What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School. Kindle Edition!
By Mark H. McCormack (Author)

 

Hello, my name is Maria and today we’re talking about “What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School” by Mark McCormack.

 

McCormack is the founder of the International Management Group (IMG) as well as being a lawyer, author and sports manager.

 

Throughout this book McCormack shares all the valuable ideas and insight he’s gained over the years that have helped him with his career, that you wouldn’t necessarily be taught in a traditional business school.

 

I have three main points that I want to share with you, so let’s get started!

 

The first tip that McCormack shares with us, is that we should try and sell one-on-one.

 

When we’re in a business setting, trying to sell someone on an idea or present a product we have, we should focus on an individual rather than a group.

 

And the reason for that is that McCormack believes that the inter-relationship between the other people present in the room will play a big role in the outcome that you can’t really control.

 

We don’t know the reason that other people are there.

 

What their incentives are, what their motives are.

 

Instead, you should try and focus on the person that’s most important or the key decision maker and just talk to them whenever possible.

 

The second point that I really liked in this book, is the importance of delegating.

 

For McCormack, he sees delegating as building somebody up, giving them the tools they need and having confidence in them and letting go.

 

However, McCormack strongly believes that ego gets in the way of doing this.

 

People would rather have authority than place support in somebody that has expertise in a specific field.

 

This type of behavior is a sign of weakness, of insecurity.

 

We feel that if we allow anybody to do a task because they’re actually capable of doing it, that it will make us look like we’re incapable.

 

That shows a low level of self-esteem.

 

So it really comes back to being comfortable with who you are and having confidence in yourself.

 

Having the confidence to say “you know what, this is not my strength, I’m going to delegate this to somebody who is capable of doing it”, rather than saying “I need to do this because I need to prove to other people that I’m actually not that weak.

The third and final point is to lead by example.

 

This is something I’ve talked about in previous book reviews but I like the way McCormack presented it.

 

He believes that you shouldn’t demand from others anything that you don’t demand from yourself.

 

If you want other people to work to their limits and really push themselves, you have to be doing that yourself and showing other people that you’re doing that.

 

That’s essentially leading by example.

 

Never demand of others what you don’t demand of yourself.

 

Now, let’s go over some of the positives, negatives, and who I think should be reading this book.

 

What I love about this book is that it’s clear and concise.

 

This book is filled with short, concise stories that you can pick up quickly and read and gain valuable ideas and tips about general business life.

 

It’s a great book to have on the go.

 

It’s a book you can read for five minutes and gain something from it.

 

Other books, you know, you really have to get into the chapter and there’s one main concept that’s explained throughout.

 

But in this book, you can really just pick it up quickly for two minutes and maybe one of the ideas that McCormack is talking about sparks interest or makes something click in your mind.

 

So it’s really great for on the go reading.

 

And now to the negatives.

 

One of the negatives I would say nowadays this book is quite dated.

 

It’s written I think in 1989, so some of the ideas maybe aren’t so relevant anymore.

 

Most of the business ideas and advice pertain to today’s business world, but it’s not so focused on technology, so you’re not going to find tips related to Facebook, Twitter and internet usage as much.

 

Who should be reading this book?

 

Well, if you’re entering the workforce or working full time, I definitely think this book is for you, because the ideas that McCormack shares are relevant to business settings.

 

They are practical examples and something that you are probably more easily able to relate to if you’re already working.

 

I don’t think students necessarily that are still in school, like myself, can really apply as many of the ideas because we’re not in that business world yet where we’re working day in day out.

 

So I think if you’re in the workforce, or about to enter the workforce, this is a great book for you.

 

That’s it, that’s my book review for “What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School” by Mark McCormack.

 

If you liked what I talked about here and you wanted to see it in a written format, or you wanted more information on the author, please head over to my blog www.promotekdbook.com.

 

Next week I’ll be back with another book review.

 

But until then, keep reading and keep learning!

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8MY066