Testimonials

"Every entrepreneur and CEO knows how much of a challenge it is to build a company.  For many of us, it is something we have not done before and it is something that we get an opportunity to do only once or twice in a lifetime.  I am personally aware of this because of my experience in growing Starbucks Coffee from a local (Seattle) business with five stores to a company with more than 1,300 stores and 25,000 employees operating throughout North America as well as in Japan and Singapore.

Faced with the challenge of growing a company, entrepreneurs, CEOs and other senior managers would like some kind of help to facilitate the process of growing a business successfully.  It is helpful to have some kind of "picture" of what needs to be done as a guide.  It also helps to know what others (both individuals and companies) have done so we can learn from their lessons.

...In the early 1990's, we worked hard to make the transition from an entrepreneurship to a professionally-managed company while retaining our entrepreneurial spirit, our espirit de corp, and our ability to innovate and renew ourselves.  As part of this process, we invited Eric Flamholtz to advise us on making this transformation.  At Starbucks, Flamholtz worked with us to develop planning and management systems...

I personally believe that corporate leaders must be open to new ideas and new approaches, regardless of our own personal propensities.  Ultimately I realized the kind of changes required to make the transformation to professional management, were essential to the continued success of Starbucks.  We have now put into place at Starbucks planning and management systems which are essential for an entrepreneurially-oriented professionally managed businesss.

No single book or set of ideas can solve all of the problems of a business.  However, a thought provoking book such as Changing the Game can add real value as business leaders face the kinds of issues described by Flamholtz and Randle.  It gets us to think differently, and hopefully, better about a crucial issue that all business leaders face:  building a company successfully and managing transformations which are required as it grows."

Howard Schultz
Founder and Chair
Starbucks
Seattle, Washington

"I would strongly recommend Management Systems to another firm.  The Management Development Program presentations are challenging and adapted to our group's needs, not rigid in format.  The sessions help me to refocus on endresults, and assist our managers in making the transition from quasi-managers to professional managers."

Ed Gibbs
CEO, Gibbs International Trucks Inc.
Navistar International Transportation Corporation

"The Organizational Audit provides a good snapshot of what's occuring in the organization and helps identify key development issues.  Management Systems was instrumental in identifying our company's corporate culture, enhancing our customer service, and improving our delegating and time management skills."

Keith Hofmann
Vice President of Human Resources
Surgitek