Barbara Reynolds, Columnist, USA Today
"A well-researched shocker that will make most readers re-think the mission of the nation's corporate powers. It makes a strong plea for accountability but also equips the stakeholders to demand more by arming them with potent information. . . . Read it!"

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Built to Last became an instant business classic. This audio abridgement is read by the authors, who alternate chapters. Collins is a bit breathlessly enthusiastic, but clear and interesting; Porras, unfortunately, is poorly inflected and wooden. They set out to determine what's special about "visionary" companies--the Disneys, Wal-Marts, and Mercks, companies at the very top of their game that have demonstrated longevity and great brand image. The authors compare 18 "visionary" picks to a control group of "successful-but-second-rank" companies. Thus Disney is compared to Columbia Pictures, Ford to GM, and so on.

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"The loyalty link is a must read for any marketer who wants to understand the power of customer enthusiasm." —Don Hudler, President Saturn Corporation
In an age of consumerism, downsizing, and frequent layoffs, it may seem that loyalty in the marketplace has fallen victim to the fast buck and the quick fix. In The Loyalty Link, however, Dennis McCarthy reveals that loyalty—between a business and its customers, between employer and employee—is a major competitive advantage. Businesses that develop loyalty links to their employees will consistently retain loyal customers and gain a competitive edge. McCarthy gives business owners, managers, and executives the ideas and tools to forge the crucial link between loyalty and profitability.

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"Outstanding customer service and Nordstrom's are synonymous. The innovative approach has allowed them to find out what the customers want and then do it. Their standards of service are what we all shoot for." - David D. Glass President and Chief Executive Officer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

"Nordstrom is a national model for outstanding customer service. American business should use this book as a primer to learn how to make and keep happy, satisfied customers." - J. Willard Marriott, Jr. Chairman and President Marriott International, Inc.

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Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman expose the fallacies of standard management thinking in First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. In seven chapters, the two consultants for the Gallup Organization debunk some dearly held notions about management, such as "treat people as you like to be treated"; "people are capable of almost anything"; and "a manager's role is diminishing in today's economy." "Great managers are revolutionaries," the authors write. "This book will take you inside the minds of these managers to explain why they have toppled conventional wisdom and reveal the new truths they have forged in its place."

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Accountability shows how to get people in organizations to be more personally accountable for high performance in their work and for the success of the organization – without resorting to the traditional management systems that rely on control and manipulation. Contrasted with three other commonly used, accountability models, the authors recommend Personal Accountability over all others. The author show, that by gaining a higher sense of self-worth and autonomy, the quality of employee decision-making skills is greatly improved. They then outline the seven steps needed to attain Personal Accountability, including: surroundings, seeds of change, and style of leadership.

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