5 comments about Perfect Enough: Carly Fiorina and the Reinvention of Hewlett-Packard.

1. Carly has finally left HP in disgrace. She's been lambasted on the cover of Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, and Salon. What people inside HP have known since 2001, is finally becoming mainstream.
   
   People are beginning to wonder whether HP will survive. Inkjet cartridges are all that's left making a profit.
   
   But this book is worth more than 1 star because it contains some information important for HP history.
   
   Buy "Backfire" first, then read this.



2. I was frustrated by how unbalanced this book was. All of Fiorina's warts were covered up and she was made to look like a hero. At one point, I kept looking at the back cover to see if she wrote the book herself; but she didn't so I can only guess that she must have commisioned it. If you want a Carly love-fest, this is the book, else, read "Backfire" for a more balance viewpoint.



3. As I started to read this book, I anticipated a tainted Carly story. True it did give a positive review of Carly's leadership which may have been a bit too rosey, but it gave a glimpse into the manifestation of business growth pains. The factors of HP's reinvention are a growing concern within the culture of all great engineering environments within the Valley. The change in global business strategies have demanded a change, yet it is a very difficult strain on a healthy culture to be railroaded into corporate consolidation.
   In fairness to Carly, one person can't perform miracles in a culture that is positive, yet not economically feasible within the current business times. Channeling passion into action is a tough thing to accomplish. I enjoyed the audio version of this book and was captivated by the narrator. I would highly suggest this to anyone who has been caught in the middle of change management within an engineering culture. Kudos to George Anders for capturing this emotional rollercoaster.



4. American tech industries were in the middle of tough times and facing a very uncertain future, as they still are, and the HP board did not understand what kind of "new HP" would deal best with that new world. None of this is in the book, but this should've been reasonably clear by 2003 when the book was published. And Carly, with a little insight, should be seen as just another bubble economy internet dream seller. She quickly developed "an internet story" to sell herself to HP, and ostensibly for HP to sell to the world, and the board was _so_ delighted. Between the lines (we can find out a lot there, as this book is fully documented, and so it earns three stars) the board comes off as quite naive, and Carly as what she is: a saleswoman who pumps herself up to "believe" what she's selling, but others should be a whole lot more skeptical.
   
   Anders writes without insight. For example, all of this Carly story selling is coming chronologically on the downside of the tech bubble. At that point, but at least for Anders by 2003, the b.s./fakery should've been ripe for exposure. Also arising from the facts but absent is some big picture thinking on the whole matter of naive boards & naive directors (including Hewlett) attempting to decide the future of a company as technically complex and in as many businesses as HP. Finally, no exposure of the following: it seemed clear (between the lines) that part of every side's plan for HP -- whether it stayed in one piece, merged with Compaq, or not -- was to slash employees and ship lots of jobs to cheap labor sites overseas. Both sides knew this would be an obvious part of "the solution" but nobody would say it publicly (though they tried euphemistically to give the right signals to Wall Street). Understandable in a proxy fight with many employees holding stock, but you expect Anders to notice and discuss such important unspoken matters (and why they are unspoken), at least in a book aspiring to be more than simple, competent, day-to-day reporting.



5. Carly Fiorina went from being the most powerful female CEO to out of a job over her performance at HP. The conflict of culture at HP forced her out of her job over the merger of COMPAQ. The companies were unable to find synergy and the merger was poorly executed. This is a fair account of all participants and in the end comes down with the blame on Carly trying to be too sneaky and HP being to inflexible to embrace the future and realize their computers were useless. The branding dilution argument was very interesting. Although this merger is long over this is a useful and instructive book in corporate finance.

1 comments about Passion and Craft: Economists at Work.

1. Most celebrities have to wait until the end of their careers to publish their autobiographies. In this book edited by Michael Szenberg, twenty economists in mid-career bring together personal accounts of their work and lives. The result is a rich set of biographies, addressing issues such as the effects of politics on work and vice versa, family life, creativity in and inspired by the workplace, the study of law and economics, and the conducting of research, and the role of women in this male-dominated field. I think Passion and Craft presents a delightful glance into the minds and lives of some of the most interesting economists of our time. I believe it will be exciting reading for economists as well as all other social scientists, and students considering a career in economics.

5 comments about Road to Purpose.

