books:

	Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow Chip Conley Jossey-Bass, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Part memoir, part theory, and part application, the book tells of Joie de Vivre's remarkable transformation while providing real world examples from other companies and showing how readers can bring about similar changes in their work and personal lives. Conley explains how to understand the motivations of employees, customers, bosses, and investors, and use that understanding to foster better relationships and build an enduring and profitable corporate culture.

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A practical program for entrepreneurial success that includes more than just money

This book is proof that there are thoughtful, caring, and people driven entrepreneurs. It is possible to be very successful without being driven by insatiable greed and boundless narcissism. The author, Chip Conley, is a Stanford MBA who has carved out a great reputation and financial success with a California based boutique hotel chain called "Joie de Vivre" (you can find their website at jdvhotels dot com).

Conley has all the great personal stories showing his personal commitment to his businesses, being willing to sacrifice personally to give it time to succeed (the entrepreneur who has not lived for extended periods without a paycheck is the exception rather than the rule). What makes Conley quite special and someone it seems I would like to know (despite our likely polar political views) is his how thoughtful he is about what he is trying to do and his reaching into the meaning of his work shows on every page of this book. Just look at the end of each chapter for a list of additional reading on the subjects discussed!

Abraham Maslow is a hero to many thinkers, however, the closer you get to the front lines of business survival the more his ideas seem like a luxury rather than foundational principals. However for Conley, Maslow's philosophy is the bedrock of what Conley is about. He uses Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs and its usual presentation in a pyramid as the model for his own trio of pyramids to express what his business tries to accomplish. Conley turns Maslow's five section pyramid into three section transformation pyramids that consist of a base of survival, a middle section of success, and the peak section (note the title of the book) of transformation.

The author sees his work in three constituencies (and provides a group of chapters on each one): employees, customers, and investors. The sound principle being that without great employees who embody your business you won't have customers and without successfully building a profitable customer base you can't reward investors. However, Conley wants more than the base part of the pyramid for each of these stakeholders.

For employees the transformational pyramid is: Money (survival), Recognition (success), and Meaning (transformation). That is people come to work for their paycheck and feel good about their jobs when the business demonstrates that it sees their contribution. However, when the employee sees their job as a way to express their own values because they align themselves with the company's mission, it can create a meaningful transformation to the employee's life. That is, the paycheck provides motivation, recognition creates loyalty, and meaning sparks inspiration.

The transformational pyramid for customers is: Meets Expectations (survival) which creates satisfaction, Meets Desires (success) which creates commitment, and Meets Unrecognized Needs (transformation) which creates evangelism. For investors the pyramid is: transaction alignment (survival) which creates trust, relationship alignment (success) which creates confidence, and legacy (transformation) which creates pride of ownership.

Obviously, there is much more to these statements than I can bring out in this little review. My hope is that by listing them you will become intrigued about what Conley is talking about and want to get the book and read it carefully. I think it is an interesting read that will fire you up to want more for and from your business than a fatter bank account (although that is indeed a part of the story). The author illustrates his points with many examples from his own work that demonstrate how practical and desirable these principles are.

Bravo.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

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Great read

There is considerable print, film documentary and factual evidence on the critical and pessimistic side of how businesses and corporations are surviving and thriving today, - but Chip Conley is relentlessly optimistic, practical, responsible and idealist - as much in his business as in his writing. The development of his company has been remarkable to watch from the sidelines, and this book effectively explains how he has done it and why it works. A great read that makes cynicism hard to hang onto!


Brilliant and Inspirational

Chip Conley presents a cogent perspective on achieving self-actualization in business. It is refreshing and inspiring that in today's competitive, dog-eat-dog world, businesses are finding that success is possible through providing a culture where people can find meaning. By engaging mind and heart, employees will become tied to the success of the organization. Applying this same concept to customers and investors, Chip Conley is able to demonstrate, through his experience at Joie de Vivre, that you can withstand even the most difficult of market conditions by applying Maslow's theory of self-actualization. This book is a must read for business leaders and entrepreneurs alike.

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Excellent!

Loved it. I can't wait to read it again. I bought a second copy and gave it to my CEO.

What is so wonderful about this book is that its lessons can be applied to anyone with passion for making things better. While I may or may not be an executive one day myself, the concepts of self actualization resonate in sales and pretty much all areas in business.
A must read for anyone serious about business and how the human element is motivated for success.


Pyramids are Good

Chip needs to talk to my boss and your boss ... our company culture is soo lacking and if we followed Chips methods I know the culture could be great. That would make our customers, employees and investers happy too.

Instead of "the beatings will continue until morale improves" why not take the team to the beach and throw around some ideas!

Great read for executives, managers and people in startups. Buy this book help spread the happiness ;)

Bill

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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