New Ideas from Dead CEOs: Lasting Lessons from the Corner Office
In selecting great ideas from dozens of entrepreneurial CEOs, Buchholz insisted that these business pioneers had to be innovators, teachers of lessons, and interesting—and gone from this earth. All nine CEOs represent household names and, some may argue, overexposed brands. Yet Buchholz, with compelling and fast-reading narratives, drills to the core of each personality—and his or her business—ensuring that learnings don't get obfuscated by too much drama or sidebars. A. P. Giannini, founder of the Bank of America, believed in serving customers whom big business ignored—and launched the brand network now ubiquitous in financial services. Although his empire is undergoing no small turmoil today, Sam Walton literally invented self-service—and the resulting package of discount prices and a managed supply chain, hosted in small-town stores. Mix talent and a lucky break (and at least one failure) with an obsession for turning a small idea into a revolution. Jacobs, Barbara