If It Ain't Broke-- Break It!: And Other Unconventional Wisdom for a Changing Business World

by Louis Patler and Robert J. Kriegel

Book Overview

One of the leading authorities in the field of human performance (U.S. News and World Report), Robert J. Kriegel offers a revolutionary new way of thinking and working within today's volatile business environment. Kriegel and Patler reveal unexpected ideas like don't look where you don't want to go, failure is not a crime, follow the exceptions, and playing it safe is dangerous.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446515396
• ISBN13: 9780446515399
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 4.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

STILL "new thinking" even after 20 years!

Written in 1991 I just read this again for the first time in about 6 years and it is STILL awesome. Done in real world terms with real world examples, the author challenges EVERY "rule" still being taught in business school programs and being used in many c-level board meetings. BUY This read this and follow this! I have used many of the ideas to establish and grow my company YOU SHOULD TOO JGV www.johngvincent.com

Good condition

The product was received in a timely manner and in good condition. Thank you!

If you read one business book, make it this one!

If you read one business book this year, you won't go wrong with HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT WORKING SOHARD by Robert J. Kriegel . . . it is packed with ideas that will help you stop working so hard--and start working better.Kriegel, author of the equally excellent IF IT AIN'T BROKE . . . BREAK IT, contends that it is not a badge of honor to work 100 hours per week . . . rather, he points out that it's the innovators, visionaries and new-thinkers who love their work who rise to the top.I particularly liked his 90 Percent Rule, which says that a relaxed atmosphere produces better results than a tense one . . . he then described his experiments with over 150 salespeople . . . those who made less calls had at least 20 percent better results, largely because they felt more relaxed and were able to listen better.There were many memorable passages; among them:* In my programs, I always ask, "How many of you get your best ideas--barn burners, lightbulbs, the aha's--while at work?" No one ever raises their hand. "Which room in your house do you get your best ideas in?" I ask, The response is always the bathroom or bedroom. "Why is that?" "Because no on bothers me and I get time to think" is the usual response.* Ray Evernham, with driver Jeff Gordon, used this flip-of-the-rules strategy in NASCAR racing to win the Winston Cup Championship several times. Evernham says, "If conventional wisdom say the corner is the best place to pass, we practice passing on the other end of the track, because nobody is expecting to get passed there."* Whether it is a book or a proposal, many people have difficulty starting a writing project. That first step seems like an insurmountable hurdle. The first line seems impossible to get right.One way to get yourself going is to begin at the end or the middle. I have started out writing my last three books with those chapters that I am most excited and clear about. I will often begin writing a chapter, not necessarily at what I think should be the beginning, but with a great story or example that I enjoy relating and that clearly illustrates the point I want to make. Once started, momentum builds and the rest becomes much easier, whether you have to go forward of backward of both.

a fresh new outlook of how to put yourself ahead

I was very entertained and well informed reading this book. This book helps to take a new and fresh outlook of how to do things different in the business world. I may recommend it to those who struggle and resist changes either with themselves or someone else in their work places. But go easy, you cannot apply everything or expect results out of this book right away. If you are going to take a long flight or go on vacation, this book, could be a good one to bring along.

Fantastic, fresh and enthusiastic ways to do things

I was made to read this book while in business school. It was probably one a the few books that I was made to read that I actually received some very useful information. I have bought this for fellow business people and they also feel the same way I do. This is a must read for anyone creative person. If you have a boss that continuously "firehoses" your ideas, check this book out and it will put YOU into perspective.