Reviews for Athenian Constitutional History; As Represented in Grote's History of Greece, Critically Exa...

The average rating for Athenian Constitutional History; As Represented in Grote's History of Greece, Critically Exa... based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-10-04 00:00:00 Chris Cordova Loads of really practical ways to evaluate projec health. Not every organisation is at a level where you can use these though...if we did we'd probably never start any projects at all! I enjoyed all the little anecdotes in the book, and I would really like to know what the heck happened to that donkey?

Review # 2 was written on 2014-06-17 00:00:00 Jeremy Bright Read this if you're interested in corporate change and culture Ideal for those who need to realise institutional change can be achieved in ANY organisation (if a global company with 300,000+ people can do it, your company can do it). So I came across this book several years ago when we at McKinsey’s Sydney office were cleaning out the cupboards. Since then it lived on my shelf and looked at me. I've found management and leadership books are heavy on the philosophy, theory or learnings behind business improvement; because essentially that’s what these books promise to attract your custom. To the Desert & Back: The Story of One of the most dramatic business transformations on record (2003, Jossey Bass Publishing) does the opposite, at least in my eyes. It’s a refreshing, humble and ‘how did they do it?’ look at the problems, people and processes this simply ginormous global entity (being Unilever) took to overhaul its ailing practices, and reinvent itself in the seemingly traditional space of food product manufacturing. And don’t think you need to be an Exec or work for some large, lumbering global business to reap benefit from this book - ‘career-fledglings’ or those of you in small firms stand to garner from the content too! Why do I use the verb ‘refreshing’? Because rather than focus on information and technology, (which companies have relentlessly employed and, sadly, often failed at), Unilever truly drove down the road to improve its people, its people and its people. Instead of a one-dimensional ‘people and values’ drum beating (which is a tired addition to every company’s annual report or website), they brought their disparate teams together...yes, physically, together. From the top-down, and bottom-up, ‘To the Desert…’ spoke of how the then Group President Tex Gunning, had his team engaged in self-reflection, ambitious goal setting and used powerful, physical, special events to create a sense of humanity, excitement and self-belief. It’s not until the final 10 pages the authors drop in management-speak or resort to org charts. My favorite line was the following: “Only in a safe environment, where leadership at every level is sincere and professional, can people really be themselves, challenge issues and take initiative. This brings out the best in people”. Pp 82.