Amazon.com
So much for the old economy, new economy divide. According to Gary Hamel, the professor-turned-strategy-guru author of Leading the Revolution, complacent establishment giants and one-strategy start-ups are on the same side of the fence--the wrong side. Corporate complacency and single-strategy business plans leave no room for what Hamel describes as the key to thriving in today's world of business: a deeply embedded capability for continual, radical innovation.
Leading the Revolution is not a calm analysis of what will or won't work in a post-industrial world. Instead, it's an impassioned call for revolutionary activists to shake the foundations of their companies' beliefs and move from a linear age of getting better, smarter, and faster, to a nonlinear age of becoming different. While in the past incremental improvements in products and services were accepted as good enough, Hamel shows that true innovation is the demolition and re-creation of an entire business concept. He blows apart the popular myth that innovation lies solely in the hands of dot.com dynamos like AOL and Amazon by scrutinizing the examples of such "gray-haired revolutionaries" as Enron and Charles Schwab, companies that have managed to reinvent both themselves and their entire industries, time and again.
After an in-depth examination of what business-concept innovation involves (for starters, it's "based on avoidance, not attack"), Hamel goes on to motivate his readers to see their own revolutionary future, and train them in the art of being an activist. As he puts it in various headings, be a novelty addict, be a heretic, know what's not changing, surface the dogmas. And then get out there and transform your ideas into reality. Not simply a round-up call, Hamel's book provides would-be activists with an intelligent, comprehensive plan of action. He illustrates each imperative with examples of real-life corporate rebels, such as John Patrick and David Grossman at IBM, Ken Kutaragi at Sony, and Georges Dupont-Roc at Shell. His message is the same to "old" and "new" companies alike: "Industry revolutionaries are like a missile up the tail pipe. Boom! You're irrelevant!" So join the revolution and avoid the explosion.
Hamel writes in a clear and compelling voice, preaching with passion but supporting what he says with detailed, experiential evidence. Each chapter is packed with probing questions and inspirational examples that aim to dig through the apathetic corners of your mind and throw hand grenades into any creative synapses still slumbering. Even the alternative (read innovative) design of Leading the Revolution will jolt you into a new level of awareness and imagination. Indeed, the only problem you might have with this book is an increasing desire to put it down before the end, get out there into the wild world of the activist, and start living the revolution. --S. Ketchum
Book Description
One of the world's preeminent business thinkers and co-author of the bestseller, Competing for the Future, Gary Hamel helped set the management agenda for the 1990s. He now brings us into the twenty-first century with Leading the Revolution, which spent time on The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Business Week bestseller lists, among others. In his new book, Gary Hamel lays out an innovative action plan for any company or individual intent on becoming-and staying-an industry revolutionary, for years to come. By drawing on the success of "gray haired revolutionaries" like Charles Schwab, Virgin, and GE Capital-companies who are always thinking ahead of the game and growing in new directions-and profiling individuals such as Ken Kutaragi, one of the pioneers of Sony Playstation, Hamel explains how companies can continue to grow, innovate, and achieve success, even in a chaotic world market. With insight culled from years of experience, Hamel:
* Explores where revolutionary new business concepts come from
* Identifies the key design criteria for building companies that are activist-friendly and revolution-ready
* Shows how to avoid becoming "one-vision wonders"
* Demonstrates how to harness the imagination of every employee
* Explains how to develop new financial measures that focus on creating new wealth
Packed with practical advice, Leading the Revolution is an accessible read, perfect for both businesses and individuals that don't want to get caught in the slow lane in the race for success in the twenty-first century.
