The Art of Business: In the Footsteps of Giants (Hardcover)

~ Raymond T. Yeh (Author), Stephanie H. Yeh (Author), Stephanie H. Yeh (Contributor) "A young disciple serves his Zen master while listening to two older disciples, A and B, arguing just outside the door..." (more)
Key Phrases: market inflection point, unreferenced quotes, small town strategy, Southwest Airlines, Kung Ming, Grameen Bank (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

I absolutely loved, and love it, even now, as I think about it, as I fell into its extraordinary grace. -- Michael Gerber, author of E-Myth Mastery

In this brilliant book, Raymond Yeh talks about what really matters—the soul and spirit of business. -- Gary E. Hoover, Founder, Hoover’s, Inc., and author, Hoover’s Vision

This book is an inspirational revelation and a seminal contribution. -- Herb Kelleher, Chairman, Southwest Airlines

This book is timeless! -- Red McCombs, Chairman, McCombs Enterprises; Owner, Minnesota Vikings

Product Description

Discover how modern business giants such as Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Gordon Moore of Intel, and Earl Bakken of Medtronic have developed enterprises with soul by applying the five strategic arts of possibility, timing, leverage, mastery, and leadership outlined by the ancient strategist Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Such enterprises achieve organizational excellence and lasting market dominance, and their leaders are envied, copied, and avidly followed by many. This book offers you the opportunity to walk with these giants, learn their secrets, delve into their minds, and experience these five arts as they do.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: Zero Time Publishing (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975427717
• ISBN-13: 978-0975427712
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #906,271 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Business is also the Art of Life, August 25, 2004

By	P. Goodro - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Art of Business is one of the most entertaining business books I've ever read, especially considering its topic-strategy-which can prove dry and uninteresting except to the academically inclined, under the best of circumstances. What I found most fascinating was the discussion of strategy, broken down into five "arts," is just as applicable to my personal life as it is to my business life.

The book starts out with some Zen-type prose about doing business, which had me wondering whether this was going to be a good book or not, but then it moved into the stories and that's when it really took off. The authors outlined five different arts: possibility, timing, leverage, mastery, and leadership.

All of these apply to business. What really struck me were the arts of possibility, leverage and leadership. In the chapter about possibility, the authors really made me step out of my comfort zone. They ask, "How will your business make a difference in the world?" or "What is your dream?" In terms of my personal life, it got me wondering, "What is my dream?" I have what my mother calls, `gypsy feet,' so it got me wondering about my wandering, what is my dream? How do I want to make a difference in the world and my own life? The other aspect of the art of possibility is the art of thinking big. I especially like the story about Grameen Bank, where the professor has the dream of eliminating poverty. How big a dream is that!? It gets me thinking that anything I want to achieve is possible. I just have to dream it first.

Then in the leverage section, they further bring to light the fact that I can create everything that I dream about-I just have to leverage everything around me. They gave this formula: first identify what you want, then figure out where it exists, and finally figure out how to get it. I was a little stumped at first, but then began to see how it works. They cite the story of an ancient general who ran out of arrows halfway through the battle. What did he do? He figured out that the enemy army was really jumpy and would shoot arrows at anything coming. He waited until a foggy morning then sent over ships filled with straw men wearing army uniforms. The enemy shot the straw men full of arrows and presto, the general had arrows again. I began to see that I could apply that kind of cleverness and resourcefulness to what I want in my personal life. Plus, there's a real sense of fun in that kind of clever art.

Finally, leadership was a great concept to really make me think. I've always thought about leadership in terms of leading groups of people, but in reading I began to realize that I could become the leader of my own life. The way these authors write about it, leadership is about not letting my ego get in the way of my vision. It's about humility and service, concepts about which I've learned the hard way, both of which have benefited my life greatly. I never realized the extent to which these qualities are leadership qualities. The good news is, I now know I am the leader of my own life.

As I got further into the book, got used to the Zen aphorisms I actually started to like them. I realized that this book is just as much about the Art of Life as it is about the Art of Business!

Sincere thanks to the authors,
Paula Goodro

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book About Strategy That Provides Meaning in Business, August 21, 2004

By	Alan Joel "philosopher at large" (Western Slope of Colorado USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The authors of The Art of Business seem to know that work can be total drudgery for the average Joe. Whether you own your own business or work for someone else, the daily grind can be really hard to face day in and day out, year in and year out. What the authors do that is so great is add purpose, vitality, and fun into the workplace.

Even though this book is ostensibly about strategy, I would say that the true purpose of this book is to give meaning to work. The stories in this book demonstrate that when you have meaning in your work, it turns the dull day-to-day stuff into something that you really want to do. When they talk about Herb Kelleher, Chairman of Southwest Airlines, going out on "Field Days" and moving luggage around do he can stay in touch with the daily activities of the people that work for him, that really touched and moved me. That was meaning in work-when the execs really care and they show it through action, not just through words.

The five arts show us that even if we work for other people, we can bring meaning and strategy to the work that we do, and it will help not just us but also the people we work for. For instance, in the Leverage chapter, they talk about all the ways we can bring all the resources we want and need to us with leverage. Well, you don't have to be your own boss to do that. If you work for someone, they will appreciate you being resourceful and leveraging everything in your environment to get the job done. Plus, that kind of leverage allows for creativity and actual enjoyment in the workplace.

Finally, the leadership chapter is staggering. It makes me feel that I can be a leader no matter what I am doing and who I am working for. Leadership is seven qualities: big dreams, commitment to the vision, excellence, vulnerability (allowing others to help you), humility, peace of mind, and strong values. I'm learning from the stories in this book, which outline not just the leaders but also the followers of great companies, that I can be a leader, and how that's important because only companies that are companies of leaders truly succeed.

I'm not always sure how I might implement all the principles talked about in this book--it sometimes brings up more questions than it answers. But it does show me where I need to be looking for answers.

It's an astonishingly inspiring book for a business book, and gives me hope for meaning in the daily routines of life in business.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Practicalities of Philosophical Convergence, September 21, 2004

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Yeh is one of several business thinkers who have learned a great deal from Sun Tzu's The Art of War. In this volume, he rigorously examines "five strategic arts," devoting a separate chapter to each of the five, focusing on those organizations and individuals that best illustrate the values which Sun Tzu affirmed more than 2,500 years ago. Here they are: The Art of Possibility (Medtronic, Grameen Bank, and Southwest Airlines), The Art of Timing (Royal Dutch/Shell, Intel, and Southwest Airlines again), The Art of Leverage (Wal-Mart, Dell, and yes, Southwest Airlines again), The Art of Mastery (Singapore, the U.C.L.A. Bruins men's basketball team, and indeed Southwest Airlines again), and finally, The Art of Leadership (Coach John Wooden of U.C.L.A, Earl Bakken who co-founded Medtronic, and of course, Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines). When discussing his primary objective for JetBlue Airlines, CEO David Neeleman replied that he and his crewmembers (not employees nor even associates) were determined to "bring humanity back to air travel." That is one of Yeh's key points in this book. He insists that the best organizations "have a soul and they find a way to make a profit consistently, while also serving the community." That was a lesson which Neeleman learned during his brief association with Southwest Airlines. It is no coincidence that year after year, the companies identified by Fortune magazine as being "The Most Admired" are also the most profitable in their respective industries.

What sets this book apart from so many others which have addressed many of the same issues is the fact that in it Yeh brilliantly correlates and sometimes blends Eastern and Western concepts of business success and personal fulfillment. Not only organizations but each of those within those organizations has a soul and must find (or be provided with) a way to achieve financial success while also serving the community. In essence, the "art of business" is really the art of having standard of living and quality of life in proper balance. The greatest leaders throughout human history have helped others to do so. Hence the importance of having VPV: vision, purpose, and values. A great leader inspires others with a vision and mobilizes them to pursue a shared future (the Art of Possibility); she or he initiates or responds effectively to change, especially to a crisis (the Arts of Timing, Leverage, and Mastery); and he or she can innovate constantly because values-driven leadership has developed and nourished both talent and integrity throughout the entire organization (the Art of Leadership).

According to Yeh, in addition to having a soul which creates meaning for its people, a great organization must also "know where it is going and somehow always seem to [in italics] flow with the changing world, arriving at its destiny in perfect synchrony. A great organization cleverly [in italics] leverages everything in its environment, including competitors, to effectively and efficiently utilize its resources. It is also the [in italics] master of its trade, constantly treading on the leading edge while maintaining effective balance. Finally, a great organization is made of [in italics] leaders who help to actualize the organization's vision by aligning their dreams to it." Long ago, Isaac Newton explained his own exceptional foresight by noting that he had been able to stand atop the "shoulders of giants." Today's great leaders are those upon whose shoulders others will be privileged to stand in years to come.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Sun Tzu: The New Translation by J. H. Huang (The Art of War), The Book of War: Sun-Tzu's "The Art of War" & Karl Von Clausewitz's "On War," David H. Maister's Practice What You Preach: What Managers Must Do to Create a High Achievement Culture, James O'Toole's The Executive's Compass: Business and the Good Society, Mark R. McNeilly's Sun Tzu and the Art of Business: Six Strategic Principles for Managers, and Robert L. Cantrell and Lionel Giles's Understanding Sun Tzu On The Art Of War.