Tag Archives: 2-stars

Quick Reviews of Non-Fiction Business Books #9 (S)

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Think Faster, Talk Smarter
How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot
Matt Abrahams

I picked up this book hoping for strategies to truly sharpen spontaneous communication. Instead, it felt more like a refresher on the basics.
The book leans heavily on ideas like slowing down, breathing, practicing, and reflecting. Which are helpful for managing anxiety, but not exactly groundbreaking or aligned with the promise of “thinking faster” or “talking smarter.” Much of it came across as repetitive and obvious, with tips that could have been summarized in just a few pages. While there were a few useful frameworks and reminders, the delivery lacked conciseness and engaging examples, which I would expect from a book about communication. I found myself tuning out at times. Overall, this wasn’t for me. Helpful in small ways, but nothing new. 2 stars.

Lead Like a Coach
Karen Morley

This book is all about moving from being a boss to being more of a coach; listening, asking questions, and helping your team grow. The author shares some solid tips and real examples that make it easy to follow and put into practice.
It’s a good summary of what coaching-style leadership looks like, but there’s nothing really new here. Most of the ideas, like building trust and giving feedback, have been said many times before.
Overall, it’s a quick and useful read if you’re new to the topic, but a bit basic if you’ve read other leadership books. 2.5 stars.
Order out of Chaos
Win Every Negotiation, Thrive in Adversity, and Become a World-Class Communicator
Scott Walker

Very below average. I didn’t get much out of this book at all. Just when I thought it was finally about to start in the last chapter, it ended abruptly.

The author mentions a few techniques, like mirroring and labeling, which might be new to some readers, but they weren’t explained well or in much depth, lucky for them I already knew what they are. I wanted more from the stories too. The author often sets up a situation, like someone being kidnapped, but then the story suddenly cuts off without any real follow-through or lesson. Sometimes it was just, “we paid less and got the person back,” with no insight into how or why.

The case studies were vague and lacking in real, instructive detail. There are a few good reminders here and there, but nothing new or that made me want to keep reading.

Honestly, save your time and read Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss instead. It’s far more useful and engaging!! 2 stars.

Review: Blitzscaling – Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh (S)

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Blitzscaling
The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies
Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh

“LinkedIn cofounder, legendary investor, and host of the award-winning Masters of Scale podcast reveals the secret to starting and scaling massively valuable companies. What entrepreneur or founder doesn’t aspire to build the next Amazon, Facebook, or Airbnb? Yet those who actually manage to do so are exceedingly rare. So what separates the startups that get disrupted and disappear from the ones who grow to become global giants? The secret is a set of techniques for scaling up at a dizzying pace that blows competitors out of the water. The objective of Blitzscaling is not to go from zero to one, but from one to one billion – as quickly as possible.”

I was so excited to pick this one up, but unfortunately it ended up being a bit of a letdown. The book felt scattered and all over the place, without a strong through-line or clear point it was building toward. Each section felt quite segmented, and none of the ideas or stories were explored with much depth. Instead of developing concepts meaningfully, it jumped quickly from one example to the next, which made it hard to feel invested.

It also didn’t feel especially relevant. Realistically, not many people are actually in a position to “blitzscale,” and while that’s obviously the premise of the book, it made the content hard to connect with in any practical or inspiring way. It didn’t feel particularly motivating or compelling as an overall story, and I found it a bit of a struggle to get through.

I’m increasingly unsure about business books that try to make big claims without any kind of comprehensive study behind them. This one relies heavily on personal anecdotes rather than evidence or data. Yes, the author is undeniably one of the biggest success stories out there, but that alone didn’t make the insights feel especially helpful or transferable.

I also wasn’t a fan of the author’s writing style. It came across as a little “know-it-all,” yet at the same time quite dry. Much of the credibility seemed to hinge on references to the author’s podcast, which didn’t really add value for me. I kept reading, hoping it might click or pick up at some point, but it remained underwhelming from start to finish.

I had higher hopes given who the author is, but in the end this one was just okay. 2 stars.

Review: Shawn Callahan – Putting Stories to Work

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Putting Stories to Work
Mastering Business Storytelling
Shawn Callahan

“The most successful leaders are storytellers. By mastering business storytelling, they achieve extraordinary business results. As a modern-day leader, you know you should develop this skill, but you don t have the time to do this in an ad-hoc way. What you need is a practical, reliable method to follow, one that will allow your business to reap the benefits of storytelling as soon as possible. In Putting Stories to Work, Shawn Callahan gives you a clear process for mastering business storytelling. He demolishes the thinking that storytelling has no place at work, reminding us that sharing stories is what we all do naturally, every day, and that it s one of the most powerful tools for getting things done. You just need to adapt this natural superpower to boost your business.”

