How to Be a Fierce Competitor: What Winning Companies and Great Managers Do in Tough Times
From best-selling author Jeffrey J. Fox, how the savvy see opportunity — and capitalize on it\ Economic downturns separate the winning companies from the struggling. And as best-selling author Jeffrey J. Fox shows, tough times also give solid companies, strong managers, and potential rainmakers the opportunity to seize market share. In this eminently readable, practical resource for business leaders and managers, Fox explains exactly how the savvy few who rise to the top stay focused and...
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"Economic downturns separate winning companies from the struggling. And as author Jeffrey J. Fox shows, rough times also give solid companies, strong managers, and potential rainmakers the opportunity to seize market share." "In How to Be a Fierce Competitor Fox has written the definitive "how-to" guide for understanding how to spot opportunity and then capitalize on it. This eminently readable, practical resource for business leaders and managers shows exactly how the savvy few who rise to the top stay focused and alert; gain new market share; hire good, recently fired talent; increase investments into customer service; speed innovation; train all customer-facing people; make acquisitions; get rid of underperformers; build brand names; pay for measurable performance; and lots more." "In 60 chapters, Fox offers a wealth of actionable items that can be used to weather any economic climate. How to Be a Fierce Competitor reveals why bad times are good times, the difference between leaders and managers, how to stay off magazine covers, and why you are never on vacation." With How to Be a Fierce Competitor, potential rainmakers, CEOs, marketing superstars, and great bosses can keep their competitive edge razor-sharp. Publishers Weekly Fox (How to Become a Rainmaker) explores the best practices of fierce competitors and how they gain market share, seize opportunity, and win when the stakes are the highest. With multiple bulleted lists of key action items, he swiftly covers a wide array of timely topics, including why bad times are actually good times, the benefits of piling up cash in tough times, and being cautious while showing fearlessness. He also encourages executives to play relevant “what if” games, always have a plan, stay off magazine covers, and be obsessive about execution. Of particular value are the sections on employee relations, which offer counterintuitive actions that reap big rewards on reserved executive parking spots, unionization, nurturing those hired and acquired, pruning dead wood, and cutting out all bureaucracy. This concise book will give motivated managers and executives the guidance they need to successfully bring their organizations to the next level. (Mar.)
Preface. Acknowledgments. 1 The Fierce Competitor Company. 2 Bad Times Are Good Times. 3 Hustle. Hustle. Hustle. 4 Leadership Is Not “Pushership”. 5 The Difference Between Leaders and Managers. 6 Know Your Company's Raison d'Etre. 7 Manage As You Would Invest. 8 “I Visit Customers in Stores”. 9 Always Answer the Phone. 10 Pile Up Cash. 11 Be Ever Fearful. 12 Show Fearlessness. 13 Play “What If?” Games. 14 Leadership Is Full Disclosure. 15 Get a Kitchen Cabinet. 16 Always Have a Plan. 17 Stay Off Magazine Covers. 18 “I Never Made a Dime Talking”. 19 Never Take Your Hand off the Tiller. 20 Control or Roll. 21 Get Out of the Office. 22 Walk Around the Company. 23 Never Forget the Third Shift. 24 Be Obsessive About Execution. 25 Get Rid of Executive Parking Spaces. 26 Fight Unionization. 27 People Are Not the Most Important Asset. 28 Nurture Those You Hire and Acquire. 29 Prune All Deadwood. 30 Bulldoze All Silos. 31 Broom Out All Bureaucracy. 32 Scoop Up Newly Available Talent. 33 Forget About Pedigrees. 34 Pay for Performance, Not for Activities. 35 Continuously Rip Out, Tear Out Bad Costs. 36 The Do and Don’t Cut List. 37 Forget Monthly Reports. 38 No Money, No Meeting. 39 Be Fanatical About Selling. 40 Don't Fire Sales People. 41 Hire Fiercely Competitive Sales People. 42 Banish All Selling Thieves. 43 Always Conduct Daily Sales Meetings. 44 The Big Opportunity. 45 Never Cancel Batting Practice. 46 Double the Training Budget. 47 Love that Cranky, Fickle, Demanding Customer. 48 Fire the “Strategic Customer”. 49 Customer Service Is a Survival Strategy. 50 Worship at the Altar of Quality. 51 Get Rid of “Mr. Ought-To-Be”. 52 Always Leave Flowers, Floor Mats, and Footprints. 53 Don't Cut Prices. 54 You Are Never on Vacation. 55 Lock, Load, and Launch. 56 Sue the Blankety-Blanks. 57 Welcome Serendipity. 58 Go Green! 59 Be a Master Gardener. 60 Summary: Characteristics of the Fierce Competitor Companies. About the Author.
\ Publishers WeeklyFox (How to Become a Rainmaker) explores the best practices of fierce competitors and how they gain market share, seize opportunity, and win when the stakes are the highest. With multiple bulleted lists of key action items, he swiftly covers a wide array of timely topics, including why bad times are actually good times, the benefits of piling up cash in tough times, and being cautious while showing fearlessness. He also encourages executives to play relevant “what if” games, always have a plan, stay off magazine covers, and be obsessive about execution. Of particular value are the sections on employee relations, which offer counterintuitive actions that reap big rewards on reserved executive parking spots, unionization, nurturing those hired and acquired, pruning dead wood, and cutting out all bureaucracy. This concise book will give motivated managers and executives the guidance they need to successfully bring their organizations to the next level. (Mar.)\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalBest-selling author and marketing consultant Fox (www.foxandcompany.com), whose previous book, Rain: What a Paperboy Learned About Business (2009), is also available from Brilliance Audio, presents a business devotional comprised of 60 brief motivational chapters full of management- and business-related wisdom. The book, which Fox effectively narrates, contains little new content, but listeners will find themselves nodding in agreement with his insights and sometimes counterintuitive strategies, many in the form of gardening or sports metaphors. Reminders like "always answer the phone" and "never cancel batting practice" will inspire them anew with each successive listen. Recommended for both seasoned business veterans (as a refresher) and recent business school graduates (as indoctrination).—M. Gail Preslar, Eastman Chemical Co. Business Lib., Kingsport, TN\ \
