Corporate Canaries: Avoid Business Disasters with a Coal Miner's Secrets

This was a very easy read and very insightful. There is much wisdom in the straight-forward teachings of the author and his grandfather. And it is wonderfully current! A must read for anyone interested in business acumen.

This short book given its attempt to be simple in delivering five key lessons (plus wrap it around with some savvy homely anecdotes of his grandfather's mining experiences in pioneering times to fill out the book) is likely to leave most business book readers feeling short changed one suspects.

Sutton's turn around credentials and war stories underpin the five rules and as with many such books the five (which can be written in less than half a page) will not be new or unknown to most readers. Where the pinch comes is that Sutton's real theme based on the number of basket case companies he has been involved with, seems to be acceptance his book will not be immediately of use but once read should be kept in a bottom drawer for reference to when things start to go wrong and application of one of the lessons will he argues apply.

I would class it as an easy two hour maximum read - food for thought but not going to get you fired up as to what you might do new unless you are in the unfortunate position of being in a company that is actually heading for or going into tailspin.

Corporate Canaries is one of the few business books I have come across and was better off after having read it. I have since changed my entire approach to managing and feel more secure as a result. I found it to be an easy read and it's not terribly long as well. Lots of great information and lessons packed into this little package!

At the outset, I acknowledge what is more a quibble than a complaint: I prefer the word "organization" to "corporation" or "company" (both of which, obviously, are organizations) while agreeing that just as canaries once protected coal miners, their human counterparts can now protect (your choice) (a) businesses, (b) corporations, (c) organizations, or (d) all of the above.

Whether or not Sutton was ever a coal miner is irrelevant. The focus should be on the five so-called "secrets" which he reveals in this book. (None is a head-snapper.) It would be a disservice, however, both to Sutton and to those who read this brief commentary to list the five out of context. They are best revealed within the book's narrative. The same is true of the "Big Secret" which Sutton shares in his final chapter. My advice is to go with the extended "canary" metaphor and allow Sutton to explain which of various business disasters are (key word) avoidable or whose impact can at least be reduced by rigorous preparation. Think of "canaries" as comprising a squadron of early-warning signs. It is imperative to know what they are, and, what each indicates. Those who ignore them do so at great peril.

Here are what I consider to be the key points which Sutton stresses, either by explication or implication:

1. Unlike their feathered counterparts, human canaries must be properly trained so that they will recognize and then report potential problems, dangers, etc. and do so in a timely manner.

2. Of equal importance, senior management must ensure that these "messengers" (a.k.a. whistle blowers) are encouraged and rewarded rather than punished.

3. All organizations have points of vulnerability. Everyone involved must be constantly alert to potential threats. Once one is identified, the appropriate person(s) must immediately be informed.

4. All organizations (regardless of size or nature) should have zero tolerance of criminal behavior, of course, but also of inappropriate behavior when in violation of what should be a clearly stated policy or procedure.

5. An organization's human canaries need not, indeed should not be limited to its employees. Customers, vendors, service providers, and "alumni" can also participate in an early-warning system.

Sutton makes clever and effective use of the extended "canary" metaphor and also of his grandfather who immigrated (at age 14) from Ballybunion, Ireland, to Harlan, Kentucky, and went to work in a coal mine. It is Grandpa Sutton who serves as the source of the five "secrets," each of which is revealed and then discussed within its own dedicated chapter. This use of what I call "Grandpa fables" may seem a gimmick but it's not. Sutton is too clever for that. Each of the "secrets" suggests lessons which can guide and inform sound business decisions.

In each of the first five chapters, Sutton identifies a common problem such as what usually happens when a company's profits sag and its management decides to cure this by adding revenue, any revenue. He lists five probable consequences. (Please see page 17.) Later in the same chapter, he responds to a separate but related question: What's the cure for a growing company with shrinking profits? He cites real-world examples. Offers specific suggestions. (Please see pages 23-26.) He concludes the chapter with a boxed summary of key points, "Your business is in trouble when..." Sutton follows a similar format in each of the other chapters: first a "Grandpa fable," then lesson(s) it reveals, relevant examples, probable consequences if the problem is not solved, a solution suggested, and then an appropriate variation on "Your business is in trouble when..." Given its length of only 126 pages, this is more a booklet than a book. Sutton's purpose is to focus his reader's attention on a limited number of "business disasters," and covers each with brevity an