Mike Finley Reviews

Mike Finley

SELECTED REVIEWS FOR
The Accidental Leader
What to Do When You're Suddenly in Charge "...many nuggets of wisdom..."
-- Professional Manager, May 2004

SELECTED REVIEWS FOR
The New Why Teams Don't Work
What Goes Wrong and How to Make It Right

"Why Teams Don't Work is that rarest of beasts: a book of truths."
-- Jim Kane, Amazon.com

"Robbins and Finley' book about teams is a masterpece of explanatory journalism."
-- New Orleans Times Picayune

"In no one else's work, except Vallejo's, do I feel such overwhelming desire straining at the limits of words."
-- Michael Cuddihy, editor, Ironwood

"Finley and Robbins set us on a compelling journey to teams success by helping us see and embrace the secrets we often hide from ourselves and our teammates."
-- Richard J. Leider, author of The Power of Purpose and coauthor of Repacking Your Bags

"This is an immensely helpful book. Finley and Robbins show that the secret of great teams isnt found in buzzwords or gimmicks, but in bringing out the best in every individual. Their suggestions are compassionate, yet tough-minded and practical."
-- Robert K. Cooper, Ph.D., author of The Performance Edge and Executive EQ

"Robbins and Finley are provocative writers the read is fast, funny, and highly stimulating."
-- Business Book Review

SELECTED REVIEWS FOR
Transcompetition
Moving Beyond Competition and Collaboration

Library Journal
Coauthors of Why Teams Don't Work (LJ 7/97), Robbins and Finley now tackle traditional concepts of competition vs. collaboration in business, offering as an alternative what they refer to as "transcompetition." Eschewing either end of the continuum, the authors attempt to define the right mix of competition and collaboration in today's radically changing business environment, with a heavy emphasis on the fields of anthropology, psychology, history, and biology. Their goal is to break the cycle of winning at all costs, or of suppressing the individual for the good of the group, while integrating the best of both approaches in an alliance between individuals and organizations. Examples of companies clearly representing these conflicting approaches abound here, but the idea of a transcompetitive organization is sadly lost in a mush of New Age ideas sorely in need of a point. Look to Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science (Berrett-Koehler, 1993) for a far better understanding of natural laws applied to organizations. Buy only on demand at larger public libraries.?
-- Dale F. Farris, Groves, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Booklist
Almost a decade ago, Robbins touted the advantages of teamwork and collaboration in Turf Wars: Moving from Competition to Collaboration (1990). Five years later, he and Finley acknowledged some of the barriers to collaboration in Why Teams Don't Work: What Went Wrong and How to Make It Right (1995). Now, the two propose a new management model that combines the best elements of both collaboration and competition. Robbins is a licensed clinical psychologist, and Finley is a business writer whose columns are carried by the Knight Ridder newspaper chain. They document the destructive effects of competition and the often ineffective results of collaboration. Using self-and organizational-assessment tools and examples from the corporate world, the authors show how to combine these two strategies to best advantage. This book is the second imprint in a new series from Business Week magazine, and Robbins and Finley utilize short, article-length chapters that reflect Business Week's journalistic style.
-- David Rouse

"It will make you made, it will make you laugh, but above all, it will make you think... TransCompetition provides a blueprint for the successful organization of the future."
-- Glenn M. Parker, Author of Cross-functional Teams: Working with Allies, Enemies and Other Strangers

"Absolutely mandatory reading before any other management book. This book will save readers many years of wasted effort. It will save some companies from extinction. That's an R.O.I. I strongly recommend."
-- Stewart D. Saxe, International Partner, Baker & McKenzie