Five Frogs On A Log

A riddle:
Five frogs are sitting on a log.
Four decide to jump off. How many are left?
Answer: Five
Why?
Because there's a difference between deciding and doing.

Written by Mark L. Feldman and Michael F. Spratt of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Five Frogs on a Log offers readers an entertaining and no-nonsense field guide to the mergers and acquisitions jungle, packed with insight and instruction for executing corporate change and capturing shareholder value. Whether you're buying another company or acquiring a new vision of the future, this book proffers an unconventional perspective and a practical, readily accessible set of solutions to the single greatest challenge facing today's managers: executing rapid transitions ion mergers, acquisitions and gut wrenching change.

Designed for corporate managers and CEOs caught up in the whirlwind of change, every chapter provides accessible ideas and wisdom for navigating the most demanding business transitions. The authors offer a unique hands-on perspective based on their work with top Fortune 500 firms. As they state:

"Increasingly, the companies that win are those that learn faster, act quicker and adapt sooner. They will compress time by making and executing early, informed decisions about economic value creation, ruthless prioritization and focused resource allocation. They will use these decisions to take early firm stands on management deployment, organization structure and culture. Their actions will increasingly be linked to long-term, sustained economic value creation."

The advice and expertise offered in this book can be used to solve a range of operational problems from speeding up new product development to merging two businesses; from changing company culture to repositioning a business in a while new marketplace.

Whatever the challenges and opportunities facing you, your company, your industry, Five Frogs on a Log will move you from deciding to doing.

1. Acknowledgements
2. Foreword
   Mergers, Acquisitions, and Large-Scale Change
3. Introduction: The Salado River
   The Seven Deadly Sins of Transitions
4. Opportunity Lost
   The Dealmakers' Nightmare
5. The Ugly Truth
   Deciding Is Easy, Executing Is Hard
6. More Ugly Truth
   Why Performance Deteriorates
7. The Law of the Band-Aid
   The Need for Accelerated Transition
8. 260 Priorities
   Economic Value Creation
9. Windshield Watching in Seattle
   Early Communication and Stability
10. No Secrets, No Surprises, No Hype, No Empty Promises
    Connecting with Your Stakeholders
11. Five Frogs on a Log
    Launching Transition Teams
12. Acute Structural Anxiety
    Organizational Structure and Role Clarity
13. The Two-and-a-Half-Ton Truck
    Policies and Practices
14. The Ultimate Scapegoat
    Unconventional Advice About Culture
15. The Blind Man's Dog
    Value Creation Incentives
16. The North Bank

A bit talkative, but excellent. One of the few guides to M&A that is readable.