other way." (Howard Lance) "Any CEO who thinks he can pull all the strings that make things happen is kidding himself." (Marshall Larsen) "Oversimplify everything! Sit down and ask, `If I could start with a blank sheet of paper today and create the best answer, what would I do?'" (Jeff Lorberbaum) "We try to treat all of our people like they are adults, which sounds like straightforward common sense, but it's amazing how many businesses don't." (Mike McCallister) "No spin. Look the facts in the eye and tell the truth. Always." (Keith Rattie), "You have to communicate what you're doing. If people don't know what's going on, they'll think nothing's going on." (Ron Sargent) "Listen. Be Humble. Doubt your own infallibility." (Tim and Richard Smucker)

All of these quotations are consistent with what they shared during lengthy and rigorous interviews that provide much of the material within Jennings' narrative. More to the point, the quotations are consistent with what the CEOs' associates said about them during their own interviews. Are these CEOs without deficiencies? Hardly. Here's the key point: They were able to "hit the ground running" precisely because they were well-aware of their own deficiencies and engaged the assistance of others when assuming their new duties.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely reminder of lessons I should have remembered, May 19, 2009

By	Nicholas Stathis (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reading Jason's book is like being beaten over the head with lessons from the past that have been tragically forgotten! I found myself almost compelled to read the book under a blanket with torchlight so that my guilt in trying run a company in the conventionally accepted manner didn't show. It could easily have been titled "Wake up moron - here is where you are screwing up"

Jason continues his style of story telling to make his point. Hit the Ground Running is happily devoid of theoretical intstruction or personal opnion and instead uses real life (and timely) examples of CEO's who have succeeded beyond market expectation. Interestingly, they all seem to have very similar traits and attitudes. To find out what these are I suggest you buy the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid..., April 10, 2009

By	D. Kanigan (CT, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

New leaders are expected to make their mark immediately - to decide who's in and out - to build a winning team - to diagnose problems and identify opportunities - to develop and launch a winning strategy - to inspire the staff to execute - to start winning immediately. Author's studies indicate the more than 90% of companies don't keep any records of what lead to management's best or worst decisions. He studied 9-10 of America's best new CEOs who outperformed all others in a similar time frame and transformed their companies.

His key findings included 3 deadly mistakes: (1) don't study the competition (study what you do well and go after competition), (2) don't keep your strategy a secret (secret strategies leave workers feeling detached and disengaged - openness, transparency, accountability and out-performance go hand-in-hand), and (3) don't fire the existing team ("tribal knowledge is under appreciated").

And he found the following success factors: (1) Gain belief by (a) making a good first impression and demonstrating that you are different and (b) surrounding yourself with people that can and will be believed, (2) Ask for help from staff, the community, board of directors, (3) Be "humble, authentic, accessible, highly ethical, compassionate listener and truly, believably committed to doing the right thing for all stakeholders." (4) Work ruthlessly to simplify everything, (5) Cultivate a fierce sense of urgency in everyone because either things aren't going well and you need to fix them fast or expect the environment to change and you need to be nimble.

I didn't necessarily find the recommendations startling, however there are solid lessons supported by good research and compelling stories that make this book a worthwhile read.