Rating: 
Summary: Inside perspective
Review: Why Smart Executives Fail is a must-read for any person who wants to be successful not only in business but also in life. As I read this book, I found many similarities in the people who had managed to turn successful businesses into failures and people who have nothing to do with business: just life in general.As a research associate working with the author of Why Smart Executives Fail, I located and interviewed numerous individuals with very different personalities. It was interesting to me that some of the most influential people were more accessible and pleasant to interact with than some of the less successful. Does that say something about why they are more successful? Some of the extremely well-known individuals spoke about their personal lives without fear of exposure or "bad press". Other interviewees were extremely guarded and impatient with my questions. Some of the interviewees were contacted for an interview once and others were contacted over a period of months.
The way Professor Finkelstein made sense of the vast amount of information is amazing! Whether you're reading about failures, causes, delusions or habits, you will take away very valuable lessons from this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting research in this book
Review: With a masters degree in Business Administration, I read this book with an eye on "what's different." Finklestein has enumerated many reasons for corporate and executive failure. The bottom line: Unrealistic optimistic assumptions, arrogance and suboptimal thinking. Read Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman PhD. to learn how to integrate the universal antidote for these failures. When Optimal Thinking is integrated into corporate culture, executives are disciplined and accountable, and the company has contingency plans for such worst event scenarios.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting research in this book
Review: With a masters degree in Business Administration, I read this book with an eye on "what's different." Finklestein has enumerated many reasons for corporate and executive failure. The bottom line: Unrealistic optimistic assumptions, arrogance and suboptimal thinking. Read Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman PhD. to learn how to integrate the universal antidote for these failures. When Optimal Thinking is integrated into corporate culture, executives are disciplined and accountable, and the company has contingency plans for such worst event scenarios.
Rating:
Summary: Read it!
Review: With a PhD in Management, I've certainly read a great deal about the successes and failures of executives. Imagine my delight then that I found such new and fascinating insights in Finkelstein's book! 'Why Smart Executives Fail' sets itself apart by providing numerous examples of business failures and grounding those examples with in-depth analysis and interviews. Anyone who reads this book is sure to walk away with a much better understanding of the causes of business failures and how they can avoid failures in their own careers.
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