Beat The System: 11 Secrets to Building an Entrepreneurial Culture in a Bureaucratic World

by Robert W. MacDonald

Smart guidelines for building flexible, innovative companies

Beat the System is a follow-up to Robert MacDonald's controversial but successful first book, Cheat to Win. Packed with proven, real-life advice, Beat the System shows readers how to deal with the bureaucracy that can smother the creativity and entrepreneurship essential to long-range business success. Beat the System teaches readers how to beat the bureaucratic system by building entrepreneurial cultures in their businesses, their departments, or even their individual jobs. MacDonald skillfully describes how business cultures develop, how bureaucratic procedures and processes seep into them, and how to build an entrepreneurial culture even as we live in a bureaucratic world. At the heart of his system are practical steps that create a sense of ownership among employees, invites their participation, creates a common mission, fosters an entrepreneurial atmosphere, and shares the rewards with all.

Robert W. MacDonald (Wayzata, MN) is a true visionary in the financial services industry who rose from a door-to-door insurance salesman to the CEO of Allianz Life of North America. He was also the founder, CEO, and chairman of LifeUSA.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2007

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good book for the specific purpose the author is addressing (managing to build an entrepreneurial culture in bureaucracy.) I would recommend it highly for that purpose; outside of that it's a business book by someone who has done well and is willing to let you in on how he thinks he's done it. In particular with this book, the author has thought a lot about what it takes to create a mindset in an organization and his major points are less trite than I find those in most business books.