Nightly Business Report presents Lasting Leadership: What You Can Learn From the Top 25 Business People of our Times by Mukul Pandya and Robbie Shell, Wharton School Publishing, 250 Pages, $26.95 hardcover, November 2004, ISBN 0131531182

Who doesnt want to know about leadership? It is a discipline that has been called an art by Max DePree and dissected by countless academics. Wharton School Publishing has created, in collaboration with Nightly Business Report (NBR) and Knowledge@Wharton, a perfect book for those of us who like to discover how leadership is done.
The book identifies the 25 most influential business leaders of the past 25 yearsside note, I didnt make it. The NBR viewers nominated more than 700 business people from around the worldonce again, I was skipped. A panel of six Wharton judges selected the top 25. Seriously, it is a great list. Iacocca, Welch, Branson, Buffett, Bezos, and Kelleher. The panel was asked to pick the best of the 25. Andy Grove won that honor. 2 of the 25 have diedSam Walton and Mary Kay Ashand they interviewed 15 of the remaining 23.

They have identified eight characteristics that have enabled the 25 individuals to overcome major challenges as well as create their own leadership style.

Building a strong corporate cultureHerb Kelleher.
Truth tellingPeter Drucker, Bill George
Finding and catering to under-server marketsJohn Bogle, Charles Schwab
Seeing the invisibleSteve Jobs, Ted Turner
Using price to build competitive advantageJeff Bezos
Managing and building their organizations brandOprah Winfrey, Lee Iacocca.
Being a fast learnerLou Gerstner, Bill Gates.
Managing riskAlan Greenspan, Peter Lynch.

The history and challenges of these 25 leaders are thoroughly covered with tidbits of information on side bars, which includes detailed information on birthdays, marriages, schooling and highlights in their respective careers. What’s great about this is that you can pick and choose what you want to read and everything is in bite-sized morsels. The stories ends with what is titled “The Leadership Lesson” which gives further insight into how these 25 leaders got to be where they are. Their stories are told with many verbatim quotes, which really helps this book to be both interesting and motivating. This makes it a great holiday gift book for anybody in business.

BTW, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING THE FREE MONTHLY REVIEWS I DO, JUST EMAIL ME AT JACK AT 800CEOREAD DOT COM AND I’LL PUT YOU ON THE LIST.

The Little Stuff Matters Most: 50 Rules from 50 Years of Trying to Make a Living by Bernie Brillstein, Gotham, 208 Pages, $20.00 Hardcover, September 2004, ISBN 1592400795

In this delightful book Bernie Brillstein shares his stories of what he believes is important in making a living. It obviously worked for him; he’s been a well-known and well-loved Hollywood producer for fifty years. What makes this book so different is that it’s not rocket science. There is no magic cure here. It’s just true, funny stories that convey common sense in surviving in the business world. And no one knows that better than the author himself who states:

“I want to make sure I’ve been absolutely clear about one thing: The Little Stuff Matters Most is not a book of secrets. There’s no Zen, no art of, no formula, no mystical philosophy; there are not three rules, seven habits, or ten steps. There are no tedious worksheets or personal diaries to keep. No daily affirmations. No seminars to attend yet. You wont feel worse about yourself if you don’t follow the program exactly because there is no program.”

What there is rings true, and is at times very funny. Just have a look at a few Bernie-isms:

Know the difference between hot and good
Don’t talk behind someone’s back in front of them
Only doctors and hookers need pagers
Don’t pet the snakes
Have an opinion, even if it’s wrong
It’s all lies, and that’s the truth
When your time has come, success will find you

The stories suck you in right from the start. They’re told vividly, yet succinctly. And they get to the point. Just like Brillstein, they make their point without apologies. It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, this book is more than self-help. It’s funny, poignant and utterly true!