Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning [Hardcover]

With regard to the "Ten Tools" which Charan recommends, no surprises there. My concern, frankly, is that some readers will cherry-pick a few, try them, and then "see what happens." That would be serious mistake. Rather, they should see all ten as separate but interdependent core principles to guide and inform the design and implementation of a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective system by which to achieve and then sustain profitable growth. At a time when so many business books are published which offer answers, I especially appreciate Charan's inclusion of several lists of questions which are relevant to or evoked by a specific issue or problem. For example, in the Conclusion (pages 196-198), he poses a series of questions which will help a reader to determine whether or not she or he is now part of a growth business. My own opinion is that these are precisely the same questions which decision-makers in any organization (regardless of size or nature) should frequently ask. Why not dedicate a half-day, select a group of (let's say 10-12 key people), distribute these questions in advance among them, and then meet in executive session to share responses? Then reach consensus on specific action steps to be taken...by whom...with each being assigned a deadline.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Jim Collins' Good to Great, Michael Hammer's The Agenda, Paul Niven's Balanced Scorecard Step by Step, and Chris Zook's Beyond the Core.

- Practical advice to all managers and not classroom theory
- Good growth vs. Bad growth - defined and explained
- Concept of organic growth that is sustainable and profitable
- Cost reduction vs. revenue enhancement
- Importance of upstream marketing to fuel growth
- Differentiation through an in-depth understanding of customer needs and segmentation.
- Growth budget with a balance on the short, medium and long term growth

But most important of all, it puts people first. The role of CEOs as leaders to create an atmosphere where everyone in the organization accepts his or her responsibility to score singles and doubles that ultimately creates the social engine of growth. Growth that involves every employee as a process also enhances innovation and team work while providing challenging opportunities and career advancement.

The book provides an excellent perspective of creating a powerful growth engine firing on all the functional/departmental cylinders, powering the organization to move ahead. The internal energy is renewable and nonpolluting.

I found many similarities in concepts and case studies between this book and How to Grow When Markets Don't by Adrian J. Slywotzky, et al.

Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business : 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning. Please replace Monday with Everyday.

However, I was cautious to write a summary of the book until I distributed some copies to my team and tested the acceptance of these basic principles to revenue growth. I have seen some people scoff at some of Ram's recommendations because they appear to be too basic...too simple to really make a difference. For example: "Revenue Growth is everyone's business, so make it part of everyone's daily work routine." or "Seek good growth and avoid bad growth." Easy to just read over the titles...hard to really implement with every sales person, account manager...every employee on a equal understanding and commitment.

After discussing with the management team, getting each to focus not just on cost productivity, but also revenue generation and revenue productivity, we determined that getting back to basics would prove a cultural challenge, but one we must tackle. Too many companies have driven "cost focus" into the heads of every sales person, purchasing agent, accountant, middle-manager...and stopped focusing on the business survival requirement-all companies must grow or they die.

This book, along with Ram Charan's other book, "Every Business is a Growth Business" should be must reads for your key employees.

I recommend to all leaders that you personally adopt this book as a personal coaching tool with your key growth engine-your employees.