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Hamel argues that to thrive in the age of revolution, companies must adopt a radical new innovation agenda. The fundamental challenge companies face is reinventing themselves and their industries not just in times of crisis--but continually. Beautifully illustrated with more than 100 full-color photos and drawings, Hamel's Leading the Revolution is an action plan--indeed, an incendiary device--for any company or individual intent on becoming and staying an industry revolutionary. Based on experiences of world-class companies including Enron, Charles Schwab, Cisco, Virgin, and GE Capital, Leading the Revolution explains the underlying principles of radical innovation, explores where revolutionary new business concepts come from, and identifies the key design criteria for building companies that are activist-friendly. It will show companies how to avoid becoming "one-vision wonders"; harness the imagination of every employee; develop new financial measures that focus on creating new wealth; and create vibrant internal markets for ideas, capital, and talent. Drawing on the examples of activists who profoundly changed their companies with their bare hearts, Hamel outlines the practical steps anyone can take to lead a successful revolution in their own firm.
Customer Reviews:
Fast paced, hard hitting.......2007-01-06
I love the rather blunt, racy tone of this book. Hamel calls for all employees to be activists, to aggressively promote their own ideas for new products or services. The title of the book ''Leading the Revolution'' refers to the need for such activists to be at the forefront of driving innovation in business. For me this book is a nice complement to Good to Great by Jim Collins who talks about how CEOs need to grill their best people for new strategic ideas. Both authors recognize that the CEO can no longer generate all the ideas personally and hence that innovation needs to be bottom-up. Hamel's book would have been even better if he had developed a concept of leadership that showed how being an activist is showing bottom-up leadership and that our understanding of leadership in general needs to change accordingly. A must read however.
EXCELLENT.......2006-10-02
Exellently written and excellent information.The best thing about this book is that I didn't really need to read it at all!.But most people from CEO's to students do need to read it.I'm not sure that most people can learn from this book as it promotes a mind set you almost need to be born with,and that school,work and society generally try to crush out of you,as the author points out,yet the premise of this book is totally correct,innovation is the only competitive advantage left to leverage in the modern world,or soon will be.The authors writing style is engaging and motivating,it is no B.S.,no punches pulled,straight to the often humourous point.It is skillfully written to get a serious point across in a friendly way.Even though not stated directly,the thing needed in business as well as your personal life is empathy,to customers,employees,to your own coming obsolesence,to new idea's,and death to sentimentality for what worked in the past,thing's most people seem to lack,things the education system aims at crushing.This book attempts to prise open closed minds,it has all the right ingredients,but I can only wish the author good luck in suceeding in getting the message across to the majority.Judging by other reviews its not yet working,people still don't get it.The cynical side of me see's this book as a well crafted introduction to,and motivation to hire the authors consulting firm,but frankly most people will need more help than any book can offer.If you already get it,this book is well articulated and should help you see your own nature better,and give you the confidence to keep conflicting with others and refusing to comform,if you don't get it then this is a good introduction into an open mind and some empathy rather than mindless conformity to old mindless conformity ways of doing things.
Enron cited often.......2006-07-11
Some good ideas on driving innovation, but in hindsight, some of the cited companies haven't passed muster if one tracks their long term business performance. One of my favorite quotes from the book - "At Enron, failure - even of the type that ends up on the front page of The Wall Street Journal - doesn't necessarily sink a career". Yeah right! This kind of thinking puts one in jail.
Design rules for innovation.......2006-01-27
The Internet, says Gary Hamel, has done more than provide another sales channel and communication tool, it has restructured the basic concepts of time and place that business has traditionally depended on. Only companies that continually restructure themselves, and are able to overcome closed-minded, entrenched attitudes will be able to survive and implement the radical innovations necessary to generate wealth in the future. He has outlined ten design rules for innovation:
1. Unreasonable expectations: The beliefs of the organization set the upper limit on how much innovation is possible for the company. Set goals that reflect a higher reach.
2. Elastic business definition: Do not let your company be bound to a narrow self-concept. Searching for unconditional opportunities will expand your opportunity horizon.
3. A cause, not a business: A business can draw strength and courage from allegiance to a transcendent purpose.
4. New voices: Revolutionary strategies must be found by listening to revolutionary voices. Seek input from the youth, the periphery and newcomers.
