I avoided this book for years because I thought it was a best seller about how to climb the corporate ladder. I was so wrong. It's still the best, pithiest book on running a business I've ever read. After reading this book I never again believed in the outer trappings of successful corporations -- exclusive perks for the top executives, big budgets for either a big public relations or H.R. operation. Maybe the key suggestion by Townsend is that a leader must turn department heads loose, give them extraordinary authority and power to perform, get unnecessary obstacles out of their way, and then hold them accountable.