A Review Of "What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School" By Mark H. McCormack

Catchy title, the author speaks from experience by sharing insights, wisdom, and advice. What don't they teach you at Harvard business school: How to be an effective salesman, how to negotiate, how to create flexible and dynamic organization, and how to stay in business?

Reading people: McCormack likes to meet people in person. He considers the meeting an aggressive experience where he looks for clues about the person: their mannerism, what they wear, and body language. He says, "But the real self-one's true nature-can't change color to suit its environment." McCormack is undeceived by the in person experience seeing through the corporate personae which is situational by looking for tangible evidences to form impressions and listening aggressively. McCormack tries not to make preconceived notions before meeting the client, such as, preconceived notions of mistrust. McCormack says, "Shrewd insights into people can be gained simply through the powers of observation." McCormack's faith in insight extends broadly, he says, "insight into people ... gives you the ability to predict the future." Ego makes a difference. A person's ego may be your strongest ally. A big ego may mean the person needs to assert themselves and this can be manipulated to close the deal. McCormack advises to take advantage of venue to close a deal by moving the client out of their environment of control. Silence can be an effective approach to winning, take time to use what you learn, time correctly, and be discreet are his advice in reading people.

Creating Impressions. How people relate to you in business is based on the conscious and unconscious statement you make about yourself; impressions are the art of manipulating form, sizing up between players, establishing the dynamic of negotiation, and establishes the tone and mode of doing business. Creating the right impressions can be as simple as treating people the way they want to be treated. Helpful suggestions include: dress as though you mean business, prepare for split second efficiency, don't be a time thief, meet on your own turf, say what you mean, and make notable gestures. Common sense is your best personal asset in business. A good sense of humor creates a long lasting impression. The key to coming across as your best self is by playing the role that features your strongest business qualities and hides your worst. McCormack, however errors in the following hedonistic statement, "The truth can be couched in such a way that it is neither insulting nor self destructive." It leads one to think "Salesmen never tell the truth."

Taking the Edge. McCormack defines "Taking the Edge" to mean taking everything you know about others and everything you have allow them to know about yourself and using this information to load the deck - to tilt a business situation slightly to your advantage.

The problem of Selling. By the time we enter the real world of business a new factor emerges, for the first time our power of persuasion, our sales abilities are being judged and this can be intimidating fearing rejection. One of the biggest problems that people have with selling is that it seems less important than twenty years ago. Selling is what they don't teach you at Harvard business school. Business Schools admit that they train managers MBA. He points out without sales there will be nothing to manage. McCormack prefers new hires with a legal degree. McCormack himself is a lawyer holding a seat on a prestigous NY Law firm, so of course, he is going to prefer lawyers to MBAs.

Staying in Business. McCormark believes in flexibility, cooporation, interdepartmental communication, and defying organization structure norms and guidelines too keep opportunities from being ignored.