5. An open market for ideas: Create a dynamic internal market for ideas within the organization.
6. An open market for capital: Don't set hurdle rates for new projects when those projects promise to be innovative, sustainable and financially beneficial.
7. An open market for talent: If you give people the chance to do interesting, innovative work and solid compensation, they will join you and stay with you.
8. Low-risk experimentation: Know how to manage the consequences, if a risk doesn't work out.
9. Cellular division: Divide your company into a large number of revolutionary cells. When your company stops dividing and differentiating, innovation and growth slow.
10. Personal wealth accumulation: If you want an entrepreneurial spirit at your company, you must pay people like entrepreneurs. Offer stock options as incentives.
The new edition lacks the appearance of the first one.......2005-08-16
Summary: My recommendation is to get the first edition of the book if you can (even though it is full of praises for Enron) and stay away from the new edition!
Details: I really loved the first edition of Leading the Revolution, but I could only borrow it from a library. So I bought the second edition from Amazon and was VERY disappointed.
There were two things I liked about the original edition:
1. Regarding its content, Leading the Revolution is full of eye-opening thoughts and models. For instance, it gives the most useful summary of what constitutes a corporate strategy I have ever read.
Although many of the author's points are definitely too radical for the "conservative" industries, I believe the book contains good ideas for every business person, even if Hamel places definitely too much emphasis on innovation as opposed to the application of good old common sense. In my opinion, most businesses could improve their results drastically just by providing what their customers really need, without any radically new business model. (For more on this, read for instance "Thinking Inside the Box" by Cheyfitz, an ardent opponent of Hamel's ideas.)
As for the originality of Leading the Revolution: to be honest I read about one general business book every two months, so I have not read the Tom Peter books cited by the other reviewers as the main source of Hamel's book. If you know the business literature inside out, you may find the content less enlightening than I did.
True, the first edition used mostly inappropriate examples: Enron is an obvious and often cited one, but the IBM and Sony cases are also very far from showing radical business model innovation - they are rather about slow-moving giants finally realizing that they need to change with the times.
In the new edition the author removed the positive references to Enron as the model company. Otherwise the content is pretty much the same - please see the other reviews for details.
2. The appearance of the first edition was colorful and eye-catching, really impressive. You may say you don't care about pretty pictures, and neither do I most of the time, but this book was so strikingly professional, that made it really unique among business books (at least in this price range). I would definitely set it as the standard against which the looks and readability of any business book must be judged.
In the second edition, all the colors and "unnecessary" pictures have been removed, while the large fonts and bolds remained to highlight the important ideas. With these, the book looks as if it had been formatted by a 10-year old child, making it probably the LEAST professional-looking business book I have ever bought. Not the kind of "innovation" I expected from Mr. Hamel!
So two stars minus for the appearance of the new edition as compared to the first one. If you can, buy a copy of the original, colorful edition. Give a thought to the ideas of the book and have fun reading how great and exemplary a company Enron is (I mean, was).
Customer Reviews:
refreshing!.......2007-02-04
I am an both a fine and graphic artist and its nice to see such ideas in print. Its a simple book but great for a reminder and refresher for stimulating ideas in groups and solo. I recommend this book for my students and colleagues alike because its short and to the point. Its also nice to hear how other artists get going on ideas and such.
The layout of the book is nice too!
Good book..........2005-09-15
As for the reviewer here that states it has "Little Undeep Thoughts.." firstly, his use of the fabricated word "Undeep" gives a clue to the reviewer, but secondly, they must realize creation is a mysterious entity, just as contributing artist Rich DiSilvio profoundly mentions in the book, "Don't always expect to find logical solutions in a logical place, as serendipity plays a part in the mysteries of invention." This is certainly NOT fluff, nor is the common sense offered by another contributor Alex Lloyd, who states, "Try really hard not to work on weekends. Nine out of ten, your clients will be enjoying the two days off with their family. So should you." Any creative person knows just how true and important it is to try and carve free time for oneself in the hustle bustle of deadlines and cranky clients. So that complaining reviewer here is either not a creative, or just expecting to find the exact answers to his own mental block with a current project. This book also is nicely designed, except the cover is a bit much and too cutesy. Granted there are some lame concepts and ideas put forth by some of the contributors, but it does contain good bits of advice and food for thought.
