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What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes from a Street-smart Executive
This business classic features straight-talking advice you’ll never hear in school.
Featuring a new foreword by Ariel Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell
Mark H. McCormack, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American business, is widely credited as the founder of the modern-day sports marketing industry. On a handshake with Arnold Palmer and less than a thousand dollars, he started International Management Group and, over a four-decade period, built the company into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with offices in more than forty countries.
To this day, McCormack’s business classic remains a must-read for executives and managers at every level. Relating his proven method of “applied people sense” in key chapters on sales, negotiation, reading others and yourself, and executive time management, McCormack presents powerful real-world guidance on
the secret life of a deal
management philosophies that don’t work (and one that does)
the key to running a meeting—and how to attend one
the positive use of negative reinforcement
proven ways to observe aggressively and take the edge
and much more
Praise for What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School
“Incisive, intelligent, and witty, What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School is a sure winner—like the author himself. Reading it has taught me a lot.”—Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman, News Corp, chairman and CEO, 21st Century Fox
“Clear, concise, and informative . . . Like a good mentor, this book will be a valuable aid throughout your business career.”—Herbert J. Siegel, chairman, Chris-Craft Industries, Inc.
“Mark McCormack describes the approach I have personally seen him adopt, which has not only contributed to the growth of his business, but mine as well.”—Arnold Palmer
“There have been what we love to call dynasties in every sport. IMG has been different. What this one brilliant man, Mark McCormack, created is the only dynasty ever over all sport.”—Frank Deford, senior contributing writer, Sports Illustrated
Featuring a new foreword by Ariel Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell
Mark H. McCormack, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American business, is widely credited as the founder of the modern-day sports marketing industry. On a handshake with Arnold Palmer and less than a thousand dollars, he started International Management Group and, over a four-decade period, built the company into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with offices in more than forty countries.
To this day, McCormack’s business classic remains a must-read for executives and managers at every level. Relating his proven method of “applied people sense” in key chapters on sales, negotiation, reading others and yourself, and executive time management, McCormack presents powerful real-world guidance on
the secret life of a deal
management philosophies that don’t work (and one that does)
the key to running a meeting—and how to attend one
the positive use of negative reinforcement
proven ways to observe aggressively and take the edge
and much more
Praise for What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School
“Incisive, intelligent, and witty, What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School is a sure winner—like the author himself. Reading it has taught me a lot.”—Rupert Murdoch, executive chairman, News Corp, chairman and CEO, 21st Century Fox
“Clear, concise, and informative . . . Like a good mentor, this book will be a valuable aid throughout your business career.”—Herbert J. Siegel, chairman, Chris-Craft Industries, Inc.
“Mark McCormack describes the approach I have personally seen him adopt, which has not only contributed to the growth of his business, but mine as well.”—Arnold Palmer
“There have been what we love to call dynasties in every sport. IMG has been different. What this one brilliant man, Mark McCormack, created is the only dynasty ever over all sport.”—Frank Deford, senior contributing writer, Sports Illustrated
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First published January 1, 1984
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January 7, 2014
First and foremost - Who is Mark McCormack?
Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG, an international management organization serving sports figures and celebrities.
McCormack was featured as one of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans in 1995, 1998, 2001. In 1990, he was named the "Most Powerful Man in Sports" by The Sporting News. His impact on the Sporting World was so great that even today they even have Awards named after him.
The Mark H. McCormack Medal is awarded to the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after the U.S. Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship.
The Mark H. McCormack Award is awarded to the player who has spent the most weeks at number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking during a calendar year. The first 13 of these awards after its inception went to Tiger Woods.
About the Book
When I had read this book 18 years ago, I was completely mesmerized by the wisdom distilled in its pages. However, at 37 years of age, in the year 2014, now when I read it - the magic no longer is present.
Lets get down to understanding the book.
What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School came out in 1984 and was a New York Times Bestseller. Personalities like Robert Anderson (Chairman, Rockwell International), Christie Hefner (President and COO of Playboy Enterprise), Herbert J. Siegel (Chairman of Chris-Craft Industries) and even Rupert Murdoch (Chairman of News Corporation) were full of praise for this book.
I suspect the reason this book became a best seller was primarily because of the impact, influence and the position of power Mark McCormack had on the Sporting / Celebrity Endorsed World - at that time. If you need an example of such authors from today's day and age - Barack Obama, Richard Branson and Jack Canfield come to mind. They are some of the many authors who talk anything from simple boring mundane stuff to absolute nonsense and end up having Best Sellers - because they leverage the sales based on their Brand Persona.
So coming back to Mark McCormack Book - The title is pretty amazing. But the content is pretty ordinary, useless and at times nonsensical.
The book is divided into 3 sections:
Section 1 - People
Section 2 - Sales & Negotiations
Section 3 - Running a Business
Section 1 - People
1. Reading People
2. Creating Impressions
3. Taking the Edge
4. Getting Ahead
Section 2 - Sales & Negotiations
1. The Problems of Selling
2. Timing
3. Silence
4. Marketability
5. Stratagems
6. Negotiations
Section 3 - Running the Business
1. Building a Business
2. Staying in Business
3. Getting Things Done
4. For Entrepreneurs Only
What Mark McCormack has done is given his day-to-day examples like having Tea, going for a walk, playing golf, having dinner or meeting the family of Superstars (of those days) like Arnold Palmer, Bjorn Borg, CEO's of Companies, Vice Presidents etc and then throwing in a nugget of wisdom he learnt from that episode. Personally, I felt he was using the book to not only give us his gems of wisdom but also to advertise whom he knew and how close he was to the top names in the industry. (More of the latter and less of the former)
In fact, some of the techniques like 'give less than your best' or 'doing something for their children to get their business' would be seen more as a Con-Artists or a Insincere Approach (How to Win Friends and Influence People - Remember?) rather than the Genuine Approach.
The examples were not very interesting. But what really got to me was the long-drawn-out, old fashioned approach of writing Mark used to communicate his ideas. I think if you remove all the unnecessary words and sentences, this book could come to around 10 pages.
Moment of Truth.
Techniques like admitting "I don't know," "I need help," and "I was wrong", McCormack's advice on negotiation, the need to be organized, and the power of silence in interpersonal communication are today outdated. With the dawn of Information Technology, Social Media and Free Online Education - such ideas which were thought to be 'Secrets' are no longer fresh - if not useful.
I felt Mark McCormack's main purpose of this book was nothing but to advertise his ego, brag about his achievements, keep advertising those big names under the pretext of preaching a worthwhile gem of wisdom.
Overall the pointers mentioned in this book are definitely not the kind of stuff they would teach you at Harvards Business School.
After all when did Harvard's Business School start teaching you outdated, boring and useless stuff?
Overall Rating
3 out of 10
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | whoisloymachedo.com
Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG, an international management organization serving sports figures and celebrities.
McCormack was featured as one of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans in 1995, 1998, 2001. In 1990, he was named the "Most Powerful Man in Sports" by The Sporting News. His impact on the Sporting World was so great that even today they even have Awards named after him.
The Mark H. McCormack Medal is awarded to the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after the U.S. Amateur Championship and the European Amateur Championship.
