The Little Book of Business Wisdom: Rules of Success from More Than 50 Business Legends

Pearls from The LITTLE BOOK OF BUSINESS WISDOM "The man who starts out simply with the idea of getting rich won′t succeed; you must have a larger ambition."–JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER "Think about the customer, not the competition: Competitors represent your industry′s past, as, over the years, collective habits become ingrained. Customers are your future, representing new opportunities, ideas, and avenues for growth."–MICHAEL S. DELL "You′ve got to be out in front of crowds, repeating yourself over and over again, never changing your message no matter how much it bores you." –JACK WELCH "Always break orders to save owners. There never was a great character who did not sometimes smash the routine regulations and make new ones for himself." –ANDREW CARNEGIE "Don′t speak up at a meeting until you have something meaningful to contribute. Talking to attract attention may call attention to your blank spots." –JO FOXWORTH "Make ′em feel guilty when they do nothing. One thing I can′t stand is people who don′t act on a situation. I′d rather that people make mistakes than sit around and not do something."–DAVE THOMAS

Partial table of contents: MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES. Lee Iacocca: My Little Commandments of Management. Bill Gates: New Rules for the Age of Information. LEADERSHIP SECRETS. T. Boone Pickens: The Art of Leadership. John F. Welch, Jr.: Leading a Revolution. QUALITIES FOR PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT. David Ogilvy: Qualities I Admire. Andrew Carnegie: The Road to Business Success. John H. Johnson: How to Sell Anything in Five Minutes or Less. WALL STREET WIZARDS. Warren E. Buffett: Investment Principles. Sir John M. Templeton: Time–Tested Maxims of the Templeton Touch. Bernard M. Baruch: My Investment Philosophy. GUNSLINGERS AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DRIVE. J. Paul Getty: You Can Make a Million Today. E. W. Scripps: Some Outlandish Rules for Making Money. THE GURUS. Warren Bennis: Five Key Skills. Dale Carnegie: Be a Leader. BUILDERS OF CULTURE. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield: Our Aspirations. Howard M. Schultz: Starbucks Mission Statement. MAXIMS FOR LIFE. Al Neuharth: An S.O.B.′s Ten Secrets to Success. Kemmons Wilson: Twenty Tips for Success. Acknowledgments. Credits and Sources. Indexes.

PETER KRASS, a freelance writer and editor who lives in New Hampshire, is the editor of all six volumes in Wiley′s Book of Wisdom Series. Other titles in the series include The Book of Business Wisdom: Classic Writings by the Legends of Commerce and Industry; The Book of Leadership Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Business Leaders; The Book of Investing Wisdom: Classic Writings by Great Stock–Pickers and Legends of Wall Street; The Book of Entrepreneurs′ Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Entrepreneurs; and The Book of Management Wisdom: Classic Writings by Legendary Managers. He has contributed extensively to Investor′s Business Daily.

The Cutting Edge The most successful business people are often also the busiest, acknowledges Peter Krass, a regular contributor to Investor′s Business Daily and editor of the Book of Wisdom series. Therefore, he offers The Little book of Business Wisdom: Rules of Success from More Than 50 Business Legends. The advice is varied and often contradictory, but provides readers with a smorgasbord of ideas. From Lee Iacocca′s guidelines for CEOs ("Make sure you′re maximizing earnings today") to Lillian Vernon′s questions for would–be entrepreneurs ("Are you prepared to work extremely hard?"), the advice is succinct but rarely simplistic. ––Publishers Weekly October 30, 2000