It's Not Luck Paperback – January 1, 1994

It's Not Luck is a sequel to Eli's first book "The Goal", and follows the same basic strategy, following the career of the protagonist, Rogu, teaching us along the way the thinking and business principals that Eli sees as key.I really enjoyed the book. Teaching through parables and stories is a great technique, and well followed in this book.The big idea being communicated was a process for thinking carefully and deeply about problems. In looking through this, we see it being applied primarily in a business context, and additionally in the personal life of Rogu. The different scenarios presented help us to see how general an approach it is, and that it is something that we can apply to al areas of our lives. In looking at the business applications we also see some of the principles of how Eli would run a company. In particular I found the following summary of business goals very helpful:Make Money now as well as in the future,Provide a secure and satisfying environment for employees now as well as in the future, andProvide satisfaction to the market now as well as in the future.These three goals give a business that thrives both now and is sustainable. The goals ensure that the company is profitable, that employees are happy, and that customers are being served. All of which are required to ensure that the company works well now and it is being done in a sustainable way.While I found this succinct description of goals for a company helpful, the key of the book is the thinking process presented within. I highly recommend you go and read "It's Not Luck", you'll learn and have fun while doing so.

I have seen several of the reviews that slammed Its Not Luck, and I am surprised. I've read most of Dr. Goldratt's books and I cant believe that someone would find the book to have little value. But this book will not spoon feed you. You have to actually think. You will need to follow the steps to create a breakthrough in sales. And it is an unconventional breakthrough to build an operational capability that actually solves a customer's need, especially if the customer does not recognize that someone can actually solve that need.To get sales, if you are saying the same things as your competition (functions, features, service, etc.) then you should expect to compete on price. If you really try to use your brain, this book will help you find a way to differentiate yourself like no competition. But you have to do the work.This book is not a pipe dream, I have seen this book applied in multiple cases. It does work.

Sure the dialogue is forced and, as with all of Goldratt's books, the information presented is not new. The gift is placing business principles in a context of a story with enough examples that one can extrapolate simple, logical and, powerful practices from it.I find that Goldratt novels provide simple frameworks that can be easily adapted and provide guidance to business thinking and process. For instance, from The Goal I constantly use and teach the three money measures for helping people understand the true impact of a proposed change in their business processes or automation.It's Not Luck is a great springboard for considering root cause analysis, program management for organizational change, sales tactics developed from customer needs, and generally good business thought processes for leadership.When you consider how many managers and executives have made it into the business world with out the MBA, this is great starter information that can have the "formal" business labels attached to it later. Additionally, when you consider how many people went through B school but do not remember to apply what they learned, this is a simple reminder and a tutor for implementation.I highly recommend any of the TOC novels these reasons.

This book and the mindset are life changing! These ideas work for business and personal life as demonstrated. I could not put this book downPlease read it and keep an open mind to change

Yet another fine work by Dr. Goldratt. If you have read The Goal,. you must read It's Not Luck. This book explores the concepts of T.O.C. as it relates to several different industries. No longer will you see T.O.C. as something that only applies to manufacturing, It's Not Luck explores multiple industries, as well as sales and marketing.Especially useful was how Dr. Goldratt explained the thinking process of T.O.C., which will allow us to apply the principles not only to our specific work environment, but also to our private lives. The material is somewhat intensive, and as with other books Dr. Goldratt has written, I will be reading this one a second time so I can fully grasp the concepts.

Goldratt write in a thoroughly well-planned and concise style that is highly readable, yet the major characters do have dimensions that add to the plot and the learning he wishes to deliver.I work as a teacher in a public school and know very little about business management. Yet as the story developed I could draw many direct connections between the story and working with students parents, and faculty. The theory of constraints, the underlying theme of the books, has many levels of use: personal, social and professional.The book is brief. The thinking it inspires can last and last, and that is my favorite kind of book.

I highly recommend this book. In fact, I am impressed on how unpopular it is. This book is the core thinking process of Eliyahu Goldratt and it is overlooked dramatically. It is his thinking processes that one that allowed him to write The Goal and we still overlook it.Caveat: This is a more complicated book than The Goal by far. It is fool of paradoxes, examples, knowledge and tools. However, none of the tools are easy to implement and require intuition, perseverance, listening skills and PRACTICE; therefore, I think i know why it is not as popular as the more prescriptive book The Goal.