Do less better
Subtitle: the power of strategic sacrifice in a complex world
By: John R. Bell
Edition: First edition.
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 228
ISBN-13: 9781137452771
Subjects: Organizational change; Strategic planning; Success in business
Description: "In Do Less Better, John Bell draws on personal experiences from his days in the C-suite and the boardrooms of his consulting clients. He culls his experience to make a convincing case that, in business, sacrifice is the surprising secret to successful focus and long-term viability. Business complexity has never been greater, but it is not the phenomenon itself but rather the inability to cut through the clutter that comes in the way of resurrecting clarity and coherence. Bell demonstrates how the best business strategies all require this sacrifice. He emphasizes, through case studies and personal anecdotes, the importance of specializing--of a company's willingness to focus on a particular area, vision, or identity in order to create and maintain its value. According to Bell, the specialist always beats the generalist. Doing less, better ensures viability and strengthens a company's competitive edge. Do Less Better will teach business leaders how to keep their company nimble--willing and able to sacrifice and evolve in order to remain relevant and competitive. This smart sacrifice and nimbleness--dumping a pet project that's not profitable anymore, taking your partner's name off the door, altering some beloved company formulae, for example--can be incredibly difficult. However, maintaining this prioritization of nimbleness is crucial as it gives you a hugely significant advantage over companies that are more reactive and slow-to-change. Bell shows business leaders how, in a corporation, you don't have to be an entrepreneur to think like one. But he also asserts that, in order to act like one, you'll have to sacrifice your aversion to risk. You'll have to fight off certain strongly-help or sacred inclinations, such as the tendency to generalize rather than specialize and the desire to preserve and maintain (practices, products, ways of doing business) rather than sacrifice, let go, and innovate. He discusses several disciplines and examples in entrepreneurship, strategy, marketing and branding that help to clear the fog of company complexity. Within problem/solution scenarios, he demonstrate how people and companies succeed or fail at these practices. According to Bell, doing less, better should by no means lead to doing less work. More often than not, those who embrace the notion of focus, specialization, and streamlining work harder because they are more passionate and emotionally connected to their vision. This is a book for business leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs who are just starting out and need help embracing the practices and philosophy that will allow them to be lean, farsighted, adaptable, and resilient. It is also a book for leaders of established business, who are looking to reduce clutter and encumbering complexity in order to stay nimble and focused enough to maintain a competitive edge. "--

"Doing less, better is by no means doing less work. More often than not, those who embrace the notion of focus work harder because they are more passionate and emotionally connected to the vision. In the middle of the book, Bell discusses several disciplines and examples in entrepreneurship, strategy, marketing and branding that help to clear the fog of complexity. Within problem/solution scenarios, he demonstrates how people and companies succeed or fail at these practices. The final chapters address the importance of human capital, and restate the fact that business enterprises perish with rudderless leadership and morose cultures. Without strategy, survival is possible but seldom over the long haul. Corporate coherence is the critical performance component, especially for large companies. While we can expect a certain level of bureaucracy within the giants, the "keep it simple, stupid" KISS rule can still prevail, by SBU, by department, by team, by individual employee. Leaders and followers must strive for focus in everything they do. Bell concludes the book with a summary of the valuable lessons he learned in the trenches and battlefields of a 40 year business career"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: 1. Accept the Short-term Pain; title: 2. The Steel and Steal of Strategic Sacrifice; title: 3. Your Leadership Reality Check; title: 4. The Urgency for Action; title: 5. Think like an Entrepreneur; title: 6. KISS is not a Rock Band; title: 7. Bastions of Branding; title: 8. Fewer, Better People Doing Less, Better; title: 9. Regrets... I've had a Few.