Grit, Guts, and Genius: True Tales of Megasuccess : Who Made Them Happen and How They Did it

Uncovers the secrets behind the success of such products as the Batman movie, Corona beer, Motorola televisions, and others

"Everybody looks for a quick fix. There isn't any," says football coach Lou Holtz, who made Notre Dame's Fighting Irish a championship team. Rejecting this sound advice, USA Today reporters Hillkirk and Jacobson ( Xerox: American Samurai ) offer 27 brief profiles of individuals and companies, drawing simplistic conclusions on how "megasuccesses" get that way. Included are former Magellan Fund manager Peter Lynch; Richard Guy and Rex Holt, who coach contestants for the Miss U.S.A. competition; national spelling bee winner Scott Isaacs; and Nintendo, the computer game manufacturer. The lessons to be learned from these case histories are pared down into pithy headings like "Sell Fantasy and Reassure People" or "Master Quality." Being male also helps: a token women's chapter discusses NOW's 1989 pro-choice rally in Washington, D.C. And in forming conclusions, the authors ignore the grueling schedules several subjects say they follow; exhorting readers to work a 70-hour week apparently doesn't dovetail with the authors' own attempt to sell fantasy. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hillkirk and Jacobson take products like the film Batman, the California Raisins commercial, the Magellan Fund, Kodak's Ektar Film, as well as many others, and look at the people behind the successes--what skills they had, how they motivated others, what led to the "mega success." The headings of the chapters that organize the case studies make clear the themes the authors believe in: "Trust Your Gut," "Make the Complex Simple," "Tap the Powers of Every Individual," "Sell Fantasy and Reassure People," "Tap the Power of Information," "Master Quality," "Target, Target, Target," "March at a Slow and Steady Pace," etc. The cases are enjoyable reading, and the authors communicate their ideas well. Recommended for comprehensive business collections.
- Michael D. Kathman, St. John's Univ., Collegeville, Minn.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.