
Simply Brilliant
How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things in Extraordinary Ways
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mark Deakins
About this listen
There's no such thing as an average or old-fashioned business, just average or old-fashioned ways to do business. In fact the opportunity to reach for extraordinary may be most pronounced in settings that have been far too ordinary for far too long.
Far away from Silicon Valley, in familiar, traditional, even unglamorous fields, ordinary people are unleashing extraordinary advances that amaze customers, energize employees, and create huge economic value. Their secret? They understand that the work of inventing the future doesn't belong just to geeks designing mobile apps and virtual-reality headsets or to social-media entrepreneurs hoping to launch the next Facebook. Some of today's most compelling organizations are doing brilliant things in simple settings such as retail banks, office cleaning companies, department stores, small hospitals, and auto dealerships.
William C. Taylor, cofounder of Fast Company and best-selling author of Practically Radical, traveled thousands of miles to visit these hotbeds of simple brilliance and unearth the principles and practices behind their success. He offers fascinating case studies and powerful lessons that you can apply to do ordinary things in extraordinary ways regardless of your industry or profession. Consider, for instance, how:
- Miami Beach's dazzling 1111 Lincoln Road reimagined the humble parking garage as a high-profile public space that hosts weddings, yoga classes, and celebrity gatherings.
- USAA, the financial-services giant that provides soldiers and their families with insurance and banking products, inspires frontline employees to deliver legendary service by immersing them in military culture.
- Pal's Sudden Service, a fast-food chain with a cult following, serves up burgers and fries with such speed and accuracy that companies from other industries pay to learn from its astonishing discipline.
- Lincoln Electric, a manufacturer based in Euclid, Ohio, dominates its ultracompetitive markets with a fierce devotion to quality and productivity. But the key to its prosperity is a share-the-wealth model that gives everybody a sense of security and a piece of the action. It has maintained a strict no-layoff pledge since 1958.
As Taylor writes, "The story of this book, its message for leaders who aim to do something important and build something great, is both simple and subversive: In a time of wrenching disruptions and exhilarating advances, of unrelenting turmoil and unlimited promise, the future is open to everybody. The thrill of breakthrough creativity and breakaway performance...can be summoned in all sorts of industries and all walks of life, if leaders can reimagine what's possible in their fields." Simply Brilliant shows you how.
©2016 William C. Taylor (P)2016 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Nope
- By Anna OConnor-McClure on 10-27-23
By: Adam Grant
-
10x Is Easier than 2x
- How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
- By: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Narrated by: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dan Sullivan, the world's leading coach for highly successful entrepreneurs, wants you to know that achieving 10X growth is exponentially easier than striving for 2X growth. Most find this idea confusing at first because simply imagining 10X growth causes them to think they need to do 10X more work to achieve it. However, being a 10X entrepreneur is nothing like what most people think.
-
-
Best Book of the year for me!!!
- By Trenton on 05-15-23
By: Dan Sullivan, and others
-
Small Giants
- Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, 10th Anniversary Edition
- By: Bo Burlingham
- Narrated by: Bo Burlingham, Sean Pratt
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's an axiom of business that great companies grow their revenues and profits year after year. Yet quietly, under the radar, a small number of companies have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. Goals like being great at what they do, creating a great place to work, providing great customer service, making great contributions to their communities, and finding great ways to lead their lives. In Small Giants, veteran journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside 14 such remarkable companies.
-
-
fantastic book for small company builders
- By Amazon Customer on 08-01-17
By: Bo Burlingham
-
Unreasonable Hospitality
- The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect
- By: Will Guidara
- Narrated by: Will Guidara
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world. How did Guidara pull off this unprecedented transformation? Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room—and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality.
-
-
A Stratification What it Means to Be of Service
- By Amazon Customer on 10-31-22
By: Will Guidara
-
Think Again
- The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn.
-
-
Only Good if you've never questioned anything.
- By Victor Alvia on 02-10-21
By: Adam Grant
-
The 6 Types of Working Genius
- A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
- By: Patrick M. Lencioni
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the personal discovery and instant relief that Working Genius provides, the model also gives teams a remarkably simple and practical framework for tapping into one another’s natural gifts, which increases productivity and reduces unnecessary judgment.
-
-
Very nice after the long detailed story.
- By Federico on 11-05-22
-
Hidden Potential
- The Science of Achieving Greater Things
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant, Maurice Ashley, R. A. Dickey, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distance we ourselves can travel. We underestimate the range of skills that we can learn and how good we can become. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.
-
-
Nope
- By Anna OConnor-McClure on 10-27-23
By: Adam Grant
-
10x Is Easier than 2x
- How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less
- By: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Narrated by: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dan Sullivan, the world's leading coach for highly successful entrepreneurs, wants you to know that achieving 10X growth is exponentially easier than striving for 2X growth. Most find this idea confusing at first because simply imagining 10X growth causes them to think they need to do 10X more work to achieve it. However, being a 10X entrepreneur is nothing like what most people think.
