Customer Reviews

Mind Your Own Business: A Maverick's Guide to Business, Leadership and Life

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

 

 

I bought this after a rave in FORBES, but it's kind of a hybrid memoir/business advice book that doesn't really work. And when he mentions his 24/7 work habits resulted in a divorce, that for me canceled out every bit of "advice" in this book. I know too many comparably successful men who spend a lot of time with their families. If you can't manage that balance, then you shouldn't be writing advice books.

Working for Sidney for almost four years was an enlightening experience. I can honestly say that the way he portrays himself and his company bears literally no resemblance to how either exists in reality. I found Sidney to be a megalomaniac and quite divorced from the day-to-day goings on in Harman International. The company culture is abusive, and back-stabbing is not only the norm but is rewarded. I found senior management there to be "ethically malleable," to say the least, and financial results were reported that were less than honest. You'd never get this from reading this book. So.... if you're looking for good fiction this might be your ticket. If you want an accurate representation of how HI exists, this ain't it. I noticed that it is for sale in the "Used" section for under a dollar ... it's still overpriced.

Mr. Harman espouses hard work and integrity. There - I just saved you hours of time and the cost of this book.

Dr. Harman had four children, worked 24/7, and divorced his first wife after 25 years. Ten years before the divorce he took up golf and played weekends, leaving his children, entering their teenage years, for his wife to raise. At age 60 he married a woman 25 years his junior and according to the book had two more children with her. They are still married, after some 25 years.

This book contains anecdotal information regarding the environment in which a large company operates, and some things to consider while doing so. That info is useful. The author also deals extensively with business ethics. This is less useful. His ethical model was apparently different at home than in the office.

I have reviewed the comments on this board and felt utterly compelled to say something. My father is Sidney Harman and I can assure you that he is a wonderful and caring father to his six children and two step-children. His family life, however, is irrelevant when reviewing and contemplating the content of the book. This book is not called Mind Your Own Family. And to those conjecturing about my father's child rearing skills, I recommend you take a hint of advice from the book's title.

it's a very fast and informative read.. helpful to see how sidney harman thinks and how his thoughts might well apply to other businesses
including mine.

i really did not know much about harman industries prior to reading the book. yes i knew about harman-kardon, etc. but i did not know how his
company positioned itself with its customers. i found it fascinating how he realized the value of the hi-fidelity industry ahead of the curve and later got car companies to recognize the value of integrated digital components as something that auto shoppers would pay a premium.

i don't take all of this as 'fact' as it is a first-person account &
is necessarily subjective.. that being said, i highly recommend this book about the ways business is done at harman industries.. i also bought this book 'used' at amazon and it came to me in wonderful shape.
as such, it was a wonderful buy.

I read this book on my flight from Phoenix to Maryland(BWI). I have since bought several copies and am sharing the contents with my friends and associates. Excellent Man, ideas, thoughts, great experince and honesty during turbulent years, yet he is always giving. I am still buying copies to give away.

This book is full of bravado and it reads like a one written by a megalomaniac. In the book, it sounds as if Sidney is attempting to address his own regrets in life. I don't mean to discount Sidney's success in business, but he does not share much of that insight in his book. He emphasizes a lot on ethics and integrity, but he doesn't seem to fully embrace that at work or demonstrate that in his family and personal life. He also emphasizes hard work, but who doesn't already know that. To put this book at the level of a classic is highly unfortunate, and to categorize it in the same league as "My Years With General Motors," as Tom Peters has done, is to do Alfred P. Sloan gross injustice.

Dr. Sidney Harman has bridged the gap between human doing and human being. More than any other book in recent years, this book offers a perspective on the business and human side of business that will enrich the minds and touch the hearts of readers regardless of where they are in their careers. In a world that engenders skepticism if not cynicism, it's rare to discover a book that you can believe and believe in. Right from the start it makes so much sense, feels right, and seems doable. I only wish that Dr. Harman had been writing volumes like this one throughout his career for people to have benefited sooner from his experience and wisdom.

As an audiophile, I am very familiar with the name Sidney Harman. For over 50 years the products made by his company have set high standards for innovation, performance and quality. However, until I read this book I knew little of the man and people behind Harman International.
In his book, Harman details how decades of experience from early youth to today led him develop a corporate system of ethics and integrity, lead by a "quintet" of individuals, each of them with unique talents and skills. Sidney Harman is one member of the quintet.
In this era of corporate misdeeds and mistrust, Mind Your Own Business provides an example that you can be very successful in business without losing your soul.