Do Lunch or Be Lunch

by Howard H. Stevenson, Jeffrey L. Cruikshank, Mihnea C. Moldoveanu, et al.

Book Overview

People join organizations to bring about a desired future. But to succeed, they must be able to predict the behavior of those around them. This title presents an argument for predictability as the most powerful of management tools. It says that - it's mutual predictability that helps people (and organizations) eat - not get eaten.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875847978
• ISBN13: 9780875847979
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Powerful ideas that do not hold together as well as they could.

The basic ideas of predictability and projectability as laid out in Do Lunch or Be Lunch are powerful ones. Stevenson makes a very good (and generally overlooked) point about why communities and corporations exist and what they are expected to provide in terms of framework and structure. There are many many companies today that could do with absorbing some of these home lessons. This book is aimed straight at the companies that are so busy maximizing share price that they forget the expectations of workers and customers alike. The book works best as a kind of system analysis and is least useful when it reaches its chapter on practical tips and models. While some of the models are good, they do not seem to follow as organically as the earlier chapters and felt less relevant than the earlier high level outline of ideas. The title is unfortunately misleading, leading many to think that this is a book about networking and not predictability. I was also irritated by the footnotes. The footnotes are arranged by chapter number but the header bar in the page only lists the chapter title, so I was forced into some irritating flipping back and forth to find the correct note. The interesting ideas and high quality writing would make it a book that I would recommend. I suspect that its appeal would be largest to managers, potential entrepeneurs, or strategy consultants.

Powerful topic for leaders, managers and entrepreneurs

Howard Stevenson has identified one of the most powerful undercurrents of human relationships; predictability. I will admit that I read this book because I already knew him, but then found that the material pulled me in. As an entrepreneur, I had to convince many people to follow my ideas and plans. Although I prided myself on my sales skills, I was still sometimes humbled that people would trust me with hundreds of thousands or millions of their dollars. Do Lunch or Be Lunch helped me to understand how predictability impacted those decisions. It takes the lid off of one of the key ingredients to how people make decisions whether they relate to work, investments, love, or anything. Humans are constantly assessing and guessing their futures. If their future depends on you, it is wise to be honest, open, and easy to predict. By increasing your own predictability, you directly influence the comfort level of those around you. People will take on great hardships and difficulties when they know the risks. As a leader, you don't want to be one of them. This book should be read by managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who needs to lead people. -A retired CEO and current Venture Capitalist

The best business book I've ever read.

Stevenson captures a little discussed but wildly important business phenomenon; the power of predictability in relationships of all types. Written in an egaging, easy-to-read style, his freewheeling text covers everything from the stone age to contemporary conflicts. Very provocative, because it distills so much into one, powerful idea. Much more useful than most quick-fix books.