Play Nice But Win by Michael Dell

Play Nice But Win

A CEO's Journey From Founder to Leader

Michael Dell, James Kaplan

Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 5, 2021

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From Michael Dell, renowned founder and chief executive of one of America’s largest technology companies, the inside story of the battles that defined him as a leader In 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room.

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Who it’s for
A founder’s account of the hard turns between launching a company and learning to lead it.
Themes
Entrepreneurship and company building, Leadership growth, Corporate survival and transformation
Genres
Business Lives, Leadership, Starting a Business

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About this book

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From Michael Dell, renowned founder and chief executive of one of America’s largest technology companies, the inside story of the battles that defined him as a leader In 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room.

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Almost 30 years later, at the pinnacle of his success as founder and leader of Dell Technologies, he found himself embroiled in a battle for his company’s survival. What he’d do next could ensure its legacy—or destroy it completely. Play Nice But Win is a riveting account of the three battles waged for Dell Technologies: one to launch it, one to keep it, and one to transform it. For the first time, Dell reveals the highs and lows of the company's evolution amidst a rapidly changing industry—and his own, as he matured into the CEO it needed. With humor and humility, he recalls the mentors who showed him how to turn his passion into a business; the competitors who became friends, foes, or both; and the sharks that circled, looking for weakness. What emerges is the long-term vision underpinning his success: that technology is ultimately about people and their potential. More than an honest portrait of a leader at a crossroads, Play Nice But Win is a survival story proving that while anyone with technological insight and entrepreneurial zeal might build something great—it takes a leader to build something that lasts.

Founder to Leader

A founder’s account of the hard turns between launching a company and learning to lead it.

Come here for

  • The founder’s view of three company-defining battles
  • Leadership shaped by mentors, rivals, and a changing industry

Expect

  • A candid, humorous account of a CEO growing into the role
  • A long view of technology as a human enterprise

Where it sits

Business Lives78%
Leadership54%
Starting a Business41%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Personal Memoirs
  • Tech Industry
  • Leadership
Authors
Michael Dell, James Kaplan
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
October 5, 2021
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Entrepreneurship and company building · Leadership growth · Corporate survival and transformation
Reading lane
Personal Memoirs