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Please - I'm enraged that our business book "Contraire is Love" - did not make the list!

"Contraire is love" is what we make our front line minions chant as we give them a thorough thrashing for thier chronic underperformance!

Then we elite executives laugh hysterically as we continue to bank our mega Barack bailout funds - life is so good & just for the deserving!

Contraire TRULY is love!

Posted by Contraire at February 12, 2009 6:46 PM

The Contraire Inc. Management team and the Japanese decided to engage in a competitive rowing race. Both teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak performance. On the big day the Japanese won by a mile!

The Contraire Inc. team was discouraged by the loss. Morale sagged. Contraire Inc. Corporate Management decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found, so a management consultant was hired to investigate the problem and recommend corrective action.

The consultants' finding: The Japanese team had eight people rowing and one person steering; the Contraire Inc. team had one person rowing and eight people steering.

After a year of study and many thousand $ spent analyzing the problem, the management consultant concluded that too many were steering and not enough were rowing on the Contraire Inc. team.
So, as race day neared again the following year, the Contraire Inc. team's structure was complete reorganized. The new structure: four senior steering managers, three directorate steering managers, one staff steering manager and a new performance review system for the person rowing the boat to work harder.

This year, the Japanese won by TWO miles.
After many months of deliberation, and the third annual race fast approaching, the new management structure became four senior steering managers, three directorate steering managers and one staff steering manager.

This year, the Japanese won by default, the Contraire Inc. racing team sunk three minutes into the race.

Corporate management in Contraire Inc. finally decided to sell the boat and with the profits gave a bonus to the top executives and sacked the rower for poor performance.

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 12, 2009 7:05 PM

"The 100 Best Business Books of All Time". Oxymoronish in this time of no end in sight radical business downturn?

Do we trust anything about business & governance now including the new USA $1T "stimulus" aka liberal debt package? 70% of taxpayers in polling think it will not help & may do more harm. Plus $3T more in TARP like requests with no details?

Meanwhile the Commerce secretary nominee has no confidence in the way the new administration & commerce are headed & he withdraws leaving another void in liberal presidential confidence.

Soon we'll have one taxpayer rower for each 8 trying to live on federal government debt. Love is not enough - are the Democrats unwittingly creating the next 15-25 years of more bubbles & recessions in the free world?

Posted by Contraire at February 12, 2009 7:40 PM

Unfortunately...a very odd time to release a book that chronicles the 100 best business books that aided us in the decline of the dollar, record unemployment, and greed and corruption.

How about the 100 best business books that never stood a chance because they focused too much on how arrogant business had become and how great the CEO wasn't?

Very interesting that Obama, yet again, lost another cabinet nomination because of ideological differences. Contraire-----keep your phone on, they may be calling soon. What Obama is looking to do with the Census of American people is ridiculous; wants to move the Census control from the Commerce Department to the White House. First 100 days don't look so good...

Trevor----well said, where were your books in the list? They must be too simple and the employess might be able to understand it; we wouldn't that!

Posted by Candy Man at February 12, 2009 8:10 PM

I don't know about the love that Contraire spoke of, but there is some serious love between he and the C Man. That's nice.

One does not appear without the other.

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 12, 2009 8:28 PM

Which one?

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 12, 2009 8:30 PM

His Sweetness.

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 12, 2009 8:31 PM

"When the US Democratic Congress is on recess, then & only then are we safe & truly free (same for the House of Lords in the UK)!"

Inside flap from "Contraire is Love".

Posted by Contraire at February 12, 2009 8:33 PM

"Maybe Trevor IS the fabulous Contraire & the wise Candy Man - a trinity of brilliance!?"

From the back flap of "Contraire is Love".

Posted by Contraire at February 12, 2009 8:37 PM

Erik – Thank you for this interview. It's another useful resource. I look forward to checking out some of the books.

"In Search of Excellence was written in a completely different style; it was engaging."

There is definitely no doubt that this is so and it remains a book of great inspiration and design.

The design made the difference—great story telling!

It was also good to see that there are fiction books on the list too.

Our understanding of business cannot expand through itself alone.

