I waffled between a 3 and a 4 on this one. The title is rather misleading and he takes a while to begin delivering his discoveries. His case studies are really interesting though(but outdated). But that's my fault because I didn't read this when it was printed.

Feel free to stop reading here.

A man I respect once said "reach up, not across."

Far too many of these books are the equivalent of reaching across, and this one is no different. What does he or, for that matter, most business/life advice writers that I've read in the past couple years know about what it's like to really work/live in the outside world?

Do they know what it's like to really, really need that paycheck? Or look for your own insurance? Not everyone can afford to turn down a promotion 3 times(yep, he writes about that), or quit their job because it doesn't align with their strengths. As many people have discovered, it is just as easy to be miserable making $10/hour at a job that you love as it is when you make $80000/year at a job that you aren't particularly fond of.

But why don't we, as a society, put an emphasis on having the successful teach the students? Partially because teaching is a skill that doesn't always come with being successful. And partially because success is, well, not a significantly common occurrence.

I guess this just illustrates my pet peeve about this genre in general. Not that the principles aren't good... but they would be more valuable if there was a little more experience behind it. ( )

Even though I knew there couldn't be one thing that was universal, I still felt a bit betrayed initially because the book does not identify one thing that is universally applicable. However, that would not have been realistic, and Buckingham knows that. He does say that there is one thing that is the core concept in a particular situation. He is really saying there is a (different) critical factor for each area of life.

Early in the book he gave the example of marriage that stuck with me. The one thing in marriage is that the person, for example the man, feels that his wife is better than she feels she is. The old 'love is blind' saying seems to be validated by research. In the business sector he also points out that optimism is an important factor in achieving success.

Sterling successes come not from our weaknesses, but form our strengths. The strengths needed for a great manager are different than that for a great leaders. The manager is to maximize each individual's strengths. The leaders is to unite the whole organization for a common cause. ( )

I read this book rather quickly because, at one level, it is like bubblegum.
You don't get too much flavour.

There are some useful tips scattered through the book, and this is good. However, these are sometimes buried deep within some anecdotes that are a bit longwinded. There is no great insight.

Having said that, the tips that Marcus provides are commonsensical tips and, common sense is what many of us lack most of the time!

There is no "One Thing" either! ( )

I like complexity. That's the reason (one of the reasons) that I'll likely never write a best-selling management book. Buckingham, on the other hand, is a master at simplifying things and providing concise advice about managing, leading, and succeeding. I can see the benefits to his focused approach. I finished this book with a clear understanding of Buckingham's keys to great management (capitalize on employees' strengths), leadership (provide focus and clarity about the future), and individual success (play to your own strengths and avoid your weaknesses). And it's not that I disagree with any of these basic pieces of advice. However, as you'll see if you've read any of his other management books, Buckingham repeats a number of familiar themes in this book. Further, he sometimes ignores the other side of basic arguments. For example, he adamantly states that great leaders are born, not made. My reading of the research literature on leadership suggests that there is evidence to support both sides of that argument; however, Buckingham provides only examples that support his side. Some of these examples were quite interesting and may prove useful to those attempting to improve their management, leadership, and individual performance. But, in the end, I felt that Buckingham erred on the side of oversimplifying a complex topic. ( )

I've read the book, seen his presentation, and highly recommend his approach to personal success and leadership. ( )