I went into Putting Stories to Work expecting practical, detailed examples of storytelling in action. Instead, the book gives very short “stories” that never really go anywhere or dive deep enough to be interesting or memorable.

Ironically, for a book about storytelling, it was incredibly hard to stay engaged. I put it down several times because it just felt repetitive and boring. The concepts themselves are fine, but the delivery felt more like a drawn out corporate training session than a compelling read.

The biggest disappointment was that the case study at the very end of the book was actually good. It was detailed, practical, and finally showed storytelling being used properly in a workplace context. That was the kind of content I expected throughout the entire book. If the whole book had been written like that final section, this review would probably look very different.

Overall, 2/5 stars. They are lucky I finished it at all.

Review: Robert Glazer – How to Thrive in the Virtual Workplace (S)

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How to Thrive in the Virtual Workplace
Simple and Effective Tips for Successful, Productive, and Empowered Remote Work
Robert Glazer

“Remote work is here to stay, and the companies that do it well will have a clear competitive advantage in the future. As founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a 100 percent remote organization with 170 employees who work from home, Robert Glazer has discovered that with the right principles, tactics and tools for managing remote employees, many businesses can excel in a virtual world. In this highly actionable book, Glazer shares how he and his team built a remote organization that has been recognized with dozens of awards for its industry performance and company culture.”

This book promises to help you succeed in remote work, but honestly, it doesn’t deliver much that’s new or useful. The advice feels really basic and, frankly, outdated. The author talks about things like staying productive, keeping in touch with colleagues, and making the most of working from home, but let’s be real, that’s all pretty obvious at this point. It doesn’t really bring anything fresh to the table.

A big chunk of the book is aimed at managers, with tips on how to manage virtual teams, build culture, and hire remote employees. If you’re not a manager, there’s not much here for you. The last couple of chapters are full of buzzwords and vague ideas about team-building that don’t really offer practical takeaways for your day-to-day work.

At the end of the day, the book feels like a surface-level overview of remote work, the kind of stuff most of us already know. It’s not engaging, it doesn’t bring new insights, and it’s pretty forgettable. 2 stars.

Review: Ben Mezrich – The Accidental Billionaires (S)

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The Accidental Billionaires
Sex, Money, Betrayal and the Founding of Facebook
Ben Mezrich

“The high-energy tale of how two socially awkward Ivy Leaguers, trying to increase their chances with the opposite sex, ended up creating Facebook. Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg were Harvard undergraduates and best friends–outsiders at a school filled with polished prep-school grads and long-time legacies. They shared both academic brilliance in math and a geeky awkwardness with women. Eduardo figured their ticket to social acceptance–and sexual success–was getting invited to join one of the university’s Final Clubs, a constellation of elite societies that had groomed generations of the most powerful men in the world and ranked on top of the inflexible hierarchy at Harvard. Mark, with less of an interest in what the campus alpha males thought of him, happened to be a computer genius of the first order.”

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and honestly, it was fairly average. The author goes into an unnecessary amount of depth, describing and setting the scene for things that really don’t need it. It’s not a high energy book, and I found myself not caring about many of the little side groups of people we kept hearing from, especially at the start. A lot of that could have easily been edited out.

It’s also tricky because the story isn’t told from the perspective of the founder. The author interviewed people connected to the events, but not Mark Zuckerberg himself, which makes me question how accurate the details really are.

For the first few chapters, I was really thrown off by the author’s writing style. It feels like he’s trying too hard to sound like a writer instead of just telling the story. The result is a book that feels half told and a bit rushed. The story barely scratches the surface of Facebook as a company, it’s more about the early college drama and less about the actual creation of a tech empire.

In the end, it’s a story that should be fascinating, but it’s bogged down by overly descriptive writing and awkward pacing. What could have been sharp and insightful ends up feeling childish and, at times, painful to get through. Read the Netflix: That Will Never Work book instead. 2 stars.

Review: Charlie Gilkey – Team Habits (S)

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Team Habits
How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results
Charlie Gilkey

“DISCOVER SMALL, TEAM-BASED CHANGES THAT HAVE COMPANY-WIDE RESULTS. The teams we work in amplify our individual efforts, yet we constantly struggle to accomplish what is possible. You can see all the problems in a typical weekly meeting. No planning. Missing goals. Muddled communication. We think just bringing our personal hopes and desires will be enough. It’s not.”

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.

