Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Done Development of Franklin's Ideas for Management, July 11, 2000
Most books built around the theme of a famous person's leadership or management principles are pretty thin on substance. This book is an exception, and is probably the most effective version of that genre that I have seen. Naturally, it helps to begin by having Ben Franklin's witty observations and common sense to build on. But the author does a fine job of supplementing those foundations with modern examples, analyses of the meaning of Franklin's life and experiences, and ways to apply the principles in your own life. If you haven't read the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, you have a real treat ahead of you. In fact, I would recommend that you read that before reading this book. You need a bit more context on Franklin to fully appreciate the lessons outlined in this book. Everything in this book is drawn from that as a source. The main drawback of this book is that the quotes by Franklin (which the author apologizes for and warns about in the introduction) are hard to read. Franklin loved to capitalize a lot in a seemingly random fashion compared to how we do it today; he adored ampersands; and he used archaic nouns and verbs not familiar to us today. On the other hand, I think you will find them rewarding in most cases if you take the time to absorb them. I suggest reading them aloud. A strength of using Ben Franklin as a source is that he was, in fact, a very successful businessman who retired at the age of 42. He was talented in many other ways, as well. I see the 12 rules as being great stallbusting material. He encourages people not to use humble beginnings as a reason for not striving for the top. Franklin emphasized self-management as a precursor to managing others. (Your own bad habits will get you into more trouble than anything your subordinates and colleagues will do.) There is good advice on overcoming communications stalls (people want to appear to be reasonable). The advice on the importance of experiments will help overcome the dangers of creeping complacency and bureaucracy. The concept is kaizen may have had its first expression in Franklin's encouragement to master lots of little things. A beauty of this perspective is that when we find that something was important to Franklin, and is still important to us today, we have probably discovered a fundamental element of humanity that needs lots of attention. I strongly recommend this book for management fans, Ben Franklin fans, and those who would just like to help get rid of some bad habits. Although it is certainly not one of the top 100 management books ever written, it is certainly a solid and well-done one. Free yourself from excuses about why you and your organization cannot make progress! Donald Mitchell Coauthor of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise (available in August 2000) and The 2,000 Percent Solution (donmitch@fastforward400.com)
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Synthesis of good management practices, not history, March 10, 2003
This book is an interesting read, as it uses Ben Franklin, one of the most celebrated characters in history, to give substance to certain abstract concepts relating to good managers and leaders. In many ways, it is a very pragmatic book, even Machiavellian. For example, Franklin made sure people had an impression of his being a hard worker, by keeping his lights on till very late and by making sure people saw him leaving his work very late. Translated to today's world, such a rule could be translated into the realm of "face time". Like this one, the rules in the book are timeless. My only concern about the book is the limited historical scope of it. It focuses on the period before Franklin got involved with politics and the revolution, so the more interesting parts of his life are not present. When I grabbed this book, I was expecting both a management lesson and a history one; forget the history one. One should keep in mind the title of the book: 12 Rules of MANAGEMENT. That is very accurate, and it is clear that those rules are focused on management and NOT leadership. If you are looking for good manager advice, this is a very good book.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless & Timely, April 22, 2000
One of my ancestors was among the signers of the Declaration of Independence, a fact which helps to explain my special interest in late-18th century American history. Of course, Ben Franklin played a major role then and remains one of the most highly regarded of our nation's "founding fathers." When I first obtained a copy of McCormick's book, I was immediately suspicious. I consider Franklin's Autobiography a masterpiece and feared that McCormick would simply "package" some of Franklin's best ideas after marinating them in contemporary business jargon, make a quick buck or two, and then move on another writing project (eg Secrets of Paleolithic Leadership). In fact, this is a solid book. McCormick wrote it for "current and future managers, supervisors and small business owners" but I think it has value for managers within ALL organizations, non-profit as well as for-profit, regardless of size or nature. The scope, depth, and clarity of Franklin's ideas continue to have wide and deep relevance. A very informative Introduction is followed by 12 chapters (one per "Rule"). At the conclusion of each chapter, there is a checklist of activities. Throughout the book, Franklin is quoted extensively but McCormick does not (to his credit) depend on the Franklin quotations to "carry" the narrative. On the contrary, McCormick's all-important role is to correlate Franklin's "Rules" with the contemporary business world and he does so with considerable skill. So, I was surprised and pleased as I read this book. A few final points. In the Conclusion, McCormick expresses the hope that his book will help its reader to become a better "businessperson." With all due respect to the most advanced technologies today, they will never replace the need for human beings. Franklin knew the limits of technology as he observed the development of the Industrial Revolution in his own time. There will always be a need for human beings in business...but what kind of people? McCormick's book helps us to recognize and appreciate the relevance of Franklin's ideas to modern management. I share his hope that Franklin's ideas can also nourish the humanity of those who manage.
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