The Peaceable Kingdom: Building a Company without Factionalism, Fiefdoms, Fear and Other Staples of Modern Business [Hardcover]

Stan Richards (Author), David Culp (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471391166 | ISBN-13: 978-0471391166 | Publication Date: March 2, 2001 | Edition: 1

"Fresh, provocative, and powerful. Had I read this book before I started building a company of my own, it would have saved me a great deal of time and pain."-Sam Hill, President, Helios Consulting, Coauthor, Radical Marketing and The Infinite Asset

"In this insane world of ephemeral company loyalty and revolving doors to top positions, Stan Richards has clearly outlined exceedingly sane ways for any company to retain star performers by creating an environment that fundamentally rejects office politics."-Dick Hammill, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Advertising, The Home Depot

"For the three decades during which I was building Mullen, my hero wasn't in New York-he was in Dallas. Stan Richards built a quintessentially creative agency from the uncommon clay of courage, generosity, common sense, loyalty, and integrity. If you'd like to be famous, respected, loved, and rich, here's the manual."-Jim Mullen, Founder, Mullen Advertising

"Keeping the creative spirit alive with every member of your team as your company grows should be your highest priority. The Peaceable Kingdom clearly describes how to keep the spirit alive and how to encourage every member of the team to constantly focus on improving the company and its services every day."-H. Ross Perot

The Peaceable Kingdom is a story like no other-one that reveals how a company that admittedly refers to itself as strange and odd nevertheless became one of the most closely watched, respected, and profitable businesses in the advertising industry. This eye-opening book takes you inside the doors of The Richards Group, which managed to survive and prosper in this cutthroat business by defying many truisms not only for ad agencies but for businesses in general. Company founder Stan Richards, along with David Culp, unveils how unconventional methods and a willingness to break down barriers earned them an A client list including Nokia, Home Depot, Motel 6, Fruit of the Loom, Corona, and Chick-fil-A.

Read The Peaceable Kingdom and see how your company-no matter the industry-can follow in their footsteps and build a more harmonious, productive, and prosperous business.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

There‘s much more to The Richards Group than meets the eye. On the surface, this well-known, highly respected advertising agency fits the mold of a typical business at the top of its game, with a good reputation, an impressive client list, and numerous industry awards. But if you take a closer look, you‘ll find their secrets to success are anything but by-the-book–with an unconventional company culture at the center of a workplace that has made The Richards Group the rarest of creatures: the flat, unpolitical ad agency.

The Peaceable Kingdom is the story of how the largest independent advertising agency in America is breaking down conventional hierarchies in its organization–and making millions in the process. Stan Richards, the founder of The Richards Group, and former creative group head David Culp reveal how their company created an environment that inspires creativity and productivity–with no dress code, no manager caste, no officer titles, and a distaste for written policies. They even dispel some wild myths that have fueled intense interest in the behind-the-scenes details of this path-breaking organization.

This personable yet practical book explores the company‘s evolution, highlighting its uncommon yet highly effective business practices. Richards and Culp outline how problems are handled at The Richards Group and provide guidance on how other companies can accomplish the same levels of achievement. You’ll see how to put together a solid business in a high-strung industry with very little tribalism or fear, while holding to the mission to consistently create and present great work.

As you begin "tearing down the walls" you‘ll learn ways to:

• Blend rather than homogenize your workforce
• Operate successfully without G.U.M. (Gratuitous Use of Management)
• Break down barriers within your company–both visible and invisible
• Become profitable without losing your creative standards

Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to work without factionalism, fiefdoms, and all the other toxic staples of modern business. Step into The Peaceable Kingdom and discover a new world that will revolutionize the way your company operates–regardless of your industry.

From the Back Cover

"Fresh, provocative, and powerful. Had I read this book before I started building a company of my own, it would have saved me a great deal of time and pain."–Sam Hill, President, Helios Consulting, Coauthor, Radical Marketing and The Infinite Asset

"In this insane world of ephemeral company loyalty and revolving doors to top positions, Stan Richards has clearly outlined exceedingly sane ways for any company to retain star performers by creating an environment that fundamentally rejects office politics."–Dick Hammill, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Advertising, The Home Depot

"For the three decades during which I was building Mullen, my hero wasn’t in New York–he was in Dallas. Stan Richards built a quintessentially creative agency from the uncommon clay of courage, generosity, common sense, loyalty, and integrity. If you’d like to be famous, respected, loved, and rich, here’s the manual."–Jim Mullen, Founder, Mullen Advertising

"Keeping the creative spirit alive with every member of your team as your company grows should be your highest priority. The Peaceable Kingdom clearly describes how to keep the spirit alive and how to encourage every member of the team to constantly focus on improving the company and its services every day."–H. Ross Perot

The Peaceable Kingdom is a story like no other–one that reveals how a company that admittedly refers to itself as strange and odd nevertheless became one of the most closely watched, respected, and profitable businesses in the advertising industry. This eye-opening book takes you inside the doors of The Richards Group, which managed to survive and prosper in this cutthroat business by defying many truisms not only for ad agencies but for businesses in general. Company founder Stan Richards, along with David Culp, unveils how unconventional methods and a willingness to break down barriers earned them an A client list including Nokia, Home Depot, Motel 6, Fruit of the Loom, Corona, and Chick-fil-A.

