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How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything...in Business (and in Life)
 
 

How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything...in Business (and in Life) (Hardcover)

by Dov Seidman (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 30.99
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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Although the tone of this business primer suggests a commercial version of St. Paul's epiphany on the road to Damascus, consulting firm CEO Seidman hems so closely to the familiar earmarks of the genre-powerpoint diagrams, catchy acronyms, buzzwords and inspirational stories of successful, sane corporate culture-as to engender cynicism early on. Among some compelling accounts of exemplary work environments-the General Electric Durham aircraft engine assembly plant, where nearly flawless products are turned out on flexible schedules and the honor system is arranged by self-governed aircraft technicians, represents one such utopia-Seidman fails to explore the roots of those practices or why they aren't more widely imitated (GE hasn't attempted to reproduced the Durham plant model). As such, Seidman falls short of his goal-teaching leaders how to imbue their corporate culture with moral purpose-which is sure to leave readers frustrated.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

“The simple thesis of HOW is that in today’s totally wired world, you are set apart by “how” you conduct yourself. Everyone is so much more transparent and connected than ever before. As a result, so many more people can now see more deeply into what you do and into you company’s operations and tell so many more other people about it via the Internet – without any editor or any filter. Therefore “how” you live you life, “how” you conduct your business, and “how” you say you’re sorry (or don’t’) matter now more than ever.

“…And we will not get out of [the global economic crisis] without going back to some basics, which is why I find myself re-reading a valuable book that I wrote about once before, called, “How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything in Business (and in Life).” Its author, Dov Seidman, is the C.E.O. of LRN, which helps companies build ethical corporate cultures…We need to get back to collaborating the old-fashioned way. That is, people making decisions based on business judgment, experience, prudence, clarity of communications and thinking about how — not just how much.”–Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman

“In his book How, published last year, Mr Seidman explained why he feels behaviour (as opposed to the more fashionable management notions of engagement or motivation) is the key to organisational success….Thought leadership, and big ideas, are rare. But here is a challenging thought for you. Outbehave, outperform, outgreen – or out you go.” –The Financial Times Business Life columnist Stefan Stern

“The book has understandably received a second wind, propelled by the global economic turmoil. Books like Seidman’s on the importance of trust and building and strengthening corporate reputation are being heralded as the voices of sanity.” –Economic Times journalist Arati Menon Carroll

“Seidman, an erudite intellectual and practical philosopher, shows that in today’s transparent commercial environment, operating openly and morally is both honorable and economically necessary.” –Syndicated Get Abstract book reviewer Rolf Dobelli

“One of the more interesting and ambitious books to cross my desk lately is How by Dov Seidman. The appeal of Seidman’s work is that he’s taken such a sweeping view of the business world in his explanation of how we think, behave and govern — as individuals and organizations — influences our achievements in the marketplace.” –Chief Learning Officer Magazine editor Brian Summerfield

“…Behaving as if everyone is armed with your personal information is a very good idea, according to author Seidman, because they are. He also discusses the ethical and moral implications of all this openness. Seidman is an experienced and worldly observer, so he is not unrealistic about the baser instincts that motivate many of us. Nonetheless he also presents a hopeful and positive future where lying and obfuscation are less possible and ultimately unacceptable because there are fewer places to hide.”
The Miami Herald reviewer Richard Pachtert

“In his superb book on corporate behaviour, HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything ... in Business (and in Life), Dov Seidman tells the story of the New York City doughnut seller who taught him a valuable lesson in business trust…Doing the right thing has always been good for business. What Seidman's book makes clear is that regardless of whether it is in Sydney or in Auckland, being open about the manner in which a corporation operates, trusting customers and insisting on maintaining standards which enhance reputations, is now of global significance. Investors everywhere are looking at issues relevant to integrity.”
The New Zealand Herald reporter Stephen Loosley

"…Companies with a should-do culture can outperform those with a can-do culture because they value intellectual capital, not just human capital, and forward-think about the impact of "What’s next"…An integral component of Mr. Seidman’s should-do advocacy also involves connecting outside knowledge to the organization. The nature of should-do firms involves asking questions, change and accuracy of communication. Being inquisitive makes them aggressively search for "what they don’t know". Miscommunication is the Achilles heel of any firm; when a mouse click can send information around the globe, a company’s reputation can be damaged by an errant email. Mr. Seidman’s personal anecdotes illustrate how should-do firms deal with their thirst for knowledge and communicate effectively.”
Syndicated columnist Jim Pawlak

“HOW is a radically different and compelling approach to competing in business today. Dov Seidman connects the dots in an original way, focusing on transparency, trust, and reputation as important drivers of success. We're all aware of the implications of operating in a transparent, wired, global marketplace. What Seidman has done is crystallize how we now need to think and act to win in this new world.”
Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc. Jeff Kindler

“Dov Seidman’s intellect and passion—brilliantly displayed in HOW’s well-written and entertaining case studies, anecdotes—show us a new way to think about enduring success in times of change. Seidman’s penetrating insights into what really matters in a wired world challenge the very best in each of us to see what is right and wrong in everyday decision making.”
–U.S. Senator Bill Bradley “In HOW, Dov Seidman takes the idea of 'success' even further, redefining it as a quest for significance. Isn't that what we all really want? To have a positive impact, to make a difference, to excel? To do that you have to achieve significance, and Seidman brilliantly shows you HOW. This book will change your life in profound ways.”
–Author Marcus Buckingham

