I haven't read a lot of business books, but I remember this making a bit impression on me back in the eighties. MBWA, the Golden Banana, stick to the knitting. It's a classic and it makes you want to go out and found a company! ( )

Based on researches done by the authors (Peters and Waterman), this book discusses eight basics or themes that had proved, as per the authors, prevalent amongst ‘excellent’ companies more than 30 years ago; namely- A bias for action, Close to the customer, Autonomy and entrepreneurship, Productivity through people, Hands-on value-driven, Stick to the knitting, Simple form lean staff, and Simultaneous loose-tight properties.

Although these eight basics are recommended to nurture excellence in any company, I am still in doubt whether they are timeless and sufficient. After reading the book, the first question that comes to one’s mind is that whether these ‘excellent’ companies are still so? If not, which was the real case with some of the mentioned companies, was it because of weaknesses in the 8 basics, or due to ‘invisible’ rules or basics that were not addressed by the authors in the book?

The reader should avoid the trap of comparing her company to any of the companies mentioned in the book, instead, she should benchmark against the 8 basics per se. Companies change while basics do not if proven successful.

Regardless of whether the performance of these ‘excellent’ companies are maintained throughout the years or have deteriorated, I believe this book is a must read for any executive or business leader as it still delineates some of the best business behaviors to survive global challenges existing over ages. ( )

The Classic! But funny that most of the companies written about did poorly afterward.

Read for my library management class, very interesting. Ways to manage companies well without getting bogged down in bureaucracy. I wonder how many of the companies kept to the ideas in the book after it was originally written. ( )

I respect Mr. Peters tremendously. This book is a classic. Excellent from an Entrepreneur standpoint. Mindset is everything. Take advantage of this book. Hands down one of my favorites and 5 stars. Must have. ( )