No Good at all!!!.......2005-08-20
IDEA REVOLUTION is a great title, this book is not... This book should have been called LITTLE UNDEEP THOUGHTS ABOUT DESIGN, casue that's what it is. Nothing usefull and mediocre design. Just try not to buy it.
Wordy and boring.......2004-02-05
For what it claims to be, should have been better written and better designed.
Great book for when you get stuck for ideas!.......2003-01-23
What a great book for creative people. It's full of ideas for ways to generate new ideas. If you're in a creative field, such as web design, graphic design, illustration, or anything that requires you to come up with something from nothing, then you understand that sometimes you just get stuck. This book can help you overcome whatever stumbling block has been placed in your way.
Book Description
Co-creative science is a revolutionary way to address the many serious problems that are mushrooming all around us.
This book is for everyone who wants to take charge of their life in a positive, efficient and incredibly effective way.
One of the exciting aspects of co-creative science is that everyone actively participates in it. This is a science that you must personally apply to your life in order to experience its benefits. And it has extraordinary benefits for your health and for your environment. This is a science that you can use personally and it will make a difference.
Co-Creative Science is also a book about nature. What makes this science unique is that it establishes a direct, active and personal partnership between you and nature for working together to successfully address the many problems that pummel our everyday lives. Once you have finished reading this book, you will be convinced that there is an intelligence in nature, that this intelligence can be accessed by anyone who wishes and that together with this intelligence we can forge a partnership that can make real changes.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent self-help book.......2005-01-07
This excellent book details ways in which we can invite nature spirits to work with us in creating a garden. The garden can be a plot of land with vegetables and flowers, or it can be a project for growing better relationships or for growing in our own inner wisdom.
Everyone's class will be individually designed by and for that person. The average class takes 4 years.
Nature can sort out its lessons in a more structured and orderly way when you let them know the parameters for your availability.
This is an excellent self-help book, enriched by the author's sharing of her own path in opening to intuitive and spiritual awarenesses and learning to be a co-creative gardener.
Customer Reviews:
Great resource!.......2007-05-07
The graphics and ideas in this book are great, and easily adaptable to varying grade levels.
great for homeschool.......2006-05-17
we used this for my 5th grader, she had a lot of fun with it. there are a lot of "make-it" projects that helped her learn and remember.
Book Description
We all know how important creativity is at work. New ideas, fresh solutions, and innovative approaches are always talked about, but rarely ever practiced.
?Whatif!, Second Edition gives you the power, insight, and courage to capture the essence of creativity at work. This one-of-a-kind book breaks creativity into six practical behaviors and shows you how all of us--not just the wacky genuis--is packed with creative potential.
This fully updated and expanded edition explores areas that the first edition did not, filled with new insights, stories, and cases it will help you find or recapture your creativity with proven exercises that will help unlock the creative potential in anyone.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2007-03-05
I borrowed this book from my friend a while ago and read it with a great pleasure. This book provides some interesting insights on how to be creative and positive person. I liked it a lot.
Darya, San Jose, CA
Sound advice in an easy to read form but nothing new.......2004-08-14
A book on creativity in business lives in a very crowded space these days and this one doesn't really offer much to make it stand out from the crowd. Despite being a quick and easy read, it offers little more than motherhood statements about the importance of developing creativity skills. Anyone with the most basic experience in creativity and innovation will recognise the basic concepts, while someone who is new to the area will be patently uncomfortable with the tone and language used in the book.
The book is peppered with jargon that only serves to diminish its' credibility, eg "greenhousing", which translates to "suspend judgement and build on ideas, even if they seem crazy at the time". It creates the impression that the authors have attempted to hide their lack of originality behind a veneer of jargon.
