Roger E. Allen (1925–2008)

This is the best of Allen's Pooh books. Not because any literary merits, but the theme "success" can be interpreted in general as pursuit of happiness and that's very Pooh, isn't it? Ignoring the Pooh chatter, this is a handy self-help opus with a universal theme, and a simple recipe to accomplish one's goals. If more people were in control of their lives...

I agree with the first reviewer that the "appendix" is the best part of the book.

"Management. That is a very long word," Pooh reflected. "It is the kind of long word that Owl uses. Does it stand for something good like -- ah -- ummm -- honey?"
Enough of Japanese management techniques. Enough of zero-base budgeting. Enough of all the big names on all the thick tomes on all the MBA reading lists. Enough even of everything you learned in kindergarten.
If you want to climb to the upper rung of the executive ladder (in other words, if you want to reach the honey), go with show more Pooh.
Using the characters and stories of A A Milne to illustrate such principles as setting clear objectives, strong leadership, the need for accurate information, good communication, and other neglected basics of prudent management, Roger. E. Allen offers sensible, time-honoured advice in a captivating style. His consulting experience has taught him that it is the fundamentals of management -- not a failure to grasp sophisticated approaches -- that trip up most companies.
Winnie-the-Pooh on Management is a Very Important Book for a Very Important You. show less

The basic principles of management are presented in a very simple and compact form. The reader is convinced that some qualities of good leaders are useful to non-leaders as well. The examples of management in the Pooh stories range from slightly embarrassing to OK-ish, but the concepts discussed could perhaps use more elaborate examples; now the whole thing seems a bit childish.

Allen's lines for the Pooh characters are trivial chit-chat and there's too much of it. I would've liked more show more management issues and less Pooh. Well perhaps I'll read it somewhere else. show less

An interesting book, but the general premise and thesis of it is simplistic and generally just something quite obvious. The attempt of the book is to help readers on how to solve problems (using a system called SOLVE), but each step of the process is pretty much something we naturally all do even without realizing it.

The Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, etc. segments were entertaining for what they were, but overall the book was an unneeded exercise in helping people to solve problems. Might be show more good for some people, but I generally felt it was a gigantic 'meh'.

3 Stars on GoodReads, 2.5 stars on LibraryThing. show less