1. Ken Behring's story is inspiring. From his business career, you learn that the harder you work, the luckier you get. But you also learn that money doesn't buy happiness--giving back to your community and to the world does! He has found joy in delivering wheelchairs to needy disabled people around the world. Their personal stories, detailed in this book, are moving and powerful. In the end, Behring gives us a simple formula for finding purpose in life and anyone can do it!



2. It is wonderful to read about a man who came from such humble beginnings and made his own very successful way in life and then found true purpose by helping others. I first saw him on Robert Schuller's "Hour of Power" and was very taken by his passion for helping others. The stories of Mr. Behring overcoming great challenges early in life and then achieving so much shows his true spirit and tells me exactly why his Wheelchair Foundation is now doing so well. I am inspired by him and those like him that put personal gain second to changing people's lives for the better. May God bless you Mr. Behring and all the people that support your great mission.



3. Ken Behring brings life into focus by sharing the hard work it takes to be successful and what's beyond. Despite his modesty,I was inspired by his courage to pursue his dream in the face overwhelming obstacles. He was not born a wealthy man. He concludes with the meassage dispite his success the real joy in life is sharing the journey of life with others. He does this my encouraging Americans to join in making wheelchairs available to the poorest of the poor. He recounts numerous stories of how a wheelchair dramatically gave a new life to it's recipient. I predict his leadership will have a major impact on global philanthropy. Excellent reading!



4. I was walking through Books a Million on Friday and accidentally came upon Kenneth's book titled Road to Purpose and was so impressed that I finished reading the book by nine o'clock. As a teacher of over 40 years in Connecticut .I would give Mr. Behring the highest rating possible for any book. May God bless Mr. Behring and his family. They are a credit to our country.



5. Kenneth E. Behring has by most anyone's standard achieved the American dream. From a very poor beginning, he has achieved it all, first in the automobile business, the land development business in Florida and then California. At one time he owned the Seattle Seahawks. And if his story had ended there it would be very inspiring. A true rags to riches story.
   
   But the real story is what he did after he had made all his money. Quite by accident he stumbled upon his real purpose in life. And that was to give hope to thousand of unfortunate people in the form of wheelchairs.
   
   He has learned a very important lesson and he shares it with us. Happiness is not in what we get but what we give. In his own words, he had achieved far more than he ever dared to dream. But it was not until he really experienced the joy of giving that he found happiness.
   
   It is unfortunate but we live in a society where we measure success by what we get. And the more we get the more it takes to keep us even. The fun of new material acquisitions wears off in a hurry. But when Kenneth discovered how he could change people's lives, he found his purpose.
   
   The book is easy to read. Some of the stories are heartbreaking. Reading about the plight of some people in the less developed countries is very sobering.
   
   If you learn the lesson that Behring is teaching, the book will change your life. You will find your purpose in helping others.

No comments about The Triumph of an Idea: The Story of Henry Ford.

No comments about Jacob H. Schiff: His Life and Letters, Part 2.

1 comments about Labor Will Rule: Sidney Hillman and the Rise of American Labor.

1. An extraordinary work of labor, social, economic, and political history. Thank you Steven Fraser, for an exquisitely detailed, penetrating, expansive, and sophisticated analysis of an inspiring person and his times. Bravo.

1 comments about The First 100: Portraits of the Men and Women Who Shaped Las Vegas.

1. The history of Las Vegas, that wonderful city that has come to be known as Sin City, is chronicled here through the stories of the first 100 people to make an impact on the Valley. Starting with people like John C. Freemont and continuing to current day notables like Kirk Kerkorian, this book is a superb background to how this city came about. If you are a Las Vegas "nut", this is a must have book! If you want a good reading history book, this is also a good choice.

   These are very well written accounts of the First 100 who helped make Las Vegas, "The Meadows", the city of shopping, gambling, and entertainment. Get this book, sit back, and enjoy!

No comments about Harry Johnson: A Life in Economics (Historical Perspectives on Modern Economics).

No comments about Restless: The Memoirs of Labor and Consumer Activist Esther Peterson.

1 comments about The Thinkers 50: The World's Most Influential Business Writers and Leaders.

1. If you wanted to be on the leading edge of what is going on in business this book is a must read. I must warn you this is a 3 page overview of what the author has done in their life and what books they read you will not really learn anything from this book. But it is a reference to all major business books all CEO and Managers should read. I have taken this list as my personal reference of books I need to read and I have already read 5 that have changed my life and my company. Use this book as a reference for the others and you will see amazing results.