| Title | Comments | Rating | Price |
| Axelrod, Allen. 1999. Patton on Leadership: Strategic Lessons for Corporate Warfare | An outstanding reference on General George S. Patton Jr.'s principes
of leadership and their application to business management. Business, like
war, is a competition between organizations. The idea is to win (e.g. market
share) and to beat the competitors.
Patton was the intellectual reincarnation of the famous Russian field marshal Alexander V. Suvorov (1729-1800). Both used similar principles for leadership and morale-building, especially:
Patton, Suvorov, and Alexander the Great are probably the three greatest military commanders in all of history. All won many victories with almost no losses (undefeated), and all accomplished what their contemporaries "knew" couldn't be done. |
$16.10
Hardback |
|
| Chu, Chin-Ning. 1992. Thick Face, Black Heart. | Excellent insight into Asian business philosophy | $11.99
Paperback $26.00 Hardback |
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| Clausewitz, Carl von. 1832. On War. Translation by Michael Howard and Peter Paret. 1976. | "Business is War": "Rather than comparing it [war] to art we could
more accurately compare it to commerce, which is also a conflict of interests and activities; and it is still closer to politics, which in turn may be considered as a kind of commerce on a larger scale" (Book 1, Ch. 3). That is, business is war: a competition between organizations. Vince Lombardi, the famous coach of the Green Bay Packers (American football team) said, "Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization-- an army, a political party, or a business. The object is to win-- to beat the other guy." That is, football = war = politics = business, and many of the book's principles can be adapted to business competition. Clausewitz identified friction, or seemingly minor inefficiencies and problems that, when combined, degrade the organization's overall performance. About 150 years later, Masaaki Imai, author of Gemba Kaizen, described muda, or waste- it's the same thing as friction. Clausewitz said that passive defensive barriers will not stop a determined and competent opponent. The same lesson applies to passive market barriers. Clausewitz also told Lyndon B. Johnson why he would lose the
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$18.36
Paperback |
|
| Covey, Stephen R. 1991. Principle- Centered Leadership | Covey describes Natural Law, which is the backbone of all strong
organizations: businesses, families, nations, armies, and sports teams.
It's what Asian Indians call Dharma (the Right Way), Chinese call Tao ("The
Way"), and Japanese call Do (same as Tao). Bushido is the Way of the Warrior,
karate-do is the "empty handed Way," and so on.
The book's basic principles can be learned from the short audiotape. I bought the book after hearing the tape a few times. Col. Donnithorne describes the U.S. Military Academy's role in training leaders of character. This ties in strongly with Natural Law, and it's a major factor in promoting morale and commitment. |
$11.20
Paperback $8.47 Short audiotape |
|
| Donnithorne, Col. Larry R. 1993. The West Point Way of Leadership. | It's no surprise that West Point graduates have found their way into
top positions in many businesses. Donnithorne provides many examples early
in the book, and the rest of the book shows why West Point graduates make
such excellent leaders.
The book's basic principles can be learned from the audiotape. |
$16.77
Hardback $15.99 Audiotape |
|
| Jomini, Antoine Henry (1996). The Art of War. | Clausewitz is a much better source for lessons in business management and competition. I had hoped that the section on logistics might tie in with Goldratt's Theory of Constraints, but no such luck. Jomini's Art of War, however, has a secure place as a military classic. | $15.96
Paperback |
|
| Keegan, John. 1993. A History of Warfare. | Excellent military history book; Keegan is a noted author in this field. The Mask of Command, however, has more lessons that apply to business management. | (business) (mil. history) |
$12.00
Paperback $89.95 Unabridged audiotape |
| Keegan, John. 1987. The Mask of Command. | Pay close attention to the chapters about Alexander the Great and the Duke of Wellington. These have the most important lessons for modern business leaders. Wellington, for example, practiced "management by wandering around" ("taking trouble," as he put it) more than 150 years before Tom Peters described MBWA. | $11.16
Paperback |
|
| Machiavelli, Niccolò, [1469-1527] The Art of War | Many lessons apply to business management. | $11.96
Paperback |
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| Machiavelli, Niccolò, [1469-1527] The Prince | Many lessons apply to business management. Machievelli even treats the subjects of commitment ("Should a prince build fortresses?"), knowledge of the competitive environment, and change management. | $3.96
Paperback |
|
| Miyamoto Musashi [1584-1645], A Book of Five Rings (translation by Victor Harris) | Miyamoto Musashi identified the Myers-Briggs indicators about 300 years
before Myers and Briggs. The Myers-Briggs classifications are:
"Polish the twofold spirit heart and mind, and sharpen the twofold gaze perception and sight." [Void Book] Heart and mind are feeling and thinking. Sight is direct observation
and perception is intuition. (It is not the MBTI "perceiving." The
Other key business lessons from A Book of Five Rings:
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$8.99
Paperback |
|
| Nye, Roger H. 1993. The Patton Mind. | Shows General Patton's intellectual development and how it was molded by his studies and experiences. | $8.76
Paperback |
|
| Sun Tzu. 1983. The Art of War, translated by James Clavell. | My management control professor (who introduced me to Clausewitz)
said, "This is exactly how you should run a business." The Clavell translation
is easy to read and understand, and flows more smoothly than the Griffith
translation.
This is a short, but outstanding, guide to managing organizations in competitive situations. It contains lessons that apply to business and modern statecraft.
|
$8.76
Paperback |
|
| Sun Tzu. 1963. The Art of War, translated by Samuel Griffith. | More comprehensive than the Clavell translation. Includes Wu Chi's Art of War. | $7.16
Paperback |
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