Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow

by Chip Conley Narrated by Chip Conley

Overview

After a long climb to the pinnacle of the hospitality industry, Chip Conley - CEO and founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality - was rocked to his foundation by a dramatic economic downturn. His company was suddenly undercapitalized and overexposed in the post-dot.com, post 9/11 economy. This desperate situation made Conley reaffirm his belief in psychologist Abraham Maslow's iconic concept of the Hierarchy of Needs and rely on Maslow's theory of human motivation to help his business flourish once more. In Peak, Conley explores how Joie de Vivre - the second largest boutique hotelier in the world ? overcame the storm that hit the travel industry by applying translations of Maslow's ideas to his company's winning business practices. Part memoir, part theory, and always practical, accessible, and engaging, Peak offers a behind-the-scenes look at Joe de Vivre's remarkable transformation. Throughout this audiobook, Conley provides real-world examples from other companies including Google, Whole Foods Market, Harley-Davidson, and Southwest Airlines, and shows how anyone can bring similar changes to their own work and personal lives. Peak reveals the miracle of human potential and shows what can happen when employees live up to their full potential, customers are completely transformed by the experience they receive, and investors are fulfilled by leveraging the potential of their capital.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Despite using the word "mojo" in the subtitle and citing inspiration he received from 1960s counterculture icon Timothy Leary, this guide to better management isn't for hippies. Yes, Conley started the California boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre Hospitality with the Phoenix Hotel, once a haven for faded rock stars. And yes, he quotes liberally from "rebel" CEOs who surf. But Conley's book is packed with thoughtful, instructional stories and advice for entrepreneurs as well as Fortune 500 managers, gleaned from his own experience as well as other business books. At the center of this confessional how-to is psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a pyramid that ranks human needs from base to self-actualizing. Used as the basis for employee, customer and stakeholder satisfaction, Conley contends, it can transform a business and its people. Though Stephen Covey and Peter Drucker have looked to Maslow before, Conley describes how using the pyramid saved his company from bankruptcy when the dot-com bubble burst. Conley is most successful when he expresses his ideas in numbered lists rather than the wordy passages that slow down the beginning. On the whole, though, his advice is inspiring and accessible. (Sept.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

From the Publisher

Despite using the word "mojo" in the subtitle and citing inspiration he received from 1960s counterculture icon Timothy Leary, this guide to better management isn't for hippies. Yes, Conley started the California boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre Hospitality with the Phoenix Hotel, once a haven for faded rock stars. And yes, he quotes liberally from "rebel" CEOs who surf. But Conley's book is packed with thoughtful, instructional stories and advice for entrepreneurs as well as Fortune 500 managers, gleaned from his own experience as well as other business books. At the center of this confessional how-to is psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a pyramid that ranks human needs from base to self-actualizing. Used as the basis for employee, customer and stakeholder satisfaction, Conley contends, it can transform a business and its people. Though Stephen Covey and Peter Drucker have looked to Maslow before, Conley describes how using the pyramid saved his company from bankruptcy when the dot-com bubble burst. Conley is most successful when he expresses his ideas in numbered lists rather than the wordy passages that slow down the beginning. On the whole, though, his advice is inspiring and accessible. (Sept.) (Publishers Weekly, July 23, 2007)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172470592
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	08/01/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged

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