Guts!: Companies that Blow the Doors off Business-as-usual (Hardcover)

by Kevin Freiberg (Author), Jackie Freiberg (Author) "Gutsy leaders reject the mercenary notion that their employees are nothing more than human resources, akin to capital, fuel, oil, or machine tools, that can..." (more)
Key Phrases: gutsy leaders, branded culture, heroic cause, Planet Honda, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The recent corporate scandals and layoffs may have damaged the public's trust in business, but corporate consultants Kevin and Jackie Freiberg could well restore some of that lost confidence with their inspiring descriptions of "gutsy leaders" who "have dismantled fear-based management and replaced it with heart, soul, discipline, loyalty, humor-and long-term record profits." Mostly men and a few women, the leaders in this round-up include James Blachard, CEO of Synovus Financial, and Colleen Barret, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines-a company that the Freibergs explored in depth in their first book Nuts!: Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success (1996). A model of employee-manager relations, Southwest didn't lay off a single person after 9/11, and it met its employee profit-sharing and savings plans and even opened new flight routes, all while increasing its share of the U.S. domestic market by about 25 percent. Among the Freibergs' other examples are the companies Planet Honda, Whole Foods, SAS Institute (a company that provides intelligence-software services), Ernst & Young and the U.S.S. Benfold (a Navy combat missile destroyer). The authors describe these entities' workplace strategies and philosophies on everything from "hiring people who don't suck" (a real no-brainer) to making work itself fun, and their bullet-point lists and sidebars suggest ways that managers can apply these strategies to their own businesses. An energetic leadership primer that's dynamic, entertaining and easy to read, this book should be popular among readers interested in finding new ways to make business work.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
“Should be on the top of the reading stack of anyone interested in learning from the discoveries of executives who are explorers, innovators, motivators and charismatic, gutsy leaders.” —Don Hall, Jr., President and CEO, Hallmark Cards, Inc.

 
"A must read for executives in search of their leadership ‘soul’. . . Defines the spirit, courage and passion necessary in providing leadership in today's challenging business environment." —Larry Kurzweil, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios Hollywood
 
“Will provide you with real business ideas and inspiration straight from some of the world's gutsiest and gifted leaders in business today.” —Roger J. Dow, SVP, Global and Field Sales, Marriott International


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Business (December 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509618
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509619
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #678,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The pulse of success, January 15, 2004

By	Ken Howell (San Diego, California, USA) - See all my reviews

Kevin and Jackie Freiberg have done it again. In "Nuts!" they told the story of the growth of a fledgling airline that has grown to lead the industry today. In their new book "Guts!" they have once again placed their fingers on the pulse of business success and share with us stories of triumph.

What is apparent after reading this book is that to create a successful business you must create a customer base that sings your companies praises loud and strong to anyone who will listen. But, to do that effectively you must first create a working environment that causes your employees to sing your companies praises louder and stronger!

This is exactly what the business leaders in "Guts!" have done. Kevin and Jackie not only tell the story of business leaders that have vision, they tell the stories of business leaders capable of turning their vision into action.

Being a visionary is not all there is to being a leader. Being a leader that can transfer that vision into action is what Champions are made of. "Guts!" gives us dynamic examples of Champions who care enough to give the whole 9 yards.

This book is a "Must Read" for anyone responsible for the well being of people.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A quick peek inside some successful organizations, April 26, 2005

By	Frank Chen (Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The husband-and-wife time of Kevin and Jackie Freiberg offer up a book filled with leadership advice built around stories of successful companies ranging from SAS to Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines to Synovus.

In general, I'm skeptical of business books which profile large companies written by people who have never run a large company. First, there's the "do as I say, not as I do (or have done)" credibility gap. And second, this genre tends to attribute too much of a company's overall success or failure to a single personality.

Having said that, I think the Freibergs have done a decent job of wrapping their high-level advice (e.g., create a sense of ownership, lead with love, make business heroic) around stories and interviews that are engaging, well-written, and carefully selected to make their point. And it's always intriguing to learn how a name-brand organization got its start.

On the other hand, be prepared for some dramatic (over-?)simplification of complex realities. The company case studies are less case studies and more one-dimensional illustrations the authors carefully package to make the point they want to make. Sometimes it feels just a little glib, as in "let me tell you this cute story that just so happens to illustrate the general leadership principle I'm pushing in this chapter."

My favorite chapter was about how gutsy leaders lead with love. As a person of faith, I find the idea of servant leadership (popularized by authors such as Robert Greenleaf and Peter Vail) powerful and resonant with my own religious beliefs. I also enjoyed the chapter on how effective leaders tie their organization's mission to a heroic cause. To illustrate this point, the authors tell the story of how one teacher's (Sandra McBrayer) heroic vision to teach homeless kids galvanized the San Diego community to build an entire school for disdvantaged kids called Monarch High School (complete with its own restaurant created with the help of Ralph Rubio, cofounder and CEO of Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill).

The book is visually attractive -- not quite as arresting as Tom Peter's new book called "Re-imagine!", but the layout, color, pull quotes, and photos call attention to the main points well.

Overall, it's worth a quick read for some interesting stories and a few ideas to consider as you think about how to improve your own organization's culture.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guts! A different kind of business book!, January 1, 2004

By	Dr. Shelly Valdez (El Cajon, CA) - See all my reviews

The Friebergs have met their own mission "to tell stories that improve organizations and inspire people to live bigger, better, more fulfilling lives." Backed by years of research and interviews, Guts! gives voice to a disparate group of business leaders who show us that vision, passion, living one's values, and treating people with openness and trust are the keys to greatness.

Like Nuts!, Guts! is a different kind of business book. Most are either dry (and boring) or simple "enter-trainment" (fluff without substance). This book is a delight to read. It's written using the same principles it espouses for business: it's fun, different, creative and gutsy. And filled to the brim with practical advice that can and should be used by anyone - business owners and men and women at all levels in their organizations. The Gut Checks are especially good as both summaries of the information and guidelines for the reader's own actions.

The principles in Guts! aren't just great business ideas; they make sense for any organization. Imagine these principles in use in schools, government institutions, in fact in human relationships in any setting. The book inspired me. I read it and found myself dreaming of great new ideas for use with my business clients, my university students, and my family. I am giving copies to everyone.