The Mark H. McCormack Award is awarded to the player who has spent the most weeks at number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking during a calendar year. The first 13 of these awards after its inception went to Tiger Woods.
About the Book
When I had read this book 18 years ago, I was completely mesmerized by the wisdom distilled in its pages. However, at 37 years of age, in the year 2014, now when I read it - the magic no longer is present.
Lets get down to understanding the book.
What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School came out in 1984 and was a New York Times Bestseller. Personalities like Robert Anderson (Chairman, Rockwell International), Christie Hefner (President and COO of Playboy Enterprise), Herbert J. Siegel (Chairman of Chris-Craft Industries) and even Rupert Murdoch (Chairman of News Corporation) were full of praise for this book.
I suspect the reason this book became a best seller was primarily because of the impact, influence and the position of power Mark McCormack had on the Sporting / Celebrity Endorsed World - at that time. If you need an example of such authors from today's day and age - Barack Obama, Richard Branson and Jack Canfield come to mind. They are some of the many authors who talk anything from simple boring mundane stuff to absolute nonsense and end up having Best Sellers - because they leverage the sales based on their Brand Persona.
So coming back to Mark McCormack Book - The title is pretty amazing. But the content is pretty ordinary, useless and at times nonsensical.
The book is divided into 3 sections:
Section 1 - People
Section 2 - Sales & Negotiations
Section 3 - Running a Business
Section 1 - People
1. Reading People
2. Creating Impressions
3. Taking the Edge
4. Getting Ahead
Section 2 - Sales & Negotiations
1. The Problems of Selling
2. Timing
3. Silence
4. Marketability
5. Stratagems
6. Negotiations
Section 3 - Running the Business
1. Building a Business
2. Staying in Business
3. Getting Things Done
4. For Entrepreneurs Only
What Mark McCormack has done is given his day-to-day examples like having Tea, going for a walk, playing golf, having dinner or meeting the family of Superstars (of those days) like Arnold Palmer, Bjorn Borg, CEO's of Companies, Vice Presidents etc and then throwing in a nugget of wisdom he learnt from that episode. Personally, I felt he was using the book to not only give us his gems of wisdom but also to advertise whom he knew and how close he was to the top names in the industry. (More of the latter and less of the former)
In fact, some of the techniques like 'give less than your best' or 'doing something for their children to get their business' would be seen more as a Con-Artists or a Insincere Approach (How to Win Friends and Influence People - Remember?) rather than the Genuine Approach.
The examples were not very interesting. But what really got to me was the long-drawn-out, old fashioned approach of writing Mark used to communicate his ideas. I think if you remove all the unnecessary words and sentences, this book could come to around 10 pages.
Moment of Truth.
Techniques like admitting "I don't know," "I need help," and "I was wrong", McCormack's advice on negotiation, the need to be organized, and the power of silence in interpersonal communication are today outdated. With the dawn of Information Technology, Social Media and Free Online Education - such ideas which were thought to be 'Secrets' are no longer fresh - if not useful.
I felt Mark McCormack's main purpose of this book was nothing but to advertise his ego, brag about his achievements, keep advertising those big names under the pretext of preaching a worthwhile gem of wisdom.
Overall the pointers mentioned in this book are definitely not the kind of stuff they would teach you at Harvards Business School.
After all when did Harvard's Business School start teaching you outdated, boring and useless stuff?
Overall Rating
3 out of 10
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | whoisloymachedo.com
September 5, 2017
You fell for the word "Harvard". Didn't you?
At least I did, when I bought this book almost 20 years ago, as a dreamy-eyed teenager harbouring aspirations of being part of an IVY League Business School.
Found it in the bottom of my unread shelf few days back, and decided to give it a go.
Few pages into it, I realized when Mr. McCormack wrote this book, he didn't intend to have me - a cynic, possibly entering into mid-life crisis, as a reader.
Naturally, they don't teach all these in Harvard Business School, cause these are pretty commonsense stuff that you learn from life.
Had I read it 20 years back, probably, I would have made it my bible. Now, sadly, it is in my unfinished, not-recommended, balderdash shelf.
Sorry.
At least I did, when I bought this book almost 20 years ago, as a dreamy-eyed teenager harbouring aspirations of being part of an IVY League Business School.
Found it in the bottom of my unread shelf few days back, and decided to give it a go.
Few pages into it, I realized when Mr. McCormack wrote this book, he didn't intend to have me - a cynic, possibly entering into mid-life crisis, as a reader.
Naturally, they don't teach all these in Harvard Business School, cause these are pretty commonsense stuff that you learn from life.
Had I read it 20 years back, probably, I would have made it my bible. Now, sadly, it is in my unfinished, not-recommended, balderdash shelf.
Sorry.
May 15, 2017
Pretty disappointing in both content and form. It is basic common sense stuff...which they don't teach in HBS, probably because you are supposed to know this stuff early or intuitively.
May 5, 2010
Filled with anecdotes and not many concrete strategies, "What They Don't Teach You" is an interesting collection of advice from a guy who's "been there." This book seems like something you might want to keep on your shelf and open up once in a while when you get stuck or need some good ideas.
May 23, 2023
Една од најдобрите бизнис книги кои ги прочитав периодов!
Реална, директна, корисна, јасна. Без никакви дополнителни и непотребни детали. На моменти дури се зачудив колку и во бизнисот сѐ се врти околу познавањето на човечката психологија.
Многу логична и практична книга која вреди да се прочита! Highly recommend it! 🥰
Реална, директна, корисна, јасна. Без никакви дополнителни и непотребни детали. На моменти дури се зачудив колку и во бизнисот сѐ се врти околу познавањето на човечката психологија.
Многу логична и практична книга која вреди да се прочита! Highly recommend it! 🥰
October 4, 2013
The book is about management strategies from the Marck which he had learnt during his career of working for various clients, starting his own firm and growing it. The tone of the book is prescriptive throughout and it makes you feel that someone is constantly teaching you the do's and dont's of business.
If you have spent a couple of years in the industry already, you would already know most of the gyan. The examples are from Mark's real life, who runs a firm dealing with sports marketing and stuff. But how many of us are in such kind of firms. Frankly, I couldn't relate to any of the examples provided in the book.
The book is a nice quick read, but very prescriptive, . My rating is 3/5
If you have spent a couple of years in the industry already, you would already know most of the gyan. The examples are from Mark's real life, who runs a firm dealing with sports marketing and stuff. But how many of us are in such kind of firms. Frankly, I couldn't relate to any of the examples provided in the book.
The book is a nice quick read, but very prescriptive, . My rating is 3/5
March 24, 2024
Book does stand up to its name. It is about people smarts which only get from experience in the field and critical analysis of how could be done in best way possible. Some very actionable tips and advice on street smarts from over 20 years in the sports business dealing with all types of personalities.
It can take some time to get through as it's basically different types of tips. But the way he's able to communicate and break down seemingly intangible soft skills is so well done.
It is like a personable mentor giving advice with the systems he used to run his business.
It can take some time to get through as it's basically different types of tips. But the way he's able to communicate and break down seemingly intangible soft skills is so well done.
