The 10 Rules of Sam Walton

In this summary you will learn

• What 10 rules Sam Walton followed to build the Wal-Mart international retail empire
• How to apply those rules to your business, career and life
• How Sam Walton's personal outreach and communication with individual employees helped build the world's largest retail operation
• What impact Walton's policies and practices have had on the retail industry worldwide

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Why you should read The 10 Rules of Sam Walton

This book is clearly an endearing, uncritical testimonial about Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart. Author Michael Bergdahl, a former employee, has written two books on Walton and Wal-Mart. He was a favorite of Sam Walton, who gave him the nickname "Bird Dawg," because Bergdahl drove a pickup truck. Walton was an avid hunter who also had an old truck and owned several bird dogs – appropriately the book's cover shows him patting one. S. Robson Walton, Sam Walton's son and the chairman of the board of Wal-Mart, wrote the foreword, and the author remains close to the Walton family. Thus, it is not a surprise that this content-approved book is effusive in its praise for Walton. Still, the advice is solid, and getAbstract suggests it to anyone who enjoys learning about successful companies and their leaders.

About the Authors

Michael Bergdahl worked with Sam Walton as Wal-Mart’s director of the Home Office People Division. He worked with other retailers, and is now a full-time speaker and business coach. He also wrote What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World.