Welcome to the Business Book Summary section of my website. Each month I create a summary of a well-know business or personal development book and post that summary to this site. In general, each summary is 8 pages long and provides an excellent overview of the key learnings from the noted book. Please review the books below and download any that you would like to read. In addition, you can enroll in my Business Book Summary Club, no cost, to automatically receive each new summary as it is posted. Enroll through the form to the right. Enjoy reading these summaries of excellent books.

Summary of "Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni

“Organizations fail to achieve teamwork because they unknowingly fall prey to five natural but dangerous pitfalls. These dysfunctions can be mistakenly interpreted as five distinct issues that can be addressed in isolation of the others. In reality they form an interrelated model, making susceptibility to even one of them potentially lethal for the success of the team.”

Summary of "Why the Best Are the Best" by Kevin Eastman

Author, Kevin Eastman was an Assistant Coach with the Boston Celtics for 8 years and later became the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Los Angles Clippers. During his time with the Celtics the team won the NBA title in 2008 and lost in the finals in 2010. Mr Eastman applies his observations of working with the very best of the best to the reader both personally and professionally.

Summary of "First Break All the Rules -What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently" by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Introduction:  This book is based on results from two massive research projects undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The Gallup Organization set out to measure how to create strong workplaces (defined as ones which attract and retain the more productive employees and “scare way the ROAD warriors)”. Gallup interviewed over one million employees and eighty thousand managers. The most powerful finding from the employee interviews is that “Talented employees need great managers”.

Summary of "How To Win Friends and Influence Others" by Dale Carnegie

“Even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15 percent of one’s financial success is due to one’s technical knowledge and about 85percent is due to skill in human engineering – to personality and the ability to lead people.” 

Principal #1: “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain”

President Lincoln said “don’t criticize them; they are just what we would be under similar circumstances”.

Summary of "Good to Great" by Jim Collins

This book is based on 5 years research looking into what differentiated those companies that moved from good to great from those who didn’t move to greatness. The research team identified companies that beat the stock market average by 7 times over 15 years and compared those good-to-great companies (comparison companies) against good companies in their industries. This book became a #1 best seller and follows an earlier best seller by Jim Collins called “Built to Last”.

Summary of "The Advantage" by Patrick Lencioni

This book speaks to the importance of an organizations health. The author distinguishes between a "smart" organization (one good at the fundamentals of business - strategy, marketing, etc.) vs. a healthy organization (one with minimal politics and confusion, high team morale, high productivity). The author makes the case that health wins over smart.

Summary of "Never Split the Difference - Negotiate as Though Your Life Depended on It"

Written by a hostage negotiator, this book provides excellent insights into how to become an effective negotiator. "Life is a series of negotiations; whether buying a car, getting a better raise, buying a home" ...this book give you an advantage.

Summary of "The Road Less Stupid" by Keith Cunningham

"Avoiding the dumb mistakes that sabotage growth, profits and business success." Owning a business is about thinking and planning, and not reacting and sweating. The author is an entrepreneur and international speaker on business mastery, and in this book he shares his vast experiences in runnng businesses.

Summary of "Unstoppable Teams" by Alden Mills

The author was a three-timeNav Seal Platoon Commander.This book "reveals how to put together teams that can accomplish any objective - by leveraging a set of values and piorities from unexpected resources."

Summary of "The Truth of Leadership" by James Kouzes and Barry Posner

This book is based on the responses on the authors' leadership assessment. The book explores fundamental truths of leadership. Kouzes and Posner focus on ten time-test truths all leaders must know and the questions they must be prepared to answer.