Recommended Readings 

We are overrun today with business how-to books that almost always fall far short in giving us either the inspiration or the specific information we need to run our business better. However, there are two exceptions to this generalization.

To better understand the power of what the Legendary Service Group process is all about, we would strongly recommend you read both of the following masterpieces. They are very informative and, we believe, inspirational. If we do nothing more than encourage you to learn the lessons provided in them, we will have helped you improve your own management practices and quite possibly your company's performance as well.

 

"Jack, Straight From the Gut"
by Jack Welch with John A. Byrne

 
"Jack is the Tiger Woods of management. All CEOs want to emulate him. They won't be able to, but they'll come closer if they listen carefully to what he has to say" - Warren Buffett, Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway

"Jack Welch gave team leadership new meaning as he took an industrial giant and turned it into an industrial colossus with a heart and a soul and a brain" - Michael D., Eisner. Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company

We couldn't say it any better ourselves!

 

“Mastering Strategy: Insights from the World's Greatest Leaders and Thinkers”
by Jeffrey A. Rigsby and Guy Greco
 
Mastering Strategy shows you how today's most consistently competitive organizations gather, manage, and synthesize strategic information, then transform that information into action. This frontline review of strategic best practices examines today's top case studies, articles, and interviews to provide you with:
 

Market-proven strategic approaches of corporations from Dell to Proctor & Gamble
First-hand insights from Bill Gates, Ray Kroc, Sam Walton, and other top CEOs
Analyses of thought leaders including Warren Bennis, Peter Drucker, Philip Kotler, and others
Because one person or resource cannot possibly have all the answers to today's most common strategic dilemmas, Mastering Strategy invites everyone to the table. The resulting book goes straight to the source--the companies and decision-makers that are winning the competitive wars today -- to synthesize the key strategic factors that are consistently driving breakthrough success in today's harder-faster-smarter marketplace.

"There is no 'perfect' strategic decision. One always has to balance conflicting objectives, conflicting opinions, and conflicting priorities. The best strategic decision is only an approximation--and a risk."--Peter Drucker

All business involves approximation and risk. True success comes only when you minimize those risks by formulating a sound, workable strategy.

Mastering Strategy, undertakes an exhaustive examination of today's most respected and influential management thinking and know-how, concentrating on concepts and concerns that hold the greatest importance for corporate decision-makers. By focusing on the three primary organizational leverage points--strategy, design, and culture—the book uncover a number of consistently recurring strategies among top global competitors that your organization can adopt and adapt to:
 

Develop a top-to-bottom, results-oriented strategic planning process
Leverage your organization's core competencies--while proactively addressing its faults
Establish a culture that acts as a catalyst for your strategic initiatives, instead of a roadblock
Mastering Strategy outlines a step-by-step program for monitoring your organization's strategic drivers and evaluating whether they are helping--or hindering--your competitiveness. It then shows you how to rework existing structures, implement entirely new systems, and equip your organization to compete effectively in today's evolving global markets, industries, and environments.

This is must reading for today’s busy executive and everyone else that would like a hands-on, real-world look at the creation and implementation of today's most effective, results-based corporate strategies--and how they can be used to dramatically improve an organization’s market share and competitive position.
 

"First, Break All The Rules" 
by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman

 
The Gallup organization interviewed over 1 million workers and 80,000 managers at 400 companies to try and determine the characteristics of great managers. The results of these interviews and the conclusions they reached are a must read for any manager who is sincere about trying to improve the performance of their own organization, large or small. 

Twelve Key Questions

One of the products of this work was the development of twelve questions which, when asked of a company's employees, consistently identify the most effective managers and superior performing departments and organizations. Within the same company, responses from employees under different supervisors and managers can and do vary significantly. 

Employees are asked to respond to statements on a 5-point scale from "I Strongly Disagree" to "I Strongly Agree". The twelve key statements/questions are:
  1. I know what is expected of me at work.
  2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job right.
  3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
  4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
  5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
  6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
  7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
  8. The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
  9. My associates (fellow employees) are committed to doing quality work.
  10. I have a best friend at work.
  11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
  12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.
Let the Legendary Service Group help your company get high marks from all of your employees when they are asked to answer these twelve key questions!