Einstein’s Boss
10 Rules for Leading Genius
Robert Hromas & Christopher Hromas
“When employees are exceptional, everyday rules no longer apply. In 1933, Albert Einstein fled Nazi Germany for the leafy streets of Princeton, NJ. He would have been welcome anywhere, but Einstein joined the Institute for Advanced Study, bestowing instant credibility on the fledgling research center. Abraham Flexner, the institute’s founder, wasn’t a physicist or mathematician — but he was a gifted administrator. Under his leadership, IAS became a global powerhouse, home to 33 Nobel Laureates, 38 Field Medalists, and myriad winners of the Wolf and MacArthur prizes. The team of thinkers that Flexner assembled produced some of the greatest scientific advances of the 20th century. The man had a knack for leading genius.”
I picked up Einstein’s Boss because the premise sounded interesting—leadership lessons drawn from the story of Abraham Flexner who guided Albert Einstein. I thought it would be a good mix of stories and learning theory.
The idea itself is clever. Instead of offering generic advice, the author grounds the leadership rules in a historical example of how to manage genius without stifling it. The ten rules, with titles like “Get out of the way,” “Shut up and listen,” and “Turn over the rocks,” are simple, memorable, and do make you pause to reflect on how you approach talented people. I appreciated the fresh angle of using Einstein’s story to frame leadership lessons, which kept the book from feeling like a typical business read.
That said, I found the book fairly average overall. While the rules are interesting, the exploration feels surface-level and sometimes repetitive. It’s very vaguge and you’re left unsure of the point at the end, I had hoped for deeper analysis and perhaps more diverse examples. For readers who have worked through other leadership or management books, the ideas here won’t feel especially new or groundbreaking.
Overall, Einstein’s Boss was fine but not amazing. I would give it 2.5 to 3 out of 5 stars. For those who are newer to leadership literature or who are particularly drawn to the Einstein connection, it’s worth a skim. But if you are looking for something more in-depth or comprehensive, there are stronger titles available.
I’ve just finished Delivering Happiness and I’ve got to say—it left me a bit unsure how to feel. The book is essentially the author’s life story: from his childhood side hustles to running Zappos and eventually selling it to Amazon. Some of those early stories were fun and gave me a laugh—clearly, he had that entrepreneurial itch from a young age.
I recently finished Daring Greatly and while it wasn’t my first time reading one of her books, it still gave me plenty to think about. The core idea? That vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s courage. In a world that often celebrates keeping it all together, the author flips the script and makes a strong case for letting your guard down, showing up fully, and embracing the mess of being human.
This book was not what I expected and not in a good way. I thought I was picking up something about how leaders make decisions, but instead it turned out to be a bunch of short stories that had nothing to do with ‘how’ to make decisions.
I had high hopes for Team Habits, but it turned out to be a real letdown. The premise sounds promising, but what you actually get is a lot of vague advice, recycled concepts, and filler content. There’s nothing new or groundbreaking here. Most of it reads like generic business blog posts strung together into a book.
When I picked up Persuasion, I was expecting a guide to everyday communication, something with tips on language, conversation, and how to connect with others in all kinds of settings. What I got instead was a book much more focused on business, branding, and marketing, particularly within an American and political context.
I came into this book with high expectations and maybe that’s exactly why it left me so disappointed. The premise is actually quite appealing. The idea of a connections manager is something I genuinely resonate with (probably because I already see myself as one, haha). But sadly, the delivery didn’t live up to its potential.
Gods of Management is a unique and interesting read that offers a fresh perspective on leadership and workplace culture. The author introduces the idea that there are four distinct “god types” which reflect different styles of management and organisational behaviour. Early on, I found the concept engaging and easy to relate to. I could clearly picture the types the author described and how they show up in real-life workplaces.
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Memoirs aren’t usually my cup of tea. I wasn’t even planning to read a memoir—I was hoping for a more traditional leadership book. But every now and then, a book surprises me—and this one truly did. This book is an enthralling read that had me hooked from start to finish.