Review by Amanda Deck -- Big Things Have Small Beginnings
Posted: 26 Mar 2019, 20:49
[Following is a volunteer review of "Big Things Have Small Beginnings" by Wes Berry.]
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Big Things Have Small Beginnings: Learn to Play the Great Game by business expert Wes Berry is a book of advice on running a fantastically successful business, written in a conversational style by someone who clearly knows what he’s talking about. It’s divided into three parts. Part I discusses the role of ambition in business – your own and that of your employees. Managing the latter takes finesse and planning. Berry also ensures you are definite on knowing specifically why you’re doing what you do in your business. Your specific reason is what gives you the incentive to find a solution in times when things go wrong. Part II covers the basics of business. It instantly brought to my mind the Project Management Manual. He then talks about studying how successful people achieved their success, an undertaking that he recommends. Part III is about finding the needle in the haystack - the perfect employee. Berry goes in depth about the type of employees you need, how to recognize them when you find them, and how to manage them to keep them working at their best.
This excellent work made me visualize success as an entire approach to life, a mindset of seeing setbacks and challenges as opportunities to continually grow. It includes discourse, scenarios (both real and hypothetical), and questions to consider that will help you focus on the path that will get you exactly where you want to be. Berry quotes famous works that he considers influential and presents historical events that clearly exemplify his assertions. I consider that a great benefit in understanding and remembering the points he makes. Reading how it all played out in real life means the reader can be sure these aren’t just pretty-sounding theories – they work.
His emphasis on the excellence of the environment for business in America was nice to read about. I like that someone relishes the culture that encourages working hard and working smart. Big Business has a bad reputation in America currently…well, that’s nothing new…but Berry chooses to concentrate on the opportunity afforded by a culture that enables success.
The only issue I have with Berry’s philosophy is the part concerning the ‘perfect employee’. He advises looking for someone so task-oriented that they will do whatever it takes to get the job done, regardless of any other consideration. It makes me think of robots, soulless machines without a moral foundation. He even mentions some men from history who were like this; men who got the job done even when the job was one that should never have been done! I do understand his point that this type of person will make you money and will further the success of your business by ensuring tasks are completed no matter what. Does that make anyone else remember the horror of hearing, “I was just doing my job,” when people were brought up on charges of war crimes? He thinks employees who question are a problem that is pretty much inescapable in business, but hiring that type should be avoided when possible. I suppose it’s Berry’s assumption that the reader isn’t planning on carrying out a business plan that incites revulsion to its outcome that makes him suggest specifically employing “just-get-it-done” people.
Big Things Have Small Beginnings gets 4 out of 4 stars from me. It’s a well-edited business guide that reads like a series of enjoyable conversations from a personable, encouraging mentor. It’s not for those who hate the very idea of Big Business; instead it’s for anyone currently in business or in the process of starting one. Even someone who is just an employee right now, but planning ahead for promotion, will gain from reading this.
******
Big Things Have Small Beginnings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Amanda Deck's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Big Things Have Small Beginnings: Learn to Play the Great Game by business expert Wes Berry is a book of advice on running a fantastically successful business, written in a conversational style by someone who clearly knows what he’s talking about. It’s divided into three parts. Part I discusses the role of ambition in business – your own and that of your employees. Managing the latter takes finesse and planning. Berry also ensures you are definite on knowing specifically why you’re doing what you do in your business. Your specific reason is what gives you the incentive to find a solution in times when things go wrong. Part II covers the basics of business. It instantly brought to my mind the Project Management Manual. He then talks about studying how successful people achieved their success, an undertaking that he recommends. Part III is about finding the needle in the haystack - the perfect employee. Berry goes in depth about the type of employees you need, how to recognize them when you find them, and how to manage them to keep them working at their best.
This excellent work made me visualize success as an entire approach to life, a mindset of seeing setbacks and challenges as opportunities to continually grow. It includes discourse, scenarios (both real and hypothetical), and questions to consider that will help you focus on the path that will get you exactly where you want to be. Berry quotes famous works that he considers influential and presents historical events that clearly exemplify his assertions. I consider that a great benefit in understanding and remembering the points he makes. Reading how it all played out in real life means the reader can be sure these aren’t just pretty-sounding theories – they work.
His emphasis on the excellence of the environment for business in America was nice to read about. I like that someone relishes the culture that encourages working hard and working smart. Big Business has a bad reputation in America currently…well, that’s nothing new…but Berry chooses to concentrate on the opportunity afforded by a culture that enables success.
The only issue I have with Berry’s philosophy is the part concerning the ‘perfect employee’. He advises looking for someone so task-oriented that they will do whatever it takes to get the job done, regardless of any other consideration. It makes me think of robots, soulless machines without a moral foundation. He even mentions some men from history who were like this; men who got the job done even when the job was one that should never have been done! I do understand his point that this type of person will make you money and will further the success of your business by ensuring tasks are completed no matter what. Does that make anyone else remember the horror of hearing, “I was just doing my job,” when people were brought up on charges of war crimes? He thinks employees who question are a problem that is pretty much inescapable in business, but hiring that type should be avoided when possible. I suppose it’s Berry’s assumption that the reader isn’t planning on carrying out a business plan that incites revulsion to its outcome that makes him suggest specifically employing “just-get-it-done” people.
Big Things Have Small Beginnings gets 4 out of 4 stars from me. It’s a well-edited business guide that reads like a series of enjoyable conversations from a personable, encouraging mentor. It’s not for those who hate the very idea of Big Business; instead it’s for anyone currently in business or in the process of starting one. Even someone who is just an employee right now, but planning ahead for promotion, will gain from reading this.
******
Big Things Have Small Beginnings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Amanda Deck's review? Post a comment saying so!