<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: Hindery's recent appearance on CNBC's Kudlow & Cramer to discuss his book is reason enough to buy it. His words in real time (engaging in repartee with the quick-witted and incisive K&C duo) demonstrate both the substance and the style that have carried him to great success--not just for himself, but more importantly for his stakeholders. He said: Let's not forget about the CEO's REAL job--to create and maintain wealth for the shareholders.While this is a gripping read, it is much more than an "Aventures in Dealmaking" book. In an age where the "Cult of the CEO" is being redefined, Leo's list of "all-time" great CEO's (and his reasons for putting them in that category) helps build the new paradigm for distinction in the CEO and C++ role. There are dealmakers of mythical proportion whose work stands the test of time; yet as Leo points out (offering proof as well), there are also CEO's who don't do their homework; don't listen to their trusted advisors; and do big deals for all the wrong (i.e., collateral) reasons. Readers will benefit from mark cuban's review on this site--he emphasizes (and identifies with) Hindery's treatment of the strategic, emotional and personality issues that arise in mega-deals. Hindery is to be commended for "naming names". Yet he has kept other key stakeholders' names out of the limelight. The passage: "John [Malone]'s deals were notoriously complex. Some were so complicated they could make your nose bleed." is brilliant prose, and surely a reference to the usung legal heroes who played their necessary part in the creation of superb wealth for shareholders. Read it, and if you resonate with it, you're on the right path. RHS.
Rating: 
Summary: An inadvertently funny read
Review: I bought this book because of a favorable mention in The Economist. I am truly astonished, and am rethinking my Economist subscription. All tell-all war-story business books are self serving. Never, however, has one been so shamelessly and ineptly so. The book is an astonishingly collection of self-aggrandizement, payback, groveling, condescension, and Monday morning quarterbacking. Hindery portrays himself as the lone genius at the center of each deal, his wisdom all too often ignored, but always correct. People who have fired him or otherwise crossed him (e.g. Mike Armstrong of AT&T, Steve Rattner of Quadrangle, some poor WSJ reporter) are fools or knaves. The people to whom he now owes fealty (George Steinbrenner, Brian Roberts) are repeatedly bootlicked for their genius. There's not a lot of wisdom for the ages here, either. The first chapter is the give-away. Written in 2002, he praises Gerry Levin at AOL-TW as a visionary, and criticizes the severe stumbles of Amazon and Yahoo!. Oops. The book suffers from some sort of strange editing Alzheimer's. The same comments appear again and again in the same chapter, often in the same words, as if Hindery and his ghost-writer can't remember what he said 5 minutes before. After a while, this all becomes very amusing, and it should be read in that vein.
Rating: 
Summary: Give it a try, you'll like it
Review: I bought this book because of the favorable review by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and The Economist. I found the book interesting on many levels and annoying on a few others. The main annoyance was with the general tone of the book. The first part of the book is a homage to many of the people that Hindery has known in the business. It almost sounds solicitous. However, the book recovers from this with a great treatment of how to do deals and insight into how some of the deals he was a part of transpired. I finished the reading of this book with the feeling that while some of the book was a waste, the book as a whole was not a waste of time. Therefore I rate it with 4 stars and encourage any aspiring dealmaker to go and negotiate a good price on the book and learn. The 10 rules for negotiating a deal are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Is that the Smell of Hubris?
Review: Is that the smell of hubris emanating from this steaming dunghill of a book? In his uniquely narcissistic way, Professor Leo first-name-drops his way through this instruction manual on how the masters "do a deal". He concludes his introduction by humbly voting himself into the pantheon of dealsters. Not surprisingly, he fails to mention the commonly held view that most of his deals have been driven by expedience or the pursuit of grandiosity rather than any particular economic or commercial agenda. His deal skills more closely resemble your college roommate's drunken quest to add notches to his bedpost than the deliberate acts of the business genius he sees in his mental mirror. The streets are crowded with investors who have trusted his judgement and had confidence in his skill. The TCI shareholders who didn't sell immediately saw their holdings shrink. The Global Crossing shareholders saw their holdings evaporate. Things aren't looking much better for the YES shareholders. The body of the book is slim compensation for those few who can muster the iron will and stamina to claw their way through the introduction. While Ms. Cauley may have done a dutiful job of fact checking (or may not have, for that matter), there is no evidence anywhere that the work is the result of any sort of in-depth study, analysis or scholarly effort. That would be too time-consuming for our deal stud on the go. This work is nothing more than the accumulated off-the-cuff proclamations of an egomaniac. If you need a little break from scraping away the flesh on your body with 50 grit sandpaper, you might find this book a pleasant diversion.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: Leo just saved me a bunch of time. If i were going to write a book (not that anyone would want me to), this would be it. He talks about his experiences in bagging the big deals, both from a technical and emotional perspective. He walks through the steps that I and others have had to take to close a deal. The great thing is, although Leo has onlyh done the big deals, his rules apply to deals of all sizes. Thanks leo !
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: This book is a must-read for anyone involved in mergers and acquisitions in the cable or media industries, a should read for people doing M&A in other industries and a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in business and investing. The author sat at the deal-making table with some of the best negotiators in the media and communications industries. His general advice about negotiating strategy and tactics is quite familiar, but he brings a unique insight into the motivations and manipulations of CEOs and investment bankers. Academics have long puzzled over why CEOs implement value-destroying M&A deals. Here's a first-hand, eyewitness account of how these big deals come to be. Even if you have little faith in the astuteness of executives, the author's revelations will surprise you. Just when you thought nobody could be that stupid, here comes an anecdote about another boardroom leader who was. The detail, it must be said, gets exhaustive at times, but if you love deals, we think that you'll be too absorbed to care.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: This book is a must-read for anyone involved in mergers and acquisitions in the cable or media industries, a should read for people doing M&A in other industries and a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in business and investing. The author sat at the deal-making table with some of the best negotiators in the media and communications industries. His general advice about negotiating strategy and tactics is quite familiar, but he brings a unique insight into the motivations and manipulations of CEOs and investment bankers. Academics have long puzzled over why CEOs implement value-destroying M&A deals. Here's a first-hand, eyewitness account of how these big deals come to be. Even if you have little faith in the astuteness of executives, the author's revelations will surprise you. Just when you thought nobody could be that stupid, here comes an anecdote about another boardroom leader who was. The detail, it must be said, gets exhaustive at times, but if you love deals, we think that you'll be too absorbed to care.
<< 1 >>
| 
