This book is quite short, but it is packed full of observations about office life and suggestions for managers to motivate their teams. It is entertaining and fairly lightweight to read, but never falls into the trap of being patronising.

It starts off with amusing descriptions of people that you meet in the office who hold you back (“Neg Ferrets”, “Bloaters”, “Sinkers”, “Head Treads”) and some who will help you (“Betty Back Room”). Personally I wasn’t happy with attaching labels to people, but I do recognise the descriptions of problem (and positive) behaviours.

It goes onto discuss why people become “sleepwalkers” and operate at only a fraction of their potential, giving some lovely examples from business, and from day-to-day life.

Subsequent chapters look at how to encourage people to give their best, discuss what we mean by “success”, describe how to identify the people in your team who have energy (“Amps” and “Vamps”) and how best to use them, and give a whole host of tips for motivating your staff and building up a really good team. The whole thing is brought to life with real life anecdotes and examples.

I enjoyed reading the book, and found it accessible and full of good ideas. There’s nothing particularly new or earth-shaking about it and there are plenty of other motivational books around that cover similar ground, but it is easy to read, the ideas are put across simply and without unnecessary padding, and I can imagine it would be very useful to new managers, or those who feel they may have got into a rut.

Certainly there are some nuggets in it that I will try to put into practice in my work – and what more can you ask from a business book of this length? ( )