It is like a personable mentor giving advice with the systems he used to run his business.
April 10, 2020
Finally got round to finishing this book. It’s alright. The author is in love with himself and it shows. 5/10
April 11, 2018
Disclaimer: The author hasn't done a Harvard MBA, but has given guest lectures there. The central idea of the book is that things not taught at Harvard essentially can't be taught in a classroom but can only be learnt from real life experiences.
The book is an easy to read set of guidelines/daily practices to follow in order to increase your own productivity. McCormack gives a lot of great examples from his own life which make this a very interesting read. The one part I couldn't quite follow, however, is where he discusses the negotiation of Gary Player's contract with Slazenger. He never explains how Slazenger agreed to a termination clause of 'five years notice' although they wanted a short term contract.
Some parts of the book might seem abrupt, but it is filled with some great advice overall. I'd recommend reading the Epilogue before starting the book, as it would completely change the way you read and absorb from it (Business Paradox: the better you think you're doing or the more satisfied you are with your accomplishments, the greater should be your cause for concern).
The book is an easy to read set of guidelines/daily practices to follow in order to increase your own productivity. McCormack gives a lot of great examples from his own life which make this a very interesting read. The one part I couldn't quite follow, however, is where he discusses the negotiation of Gary Player's contract with Slazenger. He never explains how Slazenger agreed to a termination clause of 'five years notice' although they wanted a short term contract.
Some parts of the book might seem abrupt, but it is filled with some great advice overall. I'd recommend reading the Epilogue before starting the book, as it would completely change the way you read and absorb from it (Business Paradox: the better you think you're doing or the more satisfied you are with your accomplishments, the greater should be your cause for concern).
July 6, 2014
الكتاب لا يتعدى أن يكون إضاءات في عالم الأعمال .. يشمل الإدارة والعلاقة مع الموظفين والدخول في عالم الأعمال .. وبسبب قدم الكتاب فسوف تشعر بأن بعض النقاط التي يتحدث عنها تحتاج إلى تطوير أو أصبحت لا يعتمد عليها .. وكذلك هي عبارة عن نقاط من تجربة شخصية .. حينها سوف تدرس كل منها وتقيس مدى تطبيقها من حالتك.
يجب أن يحتوي على منهجيات كي يكون أكثر عملية من نقاط سردية.
يجب أن يحتوي على منهجيات كي يكون أكثر عملية من نقاط سردية.
May 26, 2010
Selling is what they don't teach you at Harvard Business School. ;-) Of course the book is loaded with useful facts from a real-world businessman. Street smarts will love this one from the late Mark McCormack.
November 26, 2025
I’m not deep into the corporate world or running a business yet, but this book still gave me a lot of practical insights anyone can use in daily life. Mark McCormack, the founder of International Management Group was a real pioneer. I didn’t go to Harvard Business School so I don’t know what they teach there 😅, but this book sums things up into three clear parts: people, sales & negotiation, and running a business.
The 3️⃣ Things:
👥👤𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆:
I love how he teaches readers to really read people..what they say, what they don’t say, their eye contact, body language, even silence and small gestures. In business, sometimes instructions come just through eye signals. It also shows how to create good impressions with clients, build your personal presence, and take opportunities without being scared. Some of my favourite ideas are how to turn crises into opportunities, act instead of reacting, and understanding capability vs effectiveness to achieve win-win situations.
📊𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 & 𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:
This part talks about the problem of timing. Sometimes a product is great but fails just because the timing is off. It teaches you to use timing wisely, whether by planning, stepping back, revising, or softening a threat. It also covers the importance of staying quiet at the right time, understanding the buyer’s needs, and negotiating strategically.
💼 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔:
This is where you actually execute everything: being flexible with situations, starting small and growing slowly, finding diverse talents/employees, staying focused on the business, and really getting things done, especially when it comes to making decisions.
✍🏻: #MarkMcCormack
🖨️: @profile.books
📄: 238
⭐️: 4/5
All the tips can be applied in our daily lives, especially when we’re trying to understand our own work habits. It gives you a bigger picture through small details, and makes you want to reorganize and re-manage the way you work.
Thank you, Izah @izahisreading and @definitelybooks for giving me the chance to read this copy. 😍🫰🏻 #parareads #pansing #definitleybooks #bookstagram #whattheydontteachyouatharvardbusinessschool #wowsolongthehashtag
The 3️⃣ Things:
👥👤𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆:
I love how he teaches readers to really read people..what they say, what they don’t say, their eye contact, body language, even silence and small gestures. In business, sometimes instructions come just through eye signals. It also shows how to create good impressions with clients, build your personal presence, and take opportunities without being scared. Some of my favourite ideas are how to turn crises into opportunities, act instead of reacting, and understanding capability vs effectiveness to achieve win-win situations.
📊𝑺𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 & 𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔:
This part talks about the problem of timing. Sometimes a product is great but fails just because the timing is off. It teaches you to use timing wisely, whether by planning, stepping back, revising, or softening a threat. It also covers the importance of staying quiet at the right time, understanding the buyer’s needs, and negotiating strategically.
💼 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔:
This is where you actually execute everything: being flexible with situations, starting small and growing slowly, finding diverse talents/employees, staying focused on the business, and really getting things done, especially when it comes to making decisions.
✍🏻: #MarkMcCormack
🖨️: @profile.books
📄: 238
⭐️: 4/5
All the tips can be applied in our daily lives, especially when we’re trying to understand our own work habits. It gives you a bigger picture through small details, and makes you want to reorganize and re-manage the way you work.
Thank you, Izah @izahisreading and @definitelybooks for giving me the chance to read this copy. 😍🫰🏻 #parareads #pansing #definitleybooks #bookstagram #whattheydontteachyouatharvardbusinessschool #wowsolongthehashtag
March 3, 2018
One guy's takeaway from working in business. I liked his tips about negotiating and basically creating connections (e.g. by giving small favours). The writing style is also great. It's a good introduction into white collar life (navigating the business world).
October 27, 2018
I would warmly recommend this book to anyone aiming to lead people and in general to anyone working in office environment.
September 28, 2023
As a docent, the book is a well-assembled read to give better overview for students but know also your limits. #blinkist
May 31, 2024
There are oceans of precious insights and skills that a life time spent studying business and organisational management from text books will not suffice to cover a drop in it. Here, McCormack successfully summarised many of the key elements that anyone in business or working in any organisation must know in a smooth, quick and simple read.
October 10, 2022
Winning the lottery seems like the easier option
August 10, 2021
I had got this book with the house from the owner and never really got there till i finally started reading every single book i have in a sequence! The best discovery from the book for me is getting to know the author :)!
Mark McCormack was the Founder, Chairman and CEO of sports marketing company International Management Group (IMG). He was named 'the most powerful man in sports' by Sports Illustrated. He was the first guy almost 60 years back who understood what television would mean for athletes. The size of the audience expanded from a stadium to the entire planet. He is credited with discovering the golden triangle of sport, sponsorship and television which created a huge new world of wealth of unforeseen proportion for sports stars and his management company and various agents across the globe.