Power focuses and narrows.

Diversity creates and multiplies.

This is love.

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 12, 2009 9:22 PM

Contraire - The Thee Amigos strike again! :-)

Candy Man - My books? - Considered far too simple by the great and good in business who know it all of course. Usually greatly enjoyed by front line folks .... and come on - what do THEY know about anything?

Best business book of all time? – Definitely the iconic ISOE followed closely by two Brit. legends and business leaders steeped in Simplicity

“Screw it Lets Do It" - Sir Richard Branson
"Body and Soul" the late Anita Roddick

It always fascinates me how those two folks had no formal management training whatsoever and yet they both are legends of how to do stuff right in business and also get the ‘social responsibility’ bit right too. Whereas the folks who have led us into the financial state the world now faces have – I would guess - been to all the right business schools and have all the right academic management boxes ticked and as TP says ‘coloured inside the lines.’

Naïve question perhaps from me but is there a message here?

Have a great weekend all at TP - the sun is shining gloriously here in Shakespeare’s County - Friday morning 9.45 am ... Life is good

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 13, 2009 4:48 AM

"My books? - Considered far too simple by the great and good in business who know it all of course."

What a statement! Poor, Trevor. It might be something else too. Dunno. But maybe they just don't like your stufff; maybe they have never even heard of you. Have you considered the book's title?

"The 100 Best Business Books of All Time." I assume the book is a national and international concensus of import and impact.

Having read your book after you sent it to me shortly after I began commenting here a year or so ago, I personally liked it.

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 13, 2009 7:31 AM

Judith,

What makes you think that Trevor, Contraire, and I aren't really you? So you may fight with yourself all day and make wonderful points on the TP blog? Hmmmm...now there's a conspiracy theory for you. You haven't commented on Obama's ability to nominate cabinet members...where is the love?

Judith has multiple personalities of Trevor, Contraire, and Candy Man. Why hell, you may even be TP too.

You know...if Trevor, Contraire, and Candy Man were given the opporunity to sail on the Titanic, we would have chosen steerage as our domicile for the Atlantic voyage. We would much rather live with rats in steerage than be one on the top deck. Long live Contraire! I mean Trevor! I mean Candy Man! I mean me!

Judith...

Trevor-----a good weekend to you, if you're not being me or Contraire.

Posted by Candy Man at February 13, 2009 1:49 PM

Hi Judith - I think I may have inadvertently created the wrong impression. I would not even remotely suggest anything I've ever written deserves to be ranked highly - that's up to people who read stuff of course. Apologies if I gave any indication of arrogance - unintentional and not my style at all. I'm happy with what I write and that's the most important thing for me. Glad you liked it too - appreciate your feedback. Best.

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 13, 2009 1:53 PM

Trevor,

Don't feel so bad...stay in obscurity; much safer there anyway.

I'm still working on my copy and hope to have done this weekend. I would like to provide some copious notes.

I've read way too much bulls$%t in my tenure as a manager. Your approach is human, practical, and most easy to apply.

Cheers! I do like Judith as well. As Hannibal Lecter said in Silence of the Lambs, "Life is more interesting with Judith in it."

Don't be too humble though, as you are receiving high marks for your Simplicity Blog!

Posted by Candy Man at February 13, 2009 2:00 PM

Trevor - "Apologies?" I, for one, do not care about an apology. This was not the desire in the very least. Best.

Sweetness - What's in a name? The name is only as important as the ideas behind it. So, I don't care what you call yourself or who is necessarily speaking--rat, dog, pig, or person. Oh, wait, do all mammals speak?

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 13, 2009 3:38 PM

"C is Love" is number 1 in the House of Lords where at this moment they are burning 100 copies (plus the last 2 copies of Simplicity) & me in effigy.

The thread about the "iconic" ISOE is really the "demonic" ISOE. Like you I too have a copy nailed to the dartboard in my 5 car, tile floored & heated garage.

And when I roll into the gararge in the Lexus or Bentley or Ferrari, etc., like you I am revulsed by the sight of ISOE - but I can't look away - it is like a 100th Seinfeld re-run that can not be denied.