Read The Peaceable Kingdom and see how your company–no matter the industry–can follow in their footsteps and build a more harmonious, productive, and prosperous business.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471391166
• ISBN-13: 978-0471391166
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars - and staying that way despite rapid growth!, May 19, 2001

By 

Bill Godfrey (Mt Stuart, TAS Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Peaceable Kingdom: Building a Company without Factionalism, Fiefdoms, Fear and Other Staples of Modern Business (Hardcover)

There are more books written on the theory of 'boundaryless', non-hierarchical, adaptable organisations than good case studies of organisations that have consistently worked successfully that way. The Peaceable Kingdom is therefore especially welcome, particularly as it is so easy to read - even seductive.

It is a 'first person' account of the growth of a major Dallas, Texas based advertising agency and the continuing and successful efforts of the founder in (to quote the sub-title) "Building a company without factionalism, fiefdoms, fear and other staples of modern business". It is a story of continuing success over many years, and also a story of continuing effort over the same period to ensure that the principles and practices that fuelled the growth are not subverted by growth in size.

There is little or no 'management theory' in the book, just the views and experience of the author and his colleagues. While written in the first person, the book is a group effort, in which the skills of highly professional copy writers combine to produce an engaging, colloquial narrative that is extremely easy to read and conveys its very important messages lightly. I started to skim it for ideas and found myself reading the whole book for pleasure.

There is nothing remarkable about the philosophy and underlying principles themselves. They rest on: * a passion for quality, * a belief that others have the same passion and need the freedom to express that passion, * the application of humanity and common sense, * an insistence that 'management' is part of every job, not the special preserve of a special group, * the creation and maintenance of a loose, organic structure that retains the advantages of intimacy in a fast growing organisation, and * insistence that 'communication' has to be active, universal, frequent and direct.

What is remarkable is the consistent application of these principles and the way in which the conditions necessary to achieve the culture have been put and kept in place.

There are plenty of 'take-home' messages in the book, but it is not arranged as a 'seven step how-to-do-it'. Indeed, the emphasis throughout is on the holistic and systemic nature of building and maintaining a culture.

For a more conceptual treatment that rests on the same principles, see Lewin and Regine The Soul at Work: Unleashing the Power of Complexity Science for Business Success. It includes several case studies (including one of the English advertising agency St Luke's), and seeks to provide guidance on both theory and practice.

Two other books come to mind as providing case studies from other industries and the approach of other individuals to achieving the same goals. One is Dee Hock's extraordinary Birth of the Chaordic Age, the other is Ricardo Semler's Maverick! The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace (reviewed in 1995, short review only). Both are very different from The Peaceable Kingdom but rest on very similar principles.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Peaceable Kingdom: Building a Company Without Factionalism, Fiefdoms, Fear and Other Staples of Modern Business, September 8, 2007

By 

Richard Heckenlaible "h12" (Dallas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Peaceable Kingdom: Building a Company without Factionalism, Fiefdoms, Fear and Other Staples of Modern Business (Hardcover)

A Master Degree level business book. So many business books are sooo '101' and dry and unimaginative. The Peaceable Kingdom is fresh and sounds a clear voice. Cleverly written but yet profound in thought. Just knowing that there are people in management and top CEOs that profess in following the principles in this book brings hope to an otherwise ego fear driven realm.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Almost gets in the way of his message, September 29, 2002

By 

Woody in Maryland "woody753" (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peaceable Kingdom: Building a Company without Factionalism, Fiefdoms, Fear and Other Staples of Modern Business (Hardcover)

This is a good book, and as an agency owner, I found it plenty interesting. But Stan Richards can't seem to shake the "aren't me and we just too wonderful for words?" approach, and that's kind of a turn-off. You find yourself not WANTING to learn anything from this ego-maniac. And the sad thing is, he seems to have plenty to offer. Here's a hint: He portrays himself -- at 20 -- as arriving in Dallas as a young man loaded with work just TOO forward-thinking and wonderful for them. The only thing to do? Start his own shop and save the world -- or at least Dallas -- with work "they'd never seen before." Spare me.

Read the book. It's good. You'll also enjoy several contradictions -- like the chapter about how evil spec work is and how they're so good at it. It's also pretty clear he has a thing for GSD&M (did I get them in the right order?)when he whines about losing the Southwest Airlines pitch to the incumbent. Perhaps he wants to be the "Only Good Agency in Texas."

What the Hell. Go ahead and read it. Just wear some waders.