Customer Reviews

The Microsoft Edge: Inside Strategies for Building Success

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found Bick's first Microsoft book extremely useful. When I saw The Microsoft Edge, I was afraid that she would exploit her success by giving the reader more of the same. Far from it. New perspectives, new stories and new management techniques make this book immediately applicable to any manager in any business.

One thing does remain the same in The Microsoft Edge: an accessible, humorous writing style that makes the lessons in the book easy to absorb.

Highly recommended.

ah, a business book that reads well and has take-aways you can actually use.

Julie Bick's insights on how MS has become - and sustained - its excellence in hiring and developing staff and projects are invigorating, thoughtful and intriguing gems.

Well worth looking carefully at Microsoft's own managers' words at the end of each chapter - my personal favs were:

"3 things I learned about delighting customers on the web" [p.49]

"Lessons I've learned about presenting a new idea" [p.78]

and "3 lessons I've learned about getting a new product out of the door" [p.102] - particularly good when you're stuck in development hell and can't see when this product you're working on will actually ship but still need to keep your eye on the ball.

And finally, when times are really tough in the office, Julie's Bick's "Ten things I wanted to say in the office but didn't", is a page I return to for a gentle reminder of essential dignity at work.

If you are working with Microsoft as a partner, this book is a valuable tool but its lessons can have a far wider impact if used throughout organisations at all levels.

an invigorating and insightful read :-)

Julie Bick provides a powerful insight into the inner dwellings of one of the world's most dynamic companies. Executives of small and large companies alike will enjoy this as a perfect power read while travelling. I liked it so much, I ordered the first book as soon as I got off the plane!

I found the book to be a treasure chest of corporate reality. Unlike many other managerial books, this one basis it's facts on real life situations at Microsoft. Each story has different outlook in corporation dealings from the managerial perspective to the employee perspective.

I could relate to many situations. I read the book in less of two days. Julie has an excellent writing style that keeps the reader interested for more.

I enjoyed Julie Bick's new book - it's entertaining, informative and fun to read. And there are some great lessons from Microsoft in there - both thing they did right and things they did wrong. Don't miss the Super Bowl story, the star map, or the shadow competition.

Julie Bick does an amazing job at giving the reader invaluable insights into one of the most successful companies of the century.

Get it, read it. It's worthy of your time.

This book is more of a story book, you read you laugh at the scenarios and you get a few pleasant suprises along the way. Although the title is misleading to think the book is actually a business consultancy manual or something.

If you want to find out some interesting facts about the big MS and pick up a few tips along the way then go ahead and pick up this GREAT book!

Julie Bick takes real-world examples and scenarios, and describes the sound logic and cutting edge techniques necessary to operate a successful, "malleable" business in a modern, fast-changing global environment. Rather than rehashing buzz-words and catch-phrases, Julie shows how brilliant and innovative managers have used these specific techniques to "create their own luck." The book is also up-to-date enough to include modern, actionable internet strategies. And the level of detail in the book includes not just macro-management, but tweaking as well. Most people "learn by doing," so I find most management textbooks relate only amorphous, diluted, tired concepts. With Ms. Bick, rubber hits the road.

My only criticism is that Ms. Bick's literary career is keeping her from using her acumen to help my own business.

Loved the way ideas are presented. Thanks to the author for giving us such a wonderful book and helping the budding careers of so many professionals!

This book doesn't have the analytical sharpness of "Microsoft Secrets". To me it seemed like a collection of more or less related anecdotes/interviews.
Lots of the advice is not Microsoft sepecific e.g. "Be Nice, Even When They're Not in the Room"