Sam Walton là cha đẻ của Wal-Mart - đại công ty lớn nhất, thành công nhất trên thế giới.Từ một người bán hàng tạp hoá ở Arkansas, ông đã vươn lên để trở thành một trong những doanh nhân thành đạt nhất thời đại chúng ta.Là người không ngừng học hỏi, ông đã thách thức những học thuyết và mô hình kinh doanh thời bấy giờ, triển khai và thực hiện một nhóm các quy tắc mới và sau đó áp dụng cho cả tập đoạn Wal-Mart để cải thiện tập đoàn về mọi mặt.Với lối sống giản dị và tôn trọng con người, ông được bạn bè, đồng nghiệp kính trọng gọi bằng cái tên “Mr. Sam”.10 quy tắc của Sam Walton là một cách nhìn toàn cảnh của người trong cuộc về Sam Walton với những câu chuyện cụ thể để chứng minh cho từng quy tắc.Mỗi quy tắc của Sam đều dễ hiểu và bất cứ ai cũng có thể mô phỏng để áp dụng vào công việc và vào cuộc sống riêng tư. Song giống như bao điều Tập đoàn Wal-Mart đã làm, mười quy tắc này đòi hỏi tính kỷ luật cao khi thực hành.Dù bạn là nhà doanh nghiệp hay người làm công ăn lương giờ, đây cũng là một cẩm nang giúp bạn thành công, một thứ cẩm nang luôn đúng với mọi thời.- “Đây là một cuốn sách nên đọc và cần thường xuyên đọc đi đọc lại.Bất cứ ai – doanh nhân, học sinh, thầy cô giáo, bậc phụ huynh, con em chúng ta đều có thể đọc tác phẩm này.10 quy tắc của Sam Walton đã vượt khỏi khuôn khổ một cuốn sách dạy kinh doanh truyền thống.Nó viết về một cuộc đời thành công, một cuộc mưu sinh thành công”
The Ten Rules of Sam Walton Success Secrets for Remarkable Results Michael Bergdahl Foreword by Rob Walton, Chairman of the Board, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 4/20/06 3:27 PM Page iii ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:20 PM Page ii The Ten Rules of Sam Walton ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:20 PM Page i ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:20 PM Page ii The Ten Rules of Sam Walton Success Secrets for Remarkable Results Michael Bergdahl Foreword by Rob Walton, Chairman of the Board, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 4/20/06 3:27 PM Page iii Copyright © 2006 by Michael Bergdahl. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. 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In this book, the Wal-Mart Trademarks include but are not limited to Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated and its affiliates: Wal-Mart Stores, Wal-Mart, SAM’S CLUB, SAM’s, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, Neighborhood Market, Wal-Mart Supercenter, and Supercenter. This book is in no way authorized by or endorsed by Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated or its Affiliates. All references to these trademarks and brands are used in accordance with the Fair Use Doctrine and are not meant to imply that this book is a Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated Product for advertising or other commercial purposes. For general information on our other products and services, or technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley prod- ucts, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bergdahl, Michael. The ten rules of Sam Walton : success secrets for remarkable results / Michael “Bird Dawg” Bergdahl. p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-0-471-74812-0 (cloth) ISBN-10: 0-471-74812-9 (cloth) 1. Wal-Mart (Firm)—Management. 2. Retail trade—Management. 3. Industrial management. I. Title: Ten rules of Sam Walton. II. Title. HF5429.215.U6B467 2006 658.4′09—dc22 2005034025 Printed in the United States of America 10 987654321 ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:20 PM Page iv To my wife, Sheryl, my daughter, Heather, and my son, Paul, who provide the love, support, and motivation I need to succeed! ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:20 PM Page v ffirs_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:20 PM Page vi Contents Foreword by Rob Walton ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction Set High Expectations for Everything You Do 1 Rule #1 COMMIT to Achieving Success and Always Be Passionate 21 Rule #2 SHARE SUCCESS with Those Who Have Helped You 51 Rule #3 MOTIVATE Yourself and Others to Achieve Your Dreams 71 Rule #4 COMMUNICATE with People and Show You Care 95 Rule #5 APPRECIATE and Recognize People for Their Efforts and Results 117 Rule #6 CELEBRATE Your Own and Other’s Accomplishments 131 Rule #7 LISTEN to Others and Learn from Their Ideas 149 Rule #8 EXCEED EXPECTATIONS of Customers and Others 173 vii ftoc_bergdahl.qxd 4/20/06 3:28 PM Page vii viii CONTENTS Rule #9 CONTROL EXPENSES and Save Your Way to Prosperity 197 Rule #10 SWIM UPSTREAM, Be Different, and Challenge the Status Quo 215 Conclusion Our People Make the Difference 239 About the Author 249 Index 251 ftoc_bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 12:25 PM Page viii [...]