Info Feed Weblog
Direct from Dell: Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry (by Michael Dell)
Introduction: This book is a good dive into Dell's fantastic success. It highlights a no-nonsense approach to business, an attention to detail and continuous improvement, as well as an obsession for focus. It also offers some glimpse into Michael Dell's personal journey with Dell and does so by avoiding any bravado. By virtue of Dell's achievements in more than 20 years of its existence, the book is a must-read for business people.
Content: "Direct from Dell" has two major parts with several chapters each. The first part discusses Dell's history in chronological order, from its astonishing early success and immense growth afterwards over a period of becoming a professional organization and developing the core of the business model until finally expanding systematically on vertical, horizontal and geographical axes based on well-developed principles embedded into a formidably focussed business model. The second part of the book details Dell's management principles: creating powerful partnerships, building a company of owners, learning directly from the source, developing a customer-focused philosophy, forging strong alliances, bringing your partners inside your business, differentiating for a competitive edge, and thriving on change in the connected economy.
My opinion: I have been a big fan of Dell's for a few years, and thus I had to read this book. The same thing that got me excited about Dell via hundreds of magazine and business articles shone through in the book: Although the results are revolutionary in their impact on industries (and stockholders), Dell doesn't do that much revolutionary stuff. They just take what is out there, strip away the nonsense, add a (large) dose of focus, and keep prodding along. That's what it is: simple business 101. Well, something more of course, but the main gist is what every executive will always recite no matter what company he is working in. But Dell really does do it. They scrap products immediately when they don't work out. They focus innovation on what the customer needs in the short-term future and not in some time far and away. Senior management knows and trusts numbers.
Another amazing thing, and also mirrored in the book, is Michael Dell's own development from having founded the company at 19 and staying CEO all the time, growing and developing with and ahead of the business, and constantly leading the charge at Dell. I can't even start to fathom what capacity he has to learn, but it must be immense.
"Direct from Dell" is concise and focussed just as the company's management methods are. Thus, it can be read in just a couple of hours. It has a clear language and is full of examples. If there is one negative thing, it's the rather bubbly parts about the power of the Net; although they are mostly reasonable points overall, they reflect 1999's knowledge and would probably be re-written as of today.
Summary: If you want to read about karma-building motivation efforts, innovative management techniques, the magic powder to business, or spectacular innovation - you might just fall asleep with this book. But if you want to know how you can grow and manage a business with a focussed and grounded approach to management, "Direct from Dell" is for you. In the end, success is the most exciting thing of them all.
- Book Title: Direct from Dell: Strategies that Revolutionized an Industry
- Book Author: Michael Dell (helped by Catherine Fredman)
- Year of Publication: 1999
- Buy the book at Amazon.com.
- My rating:
More book reviews of mine here.