Customer Reviews

Sudden Impact on the Job: Top Business Leaders Reveal the Secrets to Fast Success

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I own an executive search firm and I'm now providing a copy of this book to all the executives we place, as added insurance for their success. Quandt's stories illustrate the real-world challenges of starting a new job and debunk many traditionally held beliefs about job transition, such as the required 90-day plan. I'm amazed at how she was able to draw out the very authentic stories and emotions of some of the biggest name CEOs in the country. As great as this book is for new executives, I can't imagine an executive of any degree of experience who wouldn't benefit from this book.

I have had the opportunity to work closely with two of the CEO's who were interviewed (Notebaert of Qwest & Vander Zanden of School Specialty) and have also met with Russo (of Lucent). I can vouch for the realness of the stories being reported and situations being shared. The author's (Susan Quandt's) ability to share the unique story of each of the top leaders she met with reveal a very human side to how these individuals handled some very complex challenges in taking on the top job of thier respective companies. What is compelling about this book is that there is no simple formula for success that so many business books seem to attempt to define, rather Quandt stresses the uniqueness that each person's experiences bring to the challenges they faced and the thought process each used to make some very significant and impactful decisions. I strongly recommend this book. It is a compelling read for any aspiring executive and/or manager who wants to better understand how the leaders of their organization think, take action and analyze the outcomes. Some great lessons on authenticity .

I'm a financial executive with a professional services organization and wish I had this book when I started this job and others before it. From my experience, there is no one formula for starting fast in a new job and Quandt really drives that point home with the breadth of stories the CEO's in her book share. Coming out of the financial services industry, Jamie Dimon's stories were of particular interest to me especially around how he picked his team and personally jumped in when needed - which seems to contradict all traditionally held beliefs. I was surprised by his candor - and that, of all the CEO's interviewed. I highly recommend this book for anyone from middle management on who wants to get the inside stories on how to move up the career ladder by those who have made it to the top.