-
-
Best Book of the year for me!!!
- By Trenton on 05-15-23
By: Dan Sullivan, and others
-
Small Giants
- Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, 10th Anniversary Edition
- By: Bo Burlingham
- Narrated by: Bo Burlingham, Sean Pratt
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's an axiom of business that great companies grow their revenues and profits year after year. Yet quietly, under the radar, a small number of companies have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. Goals like being great at what they do, creating a great place to work, providing great customer service, making great contributions to their communities, and finding great ways to lead their lives. In Small Giants, veteran journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside 14 such remarkable companies.
-
-
fantastic book for small company builders
- By Amazon Customer on 08-01-17
By: Bo Burlingham
-
Unreasonable Hospitality
- The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect
- By: Will Guidara
- Narrated by: Will Guidara
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Will Guidara was twenty-six when he took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room. Eleven years later, EMP was named the best restaurant in the world. How did Guidara pull off this unprecedented transformation? Radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room—and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality.
-
-
A Stratification What it Means to Be of Service
- By Amazon Customer on 10-31-22
By: Will Guidara
-
Think Again
- The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
- By: Adam Grant
- Narrated by: Adam Grant
- Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn, but in a rapidly changing world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn. In our daily lives, too many of us favor the comfort of conviction over the discomfort of doubt. We listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. We see disagreement as a threat to our egos, rather than an opportunity to learn.
-
-
Only Good if you've never questioned anything.
- By Victor Alvia on 02-10-21
By: Adam Grant
-
The 6 Types of Working Genius
- A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team
- By: Patrick M. Lencioni
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beyond the personal discovery and instant relief that Working Genius provides, the model also gives teams a remarkably simple and practical framework for tapping into one another’s natural gifts, which increases productivity and reduces unnecessary judgment.
-
-
Very nice after the long detailed story.
- By Federico on 11-05-22
-
Life Force
- How New Breakthroughs in Precision Medicine Can Transform the Quality of Your Life & Those You Love
- By: Tony Robbins, Peter H. Diamandis, Robert Hariri
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and others
- Length: 22 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Transform your life or the life of someone you love with Life Force - the newest breakthroughs in health technology to help maximize your energy and strength, prevent disease, and extend your health span - from Tony Robbins, author of the number one New York Times best seller Money: Master the Game.
-
-
Intresting, great information for the wealthy.
- By K. Smith on 02-19-22
By: Tony Robbins, and others
-
The Culture Code
- The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
- By: Daniel Coyle
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world's most successful organizations - including Pixar, the San Antonio Spurs, and the US Navy's SEAL Team Six - and reveals what makes them tick. He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind.
-
-
Anyone in a leadership position should read this
- By Kimberly on 03-04-18
By: Daniel Coyle
-
Developing the Leader Within You 2.0
- By: John C. Maxwell
- Narrated by: John C. Maxwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First released in 1993, John C. Maxwell’s now-classic work revolutionized the way leaders are made. In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, Maxwell includes two new chapters to include the leadership insights and practices he has learned in the decades since the first edition so that you’ll receive everything you need to take a significant step in your leadership journey.
-
-
Practical leadership
- By Dave on 03-29-19
By: John C. Maxwell
-
Clear Thinking
- Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
- By: Shane Parrish
- Narrated by: Will Damron, Shane Parrish
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You might believe you’re thinking clearly in the moments that matter most. But in all likelihood, when the pressure is on, you won’t be thinking at all. And your subsequent actions will inevitably move you further from the results you ultimately seek—love, belonging, success, wealth, victory. According to Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish, we must get better at recognizing these opportunities for what they are, and deploying our cognitive ability in order to achieve the life we want.
-
-
It Feels Like a Classic - Seven Habits Good
- By Tyler L on 11-02-23
By: Shane Parrish
-
The Gap and the Gain
- The High Achievers' Guide to Happiness, Confidence, and Success
- By: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Narrated by: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As he did in Who Not How, Dr. Benjamin Hardy shares one of Dan Sullivan's simple yet profound teachings that until now has been known only to his Strategic Coach clients: unsuccessful people focus on "The Gap", but successful people focus on "The Gain".
-
-
Are these reviewers serious?
- By Jake Adams on 07-27-22
By: Dan Sullivan, and others
-
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
- By: Julian Jaynes
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes' still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only 3,000 years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion - and indeed our future.
