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The Six Fundamentals of Success: The Rules for Getting It Right for Yourself and Your Organization (Hardcover)
by Stuart Levine
| Category:
Life management, Personal success |
| Market price: ¥ 228.00
MSL price:
¥ 208.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Management fads come and go. This book reminds us that the way to get strong predictable results is to master the fundamentals and give customers great value. |
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Author: Stuart Levine
Publisher: Currency
Pub. in: February, 2006
ISBN: 0385517246
Pages: 256
Measurements: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00843
Other information: Rev Upd edition
ISBN-13: 978-0385517249
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- MSL Picks -
"The business environment is so uncertain that no one can afford to miss a step... We have total control over that."
Six Fundamentals of Success strikes a resonant chord with those seeking to build successful lives and careers by doing what works and what is right. The book is an extraordinary primer for anyone at any level who seeks to learn or review relevant fundamentals applicable to success.
The author organized the material in short and approachable chapters grouped within his six fundamental ideas for success such as "Communicate Up and Down, Inside and Out", "How to Deliver Results" and "Conduct Yourself and Your Business With Integrity". The advice is presented in a distilled, straight-forward and upbeat manner that keeps up the pace and allows the reader to grasp these these prime concepts quickly.
The ageless advice within can serve as a compass to anyone seeking to get ahead by doing the right things and it is particularly relevant in today's environment that demands results, integrity, relationships, rock-solid communication and teamwork.
- From quoting a reader
Target readers:
Entrepreneurs, leaders, management, and business owners
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- Better with -
Better with
Law of Success: The 21st Century Edition, Revised and Updated
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Stuart R. Levine is chairman and CEO of Stuart Levine & Associates LLC, an international consulting and leadership training company that received PricewaterhouseCooper's 1999 Innovator of the Year award. Their clients include Citibank, Harmon Associates Division of Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Microsoft, and Cablevision. Previously Levine was the CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc., where he coauthored the international bestseller, The Leader in You. He has been profiled in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, and has appeared on CNN, CNBC, and PBS. He lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife, Harriet, and two children, Jesse and Elizabeth.
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From the publisher
Everyone has his or her own style at work. But if you look at the people who are successful, you'll see similarities. They always do the most important things first - they know how to prioritize. They can sum up how their company stands out from the pack in only a few minutes. They work with a sense of urgency, every day. These are the kinds of qualities and habits that never go out of style. Moreover, they are crucial to any successful career and life. By pursuing them regularly, you and your company are more likely to get ahead.
In The Six Fundamentals of Success, CEO and business consultant Stuart Levine spells out exactly how to practice the constants of business success-whether it's satisfying customers, developing strong relationships, or communicating clearly - through six fundamental principles, gained from decades of experience working with top executives. But it's the way Levine zeroes in on these fundamentals - add value, communicate well, deliver results, act with integrity, invest in relationships, and gain perspective--and brings them to life through dozens of pithy, to-the-point rules that makes the book so practical and useful. With no-nonsense lessons like "Face time counts," "Do breakfast," and "Share the good news - and the bad," Levine offers concrete examples of how to behave, respond, and motivate others.
Aimed at business people and entrepreneurs at all levels, whether they work in companies large or small, The Six Fundamentals of Success provides the smart, action-oriented guidance people need in today's challenging climate.
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FUNDAMENTAL #1
Make Sure You Add Value
Adding value to an organization means you increase its worth and its capacity to serve its customers. A company's worth is linked to its profit potential. So if you help the organization make more profit than it does now, you're adding value. And if you add value, you'll be more valuable to the company. Practicing the rules in this section - whether it's "Act like an owner," "Complete one important thing every day," or "Stop financial hemorrhaging" - will increase your individual worth as an employee, and, in turn, make the company worth more. And there's nothing your boss likes more than increased corporate worth. It's one of the fundamental ways you can advance your career, and increase your own paycheck. (Note: In the not-for-profit world, this translates into financial stability. Even museums strive for a "profit" margin in order to maintain their treasures and acquire new ones.) You can increase your organization's value in four ways: help it sell more, cut costs, get higher prices, or improve quality for the customer. All of this is a balancing act because if you cut costs indiscriminately, you might be cutting quality so much that you lose customers.
You can add value from any level. In fact, often you're uniquely positioned to do this. A server at a major chain restaurant once suggested a change that eliminated a liaison position between the kitchen and waiters and saved the company almost half a million dollars a year system-wide. She was able to do this because she lived on the front lines every day. The people at the corporate office would never have seen it. This kind of input is vital to a company.
The surest way to add value every day is to make sure at least part of your daily work contributes to a strategy. Business strategy is designed to increase an organization's value, so by working on a strategy for at least part of every day you know you're adding value.
To make adding value part of your daily actions and behavior:
- Know how your organization creates value for the customer and how you fit in.
- Understand how your company spends and makes money.
- Focus on the things that are important to adding value.
- Care passionately about customers.
- Continuously improve your skills so you can keep finding new ways to add value.
- Come up with and test new ideas.
