Customer Reviews

Shaking the Globe: Courageous Decision-Making in a Changing World

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Blythe J. McGarvie is a global citizen, who just happens to call the U.S. home. She inspires us to change our point of view in "Shaking the Globe: Courageous Decision-Making in a Changing World." Inspired by Tom Friedman's "The World is Flat," she moves beyond his insights to share her experiences in diverse businesses all over the world. It's new. It's different. Give up your old world views and be part of it. What a way to lead change!

McGarvie says "one of the purposes of this book is to encourage Westerners, and Americans in particular, to embrace the new globalization joyfully." She makes the case passionately throughout this book. McGarvie clearly describes the realities of an interconnected globe from the unique perspective of a seasoned executive and board member who has traveled and conducted business all over the world. Even more, McGarvie gives strategies to successfully embrace a new world where "95% of the world's consumers, constituting two-thirds of its purchasing power, reside outside the United States."

I found myself turning down the corners of many pages as I read through this thought-provoking book. In a chapter entitled "Women Working" she presents a fresh approach to describing the critical contributions of women in the workplace, including evidence that "companies with several women board members report better financial results."

This book is well worth the time to read and surprisingly relevant in light of the fast-changing economic turmoil we're in. It encourages us to embrace global realities and resist looking for answers in protectionism and isolation.

In her new book, the author covers a lot of ground on an immense subject - doing business globally - providing a good read for newcomers to the subject.

Any business book coming to print since Q4 2008, through the first part of 2009, is bound to suffer at least modestly from sounding a bit out of step from any financial/trend data and implied projections cited, due to the rapid decline in the world economic picture. And, this one is not immune, with certain figures projecting global workforce and economic growth already likely to be in need of re-casting.

Fortunately, such material makes up a small part of the book's content and value. The real strength is 3-fold:

1-the authors' personal international experiences - the book is peppered with multiple first-hand stories the author recounts of her global career, that infuse the book with an authenticity that comes from one who has "been there done that." In these, she introduces people, places, and particular events with a clear eye and occasional wry humor that are good life lessons for anyone dealing with a global challenge

2-unique perspective as a successful, female financial executive - the author's content is especially strong in chapters on "financial realities" "women working" and "shareholder interests." This is no doubt a direct reflection on her personal experience, having been an early one to crack the glass ceiling, especially in the male-dominated finance and accounting roles she led during her Fortune 500 run.

3-her ability to draw upon a wide array of existing sources and models (including her own) that help the book serve as a quick reference for multiple - chapter 3 on leadership is a quick synopsis of the author's Fit In Stand Out model, described and illustrated in depth in her prior book "The FISO Factor." But not having an academic turf to protect, the author cites a number of models, frameworks, and favorite lists, building a portfolio of reference material from great professors and practitioners alike. Taking a highlighter to the book for that aspect alone makes it a handy quick reference guide.

In summary, the book more than achieves what one would hope to get from an investment of $21.95 USD and a couple of hours of free-time reading for the modern, busy professional. It pays back the investment manyfold with stories, research, and suggestions from McGarvies' "voice of experience" that makes "Shaking the Globe" one for adding to the reading list of any modern manager considering global business - which means everyone.

This is a very well done book with deep insights from page one... I just have not been able to read it completely through because I keep giving my copy away! Most recently, I passed my copy to a teenage neighbor who is studying global business, and told her to read Chapter 6 - Women Working - twice. I also gave her a copy of McGarvie's first book, Fit In Stand Out, which is still on my "required reading" for new hires.

Shaking the Globe is an important work, and with the current global economic situation, even more so. The title to Part 1 "Preparing for Adventure" is an interesting choice of words considering how the global economy has unwound since McGarvie put the final to press. The book also fits the only two words I'll use to describe the current global playing field: creative destruction. Coined by Werner Sombart's work and popularized by Joseph Schumpeter, Sombart's words ring out: "Again out of destruction a new spirit of creativity arises." I believe the history and postscripts to this current time period will again fit these words, and this book gives a handy prep-class for those looking to get quick and reliable learning.

Shaking the Globe would have also been a great resource for my MBA Global Management Capstone on China just a few years ago, when some argued there was no way a country like China could pass the USA Consumer Market. It would have been nice to have the table on page 5 showing China projected in first place in 2025. There is plenty more here; this is a framework one can and should adapt to their own needs.

I titled the review "here we go again" as I seem to be following in the footsteps of McGarvie's first book FISO, of which I have given over a dozen copies away and sent the link to many more. I have finally "claimed" a copy of Shaking the Globe so that I can write my notes and do my highlighting... I'll pass on the link to Amazon!