... 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 1 INTRODUCTION Set High Expectations for Everything You Do Sam Walton s ability to maintain the highest standards, while at the same time getting things done with lockstep execution, was his secret for achieving operational excellence 1 cintro_Bergdahl.qxd 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 2 2 I THE TEN RULES OF SAM WALTON ’ll never forget the first time I met Wal-Mart’s founding father, Sam Walton, ... 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 17 SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO 17 Rule #8 EXCEED EXPECTATIONS of customers and others Rule #9 CONTROL EXPENSES and save your way to prosperity Rule #10 SWIM UPSTREAM, be different, and challenge the status quo Each of Mr Sam s 10 rules is easily understandable and can be duplicated by others But like so many things Sam Walton accomplished, Sam Walton s 10 rules... of Sam Walton to tell the story behind Mr cintro_Bergdahl.qxd 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 18 18 THE TEN RULES OF SAM WALTON Sam s success but also to objectively tell the story of his leadership legacy Although I discuss the company he built throughout this book, the real focus of this story is Wal-Mart’s founding father, Sam Walton Much of what you will read is easy to understand conceptually because Sam. .. to pick up the trash that Saturday morning, and then it hit me that this was Sam Walton! I’ll never forget the introduction I got to Sam Walton from the COO in his eloquent southern accent He cintro_Bergdahl.qxd 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 3 SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO 3 said, “Mr Sam, this is Michael Bergdahl.” Sam Walton looked at me kind of funny and responded quizzically, “Bird Dawg”? For... DO 19 I was asked the question, “What is it that makes Wal-Mart WalMart?” My answer was always the same, Sam Walton. ” As a result of that interest, I decided to write my second book about Sam Walton, but this time I am focusing on the rules he felt were most important to his personal success Sam Walton s only major mistake, in an otherwise stellar career, may be the fact that he never wrote down... teachings of Mr Sam himself c01_Bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 11:46 AM Page 21 SAM WA LT O N ’ S RULE #1 COMMIT to Achieving Success and Always Be Passionate Sam Walton often went to work at or before 4:00 in the morning so that he could review the previous day’s sales reports before the rest of his executive team arrived! 21 c01_Bergdahl.qxd 3/21/06 11:46 AM Page 22 22 S THE TEN RULES OF SAM WALTON am Walton built... my final interview would be with Sam Walton himself I later figured out the other executives had prescreened me and had then made the referral to Mr Sam only after having had a chance to determine that I was qualified for the job In other words, if I hadn’t been qualified for the job, I wouldn’t have met Mr Sam that day at all I was quite surprised to find that Sam Walton had a down-to-earth, folksy,... this book, I have devoted a chapter to each of Mr Sam s 10 rules Along the way, I give you the detailed story behind each of Sam Walton s rules so that you can learn from his success and emulate his rules in your own life Mr Sam s rules provide a glimpse into the Wal-Mart playbook and remain a cultural touchstone for the company’s leaders to this day His 10 rules are prominently displayed on a wall for... true cintro_Bergdahl.qxd 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 8 8 THE TEN RULES OF SAM WALTON potential It may be hard to believe, but his simple rules will lead to significant changes in your life if you’ll take the time to learn and practice them I left Wal-Mart after Sam Walton died and over the years, since working at Wal-Mart’s home office, I have often found myself using Mr Sam s rules in my work and in my... sitting in as Mr Sam conducted one of his Saturday morning meetings The leaders of those great companies were there to learn first- cintro_Bergdahl.qxd 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 9 SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO 9 hand about Sam Walton s best practices, and even they wanted to know and use the tools that had made Mr Sam so successful One of the biggest lessons others learned from Mr Sam was how . this was Sam Walton! I’ll never forget the introduction I got to Sam Walton from the COO in his eloquent southern accent. He 2 THE TEN RULES OF SAM WALTON. cintro_Bergdahl.qxd 3/27/06 10: 38 AM Page 1 I ’ll never forget the first time I met Wal-Mart’s founding father, Sam Walton, or Mr. Sam as everyone at Wal-Mart