That said, the advice that's in here is sound enough and the case studies make interesting reading, although they tend to focus on big business (despite the author's claims that this is a book for anyone). Overall, this reads like a self-promotional marketing exercise for the author's design agency. Not a handbook I would recommend. A book on creativity in business lives in a very crowded space these days and this one doesn't really offer much to make it stand out from the crowd. Despite being a quick and easy read, it offers little more than motherhood statements about the importance of developing creativity skills. Anyone with the most basic experience in creativity and innovation will recognise the basic concepts, while someone who is new to the area will be patently uncomfortable with the tone and language used in the book.
The book is peppered with jargon that only serves to diminish its' credibility, eg "greenhousing", which translates to "suspend judgement and build on ideas, even if they seem crazy at the time". It's as if the author has substituted originality for a veneer of jargon.
That said, the advice that's in here is sound enough and the case studies make interesting reading, although they tend to focus on big business (despite the author's claims that this is a book for anyone). Overall, this reads like a self-promotional marketing exercise for the author's design agency. Not a handbook I would recommend.
Book Description
Remember the days of longing for the hands on the classroom clock to move faster? Most of us would say we love to learn, but we hated school. Why is that? What happens to creativity and individuality as we pass through the educational system? Walking on Water is a startling and provocative look at teaching, writing, creativity, and life by a writer increasingly recognized for his passionate and articulate critique of modern civilization. This time Derrick Jensen brings us into his classroom--whether college or maximum security prison--where he teaches writing. He reveals how schools perpetuate the great illusion that happiness lies outside of ourselves and that learning to please and submit to those in power makes us into lifelong clock-watchers. As a writing teacher Jensen guides his students out of the confines of traditional education to find their own voices, freedom, and creativity. Jensen's great gift as a teacher and writer is to bring us fully alive at the same moment he is making us confront our losses and count our defeats. It is at the center of Walking on Water, a book that is not only a hard-hitting and sometimes scathing critique of our current educational system and not only a hands-on method for learning how to write, but, like Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, a lesson on how to connect to the core of our creative selves, to the miracle of waking up and arriving breathless (but with dry feet) on the far shore.
Customer Reviews:
forward ever forward.......2007-07-14
While evangelicals/creationists strive to retard education Derrick Jensen encourages us to inspire and challenge students. Instill passion and imagination and refute mind-numbing dogma.
A Wonderful Read.......2007-07-10
This is one of the most moving books I've read in several years. If you are a teacher this book will lead you to re-evaluate and think about what you are doing and how you treat your students. This was the first book that I've read by Derrick Jensen and I look forward to reading the rest of his books in the near future.
I had to put the book down to say "wow" at least every other page.......2007-04-03
No seriously, this book is phenomenally self-aware, and self-critical, while also making a strong case for totally dismantling institutionalized education. But Jensen doesn't simply condemn a system built to squash the human spirit, he goes far, far beyond that. For every page explaining the horrors of the traditional educational model and his problems working within it, he provides ten pages of real life examples of how he answered the toughest question of all, "what would you do instead?" The fact that he gives us a peek into his fantastic classes is tempered by his constant reminders that there is no one answer. Instead, we all must constantly probe our innermost depths to find our own answers. How will we confront systems of conformity and discover how to be ourselves?
Do you teach?.......2007-01-13
A must have for anyone who works with education...It gives you a fresh outlook on teaching & and that there is a refreshing way to teach various subjects...
I was blown away .. this really hit home.......2006-02-09
I read this book and throughout I laughed and I cried. No, I am serious. This was one of the most profound and intense and well written books I have read in YEARS.
Derrick Jensen's passion for the subject and the way he conveys his message is too the point and inspirational.
I have read LANGUAGE OLDER THAN WORDS (another excellent book) and I think I was expecting something different from Walking on Water. I didn't really expect it to be really about writing. Yet, while he gives great information about the writing process,he manages to instill an inspirational message about passion, and courage and love and the world around us.