The author touches on a ton of topics, but never dives deeply into any of them. The writing is full of abstract ideas with very little substance. The so-called “takeaways” at the end of each chapter are just painfully obvious stuff like “communicate clearly” and “encourage collaboration.” Great advice… if you’ve never worked with other people before.

It’s incredibly dry. There are no real stories, no case studies, and barely any examples to make the content engaging. I found myself skimming through entire sections, hoping it would eventually get better. It didn’t. Also worth noting: the book seems primarily aimed at project teams in tech or agile environments. If that’s not your world, it’s even less useful.

Overall: Team Habits might be helpful for someone completely new to team management, but if you’ve read even a couple of leadership books before, you’ve already seen everything this one has to offer. Skip it. 2 stars.

Quick Reviews of Non-Fiction Business Books #7 (S)

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Blockchain: The Next Everything
Stephen P. Williams

The author seems unsure of the book’s purpose. At times it leans toward being educational, but the information isn’t well-researched or in-depth enough to be truly informative. It skims the surface, repeating the same broad ideas in different forms without ever really getting to the heart of what blockchain is or how it’s actually being used today.

The focus is mostly on Blockchain’s potential, filled with vague references to what “people are saying”, without much substance to back it up. If you’re looking for a deep dive or anything that would satisfy a tech-savvy reader, this probably isn’t the book for you. It feels more like a long-form article padded out into book form. It’s frustratingly repetitive and light on new insights.

This wasn’t really my type of read to begin with, but I still hoped to take away something useful. I didn’t. For me it’s a 2-star read.

The Future Is Smart: How Your Company Can Capitalize on the Internet of Things—And Win in a Connected Economy
W. David Stephenson

This book gives a broad introduction to how businesses can use the Internet of Things (IoT) to become more connected, efficient, and data-driven. It includes some interesting examples from big companies like GE and John Deere, and it’s written in a way that’s easy to follow, even if you’re not very techy.

That said, it’s already starting to feel a bit outdated, and the ideas don’t go very deep. It could’ve used more diverse, up-to-date examples and clearer takeaways. Overall, it doesn’t really land on a strong point or message, more of a general overview than a compelling argument.

Average, skimmable if you’re just curious. I didn’t really get into it. 3 stars.

The Art of Thinking in a Digital World: Be Logical – Be Creative – Be Critical
Luc de Brabandere

I picked up this book hoping for fresh, practical insights, but it mostly felt like a rambling mix of poorly organised stuff that the author thought could vaguely be relevant. It covers the “three modes of thinking”, logical, creative, critical and has a bit of historical context and AI-awareness, but it never drills into how to think better in a way that sticks. Instead you get a lot of surface chatter without much depth or actionable takeaways. The illustrations are nice, and I appreciated the occasional metaphor, but I often found myself wondering: “What’s the point?” Luc de Brabandere does shine in his earlier book Thinking in New Boxes. It’s far more practical and definitely worth a read if you want genuine, hands‑on strategies for reframing how you think.

2 Stars. Skip this one, and reach for Thinking in New Boxes instead.

Quick Reviews of Non-Fiction Business Books #5 (S)

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Win Or Die: Lessons for Life from Game of Thrones – Bruce Craven

I might have rated this book a bit harshly, because it just wasn’t for me. I haven’t read Game of Thrones so I didn’t get much out of it. A lot of the book makes reference and fully analyzes Game of Thrones. I don’t recommend reading this book if you haven’t read Game of Thrones. There are some leadership ideas, however, nothing new. There is very little leadership theory, and a lot of explaining via Game of Thrones. While the author aims to draw parallels between the challenges faced by the characters in Westeros and real-world leadership scenarios, the book seems to cater primarily to fans of the series. Without prior understanding of the characters and their arcs, the lessons feel abstract and disconnected.

For those who are avid followers of Game of Thrones, this book might provide an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. 2 stars.

Finding My Virginity: The New Autobiography – Richard Branson

I found this hard to review. The book itself is ok and not that badly written. It’s obviously an autobiography so it’s told as the story of his life. The stories don’t drag on, they get to the point at least. The part I don’t like is Richard Branson himself, and his life story. He is not someone I would be friends with. I have not read his first autobiography and wasn’t even keen to read this book. I didn’t know much about Richard before reading it, but after reading this book it confirmed everything I already knew.

Richard Branson considers himself a legend. He views himself as The Most Interesting Man in the World. I hoped to learn a little about running companies. But really he does none of this. Instead readers are subjected 450+ pages of egomania. It’s all about what he does in his everyday life which is off on dare deviling adventures that he brags about. Including his complete list in the appendix of “75 close shaves with death”. Most of which are doing dumb idiotic situations he puts himself into. Besides always almost dying, the rest of it is his views on politics, bragging, any time he did anything “cool”, and out right just being rich. I don’t even think he runs any companies?! Not in the day to day sense anyway.