In this book McCormack does not so much criticize Harvard Business School as the title suggests, but complements the traditional business school-education with 'street smarts. A fun read with many anecdotes and business lessons but i guess only for readers who love sports or else it can turn out to be boring!
Mark McCormack was the Founder, Chairman and CEO of sports marketing company International Management Group (IMG). He was named 'the most powerful man in sports' by Sports Illustrated. He was the first guy almost 60 years back who understood what television would mean for athletes. The size of the audience expanded from a stadium to the entire planet. He is credited with discovering the golden triangle of sport, sponsorship and television which created a huge new world of wealth of unforeseen proportion for sports stars and his management company and various agents across the globe.
In this book McCormack does not so much criticize Harvard Business School as the title suggests, but complements the traditional business school-education with 'street smarts. A fun read with many anecdotes and business lessons but i guess only for readers who love sports or else it can turn out to be boring!
January 29, 2017
الفصل الاول .. فن البيع 5/5
الفصل الثانى .. التفاوض 5/5
الفصل الثالث .. الادارة 2/5
الفصل الرابع .. الفوز فى السباق 2/5
الفصل الخامس .. حسن التنظيم 1/5
الفصل السادس .. الاتصال 0/5
الفصل السابع .. كيف تنجز مهامك اثناء الطريق 0/5
الفصل الثامن .. ممارسةا لعمل التجارى 1/5
=============================
16/40 = 40% يعنى نجمتين من اصل خمسة
مشكلتى انى ابحث عن كتب الثقافة المالية...الادخار...تنمية الدخل المالى ...الاستثمار....بدء البيزنس الخاص...الخ
كتب الادارة لا تستهوينى و بخاصة حينما يكون هيكل الادارة متوسط او كبير الحجم
انا لا ازال مؤسسة من فرد واحد و مجازا يمكن ان نقول 3 افراد
فتقع ف ايدى كتب ادارة هى مفيدة اكيد لكن ربما لمرحلة تالية و ليست مرحلتى الحالية
اما عن التسلية فبالتاكيد هى ليست مسلية الان و لن تكون ايضا لاحقا ههههه
يعيب الكتاب العيب الرئيسى فى اغلب كتب الرديئة فى الكون كله :
عدم توافق العنوان مع محتوى الكتاب او تعمد ان يكون العنوان مثير مع معرفة الكاتب و الناشر انه قد لا تكون المادة بداخل الكتاب على نفس المستوى من الاثارة
خبير التنمية البشرية Brian Tracy مثلا حينما يتكلم فى منطقة تنمية الموظف او المدير او تنمية البيزنس تجده يتحدث فى منطقة المبيعات و كيفية ان تكون رجل مبيعات لبق ...ربما لان هذا مجال بيزنس براين ترايسى التسويق و المبيعات
هو ليس ذو خبرة ف التجارة او البورصة او العقارات او الزراعة او الصناعة و انما فقط المبيعات و مع ذلك تجده ينشر كتاب عن
كيف تصبح ثريا بطريقتك الخاصة : حقق كل أهدافك المالية في زمن قياسي
و حينما تقراؤه تفاجىء ان مواضع قوته هى المبيعات و فقط
كذلك صاحبنا مؤلف الكتاب دا ....شريك فى شركة محاماة مكتب محاماة من عدة محاميين ....لاحقا محامى فى شركة تسويق للاعبين الرياضيين و بخاصة لاعبى الجولف ...مسؤل عن العقود و عقود الدعاية و الاعلان و البث الحصرى للفاعليات الرياضية ...الخ
مدير محام هذا ايضا لا يجعلك ملم بكل شىء فى عالم الادارة و لاا عالم البيزنس
فكان كتابه ممل و غير مشوق اللهم الا اول فصلين ...ربما لان هذا هو مجال قوته التفاوض و فن البيع و التسويق..بينما جاءت بقية الفصول مترهلة
كانت بجاحة كبيرة منه كتابة مثل هذا العنوان المثير و الذى هو غير كفؤ لان يكتب مادة توازيه فى الاثارة وا لفائدة وا لمتعة بداخل الكتاب
هو كأغلب كتّاب هذا النوع من الادب ...الامريكان...فهلوى..عامل ناصح..ربما فى مجاله نعم لكن غير ضرورى ابدا نا يتكلم عن مجالات اخرى هو ضعيف فيها فتكون النتيجة فصول مملة
ربما اعوض من سيقنعهم هذا الريفيو بعدم قراءة هذا الكتاب
و سأعوضهم بعدة اقتراحات اخرى تستحق تعب القراءة
التيقظ : أنت تمتلكه بداخلك، ولكن فقط تحتاج إلى إيقاظه 4/5
اضغط الزر و انطلق 4/5
جبلنا الجليدي يذوب ؛ التغيير و النجاح تحت أي ظروف 3/5
التفاوض المثالي 3/5
الخبايا الخفية للمفاوضات الذكية 3/5
السبب قبل الذهب 2/5 و مع ذلك فهو الكتاب الاروع فى الادارة الذى قراته حتى الان
و اخيرا اتمنى من اى صديق جودريدز يعرف اى عناوين كتب عن personal -financing
و كيف تصبح مليونيرا و الحاجات دى
و تكون متاحة للتحميل عربى/english
pdf
يعرفنى و اكون شاكر له جدا
فى واحد مش فاكر اسمه قال صديقى الحقيقى هو الذى يعيرنى كتاب لم اقرؤه
انا بقا احسن منه كفاية بس تقولى على عنوان كتاب لم اقرؤه من قبل و لينك التحميل :)
الكتاب التالى: How to Get Rich كتاب ممتاز جدا و لكنى كثيرا ما اتركه و اعود اليه
الفصل الثانى .. التفاوض 5/5
الفصل الثالث .. الادارة 2/5
الفصل الرابع .. الفوز فى السباق 2/5
الفصل الخامس .. حسن التنظيم 1/5
الفصل السادس .. الاتصال 0/5
الفصل السابع .. كيف تنجز مهامك اثناء الطريق 0/5
الفصل الثامن .. ممارسةا لعمل التجارى 1/5
=============================
16/40 = 40% يعنى نجمتين من اصل خمسة
مشكلتى انى ابحث عن كتب الثقافة المالية...الادخار...تنمية الدخل المالى ...الاستثمار....بدء البيزنس الخاص...الخ
كتب الادارة لا تستهوينى و بخاصة حينما يكون هيكل الادارة متوسط او كبير الحجم
انا لا ازال مؤسسة من فرد واحد و مجازا يمكن ان نقول 3 افراد
فتقع ف ايدى كتب ادارة هى مفيدة اكيد لكن ربما لمرحلة تالية و ليست مرحلتى الحالية
اما عن التسلية فبالتاكيد هى ليست مسلية الان و لن تكون ايضا لاحقا ههههه
يعيب الكتاب العيب الرئيسى فى اغلب كتب الرديئة فى الكون كله :
عدم توافق العنوان مع محتوى الكتاب او تعمد ان يكون العنوان مثير مع معرفة الكاتب و الناشر انه قد لا تكون المادة بداخل الكتاب على نفس المستوى من الاثارة
خبير التنمية البشرية Brian Tracy مثلا حينما يتكلم فى منطقة تنمية الموظف او المدير او تنمية البيزنس تجده يتحدث فى منطقة المبيعات و كيفية ان تكون رجل مبيعات لبق ...ربما لان هذا مجال بيزنس براين ترايسى التسويق و المبيعات
هو ليس ذو خبرة ف التجارة او البورصة او العقارات او الزراعة او الصناعة و انما فقط المبيعات و مع ذلك تجده ينشر كتاب عن
كيف تصبح ثريا بطريقتك الخاصة : حقق كل أهدافك المالية في زمن قياسي
و حينما تقراؤه تفاجىء ان مواضع قوته هى المبيعات و فقط
كذلك صاحبنا مؤلف الكتاب دا ....شريك فى شركة محاماة مكتب محاماة من عدة محاميين ....لاحقا محامى فى شركة تسويق للاعبين الرياضيين و بخاصة لاعبى الجولف ...مسؤل عن العقود و عقود الدعاية و الاعلان و البث الحصرى للفاعليات الرياضية ...الخ
مدير محام هذا ايضا لا يجعلك ملم بكل شىء فى عالم الادارة و لاا عالم البيزنس
فكان كتابه ممل و غير مشوق اللهم الا اول فصلين ...ربما لان هذا هو مجال قوته التفاوض و فن البيع و التسويق..بينما جاءت بقية الفصول مترهلة
كانت بجاحة كبيرة منه كتابة مثل هذا العنوان المثير و الذى هو غير كفؤ لان يكتب مادة توازيه فى الاثارة وا لفائدة وا لمتعة بداخل الكتاب
هو كأغلب كتّاب هذا النوع من الادب ...الامريكان...فهلوى..عامل ناصح..ربما فى مجاله نعم لكن غير ضرورى ابدا نا يتكلم عن مجالات اخرى هو ضعيف فيها فتكون النتيجة فصول مملة
