Reviews

Nine Lies about Work: A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World by Ashley Goodall, Marcus Buckingham

entreeden's review against another edition

5.0

i wish every manager read this

jillccox's review against another edition

5.0

I read a lot of self-help, business, and leadership books and most have a nugget or two of good advice, but every once in awhile I come across a book that helps me see life, work, and leadership with fresh eyes and more clearly. This book was one of those enlightening books for me. Even though it is an easy and pleasant read, it took me awhile to work through it simply because each chapter gave me so much to reflect on and in some cases changes to implement. I purchased it in both hardback and audio because I know I will refer to it again and again.

labyrinth_witch's review against another edition

4.0

In this short career self-help book, Buckingham challenges the 9 most common rotes of work such as you need goals, people need feedback, and leadership is a thing.

Utilizing interviews through Gallup, Buckingham argues for his own theories on these matters. Whether you agree or not, he nonetheless gets you thinking about why you swallowed these concepts lock, stock, and barrel. He also demonstrates why you’ve felt uncomfortable in many of theses situations.

Perhaps of most value to me, was the idea that goals are a system of record keeping not of aspiration. He discusses how arbitrary the trickle-down system of goals is to actually getting anything done. Instead, organizations that can disperse meaning and purpose through all levels exhibit more effectiveness.

For the questions I’m asking myself right now, he talks about how leaders are rarely the people that check all the leadership competency boxes. Instead he encourages us to ask why we follow. He then states “we follow mastery. We follow those who are good at things we care about.” Then he encourages you to intentional cultivate your own idiosyncrasies and become a “leader” in that one thing for that time for that purpose. With that, a whole world opened up for me. Permission to do the things I really want to do instead of pursuing what I’m “supposed” to be doing.

Overall, an enjoyable read. Recommend to anyone who is asking how they ended up here. Worth reading again to “unlearn” these concepts.

maireo's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

2.5

kesogago's review against another edition

5.0

Made me feel "researchsque". I love feeling researchsque, by the way.
(I just invented this word, thank me later)

andreazak's review against another edition

5.0

The authors really make you rethink a lot of the conventional wisdom as it pertains to corporate culture and managing teams

rossbm's review against another edition

4.0

Nine Lies About Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall which is a great general business book aimed at leaders, but it offers valuable insights for individual contributors as well. While the book is of reasonable length, I believe it could have been shortened further.

The following lies/truths stood out for me:

Lie #1: People care which company they work for. Truth: People care which team they are on. My takeaway(s): When looking for a new job, it is much harder to “pre-evaluate” a team than a company, so be careful before leaving a good team.

Lie #2: The best plan wins. Truth: The best intelligence wins. My takeaway(s): You can succeed as analytics professional by providing high-quality and timely insights to leaders and operational employees.

Lie #4: The best people are well-rounded. Truth: The best people are spiky. My takeaway(s): Instead of trying to fix your weaknesses, lean into your strengths. Fixing your weaknesses will only make you average, while honing your strengths will make you great. A strength is not only something that you are good at, but something that strengthens you. Leaders should identify and leverage the strengths of their people instead of trying to fix their weaknesses or make them conform to a standard profile.

Lie #5: People need feedback. Truth: People need attention. My takeaway(s): Focus on positive reinforcement and have regular one-on-one meetings (”bilats” in government jargon) with employees. As a manager, your "span of control" is the number of employees you can have regular one-on-ones with.

Lie #9: Leadership is a thing. Truth: We follow spikes. My takeaway(s): Leadership is not a generic skill or trait that can be taught or measured. A leader is only a leader if they attract and retain followers. People’s reasons for following a leader will depend on the leader’s distinctive qualities as well the unique context of the situation. To succeed as a leader, cultivate your strengths, such as vision, charisma, expertise, or courage, and use them to inspire others.

jvilches's review against another edition

informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

cgpc's review against another edition

informative inspiring slow-paced

vireogirl's review against another edition

4.0

Useful concepts: 4 “me” and 4 “we” statements about how engaged you are at work. Spikiness—being the best at what you are uniquely good at. Build more of what you love into your work. Managers should do weekly check-ins focused on making sure the direct has the priorities and answers they need. Acknowledge people when they do their best.