The securities and exchange commission filed fraud charges. Dunlap s nicknamespreferred nicknamesare chainsaw al and rambo in pinstripes, so you can scarcely imagine two more antithetical worldviews than his and the amas. For many, chainsaw al dunlap, former ceo of scott paper and sunbeam, epitomizes the shortsighted greediness that touted reckless downsizing as a. Chainsaw al was a creation of the street and its ceaseless lust for profit at any cost. Bob andelman is the author of 11 books, including his first biography, will. Military academy at west point graduate, paratrooper, and executive officer of a nuclear missile installation talks about the. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice by john. Not really a biography of chainsaw al dunlap, it only covers his waterloosunbeam.
Known alternately as the shredder and chainsaw al, he was euphemistically described as a turnaround specialist during his years as a ceo, which is a polite way of saying this dude fires a lot of people. First, the story of how al dunlap was permitted to bully, excuse me, i mean manage, a company for two years should be required reading for all ceos and those who aspire to such positions. This one concerning scott paper and al s ultimate success in selling scott to kimberlyclark. The summer reading continues with another quickie, chainsaw by john a. This adaptation is from the forthcoming harperbusiness book chainsaw. The notorious career of al dunlap in an era of profit at any price, chainsaw al was a. Today, sunbeam has grown into a wellknown brand of consumer products. In the notorious cooked books scandal of sunbeam, its ousted chief chainsaw al dunlap has received a slap on wrist to get off the hook. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice, written by business week senior writer john.
How i save bad companies and make good companies great. Dunlap, a graduate of west point, has had a thirtyfiveyear career in business. While researching his book, ronson visited the florida home of al dunlap known as chainsaw al who as ceo of appliance maker sunbeam. Byrne also reported that dunlap misled a journalist into reporting that. Dunlap, who earned the nickname chainsaw al for eliminating thousands of jobs before getting the ax himself as ceo of sunbeam, died friday at the age of 81. Al dunlap, former boca raton company ceo dubbed chainsaw. That would be chainsaw al dunlap, former ceo of sunbeam and notorious downsizer. In his book the psychopath test which inspired our current series of posts, author jon ronson talks about the case of alleged corporate psychopath chainsaw al dunlap who made a. Id recommend that every business person on the planet read this book. With a new afterword by the author business week writer john a. Formerly a senior writer for business week, he is the author of several other books, including odyssey.
John byrne manages to pull off an amazing double with this effort. Love or hate chainsaw al dunlap, he produced results using uncommon sense and by taking quick actions. The greatest of bosses can even become your friend as they bring smiles to shareholders faces. Byrne in his book chainsaw, no one was the least bit interested. The comic book is a collaboration between a cartoonist and a finance columnist, which. He was known at the peak of his career as a turnaround management specialist via mass layoffs, which earned him the nicknames chainsaw al and rambo in pinstripes, after he posed for a photo wearing an ammo belt across his chest. Dunlap, the chairman and chief executive of scott paper, during a news conference in new york in 1995. Ronson is the author of a new book, the psychopath test. Chainsaw, subtitled the notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice, is a riveting account that captures the zeitgeist and dark underside of the nineties restructuring boom. Byrne, a senior writer at business week, paints an unflattering portrait of a man whose ego, greed and relentless drive to make. Dunlap, dubbed chainsaw al for his costcutting at companies including boca ratonbased sunbeam, died saturday at 81 at his home in ocala. On the other end of the spectrum are leaders like al dunlap, also known as the chainsaw.
Viewing himself as a corporate doctor who knew what ailed troubled companies, mr. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice harperbusiness, october 1999, about dunlap s relentless, unforgiving management style, businessweek writer john a. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice. Charming, aggressive, carefree people who are good. Subscribe to moneyweek now and get a free copy of the little book of big crashes, plus your first six magazine issues absolutely free. Case summary of al dunlap at sunbeam al dunlap was known for his hardnosed approach to turnarounds, which typically involved radical restructuring and downsizing. Had marissa meyer followed just onetenth of the insights in this book she could have saved yahoo. Byrne, dramatically documents the rise and fall of dunlap, the havoc he wreaked on companies and peoples lives, and how he came to power in the first place. At least, thats according to a new biography due out by oct. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice paperback july 1, 2003 by. Chainsaw al dunlap, author of mean business and a u. Chainsaw al dunlap the man who pinkslipped 6,000 people from bocabased sunbeam corp.
He got his nickname due to his passion for downsizing companies right into oblivion. This blog was written by zac bissonnette, author of the new book good advice from. Sunbeam, which eventually declared bankruptcy after dunlap finished with it, in one of the notorious accounting scandals of recent times. Now retired, dunlap spent his career hopping from one corporate boardroom to the next, applying a myopic obsession with his companies financials at the expense of absolutely everything else. As was the case, he says, at sunbeam, which dunlap recently described to a. The notorious career of al dunlap in an era of profit at any price, chainsaw al was a creation of wall street and its ceaseless lust for profit at any cost. Before there was ken lay and jeff skilling at enron, before bernie ebbers a. The seven best tips from the seven worst ceos of alltime. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice, written by business week senior writer john a. There is because someone else has made a horrible mess. After dunlap was fired in 1997, sunbeams books were audited.
Invented by hare, its a checklist of characteristics common to psychopaths. Infamous corporate hatchet man chainsaw al dunlap is getting his payback. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice 9780066619804 by byrne, john a and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Such unflattering details cannot be found among the 289 pages of dunlaps mean business, which chronicles his exploits as chainsaw al, the controversial executive who has fashioned a highly. The business media have coined a new verbto dunlap when describing a fast company turnaround. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice john a. In all my years of reporting, i had never come across an executive as manipulative, ruthless, and destructive as al dunlap, journalist john a. He was a darling of wall street for a long timewhich tells us a lot about wall street. Chainsaw al was ruthless in downsizing corporations. He was known for shedding jobs at the companies he led as a way of bringing them back to health. He documented his takenoprisoners style in his book, mean business. The 5 worst ceo flameouts you might not have heard of. Byrne october 20, 1999 july 17, 2018 ken kurson 0 comments al dunlap, john a. Such unflattering details cannot be found among the 289 pages of dunlaps mean business, which chronicles his exploits as chainsaw al, the controversial executive who has fashioned a.
Chainsaw is a biography of al dunlap, a former ceo of several large american companies. For an executive, the game is all about deftly managing a workforce composed of actual human beings while meeting the demands of the bottom line. The notorious career of al dunlap in the era of profitatanyprice by john a byrne and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Corporate turnaround specialist al dunlap, whose penchant for slashing jobs earned him the nickname chainsaw al, was fired from the top post at. He came of age when the market routinely rewarded layoffs with lofty stock prices. I was researching a book about psychopaths and had come to meet al dunlap, a merciless costcutter and the onetime ceo of sunbeam, a man who seemed to actually. How i save bad companies and make good companies great is the 1996 new york times and. Byrne chainsaw dramatically documents the rise and fall of dunlap, the havoc he wreaked on companies and peoples lives, and how he came to power in the first placemore. Albert dunlap compared himself to springsteen, then came a. Chainsaw al was firing people before firing people was cool.
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