ربما اعوض من سيقنعهم هذا الريفيو بعدم قراءة هذا الكتاب
و سأعوضهم بعدة اقتراحات اخرى تستحق تعب القراءة
التيقظ : أنت تمتلكه بداخلك، ولكن فقط تحتاج إلى إيقاظه 4/5
اضغط الزر و انطلق 4/5
جبلنا الجليدي يذوب ؛ التغيير و النجاح تحت أي ظروف 3/5
التفاوض المثالي 3/5
الخبايا الخفية للمفاوضات الذكية 3/5
السبب قبل الذهب 2/5 و مع ذلك فهو الكتاب الاروع فى الادارة الذى قراته حتى الان
و اخيرا اتمنى من اى صديق جودريدز يعرف اى عناوين كتب عن personal -financing
و كيف تصبح مليونيرا و الحاجات دى
و تكون متاحة للتحميل عربى/english
يعرفنى و اكون شاكر له جدا
فى واحد مش فاكر اسمه قال صديقى الحقيقى هو الذى يعيرنى كتاب لم اقرؤه
انا بقا احسن منه كفاية بس تقولى على عنوان كتاب لم اقرؤه من قبل و لينك التحميل :)
الكتاب التالى: How to Get Rich كتاب ممتاز جدا و لكنى كثيرا ما اتركه و اعود اليه
January 15, 2023
When someone says Business schools, everyone looks up to the top ones like Harvard, Stanford, Wharton etc. with a view of having the top class education system, that creates corporates who would rather be competent in any environment or rather are just prepared for any top level posts right from the start of their MBA education. But the author has a bit of a different take on this thinking. Well, he doesn’t completely disagree with education, but he doesn’t hesitate to state what these prestigious schools actually can’t teach you inside the four walls of the college. To be very honest, the title seems more like an attraction, because once you start reading the preface you would see that the author himself makes a note that the book is about what the schools “can’t” teach you rather than what they don’t! To state, the book is not about what the schools lack, but its more about why they can’t teach you! And what those are exactly! And lastly how to actually inculcate them.
Before we hop in about the book, let's first talk about the author of the book. Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG, an international management organization serving sports figures and celebrities. McCormack wrote several books, including The Terrible Truth About Lawyers and What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, which spent 21 consecutive weeks at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. His annual publication The World of Professional Golf, first published in 1967, included an (unofficial) world ranking system.
The book is divided in three parts, titled – people, sales and negotiation, and third running a business. These in general sense are the topics or the concepts which even if found in business books can’t be taught, as these require a highly practical approach and the will to actually step forward and work. Over the next 230 pages the author goes on discussing certain things which require practical knowledge as well as experience to gain expertise in. These include sales domain skills like strategy, negotiation etc. When I went through this book, one of the major things which I felt was that this book is majorly for the people who are aiming at the fields of Human Resource and Marketing, there isn’t much to talk about the domain of finance, operations etc. But surely the book in its first and the third section helps out in general to any domain.
To summarise and give you a good view of the book. I would say, the language of the book is easy, anyone with normal vocabulary can read it and certainly can get a good idea of the plot. Secondly, the book is highly practical, gives you a clear idea of the concepts, that too with good and concise examples. There is no BS while talking and the teaching and knowledge is up to the mark. I would recommend this book, particularly to the people trying to pursue a career in the domains of Human Resource and Marketing, this may or may not be the guide book! But it surely is a book full of knowledge. To describe it in three words, I would say, Practical – Easy – Worth! Cheers!
Before we hop in about the book, let's first talk about the author of the book. Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG, an international management organization serving sports figures and celebrities. McCormack wrote several books, including The Terrible Truth About Lawyers and What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, which spent 21 consecutive weeks at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. His annual publication The World of Professional Golf, first published in 1967, included an (unofficial) world ranking system.
The book is divided in three parts, titled – people, sales and negotiation, and third running a business. These in general sense are the topics or the concepts which even if found in business books can’t be taught, as these require a highly practical approach and the will to actually step forward and work. Over the next 230 pages the author goes on discussing certain things which require practical knowledge as well as experience to gain expertise in. These include sales domain skills like strategy, negotiation etc. When I went through this book, one of the major things which I felt was that this book is majorly for the people who are aiming at the fields of Human Resource and Marketing, there isn’t much to talk about the domain of finance, operations etc. But surely the book in its first and the third section helps out in general to any domain.
To summarise and give you a good view of the book. I would say, the language of the book is easy, anyone with normal vocabulary can read it and certainly can get a good idea of the plot. Secondly, the book is highly practical, gives you a clear idea of the concepts, that too with good and concise examples. There is no BS while talking and the teaching and knowledge is up to the mark. I would recommend this book, particularly to the people trying to pursue a career in the domains of Human Resource and Marketing, this may or may not be the guide book! But it surely is a book full of knowledge. To describe it in three words, I would say, Practical – Easy – Worth! Cheers!
October 28, 2024
This book very nearly became a rare DNF for me, until I realised just how quickly I'd be able to finish it (and because, god forbid, I appear to juice my 'pages read' Goodreads stat at the end of the year). So I soldiered away, miserably, for a couple of days to get it finished.