I am impressed with Mr. Jensen overall. I was so inspired by the book that one evening I wrote a letter to him and he had responded by the next day.
I HIGHLY recommend this book and feel it is one of those "required" reading books.
Book Description
"This book is a fascinating look at the history of the relationship between logical and visual thinking. There are aspects to this history that are both frightening and encouraging, and, with the current pendulum swing back toward visualization as a respectable thinking tool, it provides an important guide to what has been done before and what can be done in the future." JAMES F. BLINN, Graphics Fellow at Microsoft Research: Columnist for IEEE Computer Graphics; MacArthur Fellow; Recipient of the SIGGRAPH Achievement Award and the Stephen Coons Award
"In this exciting and captivating set of essays, Tom West makes a strong case for fundamentally rethinking and revising our educational system by including visual literacy to balance our overdependence on analytical approaches. The book explores the role visual thinkers have played in creating scientific breakthroughs, and it makes a compelling case for a future when individuals will develop their full creative potential by 'returning to our visual roots.' I am envious of the author's writing skill as well as his ability to weave, with diverse facts and stories, a string of pearls." MICHAEL McGRATH, Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, Colorado School of Mines; Former Education Director, ACM SIGGRAPH
"THINKING LIKE EINSTEIN is a refreshing intellectual drink in the drought of contemporary visual literacy. It raises important issues and historical facts that restore the balance of power between nonverbal/visual creative thinking and verbal/math creative thinking. The book is a valuable tool that recognizes the potency of data-driven digital visualization and empowers our visual technological futures. It is a must-read for any visualization educator." DONNA COX, Director of Visualization and Experimental Technologies, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Customer Reviews:
Catchy title but unsatisfying content.......2005-04-16
The title of the book is very catchy. One tends to think the book is all about analyzing and dissecting thinking patterns and methods of Einstein and people like him, and how to apply this to our education and training so that the great masses can be benefited. But such is not the case with the book.
The author's biggest theme seems to be linking visual thinking with 3-D computer graphics, and suggesting that by using 3-D graphics, we can become visual thinkers. Firstly, multiple intelligence work done by Howard Gardner should have been very clear to the author that different people have different talents and not everyone can be a visual thinker. Secondly, cowboy clothes do not make one a cowboy; thus, not everyone who uses 3-D computer graphics can become visual thinkers. The second major theme of the author seems to be linking dyslexia people with visual thinkers. I don't see a clear proof in the book.
The author seems to branch out to many directions in this book and occasionally come back to discussions on visual thinkers. One of the strangest views suggested by the author is that cultures with verbal-emphasis are prone to warring with other nations. This is indeed a very peculiar viewpoint. The chapter on the Polynesian is also somewhat farfetched.
However, I do agree with the author on one point: that we need to develop some tests to measure visual ability just like we have IQ tests measuring verbal and math abilities.
To create a generation of visual thinkers, we need a societal change - education, cultural emphasis, jobs, tests, etc. Basically, we need to build up a whole system, starting with a clear understanding of how visual thinkers think; we then need to define or design tests that measures VQ (Visual Quotient) similar to IQ tests; at the same time, we need to train K-12 teachers on how to educate our next generations with visual thinking skills, along with verbal and mathematic skills; we also need to create jobs and compensation systems for these new skills, etc. The book did not cover all these areas.
I think the author is starting in the right direction. But much more needs to be done. Even with so many defects in this book, I still recommend this book to parents and educators. Our society need to identify and cultivate visual thinkers.
very speculative.......2005-04-12
Ultimately this is a very intriguing but frustrating book. West makes interesting claims, that are highly speculative. But the various essays in the book do not present any solid evidence to buttress his claims.