TP pioneered faking the data & pay for play - he took it mainstream all the way to his "Greatest Generation of Debt & Corruption" that is now taking most of us under.

Except for the "C is Love" cult that is - because we drink the C-Love Cool-ade ... & thrive on our Barack bailout funds. Life is so fabulous for we elite C-Loves.

Posted by Contraire at February 13, 2009 4:44 PM

Contraire - as we say in England - I'll have a pint of what you're on?! :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 13, 2009 6:03 PM

Trevor - Great response. I'll have one too! :-)

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 13, 2009 6:14 PM

Judith,

Love the post. Mammals do speak, and they speak quite eloquently in Congress as asses and elephants. Even though our humanoid existence does not match the intelligence of dolphins and whales, we have a tendency to chatter it up as mammals.

Even though I appreciate the reference of Sweetness, that name is reserved for the late and great Walter Payton of the Bears from Chicago. WP happened to be my favorite player while I was growing up in Dallas; we even had some great running backs too, but nobody compared to the late and great WP.

There is nothing in a name and mine happens to be Candy Man alias Billy the Kid, vis-a-vis Bach Anon and a relatively unknown of Scott P. in Colorado Springs. I operate three businesses and bailed on Corporate American in early 2008. While I'd climbed to the most prestigious position of Vice President for a multi hundred million dollar company, the disgust of corruption, greed, and treatment of less "powerful" employees was intolerable. Even though I was making a very healthy salary and bonus, I just walked away...

Maybe you, Trevor, me, and Contraire should collaborate on a book idea. Much like musicians, sharing material via the net is very easy to do, as we do here.

While I value the Top 100 Best Business Books of All Time approach to this blog, I happen to believe, and have found out that most of the strategies and garble in many of these books is rubbish. In our quest to outdo another author, many people spin ideas for the sake of print and personality, not noteworthy ideas that front line employees can take to the bank. CEOs are very overrated and so are the ideas behind most books. Hence, my being a fan of Trevor and his Simplicity blog. I'm also a big fan of your creative approach to blogging and business. I'm trying to understand the Being Brand thing, and forvgive me if it takes time, but I'm very leery of most business stuff anymore. I've committed my businesses to becoming more Simple and I only have one mantra: "To take care of myself and those I serve." I recently fired a client that was not acting in accordance with my values. Boy did that feel good! Even though the decision will affect my pocketbook, I'm not going to do business with people I find intolerable, regardless of the consequence.

Trevor was kind enough to purchase my book and review it before I revealed my identity to him. I wanted him to provide the book a fresh review from someone I respected in business.

Posted by Candy Man at February 14, 2009 2:06 PM

Candy Man - I wish you all the best. Walter Payton I have always loved, as he was a favorite of my brothers when I was a kid.

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 14, 2009 3:50 PM

By the way, every mammal has what is required for living and surviving in its own environment; this is the amazing process of creation and evolution. We are forever becoming...

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 14, 2009 3:59 PM

Judith,

That's what I'm beginning to understand through your being brand.

Posted by Candy Man at February 14, 2009 4:10 PM

Dear Sweetness, :-)

Continued success...

Judith

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 14, 2009 4:19 PM

The only "being" we need to understand is flogging the "being" out of the Queen Mother & Trevor Notorious Gay for their advanced pay for play lifestyles that have taken England to the brink of a great depression.

Flog them in the town square at dusk while they are made to call out over & over again "Contraire truly is love" in their naturally high pitched voices. Then & only then shall we finally "be" free.

Posted by Contraire at February 15, 2009 6:22 PM

Contraire – Oh great one. Err... One small point, of a somewhat technical nature, my friend. I will have to be alone in the town square for my flogging - the Queen mother died March 2002.

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Posted by Trevor Gay at February 15, 2009 7:16 PM

"Royalty" grammar is a wicked googlie at times - Her Majesty the Queen - no - let us focus on the House of "Lords" - though it means I will be burned in effigy time & time again.

Posted by Contraire at February 15, 2009 8:19 PM

Bravo, Trevor! LOL! It's a simple distinction between real understanding and whimsical googling in an array of aliases spouted repeatedly as knowledge. Now, that was too funny--no disrespect, of course, to the memory of the Queen Mother.

