Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?
by Louis V. Gerstner Jr.
Gerstner's first-person account of turning around IBM in the 1990s: keeping the company whole, shifting to services, and attacking culture. Candid about what an outsider CEO can and cannot do.
Read it if…
you lead or study large-company turnarounds.
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Skip it if…
you want startup lessons.
Try instead: DisneyWar →
Three things you will actually use
- Culture is the game, not an aspect of it.
- Execution over vision in a crisis.
- Decide what not to break up.
Do this first
Read the chapter on culture: 'Culture is everything'.
Our verdict
The classic turnaround memoir.
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Compare with other Leadership books
My Years with General Motors
Alfred P. Sloan Jr. · Leadership
The corporation's architect.
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