Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office

It's the journey, not the destination: an adage that many can't appreciate. Not so for McDermott, CEO of the software giant SAP, who in this uplifting and enjoyable memoir chronicles his life from boyhood to the present day. Born to working-class parents, McDermott's family suffered intermittent tragedy and perpetual financial instability throughout his childhood. Inheriting his father's strong work ethic, he began at the age of 11 as an enterprising paperboy, eventually doubling his initial route of 150 homes and expanding his wares to include holiday cards and cookies. An astute businessman from the get-go, McDermott purchased and operated a deli while still in high school, the first indication of an ability to turn struggling businesses into successful ones without any starting capital. His will to win, coupled with a strong sense of ethics, landed him a sales job at Xerox, where he soon began generating enviable sales numbers. The narrative of his rise through the company's ranks and eventual move to SAP is engaging, if not something that the average reader can replicate. More valuably, McDermott emphasizes that a never-satisfied curiosity was the primary quality that enabled him to meet his customers' needs and further his own goals. His wisdom should prove valuable to readers at every level of their careers, or in life in general. (Oct.)