Business Legends - Books That Inspire

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The words inspirational and business do not usually appear in conjunction, unless to illustrate the term, oxymoron. Why is that? It's an interesting idea that seems simple on the page, so why shouldn't these 'exclusive' terms live together in the boardroom? The companies that seem to find that elusive marriage, and make it work, tend to be the stuff of legend.

I've recently finished two books that, without question, are about business and are equally inspiring. One is a veritable CEO bible entitled, "Up the Organization", by Robert Townsend which is not new, having first been published in 1970, and the other is only several years old, by the former executive creative director of advertising legends Saatchi & Saatchi, Paul Arden, entitled, "Whatever you think, think the opposite." What they both convey is a renegade approach to business that really stems from a healthy questioning of the prevailing corporate culture - and it doesn't matter a stitch that one is 40 years old and one is 3.

The Arden book is an interesting melange of creative self-help and a kind of collection of Oscar Wilde-esqe aphorisms and proverbs like, "People who create work that fashionable people emulate do the very opposite of what is in fashion", or "Most people are reasonable, that's why they only do reasonably well." To take these two quotes out of context, might make the book seem cocky and glib, but it isn't. What it does do is challenge you to engage with your inner rebel and push for action beyond the realms of what we, as humans, seem to be constantly regurgitating: the safe path of reason that usually fails to get us beyond the cul-de-sac of the business world and into the creative one. Both should feed each other, but often don't.

The Townsend book is an equally potent brew of wisdom and humor that has been a business bible for years. It's written for the manager in mind but could equally sit next to Khalil Gibran or J. Paul Getty on your shelf, which is to say that it's philosophical and pragmatic, and also very funny. The overall feeling that Townsend is trying to convey is that every business organization needs to be less bureaucratic and more human and intuitive in the process. What will come out of this is a more successful business! To sum up his ethos, is a quote in the book from Lao-Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher, "To lead the people, walk behind them." Both are great books and a welcome change from the usual airport business book boredom, and certainly an inspiring break from The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.


About the Author:
William Feins is a freelance journalist currently living in London and Managing the Euro Cheddar Blog; he received his B.A. degree in Economics and his Masters in Sociology. William has always been interested in the mechanics of business and the inspiration of original thinkers, and firmly believes that the former can't succeed without the latter.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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