Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58915
"THERE IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THE COO IS THE PERSON YOU WOULD WANT HOLDING THE ROPE, SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF DANGLING OFF A CLIFF." —Riding Shotgun Chief operating officers are among the most crucial members of any corpo- ration's management team, and yet little literature exists about how their jobs should be structured or what they should bring to the organiza- tion. In Riding Shotgun, Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles ask when companies should create a COO slot, how they should design the position, and who might be a good choice. The COO's role varies widely from company to company, depending on why the individual was hired in the first place: to act as a mentor to an inexperienced CEO, to run internal operations while the CEO focuses on external matters, or to gain experience as the heir apparent to the corner office. The authors study companies in which the CEO-COO partnership has been brilliant, such as IBM, or disastrous, such as Dis- ney. Some of the most intriguing sections of the book feature inter- views with CEOs and COOs who vividly recount their experiences in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. But the best description comes from Celtic House's Andrew Waitman: "There is an understanding that the COO is the person you would want holding the rope, should you find yourself dangling off a cliff." (Stan- ford University Press, $27.95) "Companies don't die of natural causes; management kills them...one customer at a time," writes Robert Gord- man in The Must-Have Cus- tomer. A company thrives by identifying its own core customers—and then identifying and wooing the similar customers who aren't yet loyal to its brand. That's only one of the seven steps Gordman says a company must take to be successful. The others are: determining its market position, identifying its unique "sweet spot," figuring out why custom- ers buy from the competi- tion, focusing on critical strategies, recruiting top employees, and communi- cating with customers. If that sounds like a great deal of work, it is; and Gordman acknowledges the fact. But he also provides a clean, detailed, sensible plan for how to lead a company through each step and emerge vic- torious and profitable. (St. Martin's Press, $24.95) In its first ten years of existence, the maga- zine Fast Company covered an aston- ishing range of business topics by a stellar lineup of authors. Some of the best can be found in Fast Company's Greatest Hits, a collection of more than 30 articles from the magazine's archives. Here Mort Meyerson, CEO of Perot Systems in the 1990s, offers his thoughts about why "Everything I Thought I Knew About Leadership Is Wrong." Jim Collins, author of the best seller Built to Last, muses on the plausibility of creating and selling companies that are "Built to Flip." Senator John McCain chastises busi- ness leaders who do not go "In Search of Cour- age." Other articles pro- vide quick biographies of professors, entrepreneurs, and social leaders who have had an impact on the business community. Each selection is followed by a letter to the editor writ- ten in response to the article, many airing contrasting views. An intriguing collection with plenty of insights to offer in today's business climate. (Portfolio, $24.95) Quick Looks Looking for a crash course in mar- keting theories? The Marketing Gurus, edited by Chris Murray, is a compilation of summaries of some of the most well-known market- ing texts of the past decade or so. Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin explain product differentiation, Faith Pop- corn emphasizes the importance of predicting trends, and Philip Kotler uses lateral marketing to create a whole new market. Other fascinat- ing contributions deconstruct the Japanese mindset of the marketer as "egoless servant" or explore the necessity of "one-to-one" consumer marketing. The summaries are concise, easy to digest, and full of insights. (Portfolio, $24.95) Jeffrey L. Buller's The Essential Department Chair is a plainspoken, eminently useful guide for university administrators struggling with all their critical chores. It gives advice on how to hire, fire, write a job description, deal with difficult staff members, mentor faculty, set bud- gets, design a code of ethics, and much more. Says Buller, "You've got to know, on a day-to-day basis, how to excel at the many admin- istrative tasks assigned to you." His slim book is an excellent tool. (Anker Publishing, $32.95) ■ z BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2006 59