Hit the Ground Running Lib/E: A Manual for New Leaders

by Jason Jennings

MP3 CD Format Want to compete with the best of the best? Then hit the ground running. Here’s how. The toughest job in business is taking over as a new leader. You have to quickly assess the situation, pull together a strong team, decide on a strategy, and inspire everyone to execute it. The stakes for new leaders are even higher. Whether you’ve been brought on to fix something that’s broken, launch a product, move the company in a new direction, or head up a division, every new leader is under the gun to get up to speed and begin producing strong numbers— ASAP. In Hit the Ground Running, Jason Jennings introduces us to America’s best performing new CEOs who pulled off the most impressive transformations of the decade. They doubled revenues, more than tripled earnings per share, and doubled their company’s net profit margins. After interviewing and analyzing the stories of these top leaders, Jennings delivers their hard- earned, battle-tested strategies, which will inspire any new leader to take the helm and start delivering. When Richard and Tim Smucker were appointed co-CEOs of The J. M. Smucker Company, they shared their strategy with everyone and got them on board with their mission. Since then, Smucker’s went on to dominate the markets and bring in billions of dollars of new business. Mike McCallister, the CEO of a twenty-billion-dollar health-services giant, decided to stop pretending and publicly admit that health insurance is broken. Humana began to replace a crippled, complex, and confusing system with one that works and has more than tripled revenues, earnings, and share price since McCallister took over. By processing change in bite-size pieces, Jeffrey Lorberbaum led Mohawk Industries through twenty successful acquisitions and turned his family’s carpet-making business into the largest flooring company in the world. Filled with engaging stories and lessons from the cream of the crop, Hit the Ground Running will help new leaders at every level balance short- and long-term goals as well as the needs of shareholders, employees, customers, and the community

Genres: Leadership, Business, Nonfiction

Audio CD

First published March 18, 2005

About the author

Jason Jennings (b. May 31, 1956, Negaunee, Michigan) is the author of the 2001 Harper Collins NY Times bestseller, It's Not The big That Eat The Small - It's The Fast That Eat The Slow, and his subsequent business bestsellers for Penguin Putnam , Less Is More (2004) and Think Big-Act Small (2006).

He began his career as a broadcast journalist and later owned radio stations in Oklahoma, Washington and Arizona. The consulting firm he founded Jennings-McGlothlin & Company became the largest media consultancy in the world and served clients in the broadcasting and retail industries.

He does between sixty and eighty keynote speeches each year around the world and in 2007, USA Today named him one of the three most in demand business speakers in the nation alongside Tom Peters and Jim Collins.

Reviews

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really great collection of stories about CEOs who took over during tumultuous times and gave really great encouraging lessons on what to do during times of company transitions or pivotal moments within an organization. It's kind of the voyeuristic perspective of company chaos and transformation that you always hope for but would have to lead several companies into the ground to actually have.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little schizophrenic about this book. In order to accommodate my mental incapacity with regard to this book, I will review it in two parts, Everything except the bit about Mike McCallister and the bit with Mike McCallister.

Everything except the the bit about Mike McCallister
Very interesting and insightful. Some great advice for the new manager and unexpected insight. I say unexpected because in interviewing successful CEO's Jennings finds that many commonly held axioms of business management are not necessarily the only path to success.

The author does a pretty good job reading his book, though there are parts that may be a little more polished with a professional reader--in places, the inflections were a little different that what I believe he meant when he was writing the book.

The Bit about Mike MCallister
If you're interested in a description of the entire Health Care debate through the lenses of horseshit-colored glasses, this is your place. This chapter could be called "Chicken Soup for the Fascist Soul". The author enthuses about the "advances" McCallister (from here on out, I'll refer to him merely as Satan) brought to the health care industry. The best part is how he tries to peddle things like passing increasing pharmaceutical costs on to customers in the form of higher co-pays as "consumer-oriented" policies. I'm sure Grandma will be glad to know that the reason he has to choose between eating and taking her medicine is because Humana is enacting policies that help her out (and produce huge profits for Satan and Humana).

I could go on, but I won't.

In conclusion, honestly overall this was a good book. Unfortunately, the bit about Humana really raised my hackles because I have strong feelings on that topic. The author clearly did a good amount of research and it does show.

[Iwaswondering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a Q&A with the "most successful CEOs of our day." Jennings discusses what made their histories, what made them successful and what ideas, methods, and beliefs they feel contributed to their success.

This is an excellent book for readers who want to learn from the experience of others.

[Lavanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book, I read when I took up the role of Branch Manager. I personally have used very strategy in each chapter and it works like a T everytime. Infact I even got awarded Best manager in my company. Every company is dealt with in detail, clearly emphasising on the essential. Lovely read. I still gift this to every down line junior manager i meet.

[Nathan Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was nothing secret ninths book. It was refreshing to read about leaders of large companies that were principle based in their business practices. Good guys finish the race that makes them winners and by their actions make the world a better place.

[Michelle Monroe Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as business books go, this is great. Saw him speak last month and decided to pick it up. In line with how I want to conduct business and lead.

[Jay Ubalde · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-stars.

[Effendy Yahaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passion, integrity with good background reference and intelligent drives personal to become a leader.

[Alberto Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting starter book about managerial traits.