The reason this book almost joined the rarified ranks of Did Not Finish is, very simply, that it is almost entirely dreadful (I'll get to that almost in a bit). This book has long been known to me. I've been seeing it in airports for years and, no stranger to the business paperbacks, I finally cracked one day and bought it. For its ubiquity and staying power I was not expecting how extraordinarily dated the book is; it should have been retired decades ago. Why? Let's get listing.
Firstly, and most obviously, the business environment is today almost unrecognisable from the book's publication year, 1984, let alone the time period the book is actually related to, which is author Mark H. McCormack's heyday of the 1960s. Pages and pages are dedicated to office etiquette that just isn't relevant anymore, such as what sorts of suits businessmen should wear; or painstaking detail on how best to reach people on the phone; or on the relative value of telegrams versus letters. Even in the book's own time, the author's views would have been far removed from most businesspeople's experience doling out, as it does, advice on that oh-so general experience of jetting around the world to meet famous golfers and CEOs.
Secondly, as hinted at above, the book is obviously and understandably biased in the sense that all businessmen are, well, men and all secretaries are women. In a historic work of literature (fiction or non-fiction) this need not be a problem; I'm not calling for this book to be banned or anything and I'm more than happy not to apply a modern lens to past works just to create a bit of controversy if the work itself still has value. But for a book marketed today to meet today's business needs this obvious dating of the book is not just anachronistically problematic, it demonstrably illustrates how the book is not geared towards today's challenges.
Which leads to my third point: if the book had deep insight or value then, no, it being mildly dated would not have led me almost to put it down. The book's biggest problem is that (mostly) the advice it offers (mutatis mutandis to today's environment) is just not as insightful as it, or the title, makes it seem. For example, an early chapter on Creating Impressions offers the anodyne advice to avoid typos in communications and to personalise them a bit. A later chapter extols the virtue of knowing the facts to size-up a situation and another still on the value of silence in negotiations. None of this is bad advice but it probably isn't taught at HBS because that institution doesn't think it needs to teach its students to check their spelling or do their prep before a sales meeting.
Lastly, and quite possibly the reason the book was so hard to get finished, was just how unctuously smug it is. I get it: you, Mark, know a lot of famous sports stars. These, naturally, date the book even worse. The references to Gary Player (who I just about knew) or Jean-Claude Killy (who I did not) do no favours in giving an impression of cutting-edge insight for the business leaders of 2024. The bigger issue with all this puffed-up name dropping is that it just looks faintly pathetic, like the author needs to demonstrate on every fourth page how important they are. It doesn't add weight to the point being made and most don't make for interesting stories either. They all also are written in a sort of stiltedly casual way too: I was just walking down the street with Bob Hope and Arnold Palmer and so on and so on.
Why, given all these points, have I given this book 2 stars? There is a small amount of redeeming material in the latter third, when the author shifts to describing how to run a business. Generic as it is, there are a few gems, such as a very relevant comment about not scaling up before you've identified a route to profitability; introducing just enough corporate structure to enable growth but to continually challenge that structure (even as CEO) to prevent ossification; and I particularly appreciated the author's paean to minimising internal meetings. A few of the celebrity anecdotes are reasonably funny too, such as a story involving auto executive John DeLorean in which, at a company event he attended, he commented how a comically oversized fruit basket he received did not, somehow, contain bananas. Missing the sarcasm, his staff ensured from that day that their boss was never far from a banana, be it in hotels, meetings or aboard planes.
The question I'm left with is why is this book still on shelves today? There are no deep insights; the book is not worth reading beyond what wisdom it attempts to convey since it certainly cannot pass on its merits as a piece of literature. So why am I constantly seeing this in W.H. Smiths well into the 21st century? Perhaps a more important question is: why was this book successful in the first place (which I assume it must have been in order still to be in print 40 years later)?
My theory for why the book exists is that the author had hired one too many book-smart not street-smart managers from business school in the 70s / 80s era. This was a time when the efficient market's hypothesis was in the ascendancy - driven by Milton Friedman, Chicago Business School et al. - and there was, I can imagine, a sense that intuition-driven salespeople like McCormack were dinosaurs and everything could be reduced to analysis and logic. In this environment I can see why a book that re-centred the businessperson's view on common sense could have had been impactful at a time when financial engineering and management theory were increasingly viewed as the only means for growth.
Yet we no longer live in this time; we exist in a world where behavioural economics has established itself, Homo Economicus is viewed as a relic of the past and formal models and business abstraction are viewed with scepticism. Much of what I'm guessing drove the author to write this book is simply not relevant today.
Which leads me back to my question: why is this still being sold? Frankly, I feel the book has simply benefited from marketing, a whizzy title and the snowball effect: I bought it so Smiths will buy more of it so some other poor sap will buy it. At least I know now not to buy the sequel (1990's What They Still Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School: Selling More, Managing Better, and Getting the Job). Fool me once, marketers, and all that ...
The reason this book almost joined the rarified ranks of Did Not Finish is, very simply, that it is almost entirely dreadful (I'll get to that almost in a bit). This book has long been known to me. I've been seeing it in airports for years and, no stranger to the business paperbacks, I finally cracked one day and bought it. For its ubiquity and staying power I was not expecting how extraordinarily dated the book is; it should have been retired decades ago. Why? Let's get listing.
Firstly, and most obviously, the business environment is today almost unrecognisable from the book's publication year, 1984, let alone the time period the book is actually related to, which is author Mark H. McCormack's heyday of the 1960s. Pages and pages are dedicated to office etiquette that just isn't relevant anymore, such as what sorts of suits businessmen should wear; or painstaking detail on how best to reach people on the phone; or on the relative value of telegrams versus letters. Even in the book's own time, the author's views would have been far removed from most businesspeople's experience doling out, as it does, advice on that oh-so general experience of jetting around the world to meet famous golfers and CEOs.
Secondly, as hinted at above, the book is obviously and understandably biased in the sense that all businessmen are, well, men and all secretaries are women. In a historic work of literature (fiction or non-fiction) this need not be a problem; I'm not calling for this book to be banned or anything and I'm more than happy not to apply a modern lens to past works just to create a bit of controversy if the work itself still has value. But for a book marketed today to meet today's business needs this obvious dating of the book is not just anachronistically problematic, it demonstrably illustrates how the book is not geared towards today's challenges.
Which leads to my third point: if the book had deep insight or value then, no, it being mildly dated would not have led me almost to put it down. The book's biggest problem is that (mostly) the advice it offers (mutatis mutandis to today's environment) is just not as insightful as it, or the title, makes it seem. For example, an early chapter on Creating Impressions offers the anodyne advice to avoid typos in communications and to personalise them a bit. A later chapter extols the virtue of knowing the facts to size-up a situation and another still on the value of silence in negotiations. None of this is bad advice but it probably isn't taught at HBS because that institution doesn't think it needs to teach its students to check their spelling or do their prep before a sales meeting.
Lastly, and quite possibly the reason the book was so hard to get finished, was just how unctuously smug it is. I get it: you, Mark, know a lot of famous sports stars. These, naturally, date the book even worse. The references to Gary Player (who I just about knew) or Jean-Claude Killy (who I did not) do no favours in giving an impression of cutting-edge insight for the business leaders of 2024. The bigger issue with all this puffed-up name dropping is that it just looks faintly pathetic, like the author needs to demonstrate on every fourth page how important they are. It doesn't add weight to the point being made and most don't make for interesting stories either. They all also are written in a sort of stiltedly casual way too: I was just walking down the street with Bob Hope and Arnold Palmer and so on and so on.
