BOOK REVIEW: THE SUCCESS PRINCIPLE

By Ronald N. Yeaple, PhD
Published by MacMillan Spectrum, 281 pages $15.95.

Reviewed by Alexander A.H. Bohtling, CPA, Retired from Deliotte & Touche LLP

The Success Principle is written for individuals aspiring for top positions, such as CEO, in the corporate world. The author is a professor of business administration at the William S. Simon School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester.

The book was compiled from replies received from the university to a comprehensive survey conducted by the author. The author found that the most successful business executives were doing well largely because they had developed a set of skills for making the changes that are necessary to keep pace in today's turbulent job conditions.

The replies received were most informative and are summarized in this book, which consists of an introduction, twelve chapters, and two appendices.

The twelve chapters are captioned: There Are Plenty of Great Jobs if You Qualify, Taking Charge as CEO of Your "Company of One," Obtaining General Business Knowledge, Acquiring Specific Industry Knowledge, Sharpening Your Analytical Abilities, Building Computer Competence, Learning to Manage Innovation, Developing Skills for Working with People, Planning Your Personal Core Competence, Learning to Market Your Strategic Skills, Selecting and Cultivating Mentors, and Should You Invest in an MBA? They are followed by appendices, including the most frequently asked questions about career strategy and how the research was done.

Throughout the book, much factual information is presented, with such observations as a graduate designation is desirable, but not enough; marketing your skills; thinking of yourself as "A Company of One", the six basic areas of general business knowledge; how your employer treats innovation; the importance of integrity, politics, and promotion; and financial awards of having an MBA.

In your author's opinion, the contents of this book can be very useful to ambitious and aspiring individuals. To summarize:
This book provides the answers to what is needed and how to go about it. *