Cambridge Business Association
If It Ain't Broke…Break It!
Book

If It Ain't Broke…Break It!

And Other Unconventional Wisdom for a Changing Business World

Robert J. Kriegel and Louis Patler
Warner Books, 1992
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Robert J. Kriegel takes his experience in performance psychology and deftly combines it with his and Louis Patler’s expertise in leadership and business. They create an enjoyable and insightful look at how unconventional wisdom can propel a business to the top, especially when mixed with the willingness to be innovative and take risks. Devoid of cliches and useless filler, this book is solid and includes plenty of quotes from other experts. Kriegel and Patler weave business case histories effortlessly into the commentary. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone involved in the destiny of any kind of business, as well as to people interested in contemporary culture.

Summary

Embrace the Unexpected

Change is happening so quickly that it will shake the foundations of even the most secure businesses. Very rapidly, “today’s innovations will become tomorrow’s antiques.”

The survival of every business depends upon its ability to do what most adults and most companies fear – change. The conventional wisdom that guided businesses in the past never worked that well in the first place, and is certainly outdated today.

Sticking to conventional wisdom will doom any business. The hallmarks of unconventional wisdom are the daunting concepts that keep a company adaptable and fresh, growing and innovative:

  • Without passion, you’ve got nothing.
  • Unless you dare, you’re doomed.
  • Expect setbacks and learn to roll with them, not panic over them.
  • Forces beyond your control will get in your way, so keep an eye on your environment.
  • Move before it moves you.
  • Don’t try to tackle everything yourself.
  • Ride the wave of change.
  • Put fire in your heart and don’t douse the fire in someone else.
  • Look beyond numbers. The numbers may not be “lying”, but they rarely give the whole picture.
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About the Authors

Robert J. Kriegel, Ph.D., is also the co-author of The C Zone: Peak Performance Under Pressure and of the best-selling Inner Skiing. A former all-American athlete and a pioneer in the field of performance psychology, Kriegel has worked as a marketing and advertising executive with a major New York ad agency and taught at Stanford University’s Executive Management Program. Louis Patler is an award-winning author and speaker. The former editor of the American Trend Report, he is now president of the B.I.T. Group, an international training and consulting company based in Marin County, California.

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