Posted by Judith Ellis at February 15, 2009 9:39 PM

Absolutely correct Judith - no disrespect - the Queen Mother was a marvellous woman - loved by millions. She was 101 when she died! Gives us all hope :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 16, 2009 3:58 AM

Contraire - I forgive your temporary aberration - I realise that as leader of 'Contrairestan' you are very busy and have matters of state on your mind. Treason is probably still a capital offence in England so we must be careful what we say :-) …. Good fun! – Have a great week in your kingdom of love and luxury.

PS – do you know how many people work in the House of Lords? … Answer - About half of them!

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 16, 2009 4:29 AM

"Brilliant" Trevor (101 is a healthcare model for us all) on this USA Presidents Day - seems like royalty members have been relatively scandal free too - unlike the Kennedy's here who as part of the stimulus package may be sent back to Ireland! And our opaque & mistake prone one here as president makes the House of Lords seem genius by comparison so far! :>)

Posted by Contraire at February 16, 2009 8:54 AM

The best thing about business books is they sell like hot cakes when times are good because nobody wants to be left behind. When times are tough, they sell because everyone ones simple answers to very complex issues. I love that fact that so many experts now emerge to explain why we are in the financial crises. We have lived a party lifestyle for the past 20 years. Buying houses we couldn’t afford, living off our credit scores, and placing so little value on the things that matter the most. As Rev. Wright said, the Chickens have simply come home to Roost. The good news is that I am choosing not to participate the recession. And the first thing on the agenda is to ignore the media telling me how bad it is.

Posted by Rob at February 16, 2009 11:46 AM

A brilliant business book for our times would be the Gay premise of taking those who live in excess, like English royalty & the House of Lords - down to the $1/year level - before England collapses with nary a decent fish OR chip left.

Also we shall impose 6 year term limits for the "Lords".

I express such because I truly am a pioneer & champion & even soul brother for the front line - their opportunity for wealthy family creation is part & parcel of the "C is Love" new generation of happiness & ample myelin sheath healthfulness.

Posted by Contraire at February 16, 2009 1:14 PM

I'm pretty sure that you're all the same person, simply trying to keep the comments section fresh and interesting. Perhaps it's Tom himself?

Posted by Tom Asacker at February 16, 2009 2:32 PM

Yep, we are all Crack-a-lacking. That will only make sense if you have seen Madagascar Escape to Africa 10 times with your 5 year old.

Posted by Rob at February 16, 2009 3:20 PM

Tom A

How did you guess?

Yours sincerely

Thomas Judith Contrairie Trevor Rob Candy Man Peters :-)

PS Hope you are well my friend

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 16, 2009 4:26 PM

Contraire - Your policies in Contrairestan are modern, dynamic and far reaching. How about we strike a deal to export fish and chips from UK to your kingdom and you and I take 50/50 profit share? An Englishman will give up many principles but NEVER his Fish and Chips!

Yours humbly :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 16, 2009 4:31 PM

I agree Trevor & we can finance the startup with Barack "stimulus" funds. :>)

Posted by Contraire at February 16, 2009 6:10 PM

Rob,

Ignorance is bliss. Therefore, I'm blissful as well. Cheers, and I assure you, we're all one in the same; ashes to ashes and dust to dust. viagra price 100mg

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we drop almonds.

Posted by Candy Man at February 16, 2009 9:14 PM

I cannot agree more, actually I wrote a similar post weeks ago

Edward

Frontier Blog - No one ahead, no one behind
http://www.hwswworld.com/wp

Posted by frontierblog at February 17, 2009 12:18 AM

The secret royal recipe for living to 101 appears to have been frequent treatments with gin, applied internally. We shouldn't dismiss the royal family, you know: they seem like an essential part of the scenery of Ye Olde Trevorshire (aka Shakespeare's Country), where Englishmen (a gender-inclusive term) eat nothing but fish and chips, drink nothing but tea or warm beer, put on their flat caps and scarves every Saturday and watch their sacred footie team. Rosy-cheeked children frolic in the cobbled streets, while chimney sweeps sing merrily from the rooftops, and occasionally combine in a dance routine with the fruit and veg barrow boys and flower-sellers. The Simple life, eh? Gawd bless yer, Maam. Now what could Contrairestan (a benign dictatorship?) offer that's better than all that?

