Recommended Books

Gerstner quarterbacked one of history’s most dramatic corporate turnarounds. For those who follow business stories like football games, his tale of the rise, fall and rise of IBM might be the ultimate slow-motion replay. The book’s opening section snappily reports Gerstner’s decisions in his first 18 months on the job-the critical “sprint” that moved IBM away from the brink of destruction. The following sections describe the marathon fight to make IBM once again “a company that mattered.”

One of Gerstner’s first tasks was to redirect the company’s attention to the outside world, where a marketplace was quickly changing and customers felt largely ignored. He succeeded mightily. Upon his retirement this year, IBM was undeniably “a company that mattered.” Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? is a well-rendered self-portrait of a CEO who made spectacular change on the strength of personal leadership.