“Dov Seidman ’s book introduces you to the world of how in a way that will revolutionize the way you think about, assess, and experience success.”
– Former Chief Learning Officer, Goldman Sachs and former head of leadership development at GE, Steve Kerr

“HOW is a trip through the lens of a first-class observer. Dov Seidman captures the life lessons that impact how we should think and respond in today’s world. HOW’s clarity and common sense make it a must read for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.”
Chairman, Equity Group Investments, Sam Zell

“This book is the ultimate guidebook for successful living. Its truths are simple but stunningly powerful.”
Author Marianne Williamson

“We do business on every continent. Everywhere we go, Dov Seidman's message rings equally true. HOW provides valuable insight for anyone who believes their company culture and core values can determine their ultimate success.”
Massimo Ferragamo, Chairman, FERRAGAMO USA

“Dov Seidman captures the power that Ray Kroc instilled in us at McDonald’s from the day he opened his first restaurant in 1955—a culture based on values puts the customer first. In today’s world, focusing on the ‘how’ is critical to accelerating momentum. HOW is required reading for anyone seeking enduring success in business or life.”
Jim Skinner, CEO, McDonald’s Corporation


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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Average Customer Review
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5.0 out of 5 stars How to decide what is most important and then "get the HOWs right", Jan 21 2008
By Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Most people agree that good health, financial security, and self-esteem are important in one's personal life. In business, most executives agree that it is important to have customers who are (as Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba describe them) "evangelists," more money coming in than going out, people who get more and better work done in less time, etc. My point is, that there is a substantial consensus on "what" and the first challenge is to understand the "how." The next challenge is to avoid what Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton have identified as the "knowing-doing gap."

As Dov Seidman explains in the Preface, "The tapestry of human behavior is so diverse, so rich, and so global that it presents a rare opportunity, the opportunity to outbehave the competition." He goes on to explain that, "Instead of rules, steps, or an instruction manual, this book offers an approach - a framework and a way of seeing - to help you navigate the new global, hyperconnected world in which we suddenly find ourselves working. It offers something that will carry you beyond short-term rewards toward lasting success." Those who get their "HOWs right" will achieve enduring personal and organizational business achievement.

Seidman carefully organizes his material within four Parts as he explores (through "a new lens") three HOWs:

HOW we think,
HOW we behave, and
HOW we govern.

I was especially interested in what Seidman has to say about "transparency" in Chapter 7. He cites an example of "issue contagion." Specifically, a posting on an online bulletin board by a 25-year-old cycling enthusiast, Chris Brennen, claiming that Kryptonite locks (reputedly impenetrable) could easily be opened by almost anyone. Kryptonite chose not to respond to the increasing, accelerating buzz and almost immediately found itself in one of the first Internet-facilitated PR disasters. According to Seidman, "Knowledge is power. That old adage is as true today as when philosopher first said it in the seventeenth century...As the world transitions to a bottom-up and side-to-side model in which each individual can contribute to the free flow of ideas, it opens up and becomes more transparent...Transparency - the new conditions of the world that allow us to see past the medium to get to the heart of the message - fundamentally changes almost every way we conduct our lives in public (and in private), demanding a new set of HOWs if we really want to thrive."

Seidman goes on to say that to understand those fundamental changes, we must consider two types of transparency: technological transparency (i.e. the ever-evolving state of the networked world) and interpersonal transparency (i.e. the realm of how we do what we do, of being transparent amidst various interconnected social communities). "What does it mean to be truthful? To be open? To act from principle rather than for a desired effect? For one thing, it's simpler...More importantly, in a world accustomed to falsehood and deception, in which daily we receive hundreds of commercial messages inveighing us to act one way or another, transparency and forthrightness can be tremendously refreshing. No one can copy your HOWs, and within the wide spectrum of human behavior, the HOW of active interpersonal transparency can become a powerful differentiator." And that is as true of an entire organization as it is of each individual within it.

This is one of the most entertaining as well as one of the most informative and thought-provoking books I have read in recent years. Its value will depend almost entirely on HOW accessible and receptive each reader is to what Dov Seidman shares, and then HOW willing and able each reader is to apply whatever is most relevant in her or his personal life as well as career. "Pursuing significance, in the end, is the ultimate HOW."
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4.0 out of 5 stars How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything, Oct 7 2007
By Tami Brady "Whole Health Therapist" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
If you read any of the hundreds of business books on the market, you'll know the current trend of what to do in business. I've read and reviewed dozens of titles that all say that the key to business is doing what you say you are going to do and treating people like people (both clients and employees). These resources usually give all sorts of examples of successful companies that actually follow through on their promises. Some of the more involved ones give step by step instructions on what to do to make your business successful.

How is a bit different from these other titles. The author doesn't write a how to manual. Instead, the author focuses firmly on the issue at hand: how the way you run your business actually reflects your business goals and what you are doing that is counterproductive to these goals. In other words, if you promise your clients excellent customer service do you then spent most of your time stonewalling consumer questions and concerns? It may sound like common sense but most businesses keep only a small percentage of their promises. Most say one thing and provide service of a completely different nature.

To me, the big difference between the methodology of How and the many other business books I've read is the difference between going into a mega-super-store and being given the hard sell or going into a local Mom's and Pop's corner store. Yes, in the first example, the company probably did get that initial sale but I won't come back and neither will any of my friends. The later example's integrity and ability to make me feel like they genuinely want my business will more likely make me a lifetime customer.
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