Who Said So?: The Questions Revolutionary Businesses Ask That Make Them Successful

by Michael E. Parker

In Who Said So?, Michael Parker introduces you to the unique leadership philosophy known as Value-Centered Management. Using the exciting, creative format of a business narrative, the book contrasts the familiar pains of traditional business management with Value-Centered Management by contrasting the opposing style of father and son managers. Following this enlightening business tale, you’ll learn how to focus your business on what your customers truly value—and how to turn that into new business and profit.

Genres: Business

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Undrakh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though reading business books is not a familiar experience for me, "Who said So" was okay because it's written as a novel, (more likely a tale). John, an uprising manager at the software company, finds himself in a pool of problems after getting a new assignment, which was several weeks delayed from the schedule. He nostalgically thinks how smooth everything used to when he started working at this company; John also begins to have doubts in what he's doing. Fortunately, John has that genie sort of father who pops up and tells him about groundbreaking management method- the Value-Centered management.
Value-Centered management rejects most of the traditional views of business and replaces them with ways of emphasizing customer values, business culture and lean flows. The way John's father Tim explains is so clear that even I, someone having no idea what happens in reality, understood well. As a novel, it's so amazingly bad :P, but seems better than typical business book directing do-this , then do-that.
Might be a book to save many young managers from drowning into despair. (well it surely sounds exaggerating, :P , but in John's case it worked exactly in that way )

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating read in fiction format of 'Value-Centered Management'.

The book moves quickly and is quite enlightening in some aspects. So why rate it as 3 stars?

1) It reminded me of the book 'The Goal' by E. Goldratt, which to me, was more comprehensive and detailed the systems and relationships in the organization, which Mr. Parker doesn't do in much detail.
2) Value centered management is about serving the customer, and therefore ensuring that ALL your systems and people are in completely aligned to that. Again, this is part of the quality management story as well as the work of Customer service experience expert, Ron Kaufman.

If you are not familiar with the above two areas, then you will probably enjoy it more.

[Mimi Da Rea-da · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an excellent book. Understanding the value of a workplace, understanding that you can reach from within to move limits. Understanding that growth is very important for an operation to increase its own self.There’s so many wonderful things to say about this book actually a 3/4 of the way done but I just wanted to drop this with you. Hats off to the writer