What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School

By: Mark H. McCormack

This is a very recommendable book for all those who are doing something else more than just a 9 to 5 job. It could be helpful for people who like business, or who help running a club, association or institution, or who are into the sales or marketing of their company, or those who aspire to go up the ladder within their company... and of course, for entrepreneurs!

I think that most of the things he says in the first part of the book (about people) boils down to live human virtues, and how those don't will find it harder to be successful.

His approach towards self-organisation in the third part of the book (Running a business) it's really quite good! Most probably I won't use his system but it helps me to improve my own system.

Below go some few points he made which I was able to take note at that moment... most probably there were more points I would have liked to write down, but couldn't do it at that moment.

► The people who get ahead have a need, are driven to perform a task well, no matter what the task is or how mundane it may actually be... Carpenters who became contractors at one time had a need to drive a nail straighter and truer than anyone else... Some executives, had they started in the mail room, would still be sorting mail - and misrouting most of it!

► Playing dumb is a valid negotiating technique, and 'I don't understand' is a legitimate negotiating response. But to ignore the other party's position or to pretend you didn't even hear it because you don't want to hear it only will build up frustrations.

► Companies are often shy about doing this (charging for their expertise). It always reminds me of the story about the woman who approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, 'That will be $10,000'. 'But you did that in thirty seconds', she replied. 'No', Picasso said. 'It has taken me forty years to do that.'

► Getting things done is a matter of controlling your business day rather than having it control you, of forcing activities into the time available, rather than trying to expand the time to accommodate the activities. But many people fear that if they don't seem out of control they aren't going to seem busy enough or important enough. They really don't want to manage their time well. Once you really believe that controlling your time is not only more productive, but more pleasant, then the rest is fairly easy.

► Business is a competition, and any high-level, sophisticated competition is almost exclusively a head game. The Inner Game of Business, as this could be called, is understanding the Business Paradox: the better you think you are doing, the greater should be your cause for concern; the more self-satisifed you are with your accomplishments, your past achievements, your 'right moves', the less you should be.

► So if this book has left you feeling satisfied with your own business acumen, you may have a lot of catching up to do.

Book No.: r017

Asunto: highlights

Fecha: 18/03/11