New Ideas from Dead CEOs uncovers the secrets of success of great CEOs by giving readers an intimate look at their professional and personal lives. Why did Ray Kroc's plan for McDonald's thrive when many burger joints failed? And how, decades later, did Krispy Kreme fail to heed Kroc's hard-won lessons? How did Walt Disney's most dismal day as a young cartoonist radically change his career? When Estée Lauder was a child in Queens, New York, the average American spent $8 a year on toiletries. Why did she spot an opportunity in selling high-priced cosmetics, and why did she pound on Saks's doors? How did Thomas Watson Jr. decide to roll the dice and put all of IBM's chips on computing, when his father thought it could be a losing idea? We learn about these CEOs' greatest challenges and failures, and how they successfully rode the waves of demographic and technological change.

New Ideas from Dead CEOs not only gives us fascinating insights into these CEOs' lives, but also shows how we can apply their ideas to the present-day triumphs and struggles of Sony, Dell, Costco, Carnival Cruises, Time Warner, and numerous other companies trying to figure out how to stay on top or climb back up.

The featured CEOs in this book were not candidates for sainthood. Many of them knew "god" only as a prefix to "dammit." But they were devoted to their businesses, not just to their egos and their personal bank accounts and yachts. Extraordinarily fresh and deeply thoughtful, Todd G. Buchholz's New Ideas from Dead CEOs is a truly enjoyable and fun—yet serious and realistic—look at what we still have to learn and absorb from these decomposing CEOs.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Ideas
Comment: Wow, a lot of old ideas you can use today. I really enjoyed this book and a little history also.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Any businessman seeking the keys to business success from CEO expertise will welcome
Comment: Any businessman seeking the keys to business success from CEO expertise will welcome NEW IDEAS FROM DEAD CEOS, which examines the professional and personal lives of corporate giants who succeeded where others failed. From Estee Lauder's ideas on selling high-priced cosmetics through a new market to Kroc's lessons from Krispy Kreme, discussions of inventions, business school and real world influences, and businessman influences and innovations make for enlightening, lively business history reading perfect for both business and public libraries alike.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: This book could help you start the change from within.
Comment: You may have read the stories of these folks before . A.P.Giannini (Bank of America), David Sarnoff ( RCA) Tom Watson Sr & Jr., Akio Morita (Sony), Sam Walton, Estee' Lauder, Ray Kroc, Mary Kay Ash, Walt Disney. Buchholz gives us fresh insights into their very different backgrounds, shaping moments, relationships and ultimate contributions. Lessons learned for me. The Open Source movement is built on a major technology sharing forum, well Sarnoff did that and more with building TV technology in the US a long time ago. We see that same sharing culture displayed by major firms today such as Herman Miller. I did not know the angst that Thomas Watson Sr put Tommy (Jr) through, nor really how crazy John Patterson of NCR , who single handedly invented professional sales in America, was yet he shaped Tom Sr into one successful salesman. Quick, easy read written by an economist who writes well and clearly. Lots to learn here. Did you hear the one from Seth Godin, " I do no consulting. If I did, I would need to think I could help my clients. No one helps you change, change comes from within.' This book could help start the change from within.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Passion, drive, talent, and luck
Comment: An insightful collection of essays and glimpses into the lives of some of the most successful CEO's of the 20th century. Passion, drive, talent, and luck are all certainly the characteristics evident in each life story. Todd Buchholz delivers a fair mix of trivia and insights into the evolution of each company and the CEO at the helm. One recurring theme: find an un-served market segment; a niche that is sneered at by the current market. For a similar read, make sure you take a look at `Founders at Work' by Jessica Livingston.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Nothing new Here
Comment: If you want a small history lesson on CEOs I guess this is the book for you, but for business majors, most of these lessons are pretty common knowledge.

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