The Goal

In my operations management class, I had to read The Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt. I did not expect to like the book considering it was over 300 pages of talking about a management theory, but I actually ended up really enjoying it. In fact, I wish all textbooks could be written in the same way that Dr. Goldratt wrote this book. He teaches the theory of constraints to his readers by telling the story of a plant manager, Alex Rogo. He takes the readers through Alex's daily life, showing them how Alex learned about the theory of constraints. Instead of writing a book listing all of the rules and principles of the theory of constraints (TOC), Dr. Goldratt taught the method by using Alex as an example. As Alex explored the happenings at his own plant, he discovers what needs to change. Ultimately, the steps he takes to make the changes are the steps for implementing TOC techniques. By following Alex through the decisions that led him to discover the steps for TOC, the reader gets a clear understanding of why TOC works. Instead of just describing the content of the theory like most textbooks do, this book showed the development of the theory. I found this technique much easier to follow and understand than the way a traditional textbook would present a theory.

Another thing I like about the book was that Dr. Goldratt incorporated parts of Alex's personal life into the story. The stress of his job was affecting his marriage, and the turmoil he and his wife were experiencing was included in the book. The book was much more interesting because there were parts about his personal life, which helped break up the technical content of the majority of the book. It also helped show how much impact your involvement in a job can have on your personal life. While I was supposed to be concentrating on learning the practices of the theory of constraints, I couldn't help but to dwell on Alex's personal life as I read the book. It made me realize how important it is to establish a clear balance between your work and personal life. No matter how stressful a job or career may get, it is essential that you take the time to spend time with the people who are an important part of your life. I think many times it's easy for people to get caught up in their obligations at work, and it is easy to stop spending as much time with your family because the thought is that they will always be there. If you constantly make it a habit to put work first, it will definitely strain the relationships in your life. This book taught me an important lesson about the importance of establishing a good balance between work and personal life. As someone who will be starting a career in just a few years, I think it's important to start thinking about what really matters to me. You have to establish your priorities early on because it is hard to change them once you get into the habit of something else.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Aside from the theory of constraints techniques that could be useful in a management position, I learned important lessons about life in general. There is so much more to learn in life than just the facts and principles that are generally taught in a classroom. It was refreshing to read something for a class that helped me gain knowledge that I can use both inside and outside of the classroom, which I think is very important.