Why, given all these points, have I given this book 2 stars? There is a small amount of redeeming material in the latter third, when the author shifts to describing how to run a business. Generic as it is, there are a few gems, such as a very relevant comment about not scaling up before you've identified a route to profitability; introducing just enough corporate structure to enable growth but to continually challenge that structure (even as CEO) to prevent ossification; and I particularly appreciated the author's paean to minimising internal meetings. A few of the celebrity anecdotes are reasonably funny too, such as a story involving auto executive John DeLorean in which, at a company event he attended, he commented how a comically oversized fruit basket he received did not, somehow, contain bananas. Missing the sarcasm, his staff ensured from that day that their boss was never far from a banana, be it in hotels, meetings or aboard planes.
The question I'm left with is why is this book still on shelves today? There are no deep insights; the book is not worth reading beyond what wisdom it attempts to convey since it certainly cannot pass on its merits as a piece of literature. So why am I constantly seeing this in W.H. Smiths well into the 21st century? Perhaps a more important question is: why was this book successful in the first place (which I assume it must have been in order still to be in print 40 years later)?
My theory for why the book exists is that the author had hired one too many book-smart not street-smart managers from business school in the 70s / 80s era. This was a time when the efficient market's hypothesis was in the ascendancy - driven by Milton Friedman, Chicago Business School et al. - and there was, I can imagine, a sense that intuition-driven salespeople like McCormack were dinosaurs and everything could be reduced to analysis and logic. In this environment I can see why a book that re-centred the businessperson's view on common sense could have had been impactful at a time when financial engineering and management theory were increasingly viewed as the only means for growth.
Yet we no longer live in this time; we exist in a world where behavioural economics has established itself, Homo Economicus is viewed as a relic of the past and formal models and business abstraction are viewed with scepticism. Much of what I'm guessing drove the author to write this book is simply not relevant today.
Which leads me back to my question: why is this still being sold? Frankly, I feel the book has simply benefited from marketing, a whizzy title and the snowball effect: I bought it so Smiths will buy more of it so some other poor sap will buy it. At least I know now not to buy the sequel (1990's What They Still Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School: Selling More, Managing Better, and Getting the Job). Fool me once, marketers, and all that ...
July 18, 2012
Read many years ago when tarnsitioning from the Navy to civilian life. Very insightful. Should be required reading for all college graduates.
May 17, 2022
Another generic 'business' book written by a self made, self loving, hyperconfident business 'mogul'. Yay. Nothing new to see here.
August 13, 2021
Maybe it might be useful for fresh college students. The author has a high ego and it shows.
August 19, 2024
Great flow and some interesting insights!
July 5, 2025
*DNF* (skimmed entire sections).
This compelling title sounds as though you’re going to learn something brilliant — but you are not. This is a business-category book written and sold by a salesman. The intriguing title, combined with McCormack’s reputation, likely convinced many readers (myself included) to pick it up. Ironically, the author later admits that what Harvard doesn’t teach you are precisely the things that can’t be taught — experiential insights like observation, patience, kindness, and timing.
The Preface reads more like a résumé than a welcome, cataloging McCormack’s achievements — from teaching at Ivy League schools to hobnobbing with sports legends and world leaders. It comes across as self-congratulatory rather than inviting.
The opening chapter focuses on “reading people,” yet quickly shifts into a series of name-drops and self-praise. The author suggests that his listening skills alone helped him navigate relationships with high-profile figures and amass wealth. Frankly, that claim strains credibility.
Take, for example, the anecdote about Burger King and Pepsi on page 9. McCormack frames it as an example of the power of listening, yet the story offers no evidence that listening had anything to do with it. Rather, it appears Pepsi simply responded to the market — rendering the anecdote weak, and arguably, counterproductive to his point.
Chapter 2, “Creating Impressions,” opens on a high note, emphasizing the importance of reintroducing yourself — a practice both courteous and practical. Even Betty White once admitted she struggled with remembering people, as does McCormack. His advice here is spot-on.
Unfortunately, the chapter soon veers into questionable territory. Tactics like saying “It’s good to see you again” to someone you’ve never met, or deliberately “playing off preconceptions” to mislead others, reek of manipulation. The contradiction is most glaring on page 31, where McCormack claims that “deception never makes a very good first impression.” One wonders how he reconciles that with the strategies he just endorsed.
Advice on secretaries, discretion, and keeping one’s word is useful — but oddly wedged into this chapter, as though ethical basics don’t belong in a formal business education.
Page 48 attempts to explore honesty versus tact — encouraging the reader to temper blunt truths without sacrificing authenticity. However, the point is muddied by conflicting advice: “play a role” to gain advantage, but also “be yourself.” Which is it?
There are a few high points. The sections on emotional management and learning from failure are worthwhile. But again, one has to ask — are these really lessons not taught at Harvard, or are they just common sense?
Chapter 3, “Taking the Edge,” presents a more grounded and credible approach. It focuses on identifying opportunities, doing your homework, and exercising patience. This chapter, unlike many others, is rooted in practical wisdom rather than bravado or gamesmanship.
Chapter 4, “Getting Ahead,” takes a turn for the worse. McCormack draws a stark line between those who succeed and those who “languish forever in middle management.” He goes on to list tactics he admits never using, since he simply founded his own company. One might question whether he’s now dispensing advice outside his own expertise. I skipped the rest.
The section on saying hard-to-say phrases like “I don’t know” to appear more relatable felt forced — another attempt to turn humility into a tactic. The later discussion of trust and loyalty feels so basic that it’s puzzling why it appears here at all. I skimmed the rest of the chapter.
Part 2 opens with thin content — chapters on selling, timing, and silence — none of which held my interest. Chapter 8, on marketability, is a basic overview of knowing your product. These “notes from a street-smart executive” seem like the sort of material that would be covered at Harvard. I skimmed this entire section.
Part 3, “Running a Business,” initially held more promise, but Chapter 11 devolves quickly into a list of personal opinions without structure. Again, I skimmed this section.
To be honest, I really felt that this work was not worth the trouble to read it.
This compelling title sounds as though you’re going to learn something brilliant — but you are not. This is a business-category book written and sold by a salesman. The intriguing title, combined with McCormack’s reputation, likely convinced many readers (myself included) to pick it up. Ironically, the author later admits that what Harvard doesn’t teach you are precisely the things that can’t be taught — experiential insights like observation, patience, kindness, and timing.
The Preface reads more like a résumé than a welcome, cataloging McCormack’s achievements — from teaching at Ivy League schools to hobnobbing with sports legends and world leaders. It comes across as self-congratulatory rather than inviting.
The opening chapter focuses on “reading people,” yet quickly shifts into a series of name-drops and self-praise. The author suggests that his listening skills alone helped him navigate relationships with high-profile figures and amass wealth. Frankly, that claim strains credibility.