There is no advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. It is just Branson telling the world, over and over again, how much fun it is to be Branson. I thought he was a wanker before, and now reading this, it confirms it. 2 stars.

Quick Reviews of Non-Fiction Business Books #4 (S)

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The Excellence Dividend – Tom Peters

The author’s points and principles are correct. I do agree with them. But the writing style is horrible! It’s poorly constructed and has a disjointed writing style. I picked up this book agreeing with the title and the concept. I hoped to come away from it motivated and inspired. But I struggled to even finish it, and was even skimming parts!

I don’t mind the quotes. I do like some quotes, but when they have no context and heaps of them, what’s the point? It was also written a lot in bold and caps which irritated me. And let’s talk about the length! This book is a heavyweight, but what did I get out of it? Not much. It did re-confirm the things I know and believe in. But it didn’t have anything new and interesting, and definitely not inspiring. Overall, I’m disappointed. Those seeking a more impactful and engaging exploration of similar themes are advised to explore alternative titles that better deliver on the promise of motivation, inspiration, and fresh insights. 2 stars.

How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job – Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith

I am a supporter of feminism, particularly in the realms of careers and in the workplace. I appreciated that this book acknowledged the existing disparities in these areas and aimed to tackle them. However, while I fully embrace feminist principles, I found this book to be overwhelmingly focused on feminism to the point of excess. While I acknowledge some valid points made by the authors, the book often resorts to comparing males and females and implies that women must conform to societal expectations rather than advocating for societal change. It feels patronizing and relies heavily on broad stereotypes.

The book repeatedly suggests that women must adapt to fit into traditional leadership roles rather than challenging societal perceptions of success or women’s roles. Also the portrayal of the corporate world as a rigid hierarchy with only upward mobility options doesn’t resonate with my experiences. I disagree with the book’s insistence that women must emulate men to succeed in this environment. The writing style, with constant references to the authors and their previous works is off-putting. While I grasped the authors’ points, they were poorly articulated and lacked clarity. The book also took too long to delve into its content, and while some anecdotes were relatable, others felt contrived. Ultimately, the book perpetuates the notion that women can only advance by conforming to male standards, which I find condescending and patronizing. I rate it 2 stars.

Review: Samantha Parent Walravens – Geek Girl Rising (S)

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Geek Girl Rising
Inside the Sisterhood Shaking Up Tech
Samantha Parent Walravens

“Meet the women who haven’t asked for permission from Silicon Valley to chase their dreams. They are going for it — building the next generation of tech start-ups, investing in each other’s ventures, crushing male hacker stereotypes and rallying the next generation of women in tech. Geek Girl Rising isn’t about the famous tech trailblazers you already know, like Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer. Instead, veteran journalists Heather Cabot and Samantha Walravens introduce readers to the fearless female entrepreneurs and technologists fighting at the grassroots level for an ownership stake in the revolution that’s changing the way we live, work and connect to each other.”

I had high expectations for this book, hoping to find compelling case studies and valuable insights about women in the tech industry. While it does touch on those aspects, I found the book to be disorganized and lacking a clear structure. It begins with a captivating short story about GoldieBlox, which instantly grabbed my attention. However, this story is only briefly explored and not revisited until the very end, which left me eagerly waiting for more throughout but left me disappointed.
The book presents numerous anecdotes about different companies but they are presented in a seemingly random order. It even jumps between companies within the same chapter or paragraph, using examples we’ve already encountered and expecting us to remember all the names. We never get a comprehensive understanding of any particular company or gain any valuable insights into their achievements or methods. There is an excessive reliance on statistics highlighting the under representation of women in the tech field.
The chapters fail to establish a clear argument or purpose, making the entire narrative feel disjointed and confusing. Many of the terms mentioned are specific to America, such as Trump and the Super Bowl. Come on, the rest of the world exists too.
I found the excessive focus on the appearance of the women mentioned in the book to be irrelevant and uninteresting. I had hoped to delve into the core content of the book and learn about their strategies for success and the challenges they faced, but unfortunately, the book falls short in delivering that. It felt more like a collection of disjointed magazine articles lacking an unifying theme.
The constant bouncing around made it difficult to extract any meaningful takeaways, to the point that I don’t feel I gained anything substantial from reading it. It could have gone a lot deeper. I don’t want to come across as anti-feminist, but I have to say that the book was poorly written. Despite my initial enthusiasm for the first 8 pages, I must admit that I couldn’t develop a genuine fondness for this book, leading me to rate it two stars.