-
-
An Archaelogical Expedition of Our Minds
- By Michael on 10-08-15
By: Julian Jaynes
-
Be Your Future Self Now
- The Science of Intentional Transformation
- By: Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Narrated by: Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover how to become the best version of you and develop healthy habits, find inspiring new perspectives and live a motivated, joy-filled life! Who is your Future Self? That question is the answer to all your life's questions. When you know who you want to be then you know what you're going to do today. That answer directly impacts how motivated you are, and how you feel about yourself. It's the answer to whether you'll distract yourself on social media for hours, whether you'll eat junk food and what time you get up in the morning.
-
-
MORE ARTICLE THAN BOOK…
- By NYC on 07-03-22
-
Decisive
- How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
- By: Chip Heath, Dan Heath
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Decisive, the Heaths, based on an exhaustive study of the decision-making literature, introduce a four-step process designed to counteract these biases. Written in an engaging and compulsively listenable style, Decisive takes readers on an unforgettable journey, from a rock star’s ingenious decision-making trick to a CEO’s disastrous acquisition, to a single question that can often resolve thorny personal decisions.
-
-
Solid Wothwhile Advice - get you WRAP on
- By GH on 03-27-13
By: Chip Heath, and others
-
Who Not How
- The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork
- By: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Narrated by: Dan Sullivan, Dr. Benjamin Hardy
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world's foremost entrepreneurial coach shows you how to make a mindset shift that opens the door to explosive growth and limitless possibility - in your business and your life.
-
-
Valuable information - poor performance
- By LeAnn on 06-02-21
By: Dan Sullivan, and others
-
Build
- An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making
- By: Tony Fadell
- Narrated by: Tony Fadell, Roger Wayne
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tony Fadell led the teams that created the iPod, iPhone and Nest Learning Thermostat and learned enough in 30+ years in Silicon Valley about leadership, design, startups, Apple, Google, decision-making, mentorship, devastating failure and unbelievable success to fill an encyclopedia.
-
-
Best guide for start up founders, ever!!!
- By Curly Beard on 05-28-22
By: Tony Fadell
-
Setting the Table
- The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
- By: Danny Meyer
- Narrated by: Danny Meyer
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Danny Meyer started Union Square Cafe when he was 27, with a good idea and scant experience. He is now the CEO of one of the world's most dynamic restaurant organizations, one that includes 11 unique dining establishments, each at the top of its game. How did he do it? How has he consistently beaten the odds in one of the toughest trades around?
-
-
ABRIDGED VERSION!?
- By Gregg Strader on 02-19-18
By: Danny Meyer
-
Tribe of Mentors
- Short Life Advice from the Best in the World
- By: Tim Ferriss
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Ray Porter, Tim Ferriss, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tim Ferriss, the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, shares the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure book - a compilation of tools, tactics, and habits from 130+ of the world's top performers. From iconic entrepreneurs to elite athletes, from artists to billionaire investors, their short profiles can help you answer life's most challenging questions, achieve extraordinary results, and transform your life.
-
-
Maybe not a good format for an audio-book version
- By M. Arthur Cré on 06-13-20
By: Tim Ferriss
Critic reviews
“A fascinating look inside companies that are rewriting the rules of success. If you’ve ever wondered whether imagination beats knowledge and passion overcomes ambition, drop what you’re doing and read this book.” (Adam Grant, Wharton professor, author of Originals and Give and Take)
“We've all heard of the garage startup that spawned tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Google. But what about the startup that's actually reinventing the garage? Everyone needs to think and act more like an entrepreneur these days, and Simply Brilliant provides a roadmap for finding inspiration and innovation in the unlikeliest, everyday places.” (Linda Rottenberg, cofounder of Endeavor, author of Crazy Is a Compliment)
"Bill Taylor is back - and he's better than ever! Simply Brilliant describes how to make your organization truly extraordinary by focusing on the values that set you apart from the pack. Brimming with fascinating case studies, this book is essential reading for leaders in every industry.” (Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell Is Human)
What listeners say about Simply Brilliant
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 03-16-22
Exceptional information
The information was very delightful. The examples he gave makes one want to do more in your organization.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- E and J May
- 11-10-16
Simple and Brilliant
Lives up to its name. I've spent years studying how great organizations do ordinary things in extraordinary ways, and I was still surprised and delighted by several of the case studies in this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Betty Boop
- 07-04-17
Very Inspirational
i found this to be very inspirational! many great ideas to take with me for leadership principles.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David M. Jones
- 12-13-16
Lives up to its name
Fantastic read (listen). Whether you're in business or not, the lessons shared from the role model organizations profiled in this book can be game changers for your organization.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William L. Parker
- 10-26-16
written by Karl Marx?
I snagged a copy of this book because my company was featured in here. The message was completely distorted. There are a couple of gemss within these pages but it takes a tremendous commitment in time to find them. I recommend moving on to a different book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!