Even so, and without necessarily agreeing with him, you might consider that he raises good questions. From evolution, we are visual creatures; much more so than a math-oriented number crunching ability. And the ability and importance of seeing prey or predator predates any real verbal ability. This has meant that we can process visual data far more impressively than verbal I/O or tables of numbers. Which has given rise to the importance of computer visualisation in many disciplines. So no one who uses computers in this way would really argue against their utility.
But as to whether this presages a "revolution" in our daily interactions or our research is quite a stretch.
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The Arts Therapies: A Revolution in Healthcare
Dr Phil Jones
Manufacturer: Routledge
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Art Heals: How Creativity Cures the Soul
ASIN: 1583918124 |
Book Description
The separate arts therapies--drama, art, music and dance--are becoming available to increasing numbers of clients, as mental health professionals discover the potential of the arts therapies to reach and help people. But what are the arts therapies, and what do they offer clients? The Arts Therapies provides in one volume a guide to the different disciplines and their current practice and thinking. It presents:
* A clear analysis of the relationship between therapist, client and art form
* Exploration of the practice and key contributions made to the field by practitioners internationally and within many different contexts
* Discussion of how the arts therapies relate to established health services
The Arts Therapies: A Revolution in Healthcare is a unique book that provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of the arts therapies. It will prove invaluable to arts therapists who wish to learn more about the whole field, and to mental health professionals who want to know whatthe arts therapies can offer their clients.
Customer Reviews:
History Kids Can Understand.......2004-06-01
I read this book with my fourth grade students and they were truly engaged throughout the book. The Alphins' make this historical figure and his time come alive. The illustrations are outstanding and, like the text, full of historical detail. It's about time someone started writing non-fiction that was accurate, detailed, and readable. My students have loved Elaine Alphin's fiction for years -It's nice to have her writing for the other side of the library as well.
Book Description
Traditionally, company leaders develop a business strategy based on bottom lines and profit margins, then hire an ad agency to back up that strategy with creative advertising. But history shows that some of the most effective branding campaigns are born when companies work with ad agencies to develop a business strategy that has a big, creative idea at its heart-what CEO of Euro RSCG Bob Schmetterer calls the Creative Business Idea.
In Leap, Bob Schmetterer shows advertisers how to combine advertising creativity and bottom-line realities to develop winning business strategies and winning ad campaigns. He analyzes some of the most creative business ideas in history, showing how successful advertising and marketing strategies do more than simply communicate the brand-they define it. Advertisers know how to create demand for an existing brand, but Schmetterer argues that the next challenge for advertisers is to help their clients apply creative thinking to their core business strategy before they launch a branding blitz.
Leap is about connecting the left brain and the right brain to develop solid business strategies that are also creative, fresh, and exciting. Its about mixing businesss cold fixation on numbers with the warm heart of art and creativity to build revolutionary brands. Its about connecting with and listening to the client, understanding the business and the product, tapping into the clients passion for the product, and transmitting that passion to the consumer. Its about what happens when the business makes creativity part of its core strategy-enabling it to move beyond self-imposed boundaries and expand the limits of its reach.
With a wealth of examples from Volvo to Purdue, Schmetterer shows ad agencies and managers how to help their clients develop the big, creative idea that will transform their businesses-and perhaps their industries. Its time for companies to make the Leap that synthesizes business and creativity to reap the full rewards of profitable innovation.
BOB SCHMETTERER is Chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide, a one of the worlds top five global advertising and communications agencies with clients such as Intel, Peugeot, Air France, Orange, Abby National, MCI, Danone Group, Reckitt Benckiser, Volvo, and Yahoo!
Customer Reviews:
Leap! A Revolution in Creative Business Strategy.......2005-09-25
Book came in a timely manner, however; was not forewarned about the writing and the highlighting throughout the book. Had I known, I would not have ordered it, I find it very distracting.
