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Carlos Slim
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Carlos Slim

The Power, Money, and Morality of One of the World’s Richest Men

Diego Osorno
Verso Books, 2019
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Eye Opening
  • Overview

Recommendation

Writer-director Diego Osorno reveals details about the life of Mexico’s billionaire citizen across 35 short chapters. He covers Carlos Slim’s Lebanese roots, his commitment to family, his economic beliefs, his assorted business ventures, the role of philanthropy in Slim’s corporate structure and his political ties. Extensive interviews and newspaper excerpts calibrate Slim’s importance as they present his values. For those intrigued by one of the world’s leading billionaires, Osorno provides a succinct view. 

Summary

Carlos Slim sets 10 policy guidelines for his businesses.

Mexican telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim shares 10 guidelines with his 220,000 employees, and he expands on these ideas in public talks and speeches. These principles offer a lens into the values that underpin the way he does business.

Slim gives those who interview him a copy of these tenets, so they can understand how he runs his businesses:

  1. Establish minimal hierarchies to maintain flexibility.
  2. Pursue austerity.
  3. Always seek to improve your processes.
  4. The prestige of a manager should not define what is possible.
  5. Teamwork will prevail against any challenges.
  6. Invest profits into building up your company. 
  7. Address business and social issues with creative problem solving.
  8. A consistent, positive attitude will triumph.
  9. Diligent effort creates opportunities.
  10. Creators of wealth are only its temporary administrators.

Slim haggles over every deal. For a man at the top of the Forbes list of billionaires, he proves remarkably scrupulous...

About the Author

Diego Osorno won the Latin American Prize for Journalism on Drugs and the International Prize for Journalism Process. He is the author of nine books and has written six screenplays, along with many articles.

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