Customer Reviews

4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations: Beyond the Flavor of the Month to Lasting Results

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Bilanich's book says it simply and with useful tools for any size organization. Not the latest fad, just practical and easily incorporated 'secrets' that are the fundamental basics of achieving a high performing organization.

This book was easy to ready yet full of very good suggestions that can be used on a daily basis. I found myself trying his methods before even finishing the book! It's concise, practical, and a sensible approach to the many issues that face us in our daily business lives. I would recommend it to any manager that wants to increase productivity and motivation with their staff.

I have known Bud for 20 years and we have worked on projects together, discussing why things worked and why they didn't. This book shows that he's been tracking his own organizational learning and is making that body of knowledge available for others to shorten their own learning curves. If you are a manager, consultant, or trainer, I'd take advantage of the real-life experience reflected in this book. It's an easy way for you and your people to gain a personal edge on high performance through a relaxed, storytelling approach; and, all of the situations will look and feel very familiar to managers and supervisors everywhere.

Mr. Bilanich lays out simple, yet useful management principles for building and sustaining a high performance organization. Written in the style of the "One Minute Manager", the book is a fun and fast read with practical concepts that managers will find easy to implement. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to quickly pick up immediately useable management ideas - without spending the time it takes to read the more typical, dry and complex modern management practice book. Two thumbs up!!!

I recently re-read this book as well as Bud Bilanich's more recently published Straight Talk for Success (2008). The four "secrets" to which the title refers to are certainly not secrets to most executives. They really are core principles and should be viewed as such, not as revelations. Obviously, their value will be determined by whether or not each is executed effectively. That's a huge "if" because some initiatives are at first successful but soon evaporate. The key is to sustain high performance. Bilanich correctly describes what he provides in this volume as a "framework" for his readers to use when creating their own high performing organizations. His approach is to prescribe rather than to share real-world situations that he encountered during lengthy, comprehensive, and rigorous research such as Jim Collins, Jason Jennings, Rodd Wagner and James Harter, and countless others have conducted prior to writing their books.

However, what Bilanich prescribes is based on his own extensive experience with all manner of companies. Everything he suggests is sensible. He is by nature a pragmatist, curious to know what works and what doesn't...also why. Her is also an optimist who seems convinced that effective application of the four "secrets" will achieve high performance. Of course, success will depend on those who apply them.

The four core principles have almost unlimited applications. For example, as Bilanich asserts, it is imperative to view an organization's mission in terms of a "map" by which to fulfill it. Clarity also helps to "chart the course," serves as a "strategic guide," and offers sound principles to guide and inform appropriate decisions. If (huge "if") all of the separate but interdependent components are explained and advocated with absolute clarity, the chances for ultimate success are improved substantially. The same is true of each of the other three core principles, Commitment, Execution, and Relationships. They are also separate but interdependent. In the last of six sections (Chapters 25-28), Bilanich concludes what has been a business narrative in which a fictional (but exemplary) protagonist, Brennan Newell, participates in a journey of discovery. What the CEO of Diamond Inc. learns about "basics" is what Bilanich would have his readers also learn.

My own opinion is that Bilanich's skills as a business thinker are far greater than his talents as a storyteller but, that said, I think this book will be of substantial value to those preparing for a business career or have only recently begun one. It may be of even greater value to the owners/CEOs of small companies who must understand how to "nail the fundamentals" in order for their businesses to survive. C-level executives should also consider purchasing this book in sufficient quantity and then distributing copies among the less experienced managers for whom they are responsible.

The copy I have of this book was published in 2002 and a great many other books have since been published in which their authors examine in much greater depth than does Bud Bilanich the challenge of achieving and then sustaining high performance growth. Here are two I highly recommend: Jason Jennings' Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive and The Catalyst: How You Can Become an Extraordinary Growth Leader co-authored by Jeanne Liedtka, Robert Rosen, and Robert Wiltback, and Robert Wiltback.

a friendly and ever-illuminating exploration of the founding tenets for success within a special company. From the tenets explored, one gleans practical and proven methods that can be employed within a variety of organizations.

The message is resoundingly clear: though the methods are not complex, it is crucial that organizational members consistently apply them (methods) on the road to success. Success will follow. There is a lot of competition out there, so DO IT RIGHT!

The author writes with a flair for personal stories, which makes the message easily digestible and subsequently applicable. He endears us to the characters in the story. I call it a story because it evokes a mystery: who was Brennan Frederick Newell, 1974-2000; how did he possess such wisdom at a relatively young age; and what company is Diamond?

After reading such an intriguing book that offers so many valuable tips AND evokes such mystery, the reader feels compelled to hire Bud Bilanich as the consultant for her/his company and ask him all the relevant questions. Tip to CEO's out there: read the book and then hire Bud to come out and revamp your company. Ask him the aforementioned questions for me and e-mail me the answers!!!

Bravo to Mr. Bilanich for offering us a highly readable and engaging book that imparts truly valuable lessons. Best book I've read from this publisher.

Doctor B has done it again! This is the third of his books that I've read. In each one, he has demonstrated a complete and thorough understanding of his subject, boiled the concepts down to the core ideas and presented those ideas in an easy to understand (and easy to enact)manner. His common sense approach, both in his books and in person, plays well in all settings, from corporate headquarters to the factory floor. And more importantly, it drives business results!

Bud Bilanich's book, "4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations", will help any organization get started on the road to High Performance. The real power of Bud's message is in its simplicity. Leaders of any organization will find it easy to understand the "secrets", assess their organization,and quickly begin the important work of moving to High Performance results!

4 Secrets Of High Performing Organizations: Beyond The Flavor Of The Month To Lasting Results is a "user friendly" business manager's guide that emphasizes the importance of not falling into business or marketing "fads". Instead, business managers and supervisors can establish profitable and efficient organizations by using basic, solid principles of dialogue with the folks who really know what's going on, by keeping things clear and open, by effectively measuring success and excellence, and by balancing cost vs. quality. An extraordinary presentation of "common sense, uncommon wisdom" is presented in a straightforward, no-nonsense manner. Anecdotes help illustrate the practical and important ideas in this highly recommended instructional reference designed specifically for anyone having a responsibility at any level for the success and profitability of a business enterprise.

This book highlights the components necessary to create and sustain a high performing team, operation or business. Bud Bilanich addresses the key factors that must be attended for any business to sustain itself over time in a meaningful way. His writing style is straight forward, to-the-point and applicable. I am using it with some of our companies to assist my management teams in creating sustainable high-performing organizations.