In this book, Gary Sutton shared some of his grandfather's wisdom for 21st century leaders be them small business owners, C-Suite executives, entrepreneurs and independent sales professionals such as realtors, insurance agents and financial advisors.



What attracted me to this book beyond the bright yellow cover with the simple black bird cage was the simplicity and it being a quick read (less than 150 pages). Using a proven concept to avoid disaster in the mine, Sutton relates in six chapters some specific lessons in how to turn a business or organization around based upon his grandfather's real world experiences after working in the coal mining business. At the end of each chapter are some golden nuggets just in case you missed a key concept.



Chapter Two is simply entitled Debt is a Killer. Given the current economic crisis of the last several years, this chapter is one a lot of more individuals should have read. One golden nugget is this chapter is your business is in trouble when its debt to equity exceeds 1:1. Hmm, I wonder if anyone if the federal government is currently understands this concept?



Chapter Six concludes the book by reviewing the five big lessons to avoid a dying canary. Additionally each chapter has some great call out boxes with specific examples of corporate canaries. If you are at a lost as to why your business is experiencing some significant challenges, then consider reading this book to learn how you can avoid being one of those dead canaries and instead [ASIN:0981800459 be The Red Jacket in a sea of gray suits]]