Has anyone read this?...
06-17-2005, 06:42 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 439
Has anyone read this?...
Hey everyone. I don't know if anyone else has read this book yet, but I bought and read Shift: Inside Nissan's Historic Revival. It's a pretty interesting book, and I wrote a review of it. Please read it and see what ya think (about the review that is):
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Bushido and the CEO
In the realm of literary memoirs, readers are finding the professional experiences of top executives intriguing reading. From Bill Gates to Jack Welsh, the world's business leaders are making their wisdom accessible to the public. One of the more obscure titles in this corner of the bookstore is Shift: Inside Nissan's Historic Revival, by publisher Currency.
Written by Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the newly-revived Renault-Nissan alliance, Shift is Ghosn's first-hand account of his life, his professional career, and, by extension, his plan that saved Nissan from the brink.
Ghosn opens the book with a short historical perspective on Nissan, and how it has progressed from its pre-World War II roots, to its modern day market stance behind arch-rival Toyota. Automotive historians of all stripes will delight in details presented here, as they lend a sense of the wider automotive web woven by decades of both competitive and cooperative business.
Once the stage is set, Ghosn begins a sort of abbreviated autobiography. Born to Lebanese immigrants in Brazil, Ghosn's life was multi-cultural from the very beginning. From his youth in Brazil, to his education at France's esteemed École Polytechnique and École des Mines universities, every aspect of Ghosn's life has been global in scope. It is a background he later confides as instrumental in his professional career.
The later chapters of the book are the most involving, as this is where Ghosn comes into his own, elaborating on the business plan that he used, and is using, to bring Nissan back into sustainability and beyond. These chapters read much like a meeting of the board of directors might sound if Ghosn were chairing it.
It is a stirring schematic of the process and its progression, both past, present and future. Part of what makes this portion of the book so directly involving is the relative parity Nissan's revival with coverage of the company in the international media. This book describes a corporate evolution that is literally happening as the reader thumbs the pages. Having this book around to compliment newspaper stories worldwide creates a sense in the reader that he or she can witness both in prose and at car dealerships exactly what Ghosn is talking about.
But the focus of Shift may dismay some. For enthusiasts of Nissan's products, the most discouraging aspect of Shift is likely to be the relative disconnect between the book's title, and the content of its pages.
Though the title seems to sell this 217-page reader as an inside look at Nissan itself, what the reader finds is more of a brief historical overview that serves as the buttress for Ghosn's professional saga, and for his task as Nissan's last hope. Anyone in search of the colorful details, factoids and product planning expertise of Nissan's renewal through product may be disappointed.
But titles are merely thin packaging in most cases, and with this book, like so many other things, content is key. There are doubtless plenty of Nissan fans looking for a concise account of the formula that saved the company. And so it is with Shift. Ghosn does not speak through an intermediary. This is Nissan's revival through the eyes of Ghosn himself.
Perhaps the most obvious material fault of Shift is the quality of its edition. Entire thoughts at times seem assembled from strings of small statements. In spite of this, the book never pushes the reader away with excessively poor structure, nor the high-minded use of big words.
But this book is not meant to be a literary tour de force. Rather it is intended to get its point across quickly, succinctly, and relevantly. And in this way, Ghosn has succeeded in essentially writing his management style: quick, to-the-point, and easily understood.
Perhaps this small book is a tiny capsule of what has made Nissan a great manufacturer once again, and Ghosn a man worthy of his success. It is a personal rendition of great, measured success.
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Any critique points?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bushido and the CEO
In the realm of literary memoirs, readers are finding the professional experiences of top executives intriguing reading. From Bill Gates to Jack Welsh, the world's business leaders are making their wisdom accessible to the public. One of the more obscure titles in this corner of the bookstore is Shift: Inside Nissan's Historic Revival, by publisher Currency.
Written by Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the newly-revived Renault-Nissan alliance, Shift is Ghosn's first-hand account of his life, his professional career, and, by extension, his plan that saved Nissan from the brink.
Ghosn opens the book with a short historical perspective on Nissan, and how it has progressed from its pre-World War II roots, to its modern day market stance behind arch-rival Toyota. Automotive historians of all stripes will delight in details presented here, as they lend a sense of the wider automotive web woven by decades of both competitive and cooperative business.
Once the stage is set, Ghosn begins a sort of abbreviated autobiography. Born to Lebanese immigrants in Brazil, Ghosn's life was multi-cultural from the very beginning. From his youth in Brazil, to his education at France's esteemed École Polytechnique and École des Mines universities, every aspect of Ghosn's life has been global in scope. It is a background he later confides as instrumental in his professional career.
The later chapters of the book are the most involving, as this is where Ghosn comes into his own, elaborating on the business plan that he used, and is using, to bring Nissan back into sustainability and beyond. These chapters read much like a meeting of the board of directors might sound if Ghosn were chairing it.
It is a stirring schematic of the process and its progression, both past, present and future. Part of what makes this portion of the book so directly involving is the relative parity Nissan's revival with coverage of the company in the international media. This book describes a corporate evolution that is literally happening as the reader thumbs the pages. Having this book around to compliment newspaper stories worldwide creates a sense in the reader that he or she can witness both in prose and at car dealerships exactly what Ghosn is talking about.
But the focus of Shift may dismay some. For enthusiasts of Nissan's products, the most discouraging aspect of Shift is likely to be the relative disconnect between the book's title, and the content of its pages.
Though the title seems to sell this 217-page reader as an inside look at Nissan itself, what the reader finds is more of a brief historical overview that serves as the buttress for Ghosn's professional saga, and for his task as Nissan's last hope. Anyone in search of the colorful details, factoids and product planning expertise of Nissan's renewal through product may be disappointed.
But titles are merely thin packaging in most cases, and with this book, like so many other things, content is key. There are doubtless plenty of Nissan fans looking for a concise account of the formula that saved the company. And so it is with Shift. Ghosn does not speak through an intermediary. This is Nissan's revival through the eyes of Ghosn himself.
Perhaps the most obvious material fault of Shift is the quality of its edition. Entire thoughts at times seem assembled from strings of small statements. In spite of this, the book never pushes the reader away with excessively poor structure, nor the high-minded use of big words.
But this book is not meant to be a literary tour de force. Rather it is intended to get its point across quickly, succinctly, and relevantly. And in this way, Ghosn has succeeded in essentially writing his management style: quick, to-the-point, and easily understood.
Perhaps this small book is a tiny capsule of what has made Nissan a great manufacturer once again, and Ghosn a man worthy of his success. It is a personal rendition of great, measured success.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Any critique points?
07-12-2005, 03:58 PM
#4
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 264
Originally Posted by FanaticMadMax
Where did you bought the book at? I looked at amazon.com and there wasn't such book for it.
Sounds interesting, I may have to check it out.
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