Quick and Nimble asks the question: “How can a company foster a quick and nimble culture – with the enviable qualities of many start-ups – even as it grows?” Turns out there is no single answer to this question, which Adam Bryant demonstrates in 16 chapters that summarize the content of over 200 interviews with CEOs and top executives from small to large companies. The book is divided into two sections moving from the essential elements of effective corporate culture to leadership strategies and fostering innovation. At first glance this book seems targeted to larger and more established companies; however many parallels and lessons can be gleaned from its pages by small business owner or budding entrepreneurs. The key to those lessons is the role of corporate culture in driving the growth and success of any business/organization. Bryant often refers to the politics in a company as being a strong determination of the culture. He goes on to liken politics to cholesterol – you want to encourage the good and decrease or eliminate the bad.

One of the key messages here seems to be that every business is unique and should therefore approach the business of doing business in its own way. Find your focus on run with it. This book serves as a guide to help leaders and CEOs of any size business gain confidence in the time they spend working on the non-tangible work of their work (i.e the culture). This thought process extends beyond the employee(s) to the customers, as you can’t control the way people think but you can control the environment in which that thinking takes place. 

Jesse Roberts- Thunder Bay Public Library