3 Review(s)

Praise for. "Seduced by Success," . Bob Herbold gets to the heart of why successful organizations and individuals often go into a tailspin, and how this can be avoided. His thorough reviews of specific companies we all know make this a very useful book, and I highly recommend it.-Indra K.Nooyi, President And CEO, PepsiCo, Inc.. . This book rings painfully true.Bob Herbold demonstrates with clinical precision that a company's fall from grace can frequently be traced back to its time of greatest achievement. Before you get too depressed, however, take heart-he also gives you all the tools you need to avoid that ignominious fate.-Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive Officer, WPP Group PLC. . It's very instructive to read the detailed case studies showing how some successful companies lose their way, while others remain successful. Through these rich examples, Bob Herbold shows how to sustain success.-Koh Boon Hwee, Chairman, DBS Group Holdings/DBS Bank, Asia. . Seldom do you find a book with as many powerful, useful reminders that help you face up to reality and deal with problems. I strongly urge you to read it.-Grant L. Kelley, Principal And CEO, Colony Capital Asia. Don't let success put your company on the road to ruin In "Seduced by Success," Robert J. Herbold, the former Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft, shows you how to avoid the nine traps of success-the "legacy practices" that almost felled such giants as General Motors, Kodak and Sony. Herbold, a 26-year-veteran of Procter & Gamble who lived through each trap, gives you proven tactics for preventing arrogance, bloat, and neglect while capitalizing on your accomplishments, sustaining your momentum, and retaining your position in the marketplace. The nine traps every successful organization must avoid are Neglect: Sticking with Yesterday's Business Model Pride: Allowing Your Products to Become Outdated Boredom: Clinging to Your Once-Successful Branding Complexity: Ignoring Your Business Processes Bloat: Rationalizing Your Loss of Speed and Agility Mediocrity: Letting Your Star Employees Languish Lethargy: Getting Lulled into a Culture of Comfort Timidity: Not Confronting Turf Wars and Obstructionists Confusion: Unwittingly Conducting Schizophrenic Communications These mistakes cut your business legs off at the knees, destroying your ability to recognize and meet the need for change. Herbold shows you how to avoid these landmines by Continually revitalizing your brands and products Demanding new approaches to "proven" practices Maintaining speed and agility through strong leadership Making sure employees are empowered to achieve and not handicapped by bureaucracy Using an exciting new product to overhaul your culture For each success trap, Herbold provides illuminating examples of top companies that were seduced by their success-as well as others that managed to maintain andeven broaden their achievements. "Seduced by Success" is the best way to ensure your company sustains its success for the long term.