Play Nice But Win: A CEO's Journey from Founder to Leader Paperback – 14 December 2021

Play Nice But Win - Book ReviewOne of the best business books I've read (Just completed yesterday). A must buy, must-read. WHY?It's GENUINE! No bragging inside (except the last 20 pages), no "Gyaan-Patti" (Mumbaiyaa language for giving unnecessary wisdom), no 'evangelising' or "visioning etc.It's about more PAIN than Gain. The life of Michael Dell is full of struggles and wins, but this book really focuses on the effort, hard work and sheet pain on the road to super glory.A REALITY check for those dreaming of 'BIG" outcomes. Maybe after reading this book, you will wonder if it is worth it!A deep insight into WHY Companies should NOT go public or IPO. (Dell starts private, then goes public, then goes private and then again goes public as lucidly narrated in this book)The not so nice run-ins with Carl Icahn (My Idol)Super nuggets, information, trivia, knowledge inside:The challenging part of trying to EXPLAIN a changing business model to the world :“We’re really not a PC company anymore,” I told Fortune editor in chief Andy Serwer in July 2012, at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen. But Andy was a tough sell. “Is it really the case that you’re not a PC company now or that you don’t want to be a PC company in the future?” he asked me.How it all began and the genius of 'customising' PCs that made Dell - Dell!One doctor called and said he wanted to buy an IBM PC for me to customize; what model should he get? I told him not to bother—I’d buy the computer, put in everything he needed, and sell it to him at a reasonable markup. That sounded fine to him. So I bought a new PC, ordered the parts I needed from the back pages of Byte, installed them, and delivered the doctor a Michael Dell Special. He was very pleased, and so was I. Then it happened again. And again. Suddenly I was in business."In plain English: all possibilities were on the table. Including staying public—and including the possibility of replacing me."Taking hard criticism "CNN: "Critics say Michael Dell isn't much of an innovator, so he'll never turn Dell into the next Apple or Samsung."I'd been happily working sixteen-hour days, eating at the office, sleeping at the office. My work was my life; my company was my second family.Anyone who says you can start a company and have work-life balance is lying. Was there something off about this? I had an enormous desire to succeed, but I was human, and I knew something was missing from my life. Still, there didn’t seem to be much I could do about it."Persistence is an all-important quality on the road to success. (And success presents its own challenges, avoiding complacency being the first and biggest. Which is why, along with kaizen, PBNS—pleased but never satisfied—has been part of our culture since the beginning.)."Once when someone asked Steve Jobs what he thought of Compaq’s portables, he said, “Well, they make great plastic and handles.”The interesting equity instrument called the "Tracking Stock."Get the book!

The book's length is about right. If you are not a business person, the book reads well for the most part and urges you on to complete it.The finance and stock market bits went a bit above my head. On the other hand a studious business reader would probably find those bits too sketchy!I ended up liking Dell and his team and was rooting for them. Now this is probably what the book intends, which is fine because that is what all literature is about.So, it is not a boring book. It is a nice read, just a little too light or too heavy in parts depending on who you are.

Very candidly written while keeping the pace and the issues upfront.Enjoyed reading and learning about the US corporate world.

We know now from history n news 9 out of 10 billionaires have never played nice n followed the rules to win. Well in India n most part of the world we know that's a fact but Dell shows us insights into the beginning of a struggling young entrepreneur . How he rose to his success by playing nice and staying the path of a true genuine entrepreneur. Setting n example n justifying to those who want to play clean n stick with genuine business philosophy.

Ordered this book on sister’s recommendation. It is definitely going in my all time favourites. The book is well written and is simple to read, understand and inspire.Delivered promptly by Amazon on time.

More self aggrandising, less content. The book could have been created in half the number of pages! Good read to learn about Dell’s journey!

Facts and Alternatives, and Choices and Commitments.

At times a bit confusing on the financial jargon notwithstanding an interesting read on taking Dell private and then public again.