See your customer as a person
In order to care about your work, you've got to see how you add value to the customer. Who is the customer and what does she want? What need does your organization meet? What's your customer's life like? For example, if you do billing for a cardiac health center, your customers are usually over fifty years old. They probably have children who care about them and grandchildren who want them around for a long time. Ask your team to think about people in their families who might fit the profile. How would your sister or dad feel coming into the cardiac health center? How does your work make things better or worse for that person? Start from the moment the customer gets your product or service, work backwards, and chart the pieces that come together to deliver it. Where do you fit? Who relies on your team? What happens if you're late? How does it affect other departments? How does it affect your customer?
If you and your team know how your contribution fits in the process, it'll be easier for you to see how your work is important. People give their best to work that's important. So do you.
Know your industry
Know your industry and your company's position in it.
1 ) Read the business section of the newspaper, watch the business media, and stay current with economic trends that impact your industry. Don't ignore global trends. They affect your organization as well.
2) Read your industry's trade publications, even if you have to borrow your boss's copy.
3) In talking with clients and suppliers, listen to what they have to say.
Spend a few minutes each morning reviewing the news to grasp the top-line trends. If you see an article that might interest a colleague, highlight the pertinent information and send it to her. Add a note about how it could be useful (especially if you're sending it to your boss or a client). Bringing someone's attention to what's relevant helps others, and shows people around you that you understand the industry. They'll see you in a different and better way.
As you scour the media or talk to people in your industry, you'll develop a fuller grounding in the deeper implications of actions and events. And as your understanding of your industry grows, your broadened perspective will help you make better decisions faster.
Develop your financial IQ
It's crucial to understand the language of money to add value to an organization. It will help you strengthen your performance and confidence and further your career.
1) Identify a financial point person in your organization who can help you to gather and interpret financial information.
2) Make sure you and everyone on your team can read a balance sheet and understand its implications.
3) Ask your boss for the profit margins1 of all your organization's products and services. Find out how your team might increase or threaten that margin.
4) Start meetings with a financial update, such as reviewing monthly business results. Explain what the numbers mean and how the people in the room can affect the numbers. When wrapping up, connect the meeting's discussion back to financial performance.
5) Coach team members one on one about how their work affects financial performance. Ask, "Do you understand how your work affects our ability to achieve results?"
6) Don't assume everyone understands financial terms. Whenever you use such terms, define them. When someone else uses an unfamiliar term, ask him or her to explain.
7) Never pretend to understand something you don't. Ask for clarification when you need it. It shows people on your team that it's okay to "not know," and that asking for help is a sign of confidence, not ignorance.
Demand strong "numbers literacy" from yourself and your team. Make yourself an integral part of your organization's financial health.
Work with a sense of urgency
There are important things at stake every day--your organization's goals, your department's financial performance, the customer's experience. Work fast, work hard, and do as much as you can do well.
Urgency isn't mania, however - don't crank out work just to cross it off your list. Work hard to produce a high standard of quality. Let your sense of urgency come from a genuine passion for delivering something of value to your customer, your team, or your work. Urgency should be paired with pride in getting it right.
Working this way gives you and the people around you energy. You'll finish the day feeling you've accomplished a lot.
Make yourself promotable
To get promoted, you need to already have developed the skills needed to do the job you are working toward. Voluntarily assume more and more of the responsibility. Learn as much as you can from the people currently working in that position by asking them questions or pitching in to help. Usually, they will be happy to have your interest and assistance. And they can be important allies in helping you make the move when the time is right.
Get your boss's support by helping her achieve her goals. As you pursue your career goals, don't give your boss any reason to think you don't care about doing great work in your current job. You'll need your boss's support to get the job you want and if you're not doing your current job well, there is no way you'll be promoted. So be sure your current work doesn't suffer, and that you make your boss look good. That's your job today.
If possible, train and develop the person who is likely to replace you. If you want to move up, make sure it's clear to decision-makers that you've groomed a replacement. Don't avoid this to make yourself seem indispensable. It doesn't work that way. Training your successor will get you promoted instead.
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| View all 8 comments |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-14 00:00>
This is the best career book I've read for a long long time. I am a principal of a headhunter in NJ and this book is a must read for professionals on their way up because it addresses all the relevant issues of people, process and principles.
For people who have just landed their job in a new company, "invest in relationships" is a golden rule and "make sure you add value" is another one to stick by. You will be going up the ladder! I assure you! |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-14 00:00>
I found this book to be both practical and insightful. The author has managed to strip away all of the "consultant speak" that you often find in books like this, and replaced it with concrete examples of leadership. I have also had the opportunity to attend a seminar conducted by the author and it reinforces many of the fundementals discussed in the book, as well as introduced new concepts. I recently purchased this book for a number of my employees and others I mentor within my organization. I highly recommend this book. |
John (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-14 00:00>
I have read this book and could not give it a more enthusiastic endorsement. I am the Chief Information Officer of 5 different companies and use many of the principles in this book on a daily basis. Mr Levine presents his information clearly and eloquently. I highly recommend this book for any and all levels of management. |
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-06-14 00:00>
I can not say enough about this book and the impact it has had on my business life and skills. This book did a superb job of reiterating skills that all business people need to make sure they excel at to be successful in their individual businesses. Stuart Levine has a tremendous way with words, giving distinct, unforgettable analogies that help to force home the point. This book has allowed me to expand my career, and certain skills I have retained have been noticed by my fellow workers. I highly recommend this book to anyone in a business-related field or even not, as it is an important tool to have in navigating the path of life, especially one's work life. |
View all 8 comments |
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