Gibbons headed Burger King from 1989 until 1994 and is widely credited for turning around the ailing hamburger chain. In 1994, he decided to quit the world of big business, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy. A native of England, Gibbons is now in his mid-50s. He is popular on the corporate lecture circuit, he consults, he writes an irreverent column for the business section of the Miami Herald, and he is chairman of the board of a Florida chain of music stores. One of Gibbons' proudest moments was rebuilding Burger King's headquarters and shepherding its staff through the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Among his mantras is the insistence on treating employees fairly, and downsizing advocate "Chainsaw" Al Dunlap is Gibbons' favorite target. All of this would make wonderful grist for an instructive autobiography. Instead, Gibbons prefers to use the sort of humor that is the hallmark of his column to get his point across. He strings together his 101 commonsense, down-to-earth maxims with hyperbole, potshots, flippancy, and meandering asides. David Rouse
Book Description
The former CEO of Burger King blows the cover on corporate incompetence--and uncovers the secrets of good business--in his sharp-tongued, riotously funny book.
Why are so many businesses such depressing, poorly directed messes? Ask Barry Gibbons, enlightened capitalist, high-spirited wit, and the man who nearly single-handedly pulled Burger King out of a long, disparaging slump, rendering it robust and dynamic (without cutting heads).
In this rollicking, iconoclastic book, Gibbons blasts apart the thick wall of hubris, hierarchy, regimentation, and exaggerated complexity so endemic to the corporate world--and lays bare his 101 "Universal Laws of Business," commonsense truths about how to run a business profitably and well. His sage witticisms and sensible opinions cover motivational theory, limited terms for business leaders, being big but acting small, hurdling marketplace barriers, unhealthy profit, new branding, innovation, information technology, and more.
And Gibbons deftly answers nagging questions, such as: why mediocre products litter a hyper-competitive marketplace that demands distinct oneswhy the workforce is supremely alienated, exactly at a time when businesses need savvy, motivated employeesand why the most meticulously crafted business plan contains the one and only scenario guaranteed not to happen.
These 101 business truths will grab readers by the gut and make them gasp in relief. Because they're the things that most everyone (especially the folks laboring in the trenches) knows to be true--and wonders why the top dogs don't have a clue.
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