Highly Recommended!.......2004-06-07
Every executive pays lip service to creativity, but truly unusual ideas are tough to find among the button-down set. When it comes to encouraging and developing groundbreaking ideas, most organizations are at a loss. Enter advertising exec Bob Schmetterer and his focus on creative business ideas. These strategies, such as Volvo's emphasis on safety, set a brand apart from its rivals. How do you get creative? It could be as simple as tearing out your office doors and walls, and hiring a few dyslexics. Schmetterer`s clear, crisp writing style, bold suggestions and liberal use of intriguing corporate case studies make this book a joy to read. We suggest it to any executive whose brand must cut through the clutter.
Used as a sales tool ... to his own staff.......2003-11-27
As a former employee of the EuroRSCG empire, one of the most common things we heard from the top brass was, "hey theres a new book out by bob, go buy out" I swear we got that once a week. I did read the book, found it interesting, and would have given it a better rating if i wasnt sick of the sight, and name of it.
Good ideas and the CBI concept would work, if we actually used it, which we never did. Twaddle + (Internal & External) Book Promotion = One Rich Bob S.
There's No Time Like the Future.......2003-08-20
In working with Management teams charged with business development, our perspective is to always challenge the purpose of an effort or endeavor. No `work' exists that ignores the business product, clear communication, and an experience. All three components apply to anything we do either working for ourselves or companies as a: consultant, customer service agent, gas station attendant, secretary, CEO, insurance agent, factory worker, and of course, an advertising and marketing agency representative.
Bob Schmetterer offers a framework for you to get at Why you do what you do, and How do you do it. This book is an inspiration for taking whatever you are engaged with, turning it on its side, and challenging the very premise of its existence. As I read the book, I have made so many notes that I must be careful not to overwhelm my customers with too many questions, challenges, and ideas.
If you soak-up all the principles awash throughout the book and apply what you learn to your work or experiences you already know, you could walk into the Kroger and redesign the Experience of the produce department, propose a new Brand perspective to AAA insurance, or redefine how your customers `use you.'
To be inspired, the reading material has to be inspiring. Bob Schmetterer's LEAP will go down in business literature as a fairy tale come to life. Bob, please conscript me into your service!
Could have been a great one.......2003-08-20
Apparently the juggernaut of Euro RSCG'ers have been rating Bob's book on Amazon. That is the only explanation I can find for so many stars.
For anyone who doesn't work for Bob, this book does not deserve more than an executive skimming.
And while you're at it, you might as well skip the parts about how top management need to encourage creative thinking, or being a renegade, or the need for trust and a good relationship for the client. And oh yeah, you get to hear a lot about what a great job Bob did for his clients. I mean really, didn't we read this stuff in Fast Company in 1998? And shouldn't a book about creative business ideas be a bit more creative?
I love creative ideas and look forward to the day that agencies step up to the plate and actually propose them to clients. Until then, if you're looking for a way to institutionalize creative ideas, I wouldn't recommend starting with Bob's book.
Perhaps a company-wide subscription to Fast Company...
Books:
- Mastering Technical Sales: The Sales Engineer's Handbook
- Mathematical Methods For Physicists
- Mathematical Statistics with Applications (Mathematical Statistics (W/ Applications))
- Mathematics and the Search for Knowledge
- Mathematics for Finance: An Introduction to Financial Engineering (Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series)
- Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics
- MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications 2nd Edition
- Matrix Computations (Johns Hopkins Studies in Mathematical Sciences)(3rd Edition)
- Microbiology: Principles and Explorations
- Model Predictive Control (Advanced Textbooks in Control and Signal Processing)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett/2007 International Edition/in 2 volumes
- History: Fiction or Science
- Death in Danzig
- Elliott Smith And The Big Nothing
- Good Families Don't
- Fundamentals of Power Electronics
- First Light: Acadia National Park and Maine's Mount Desert Island
- The Betrayal of Liliuokalani: Last Queen of Hawaii 1838-1917
- Environmental Tax Handbook: Strategies for Compliance
- Buffoons, Queens, and Wooden Horsemen: The Dyo and Gouan Societies of the Bambara of Mali
Competing for the Future
The Future of Management
The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials)
Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors
