Goldilocks on Management: 27 Revisionist Fairy Tales for Serious Managers - Hardcover

Mayer, Gloria G.; Mayer, Thomas R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814404812 ISBN 13: 9780814404812

Publisher: Amacom Books, 1999

Synopsis

Reveals fundamental business management lessons within fairy tales ranging from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" to "The Three Little Pigs"

About this title

Review:

If you're like most people, you probably have at least two different book piles: the vocational and the recreational. The books from the first pile you read for information, guidance, professional advancement, and, hopefully, inspiration. The books from the second you read for pleasure. Some overly dry business writers seem to think the two piles should never mix, but not so the Mayer and Mayer team.

Goldilocks on Management is an entertaining primer for managers, a fictional romp through the past that simultaneously illustrates important management strategies and techniques firmly rooted in the present. The authors have taken time-honored fairy tales and rewritten them in a contemporary style, often with an ironic, humorous twist. Goldilocks, for instance, does sales and marketing for an institutional food products firm, and, when discovered in the three bears' living quarters, grabs an inopportune moment to make a pitch. The infamous new-clothes-seeking emperor is persuaded by foreign investors, two charming and flattering fashion designers, to buy an expensive royal outfit made of "Spinlight." Each fairy tale is followed by an interpretation and advice on how its lessons can be applied by serious managers in less fantastical situations, together with a real-world business example. Though the authors sometimes sound trite, using such overused management-speak as win-win situations and thinking outside the box, their points are useful reminders of common-sense ideas, presented in an unusual but readable format. This is a book with which to wind down, have a quiet chuckle, and hopefully relearn a thing or two to take back to the office. --S. Glass

From the Back Cover:

Advance Praise for Goldilocks on Management

"Imagine, if you can, a management book you can curl up in bed with--one filled with magical characters, snappy dialogue, and wise management advice. If you think such a book can only exist in fairy tales, think again--because Gloria and Thomas Mayer have written Goldilocks on Management, a witty, spirited, and unexpectedly practical overview of the crucial principles of management." --Bambi Holzer, author of Retire Rich and Set for Life

"Is it possible to write a witty, entertaining, enjoyable, and easy-to-read book filled with wisdom and the fundamental principles of management? Gloria and Thomas Mayer have accomplished that task superbly in Goldilocks on Management. Your laughter will alternate with your note-taking as you read it from cover to cover. Buy a copy today . . . or better yet, buy ten and give nine to friends." --Norman B. Sigband, Ph.D., Distinguished Emeritus Professor, University of Southern California Graduate School of Business

"The first business book to have me alternately nodding in agreement and laughing out loud. Highly recommended." --Walter J. Mix III, Managing Director, The Secura Group, Former California Commissioner of Financial Institutions

"A creative and entertaining approach to communicating both the how and why of fundamental management principles. Will help newly minted managers think about the reasons behind the basics and give experienced managers helpful reminders on why it's important to remember the basics." --Thomas Priselac, President, Cedars-Sinai Health System "One of the few management books that will get you laughing, thinking, and leading happily ever after." --Tony Allesandra, Ph.D., author of The Platinum Rule

About this edition

• Publisher: Amacom Books
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0814404812
• ISBN 13: 9780814404812
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256