Good Business Books
Book Review: The Benevolent Dictator
In "The Benevolent Dictator", OfficeMax founder Michael Feuer gives readers a down-and-dirty guide to starting and growing a successful business.
The word "dictator" conjures up images of a leadership style that most entrepreneurs have been trained to avoid.
Although exceptionally harsh and overbearing CEOs can still be found, they're the exception rather than the rule. A throwback to the era of Scrooge & Marley.
But in The Benevolent Dictator, Michael Feuer advocates for dictatorial leadership - with a twist. Unlike the despots that populate the headlines of the evening news, Feuer argues for entrepreneurs to exercise decisive leadership while putting the needs of employees, customers and other stakeholders above their personal interests.
Yet despite the care he exercises in drawing readers' attention to the "benevolent" qualifier, Feuer's primary focus is a clarion call for entrepreneurs to step up to the plate and make big decisions when they need to be made.
While other business leaders are mired in pointless analysis and endless rounds of consensus building, Feuer argues that the most successful entrepreneurs are taking action, embracing risk and making tough decisions.
Structured to reflect the business lifecycle, The Benevolent Dictator equips entrepreneurs with practical strategies for various stages of business growth. Step-by-step and turn-by-turn, you will learn how to grow your company by leveraging the thought processes of decisive leadership - without morphing into the Gordon Gecko of the small business community.
Entertaining, practical and insightful, we highly recommend Feuer's Benevolent Dictator for any entrepreneur who is ready to turn their talk and dreams into measurable growth and real-world results.
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