Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008 - (Page 15)

The Carrot Principle by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton Free Press, $21, 211 pages Operating from the timeworn premise that the carrot is often a better motivator than the stick, Gostick and Elton continue their series on recognition as a driver of business success. They cite a comprehensive survey of businesses and business leaders to assert that companies that do a good job of recognizing and appreciating their top performers show better return on investment and employee retention than those that don’t. They go into easy-to-grasp detail on how to give “purpose-based recognition” to improve morale and drive bottom-line performance within a context of effective leadership. Such recognition helps managers establish corporate goals, communicate, establish trust, and create a culture of accountability. The book combines pointers on what kinds of recognition to offer (hint: money isn’t always the best choice), how and when to offer it, and responses to common reasons for not incorporating it closely into regular operations. The Breakthrough Imperative: How the Best Managers Get Outstanding Results by Mark Gotfredson and Steve Schoubert Bain & Company, $26.95, 367 pages Where most books on leadership instruct by narrative, Gotfredson and Schoubert take a different approach. Their take is more numbers-driven than others, and presented in a style that resembles an advanced economics seminar. The authors are focused less on managing people than managing processes, and they maintain that their ideas can help companies of any size or stature achieve results. They cite examples ranging from King Arthur’s Round Table to Dell in support of their four basic business laws: Costs always decline; competitive position determines options; customers and profit pools don’t stand still; and simplicity gets results. Gotfredson and Schoubert stress that managers should keep those laws in mind as they map a path from their company’s current position to the desired outcomes. Management Lessons from the Mayo Clinic by Leonard L. Berry and Kent D. Seltman McGraw-Hill, $27.95, 276 pages Think your business can’t learn some tricks from a non-profit? Think again. The Mayo Clinic is an enterprise with 42,000 employees in three states, 13,000 patients treated daily, and $7.3 billion in revenue in 2007. So it shouldn’t be surprising that some of the secrets behind the Mayo brand can be easily applied to any service providing company. Seltman is the clinic’s former marketing director, but this isn’t a gushing ode to Mayo’s greatness. Rather, it’s a straightforward presentation of its operating principles, with numerous stories and examples illustrating the company’s Model of Care. Many points from the model can be easily replicated in non-medical environments, especially when it comes to ideas like accountability, teamwork, a state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, and establishing a common culture at all levels of the organization. Make a mental note to substitute “customer” for “patient’ while reading to get the full effect. Spiritual Enterprise: Doing Virtuous Business by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch Encounter Books, $21.95, 163 pages As companies face more pressure than ever before to turn a profit, it’s still possible to combine financial success with devotion to higher principles. This slim, philosophical volume is less a guidebook on how to run a successful business with higher values in mind than a gently persuasive argument that doing so is not only necessary, but also easily possible. Malloch advances the idea of “spiritual capital” as a parallel to social capital in advocating a way of business life in accordance to basic virtues such as honesty, compassion, forgiveness, and thrift. “Capitalism is about the mutual creation of wealth,” he states, “rather than the antagonistic pillaging of it.” He supports his case with examples across the business spectrum, from the marketing firm UniWorld to the chemical giant Cargill, and from each of the world’s major religions. An interesting read. 15 June 2008 Top 1 0 0 Unde r 5 0 D i ve rse Le ade rs

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008

Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008 Contents Letters to the Editor In Your Own Hands Editor's View Find Your Power Voice Business Briefs Off the Shelf The Fourth Annual Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Corporate Executives Negotiation: The Art of Persuasion or Zero Sum Game? Career Planning for Tomorrow's Hispanic Workforce Who's Who In Diversity Entrepreneur Profile: Anita Santiago: Doing It Her Way Businesses that Keep On Giving Rising Sun Going Global: Will An International Assignment Benefit Your Career Work-Life Balance and the C-Suite: An Oxymoron? A Call to Save Travel: Off the Beaten Path - Chile Drawing the Line – Latin Art Exhibit The New Taste of Latin Cuisine American Sabor: Exhibit Highlights Latino Influence in Pop Music Crafting Specialized Business Degrees Latest MBA Salary Suggests MBA Is A Safe Haven Gadgets & Gizmos Gone Phishing – How Scammers Mine Private Data From Web Surfers Advertiser's Index The Meaning of Sanctuary

Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008

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