Share

The 5 minute MBA

THE 5 Minute MBA, by Wayne Brown

This is a book I have been waiting for, but for all the wrong reasons.

I have been careful not to review books I do not believe add value to readers. Time-starved adults rarely need to be told not to read a book.

They might need to be encouraged to read a masterly book that will enrich their business skills, or provide astute insights or thought-provoking perspectives.

In 1994 Steven Silbiger’s 10 Day MBA was first published. It is now in its fourth edition.

The intention of the author was to give some insight to 10 topics taught in all the best business schools.

It covers marketing, ethics, accounting, organisational behaviour, quantitative analysis, finance, operations, economics, and strategy.

No one could consider themselves an expert at one of these subjects after reading the 40-page overview of each topic.

Similarly, no one with a three-year undergraduate degree in economics would consider themselves an expert either.

Mastery of any discipline requires decades of involvement in the study and practice.

What the 10 Day MBA does achieve is an orientation to each of these subjects. After reading the chapter on Marketing, for example, you will know why a salesman is not a marketer, and a marketer is not a salesman.

Wayne Brown’s book The Five Minute MBA raises the question of what you possibly learn uncommonly quickly that you do not know already, and that is little more than an instruction.

Yesterday I learned how to create templates out of Excel charts I had created by viewing an instructive video I found on YouTube.

It took about three minutes to learn which icon on which toolbar is the macro, the single instruction that expands automatically into a set of instructions to perform the complex task.

Running a business of any size is extremely complicated and there are no macros. There are no rules that apply in the way that rules apply in engineering.

For example: “Be generous to your staff and they will return you kindness in the form of diligence at their tasks.”

This is not a rule; generosity breeds greed as well as gratitude and it is hard to know which will result.

The 5 Minute MBA comprises only 31 pages of text at the normal print size, and many more pages with the repetition a phrase from the facing text in extra-large print single.

Unlike the 10 Day version, it covers little more than one would expect of an after-dinner speech.

Three and three-quarters of the 31 pages are dedicated to a description of the author’s credentials.

He has been the chair of boards of “a number of organization that were in trouble,” in the healthcare industry, power generation and others.

All of which returned to viability and profitability.

To quote the comment by Canadian business Professor, Mintzberg, regarding a similar claim, “All by himself?”
 
Based on these credentials the author provides 10 lessons.

Lesson One: “Always get on with the person with the money.” No, he is not referring to the financial director, a reminder that all corporate people need, but to the customer.

“This lesson is a plain-English version of ‘be customer-focused’,” he explains.

Lesson Six is “Do the right thing,” in contrast to “Is this legal or illegal?”

Nice, but trivial. The lesson is repeated in Lesson 10 as “Always ask, at all levels, ‘how would this sound in court'?”

The book is a trivialisation of a valuable degree, earned the hard way by men and women who are most often holding down responsible jobs at the same time.

My purpose in even mentioning this book is to highlight what I believe is the correct way to get value from business books.

First, check their credentials. What right to do they have to be tell you what they are telling you? The right could be based on their years in the field, or their years of study.
 
Serious authors take years to produce a book, not necessarily in the writing of the book, but in the thought process or experiences that go into a good book.

The more popular genre of business books are illustrated by well chosen examples of credible companies that best illustrate the point.

The accuracy of the selected illustration, painstakingly researched and checked for validity, requires effort never apparent in the reading.
 
Such books of quality should be read slowly. Critical sections should be re-read and interrogated. The ideas should be shared with colleagues because in the sharing come the clarity.

Busy people should read no more than two or three books a year. Let me put that differently, busy people should study no more than two or three books a year.

Underline significant passages, and write your comments in the margins. One CEO I work with puts post-its with a note in his favourite pages.

Think of a book as a short business course, offered by a superbly qualified person. For a few hundred rands, you can take the course at your convenience.  

A column like this one can direct you to a book you should read, and if you choose not to read the book, you have the benefit of exposure to relevant business ideas for superb thinkers.

*Ian Mann of Gateways consults internationally on leadership and strategy and is the author of Strategy that Works. Views expressed are his own.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.9%
Rand - Pound
24.10
-0.9%
Rand - Euro
20.59
-0.7%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.42
-0.9%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.8%
Platinum
915.75
-0.8%
Palladium
1,028.36
-3.5%
Gold
2,159.96
+0.2%
Silver
25.03
-0.6%
Brent Crude
85.34
-0.1%
Top 40
66,252
0.0%
All Share
72,431
0.0%
Resource 10
53,317
0.0%
Industrial 25
100,473
0.0%
Financial 15
16,622
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders