Never Confuse a Memo With Reality: And Other Business Lessons Too Simple Not To Know [Paperback]

Richard A. Moran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 1993

A collection of business aphorisms that is authoritative, highly readable, often humorous, and always wise.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Richard A. Moran has distilled the businessplace into a collection of 355 aphorisms that run the range from the often-overlooked ("Don't get drunk at the company holiday party") to the potentially career-saving ("When you get the entrepreneurial urge, go visit someone who's started a business--it may cure you"). He knows his stuff--he's the National Director of Organization Change Practice for Price Waterhouse and has been featured on CNN and NPR. This collection of wisdom nuggets is packed with chuckles and perfect for Dilbert-lovers.

From Scientific American

These are the fundamental principles of business behavior which are easily overlooked in the daily pressures of the workplace. Moran has distilled these practical rules from observing the small blunders people make when they fail to follow a rule that is "too simple not to know," but which nobody has ever shared with them. This instructive manual offers everything from the inspirational (#8: Believe that change can happen, even after overwhelming evidence says things never seem to get better) to the highly practical (#36: Never go into a meeting without your calendar) to the off-beat (#111: When the note on the refrigerator says it will be emptied this Friday, get your salad dressing; cleaning the refrigerator is the one corporate initiative that's always fully implemented). It even offers cogent personal advice (#324: Don't work on weekends - work longer during the week if you have to).

Never Confuse A Memo With Reality is the complete guide to functioning in a business environment. Moran's lessons remind readers to understand thoroughly their business and maintain the proper perspective on work and life as well as to strive for excellence and cultivate humor and civility in their professional lives. This thoughtful compendium can help anyone function more effectively and confidently in a business environment.

About the Author:

Richard A. Moran, Ph.D., is an organization change consultant with Price Waterhouse and has consulted for companies all over the world, including Apple Computer, Inc., Allied-Signal, American Airlines, Zurich Insurance, and Pacific Gas & Electric. He is the leader of the "Postcards from Employees" project, one of the largest and most thorough surveys of employee-employer relations ever undertaken. He lives in San Francisco, CA.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Collins; 1 edition (November 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887306691
• ISBN-13: 978-0887306693
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effective Job Socialization Advice, June 18, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Never Confuse a Memo With Reality: And Other Business Lessons Too Simple Not To Know (Paperback)

People have intelligences that can be measured in many different ways, including those used for school work, artistry, communications, and social skills. A lot of very bright people in academic and technical subjects are very weak on the social skills side. This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to improve in this area of social skills.

Moran says that he came up with these aphorisms to capture simple organizational truths that everyone should know and some do not. I counted 361 of them.

Some of the better ones that struck me include urging fewer policies and procedures; career planning being an oxymoron because most opportunities are unexpected; not using technical language too much in conversation; testing your understanding of an assignment by asking why it is to be done before starting; admitting that you don't know when you don't know; always bringing a potential solution with every problem you take to your boss; and that being in the right place at the right time is more often the result of preparation than of accidents.

If you want to know the ropes, are new to the work place, are unsure what to do with your colleagues, or know someone who fits this description, this is the best simple book for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profound little book, January 3, 2001

By 

Winter Wright - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Confuse a Memo With Reality: And Other Business Lessons Too Simple Not To Know (Paperback)

Because of its size and layout, this looks like a novelty item---a "101 Uses for A Dead Cat" type of book---but it is a profound distillation of wisdom culled from experience in the business world.

It is indeed a good gift for graduates, but since they have little or no work experience they won't get a lot of the aphorisms. As one reviewer noted, the longer you live, the more sense these pithy sayings are likely to make.

Practical, real-world advice contained in the book includes: - Never take a newspaper to the bathroom - Never tell a colleague he looks tired - When you're waiting for someone in a reception area, stand up rather than sitting - Keep track of how you spend your time; someone is bound to ask to you account for it. - Never in your life utter the phrase, "It's not my job."

Sometimes it's difficult to explain why these statements are true, but if you've been around for awhile you know that they are. Buy several copies of the book, one for yourself and a couple as gifts. At $8.00 a pop, it's cheap wisdom you can apply every day of your working life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business 101 But Easy to Read, August 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Never Confuse a Memo With Reality: And Other Business Lessons Too Simple Not To Know (Paperback)

This book should be required reading for every college graduate because the author tells the truth about what's important. Like, "It's not the size of your office, it's the size of your paycheck." It can prevent you from making mistakes, like "Never sit down in the lobby while waiting for a client" How does he know this stuff?