Fedex Delivers: How the World's Leading Shipping Company Keeps Innovating and Outperforming the Competition

by Madan Birla

Book Overview

An inside look at leadership practices that enabled the world's leading shipping company to outthink and outperform its competition Using firsthand accounts from top leaders at FedEx, FedEx Delivers... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471715794
• ISBN13: 9780471715795
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

It delivers some great ideas!

My disclaimer: As with any opinion, it is only my opinion! And everyone's will vary depending on who reads the book and what the reader is looking for. I look for ways to improve businesses, sales, and my life. On a 1 to 5 scale, 5 being the best: Readability 4: The book reads pretty well, although a little slow at times. One of those books I picked up for a long flight. It was interesting as well and occupied my time. Information and new ideas 5: Some great ideas were shared and they demonstrated the simplicity in which some problems can be solved. Applicable Ideas 5: As I stated, great ideas to innovate into other businesses. Especially in regards to problem solving. Value 5: I took away several ideas which gave me ways to improve the business that I am in. Overall Score 5: Another book for reference in my library. You might want to buy it as well. Madan Birla did a fine job! Rip Walker Author: Rip's Book of Common Sense Selling: Improving Sales Through Process Implementation

Sharp delivery on FedEx's innovative philosophy

Author Madan Birla spent 22 years with FedEx, watching its culture of innovation develop as it applied new ideas in the marketplace. Birla's fluid writing style and his first-hand observations and insights make this an exceptional corporate story. He knows the people who built FedEx at all levels, from delivery drivers to CEO Frederick Smith. Birla focuses his book on how FedEx became a leading innovator and reshaped the global airfreight business. While many corporations give lip service to innovation and employee development, Birla says FedEx delivers the real thing, and he provides rare specifics as he shows companies in other industries how they can replicate FedEx's successes. We recommend this book for executives at all levels in large and small businesses. If you absolutely, positively must learn to innovate, this book delivers.

Book that execs should read

This book pointed out key elements of how to be successful in creating innovative company cultural. Reading this book reminds me of a few experiences I had before and helps me understand why some companies did it so well and some failed.

A must read, the book is more than just about FedEx

There is not a manager or executive throughout the world who would not benefit greatly from reading this book. In only 200 pages Madan captures the very essence of what is needed by any business in order to survive and thrive in today's economy. Through the story of FedEx he both illustrates why companies need to engender a culture of innovation and, also sets out exactly what is needed to execute on that strategy. Any negativity on the part of a reader will have more to do with their own personal doubts or fear of failure, for the ideas are sound and well illustrated. In the work I do I spend a lot of time reading management and success books, this is one of the best that I have read in a very long time. The linkage between Strategy, People, Process and Systems is as strong as I have ever seen.

Interesting read....from a manager's viewpoint, not from an engineer's

In a very easy-to-read book, Birla uses his vast experience in FedEx to outline how the philosophy of FedEx evolved and thrives on innovation. The vantage point enjoyed by the author certainly reflects in this "big picture" viewpoint of one of the better known company's growth. Of particular interest is the notion of innovation ( spelt with an "i") dealing with process improvements and Innovation (spelt with an "I") dealing with business model changes. The author provides an interesting discussion on what constitutes innovation and how FedEx defined (or didnt define) it. The rest of the book explains how a 5-dimensional employee base can be created. This discussion is certainly novel and adds some interesting perspective for anyone involved in managing people and/or processes. Though the book will certainly please any "managerial-type" reader, I was a bit disappointed to see that the author's vast engineering experience was essentially untapped in this book. There is no meaningful discussion on the operational side of "how " FedEx actually implemented innovation....In that sense, the title is a little misleading for an engineering-minded reader. Regardless, this is an excellent read, provides a different perspective on how innovation should be seen, and a broad paradigm that enables developing an employee-base committed to and thriving on innovation. A good read. (It may be interesting to read this book along with the autobiography of Kinko's founder - "Copy This!". FedEx's buying of Kinkos is discussed in this book and for even a casual observer the synergy between these two companies seems real.)