Critical Book Review - The 10 Commandments of Business Failure
Imagine for a moment condensing 70 years of life and business experience into less than 200 pages.
Then consider the words are easy to read, relevant, insightful and filled with historical references along with a smattering of quotations from the past to the present.
Finally, imagine that the pages within this book can help you avoid business disaster.
Would you be willing to part with less than $25? In The Ten Commandments for Business Failure by Donald R.
Keough, former President of an international beverage firm, shared his work experiences from his earliest days in Nebraska to his ongoing movement within this organization.
He creatively constructed the top 11 reasons for business failure.
The eleventh reason was an extra and a surprise for the reader.
Keough begins his business experience journey in his introduction by sharing a particular event that quickly demonstrated how his lessons or commandments can be easily applied to everyday life.
This allowed him to transition into the first commandment of "quit taking risks.
" In this chapter, he shared his belief of when leaders fail to move out of their comfort zones then the business will suffer.
The next chapter identifies this failure of "Be inflexible.
" Keogh has very strong beliefs about flexibility goes beyond day to day management.
This talent is very much part of an integrated higher order cognitive thought process allowing the individual to make those quick course corrections when circumstances demand such actions.
One of my favorite chapters is titled: "Play the Game Close to the Foul Line.
" In this, the Fifth Commandment, he discussed ethics and sums up in 10 words the reality of dealing with bad behaviors.
"We can never pass enough laws to make men ethical.
" He cited during the Enron scandal there already existed 71,000 pages of federal regulations plus the SEC and New York Stock Exchanges rules.
This commandment is one not to forget.
Following the Fifth Commandment is this one: "Don't Take Time To Think.
" Again, Keough's plain common sense approach sums up why thinking is truly necessary.
Looking back to the beginnings of early automobile transportation, he made this insightful observation.
"If the builders of early automobiles had asked people what they wanted in transportation, the probable answer would have been 'faster horses.
'" Each chapter is filled with quotations, pieces of business history that are probably not known by the average business person and just plan, succinct advice as to what contributes to business failure versus business success.
Given the easy writing style of Keough, this book can be quickly read and reread especially if you are interested in how to avoid business failure and secure business success.
Then consider the words are easy to read, relevant, insightful and filled with historical references along with a smattering of quotations from the past to the present.
Finally, imagine that the pages within this book can help you avoid business disaster.
Would you be willing to part with less than $25? In The Ten Commandments for Business Failure by Donald R.
Keough, former President of an international beverage firm, shared his work experiences from his earliest days in Nebraska to his ongoing movement within this organization.
He creatively constructed the top 11 reasons for business failure.
The eleventh reason was an extra and a surprise for the reader.
Keough begins his business experience journey in his introduction by sharing a particular event that quickly demonstrated how his lessons or commandments can be easily applied to everyday life.
This allowed him to transition into the first commandment of "quit taking risks.
" In this chapter, he shared his belief of when leaders fail to move out of their comfort zones then the business will suffer.
The next chapter identifies this failure of "Be inflexible.
" Keogh has very strong beliefs about flexibility goes beyond day to day management.
This talent is very much part of an integrated higher order cognitive thought process allowing the individual to make those quick course corrections when circumstances demand such actions.
One of my favorite chapters is titled: "Play the Game Close to the Foul Line.
" In this, the Fifth Commandment, he discussed ethics and sums up in 10 words the reality of dealing with bad behaviors.
"We can never pass enough laws to make men ethical.
" He cited during the Enron scandal there already existed 71,000 pages of federal regulations plus the SEC and New York Stock Exchanges rules.
This commandment is one not to forget.
Following the Fifth Commandment is this one: "Don't Take Time To Think.
" Again, Keough's plain common sense approach sums up why thinking is truly necessary.
Looking back to the beginnings of early automobile transportation, he made this insightful observation.
"If the builders of early automobiles had asked people what they wanted in transportation, the probable answer would have been 'faster horses.
'" Each chapter is filled with quotations, pieces of business history that are probably not known by the average business person and just plan, succinct advice as to what contributes to business failure versus business success.
Given the easy writing style of Keough, this book can be quickly read and reread especially if you are interested in how to avoid business failure and secure business success.
Source...