The Source of Success: Five Enduring Principles at the Heart of Real Leadership

by Peter Georgescu and David Dorsey

In The Source of Success, Peter Georgescu, former CEO of the world-renowned advertising agency Young & Rubicam, reveals the nature of the new economic world, and shows what it takes to win in this intensely competitive arena. Georgescu presents a new standard of leadership that focuses on the key source of value in today's corporation: the relationship between the informed customer and the creative employee--a relationship, he shows, that must be...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787980374
• ISBN13: 9780787980375
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Builder of Dreams

Peter's account of the dramatically changing business landscape is both prescient and practical. Peter built one of Madison Avenue's most successful and enduring brands, Young & Rubicam and he shares his secrets while detailing the gathering forces that all managers must pay attention to. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot. John Gerzema, Author, The Brand Bubble

Great reading....

Found it very interesting to read. Has a good insight and is useful not only for OB/HR students but also anybody who wants to improve their leadership skills.

A Successful look at Success

This is a superb and inspirational book on the qualities that are required in today's business environment to succeed. Mr. Georgescu writes the book in sections that correspond to his ideas. The first of these is that the world has changed fundamentally and requires a fresh way of thinking about business and customers. He appropriately calls this chapter, "The End of the World as We Know It." The following five chapters are: Creativity: Tomorrow's Factory Today Enlightened Leadership: No More Mr. Tough Guy Competency: The Essential Tools Alignment: The Magic Word Values: Dare to Be Good These are then followed by a postscript dedicated to A Better Chance and an acknowledgements section. My favorite two chapters are the ones on alignment and values. He makes a very strong case for structuring your business so that everyone understands clearly what it stands for and how everyone should relate to vendors, customers and even towards peers. He also drives home the point with very interesting examples. To me, the values chapter is related to the alignment one. In it, Mr. Georgescu makes the case for having clear values and for always doing the right thing. He uses Johnson & Johnson for his example in this chapter and discusses how the company reacted to the Tylenol poisonings. Overall, the book is a good value and provides first hand accounts of interactions between Mr. Georgescu and many of the other captains of industry. I recommend it because it made me examine some of the interactions between my firm and customers. I am sure that it will do the same for you and help your business and personal quest for success.

An Inspiration

I have just finished reading The Source of Success. It was an inspiration. As the book suggests it is not simply the right thing to conduct your business with integrity, honesty and humanity but it is the only way to insure that the business you are building will be able to endure and flourish. It could not be a message more appropriate to all of us trying to compete in this new world. Our success is dependent upon being aligned with the best interests of our client/customers -- not taking advantage of them. It is about building privileged relationships with those clients/customers so that you can participate in their success. However that can only happen if we are truly their partner, exhibiting an honest desire to help them succeed. We all have a long way to go to deliver on that vision but your book has brought home how critically important it is to do so.

Sage Observations from Someone Who Knows

Peter Georgescu gives us insights drawn from his own long experience. This is a passionate, book, full of humanity and vision.