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

by MacDonald, Robert W.

• ISBN13: 9780470175491
• ISBN10: 0470175494
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-19
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

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.

Author Biography

Robert W. MacDonald is a true visionary and business contrarian who rose from a door-to-door insurance salesman to the very pinnacle of the corporate world. He was the founder, CEO, and chairman of LifeUSA, a life insurance company which was formed in 1987 and sold to Allianz SE for $500 million. He retired as chairman and CEO of Allianz North America. He is also the author of Cheat to Win: The Honest Way to Break All the Dishonest Rules in Business.

For more information, please visit www.cheattowin.net.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Prologue: A Case Study for Beating the System	p. xvii
Bureaucracy: The Enemy of Business Success	p. 1
The 11 Simple Secrets	p. 13
Secret 1: Build Parallel Interests	p. 31
Secret 2: Be an Architect of the Future	p. 53
Secret 3: Be Decisive, Multifaceted, and Ethical to a Fault	p. 67
Secret 4: Know the Risk-Measure the Reward	p. 83
Secret 5: Communication-Be a Shower not a Teller	p. 93
Secret 6: Power to the People	p. 111
Secret 7: Become a Trust Builder	p. 127
Secret 8: Sharing Wealth Increases Wealth	p. 141
Secret 9: Be Constant, Consistent, and Concise	p. 151
Secret 10: Treat Important People like Important People	p. 163
Secret 11: Do Simple Things-But Simply Do Them	p. 179
Building from the Inside Out: Lessons Learned in Creating AIMS	p. 187
Epilogue: Certificate of Guaranteed Entrepreneurial Success	p. 209
Sample Memo to the Gods	p. 213
Index	p. 221
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