Rating: Summary: Excellent Review: A very good audio book. I like the part when the author summarize all temptations backward.
Rating: Summary: Good read and assessment material Review: After reading it, passed it on to our CEO who is now purchasing one for each member of the management team. Provides a common set of rules for us to work with as a team.
Rating: Summary: Intriguing, Instructive Review: Every CEO understands that "it's lonely at the top." That loneliness contributes to temptations that can cause an otherwise dedicated executive to go down the wrong path. In this leadership fable, Lencioni, president of The Table consulting group in the San Francisco area, stimulates our thinking with an enjoyable story that captivates the reader's attention. Identifying with Andrew, a troubled CEO, isn't difficult at all . . . and may even be a bit uncomfortable. The discomfort dissolves with the learning that comes in page after page. Working late on the night before an important board meeting, Andrew O'Brien finds himself on a commuter train. Alone. Except for Charlie, who appears to be a janitor. A conversation develops through which Charlie, an unexpected source of wisdom, shares valuable insight and perspectives with Andrew. The lessons are built around the five temptations that lead CEOs astray. The fable is well-woven and thought-provoking. Following the story, Lencioni presents his model: a summary of why executives fail. A self-assessment concludes the book. Though I wasn't that excited about the self-assessment, the value of the balance of the book overcomes any deficiencies I might see in those few pages. The Five Temptations are choosing status over results, choosing popularity over accountability, choosing certainty over clarity, choosing harmony over productive conflict, and choosing vulnerability over trust. Lest you think that you can now avoid reading this book because you know the secrets, let me admonish you that merely knowing the words is considerably different than understanding the concepts. That benefit will come with reading the book, then applying the learnings to strengthen your personal performance. This quick read can make a significant difference in your effectiveness and happiness.
Rating: Summary: Excellent management tool! Review: Everyone can fall prey to these temptations, but allowing them to take hold can ruin a company. Great management tool for any manager, not just a CEO. Even has a test for you to take to rate yourself on each temptation. Well worth the reading!
Rating: Summary: widely applicable Review: I am amazed at some of the negative reviews about this great little book. I guess these negative people are not familiar with what a FABLE is? I think this book hits all of us executives right in the face with what we all struggle with. I think this is a must read (no, you will not feel like you have just read Atlas Shrugged after you are finished) for all execs, or people who aspire to lead organizations. I am excited to read the rest of the collection
Rating: Summary: A great little FABLE! Review: I am amazed at some of the negative reviews about this great little book. I guess these negative people are not familiar with what a FABLE is? I think this book hits all of us executives right in the face with what we all struggle with. I think this is a must read (no, you will not feel like you have just read Atlas Shrugged after you are finished) for all execs, or people who aspire to lead organizations. I am excited to read the rest of the collection
Rating: Summary: Extremely useful book, quick read Review: I generally dislike simplified fable books but this one really clicked for me. I run (and co-own) the business side of a 15-person advertising agency. Despite an MBA and 15 years of experience, leadership has been a hard skill to come by. And for entrepreneurs, realistically, if you're not up to speed, who's going to tell you? This book made me think about which weakness I was prey to (Accountability vs. Popularity). I devised systems to short-circuit my weakness: reworked a lot of systems, changed our interview process, made a lot of structural changes. And I still think about it every day. Most business books will inspire YOU but do nothing to change your staff or your organization. Pat Lencioni's quite right, you can't avoid your shortcomings as a leader and ultimately succeed.
Rating: Summary: Great Story ! Review: I got this book because I heard it was a great story and I loved it! There are so many leadership books out there and few are as creatively written. Its compelling, it stays with you and it rings true all the way through.
Rating: Summary: A Strong Message Review: I have often thought that things are made to be more complicated than they have to be. Pat Lencioni does an excellent job of outlining basic steps needed to be a both a successful leader and a successful contributor to an organization. "Five Temptations" is an easy read and the message should hit home for executives as well as individual contributors. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: Summary: Not your typical business book - fascinating Review: I haven't read a book like this since The Goal - the fictionalization really drove home the points. Much more interesting (and enlightening) than a lot of the dry books that I've read lately. I had a lot of those moments when it really "rang true." Neat.
|