Customer Reviews

If it Ain't Broke...Break It!: And Other Unconventional Wisdom for a Changing Business World

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I was very entertained and well informed reading this book. This book helps to take a new and fresh outlook of how to do things different in the business world. I may recommend it to those who struggle and resist changes either with themselves or someone else in their work places. But go easy, you cannot apply everything or expect results out of this book right away. If you are going to take a long flight or go on vacation, this book, could be a good one to bring along.

If you read one business book this year, you won't go wrong with HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT WORKING SO
HARD by Robert J. Kriegel . . . it is packed with ideas that will help you stop working so hard--and start working better.

Kriegel, author of the equally excellent IF IT AIN'T BROKE . . . BREAK IT, contends that it is not a badge of honor to work 100 hours per week . . . rather, he points out that it's the innovators, visionaries and new-thinkers who love their work who rise to the top.

I particularly liked his 90 Percent Rule, which says that a relaxed atmosphere produces better results than a tense one . . . he then described his experiments with over 150 salespeople . . . those who made less calls had at least 20 percent better results, largely because they felt more relaxed and were able to listen better.

There were many memorable passages; among them:
* In my programs, I always ask, "How many of you get your best
ideas--barn burners, lightbulbs, the aha's--while at work?" No one ever raises their hand. "Which room in your house do you get your best ideas in?" I ask, The response is always the bathroom or bedroom. "Why is that?" "Because no on bothers me and I get time to think" is the usual response.

* Ray Evernham, with driver Jeff Gordon, used this flip-of-the-rules strategy in NASCAR racing to win the Winston Cup Championship several times. Evernham says, "If conventional wisdom say the corner is the best place to pass, we practice passing on the other end of the track, because nobody is expecting to get passed there."

* Whether it is a book or a proposal, many people have difficulty starting a writing project. That first step seems like an insurmountable hurdle. The first line seems impossible to get right.

One way to get yourself going is to begin at the end or the middle. I have started out writing my last three books with those chapters that I am most excited and clear about. I will often begin writing a chapter, not necessarily at what I think should be the beginning, but with a great story or example that I enjoy relating and that clearly illustrates the point I want to make. Once started, momentum builds and the rest
becomes much easier, whether you have to go forward of backward
of both.

I was very entertained and well informed reading this book. This book helps to take a new and fresh outlook of how to do things different in the business world. I may recommend it to those who struggle and resist changes either with themselves or someone else in their work places. But go easy, you cannot apply everything or expect results out of this book right away. If you are going to take a long flight or go on vacation, this book, could be a good one to bring along.

Robert J. Kriegel takes his experience in performance psychology and deftly combines it with his and Louis Patler's expertise in leadership and business. They create an enjoyable and insightful look at how unconventional wisdom can propel a business to the top, especially when mixed with the willingness to be innovative and take risks. Devoid of cliches and useless filler, this book is solid and includes plenty of quotes from other experts. Kriegel and Patler weave business case histories effortlessly into the commentary. We [...] recommend this book to anyone involved in the destiny of any kind of business, as well as to people interested in contemporary culture.

I was made to read this book while in business school. It was probably one a the few books that I was made to read that I actually received some very useful information. I have bought this for fellow business people and they also feel the same way I do. This is a must read for anyone creative person. If you have a boss that continuously "firehoses" your ideas, check this book out and it will put YOU into perspective.

Written in 1991 I just read this again for the first time in about 6 years and it is STILL awesome. Done in real world terms with real world examples, the author challenges EVERY "rule" still being taught in business school programs and being used in many c-level board meetings.
BUY This read this and follow this! I have used many of the ideas to establish and grow my company YOU SHOULD TOO

JGV
www.johngvincent.com

Robert Kriegel and Louis Patler provide an interesting look at Conventional Wisdom and how it applies to business as usual. The focus of this book is to give a business manager "permission" to challenge the status quo in order to make paradigm changes. This book can provide insights into professions outside of the business community. Educators can benefit from the numerous examples of challenges to Sacred Cows that inhibit change that could enhance the educational opportunities for all students.
This book empowers the reader to be creative in seeking solutions to everyday problems. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a jump-start in looking outside the box make his/her workplace a more productive environment.

It is a "must to read" for every manager that is asking himself why so many employees are leaving him.
It is a "must to read" for every manager that is asking himself why more and more rivals are getting ahead of him.
A lot of real stories with real life lessons.
And a very easy to read book for a reader who doesn't use english for his mother language.

This book promises unconventional wisdom, yet is full of tired cliches and old advise. Chaptures cover topics such as discovering your passion and following it, continuing to make refinements in your product even if your product is currently well accepted in the market, and listen to your customers and people outside of your industry. Then, around each chapture topic, the author provides 20 short examples or stories of the topic in action. None of the book's topics break any new ground. It's all recycled advice that's available in many other books.

The product was received in a timely manner and in good condition. Thank you!