Take, for example, the anecdote about Burger King and Pepsi on page 9. McCormack frames it as an example of the power of listening, yet the story offers no evidence that listening had anything to do with it. Rather, it appears Pepsi simply responded to the market — rendering the anecdote weak, and arguably, counterproductive to his point.
Chapter 2, “Creating Impressions,” opens on a high note, emphasizing the importance of reintroducing yourself — a practice both courteous and practical. Even Betty White once admitted she struggled with remembering people, as does McCormack. His advice here is spot-on.
Unfortunately, the chapter soon veers into questionable territory. Tactics like saying “It’s good to see you again” to someone you’ve never met, or deliberately “playing off preconceptions” to mislead others, reek of manipulation. The contradiction is most glaring on page 31, where McCormack claims that “deception never makes a very good first impression.” One wonders how he reconciles that with the strategies he just endorsed.
Advice on secretaries, discretion, and keeping one’s word is useful — but oddly wedged into this chapter, as though ethical basics don’t belong in a formal business education.
Page 48 attempts to explore honesty versus tact — encouraging the reader to temper blunt truths without sacrificing authenticity. However, the point is muddied by conflicting advice: “play a role” to gain advantage, but also “be yourself.” Which is it?
There are a few high points. The sections on emotional management and learning from failure are worthwhile. But again, one has to ask — are these really lessons not taught at Harvard, or are they just common sense?
Chapter 3, “Taking the Edge,” presents a more grounded and credible approach. It focuses on identifying opportunities, doing your homework, and exercising patience. This chapter, unlike many others, is rooted in practical wisdom rather than bravado or gamesmanship.
Chapter 4, “Getting Ahead,” takes a turn for the worse. McCormack draws a stark line between those who succeed and those who “languish forever in middle management.” He goes on to list tactics he admits never using, since he simply founded his own company. One might question whether he’s now dispensing advice outside his own expertise. I skipped the rest.
The section on saying hard-to-say phrases like “I don’t know” to appear more relatable felt forced — another attempt to turn humility into a tactic. The later discussion of trust and loyalty feels so basic that it’s puzzling why it appears here at all. I skimmed the rest of the chapter.
Part 2 opens with thin content — chapters on selling, timing, and silence — none of which held my interest. Chapter 8, on marketability, is a basic overview of knowing your product. These “notes from a street-smart executive” seem like the sort of material that would be covered at Harvard. I skimmed this entire section.
Part 3, “Running a Business,” initially held more promise, but Chapter 11 devolves quickly into a list of personal opinions without structure. Again, I skimmed this section.
To be honest, I really felt that this work was not worth the trouble to read it.
Read
May 20, 2021"Business is a constant process of keeping your own guard up--in fact, it is the only way to do business--while encouraging others to lower theirs. Usually, the less formal the situation or venue, the more likely people will be to let their guards down. You will be surprised how much you can learn from a quasi-business or social-business situation" (17).
"One of the best rules I know is when a crisis occurs or is in the process of occurring, don't react. Just
say you'd like to think about it. Make any excuse, but don't respond. Once you have analyzed the crisis
in terms of his potential for opportunity as well as potential for disaster, then you can respond" (58-59).
"I would guess that more deals are blown because of lack of patience than for almost any other reason" (99).
"A good salesman can take ten facts about a product and by stressing some and deemphasizing others create ten different impressions. That's what salesmanship really is: positioning the facts to get the desired results" (124).
"Time itself--or the passing of it--can also be one of your most valuable negotiating allies. Anxiety and the desire to get a deal done breed hyperkinetic behavior. There is a natural tendency to speed up the negotiation process rather than slow it down. Force yourself to resist this urge, and take advantage of it in others" (152).
"For me, getting the most out of my abilities is directly proportionate to getting the most out of my time. I take an aggressive attitude toward time, and I seek to control it rather than have it control me" (229).
"I have been on the receiving end of many no's and I actually prefer an instant negative response to an excessively long, drawn-out maybe. Usually these end up wasting my time and come to the same conclusion anyway.
A no is often better for everyone. It saves time on both sides, and it will give you a sense of satisfaction. The realization that you won't have to deal with it again can make you feel like you've really accomplished something" (231).
"Business is a competition, and any high level, sophisticated competition is almost exclusively a head game. The inner game of business, as this could be called, is understanding the business paradox: the better you think you were doing, the greater should be your cause for concern; The more self-satisfied you are with your accomplishments, your past achievements, your right moves, the less you should be" (254).
"One of the best rules I know is when a crisis occurs or is in the process of occurring, don't react. Just
say you'd like to think about it. Make any excuse, but don't respond. Once you have analyzed the crisis
in terms of his potential for opportunity as well as potential for disaster, then you can respond" (58-59).
"I would guess that more deals are blown because of lack of patience than for almost any other reason" (99).
"A good salesman can take ten facts about a product and by stressing some and deemphasizing others create ten different impressions. That's what salesmanship really is: positioning the facts to get the desired results" (124).
"Time itself--or the passing of it--can also be one of your most valuable negotiating allies. Anxiety and the desire to get a deal done breed hyperkinetic behavior. There is a natural tendency to speed up the negotiation process rather than slow it down. Force yourself to resist this urge, and take advantage of it in others" (152).
"For me, getting the most out of my abilities is directly proportionate to getting the most out of my time. I take an aggressive attitude toward time, and I seek to control it rather than have it control me" (229).
"I have been on the receiving end of many no's and I actually prefer an instant negative response to an excessively long, drawn-out maybe. Usually these end up wasting my time and come to the same conclusion anyway.
A no is often better for everyone. It saves time on both sides, and it will give you a sense of satisfaction. The realization that you won't have to deal with it again can make you feel like you've really accomplished something" (231).
"Business is a competition, and any high level, sophisticated competition is almost exclusively a head game. The inner game of business, as this could be called, is understanding the business paradox: the better you think you were doing, the greater should be your cause for concern; The more self-satisfied you are with your accomplishments, your past achievements, your right moves, the less you should be" (254).
April 17, 2020
Delightfully incisive and insightful. One major aspect of this book which trumps all other self help books is that of McCormack emphasising individual paths. Rather than prescribing this as a "how to" book, it guides the reader through tips and advice that works for him, and justifies them to a great end.
One problem - and it afflicts many novels - is that this was written in the 1980s which unforunately hosted an entirely different business climate and management landscape than we face today. A shame, because the character suffused to this book is plentiful and greatly addictive.
One problem - and it afflicts many novels - is that this was written in the 1980s which unforunately hosted an entirely different business climate and management landscape than we face today. A shame, because the character suffused to this book is plentiful and greatly addictive.
September 9, 2023
I got this book in my drawer since 20years now, and I was unable to initially read it. I felt the name was too much of a declaration. I rather believe now, there is a time for everything. I was not ready to take the learning, the growth principles to accept and draw. This book is full of nuggets, presented in simple manner. To read yesterday, today and tomorrow.
January 21, 2019
A lot of good business advice. A lot of contradicting advice too but so is life and one has to deal with that somehow... There were some examples that were too difficult for me to comprehend. I think it was a useful book but could not get into it for some reason.
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