The Agenda: What Every Company Must Do to Dominate the Decade

Read by the author 5 CDs/6 hours In the 1980s it was "In Search of Excellence." In the 1990s it was "Reengineering the Corporation. "Now, at the break of the 21st century, it will be "The Agenda, "the audiobook that will guide and focus management thinking for the next decade. Michael Hammer is the co-author of "Reengineering the Corporation, "one of the legendary books in business publishing. It was an international bestseller with more than two million copies sold and spent many weeks on "The New York Times "bestseller list. "Reengineering "was a huge success becasue it helped renew American business at a time when it was being eclipsed by foreign competitors. "The Agenda" is, in fact, Phase II of that revolutionary approach to business. It pushed business even further, showing managers and executives how to reorient their efforts to achieve growth and excellence because of--not in spite of--today's powerful customers. At the heart of "The Agenda" are Michael Hammer's nine principles that everyone who makes decisions in business must know--from the imperative to redefine a company in customer terms and the value of measuring performance where it really matters to ways of institutionalizing the ability to adapt and change. Every business person needs a vision that springs from the opportunities and challenges of his or her own time. With insight, focus, and an energizing sense of optimism, "The Agenda" meets that need today.

Review :
"A recipe for winning in today's fast-moving, hypercompetitive world." -- Dave Pottruck, president and co-CEO, The Charles Schwab Corporation "I've long admired Michael Hammer's insights into what's wrong with businesses and his prescription for improvement. Dr. Hammer is absolutely on the mark about how growth has to be created, not just harvested, and that makes management among the most difficult, risky, and precarious of human endeavors. Today with dot-coms turning to dot-bombs and even long-established businesses being upset by upstarts, The Agenda provides a series of valuable lessons for anyone seeking success in the consumer-dominated economy. Read this book -- and hope your competitors do not." -- Joseph Nacchio, chairman and CEO, Qwest Communications "Michael Hammer has once again forged ahead of the pack with a practical, specific, easily understood, and prophetic view of what's ahead. As world business competition continues to intensify, CEOS will do well to listen to Hammer." -- Larry Bossidy, chairman and CEO of Honeywell International "Like Dr. Hammer's previous books, The Agenda articulates a new and important business sea change, the emergence of a customer-centric economy. His practical road map-for those who are willing to rise to the challenge-is a wake-up call rallying business leaders to start thinking like customers. From the boardroom to middle management, this is a must-read for every company executive. Your company's future depends on it." -- Mackey J. McDonald, CEO, chairman, and president, VF Corporation "From the Hardcover edition."