Posted by RobCH at February 17, 2009 2:17 AM

RobCH - absolutely brilliant words summing up our lil' ol' country here on the right side of the pond. Contrairestan is of course a new state and therefore still learning these finer points of life. We must give them time. Their dictator leader has a heart of gold really ... and they have not yet discovered Yorkshire Pudding :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 17, 2009 3:03 AM

Trevor, as the old newspaper headline said: "Fog In English Channel - Continent Isolated".

I forgot the Yorkshire pudding! Too many stereotypes, so little time.

Posted by RobCH at February 17, 2009 3:13 AM

RobCH - we must be careful or we'll turn this into an English Blog ... perish the thought old chap ... so I'll just say "Have a nice day buddy" :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 17, 2009 7:08 AM

I am a business graduate and love to read books realted to business and specifically strategy making. I want to reveals the facts behind the succcess of entrepreneur. I liked your book Much. Keep it up.. :)

Posted by Character Education at February 17, 2009 8:27 AM

Character Education (great name by the way) Good luck in your studies - I wish you well. If you REALLY want to know ‘about the facts behind the success of the entrepreneur’ I implore you to please read “Screw It Lets Do” It by Sir Richard Branson owner and founder of the Virgin Group. Sir Richard emphasises simplicity and common sense - the two greatest qualities of any entrepreneur in my opinion. Another book you should read is “Dropping Almonds” by Bach Anon. This book really gives you an insight to the truth of how things can go badly wrong in business when ethics go out the window at the top of the organisation. I’ve made an assumption (possibly wrongly) that you are a young person. If that is the case I hope when one day you are at the top of an organisation that you will always keep a copy of Dropping Almonds on your desk as a reference point to remind you of how integrity must always be at the top of your list of role model behaviours that you will be displaying.

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 17, 2009 11:17 AM

PS Charter Education ... here are 3 random extracts from "Screw It Lets Do It" that illustrate perfectly Sir Richard's philosophy (and mine by the way):

‘The simplicity of this project constantly reminds me of the human folly of creating very complex systems that end up justifying themselves and their existence - but end up stifling innovation’

‘There are always people who criticise and usually they’re the ones who come up with no solutions’

‘Then there are those silly little rules that someone has invented for baffling reasons …… Most red tape is a tangled mess of utterly useless, nonsensical jargon. If I want to do something worthwhile – or even just for fun – I won’t let silly rules stop me. I will find a legal way around the rules and give it a go.'

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 17, 2009 11:30 AM

Charter schmarter - 'C is Love' is the only education one shall EVER need.

Posted by Contraire at February 17, 2009 2:59 PM

'C is Lust' shall be the follow up to Paradise Lost ('C is Love'). Although, the very man you mock, once wrote in his own 'T is Love' a quote from Kingman Brewster, Jr.:

Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a professional. Page 18 of Simplicity is the Key.

With that said, my friend Contraire, you are most professional. ;)

Posted by Candy Man at February 17, 2009 3:13 PM

I have more than enough education to last a lifetime - we don't need a cool new business book or have to use the King's English to know: "we don't fear no stinkin' recession/depression".

Here in England we have a saying about football games: "Don't let what the 95% of drunken, violent, fish & chip inhaling hooligans do make you think the other 5% are just like them."

Posted by Contraire at February 17, 2009 7:00 PM

C man...and I thought you were part of the 95%. I'm disappointed!?

I always thought they reserved your saying for the House of Lords! I would prefer "street smarts" and hooligans in the factory to MBAs and strategery any day of the week. Long live those with a little dirt under their finger nails.

Quite contrary (pun intended) to your post, the biz books I've referenced are far from cool. According to our American folklore (Hollywood), the only thing Englishmen fear is William Wallace.

Posted by Candy Man at February 17, 2009 9:35 PM