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Wiley-Interscience

The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (September 1, 2000)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 184 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0787954039


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 31


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.2 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 0.9 x 8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #9,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #15 in Management Science #52 in Workplace Culture (Books) #129 in Entrepreneurship (Books)


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Big disappointment
This book came highly recommended, but after reading it I found the reading of it to be highly aggravated. First this book doesn't respect your time. Roughly the first half of the book is about some random business story (the fable) that could have been conveyed in a few pages. There is way too much superfluous detail in the story. Second, the major points were nothing earth shattering. I've seen similar points made in brief youtube videos. Lastly, while the primary points are to be considered timeliness, I came away thinking some of them were outdated in today's environment. I'll be telling others to skip this one. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2020 by Jason Storm
    • If you like a story, If you don't like a story THAT is the question.
When I read through a good portion of the reviews of this book, something I always do prior to offering my own review, I see that many folks either directly or indirectly reference the 'story' offered in the beginning of the book; either because it was found distracting in some way or because it provided a landscape from which to mine or connect to the principles of the book's message. The book's message is most definitely one out of the KISS realms and as things from this realm are they are potent reminders to not complicate the art of leadership. I enjoyed the story and the reminders; it's a quick and easy read, probably something one could cover on a day trip to a clients office on a plane and through the airport. It's also worth the read, especially if you find a good story useful for connecting with a message as I know I do. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020 by Oliver
    • APPLYING WHAT'S IN THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU A SUPERIOR EXECUTIVE
"There is no substitute for DISCIPLINE. No amount of intellectual prowess or personal charisma can make up for an inability to identify a FEW SIMPLE THINGS & STICK TO THEM OVER TIME." Individuals who fail to understand this, and scoff at the 'simplicity' (actually all areas, be it running a company, managing people, raising kids, training dogs or horses, investing) are the ones who fail miserably. Warren Buffett, Einstein - this is their secret. And Lencioni communicates this beautifully if you take your time to ponder and APPLY what he communicates. Most things in life fall under Pareto's Law of 20% of input creating 80% of the output. Lencioni has like no other distilled and communicated these 20% into (deceptively) simple applicable 'habits' - like Aristotle said, you are what you repeatedly do. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2020 by Orange Monkey
    • A Great Help and Call to Return to the Basics for Every Leader
I was caught up with the genre of this series of books for the "5 Dysfunctions of a Team." I have read nearly everything in the series and really enjoy the format, ease of reading, and the writer's style. As a leader of a church, I am always looking to improve my effectiveness to oversee an organization. Not all lessons from the "business world" apply perfectly, but I have found that even in the cases where there is no direct correlation, it is good to understand how those in the business world think. Beyond that, the principles that Lencioni communicates can usually be adapted to my particular context. What drew me to this book was the emphasis on the role of the senior leader in a company. The fable involves how the CEO interacts with his management team and how, in the most successful companies, there is a dogged determination to remain committed to the "most" important things. A CEO could become involved in a number of aspects of company operations; however, he is most effective in developing his senior leadership team, bringing clarity of purpose (vision) in every decision and direction, communicating that vision/direction "ad nauseum," and reinforcing the clarity through the human systems of the organization. Now I did not just share any new insights or upend some popular "B School" teaching; rather, I just shared what Lencioni reinforced throughout the book. A senior leader who focuses on these aspects of the organization can allow his senior leadership to carry out the task in the most effective way for their particular area of responsibility. While there is no "new" information or "magic pill" related in this book, there is a huge opportunity for the leader to evaluate his/her own organizational health, persona leadership effectiveness, and to make adjustments accordingly. I recommend the book highly to all leaders who are responsible for "shepherding" the vision and overseeing the direction of an organization. If you ever wanted "permission" to pull back from for the intricacies of the details and focus on what you do best...this is the book for you. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2012 by C. M. Aiken
    • keep it simple
Patrick Lencioni writes stories. Lots of them. He calls them `fables'. `Leadership fables', to be precise. It's a growing genre in business publications, perhaps a sign that such writers and their editors and marketers have caught on to the power of narrative to make a point that often comes across as dry and abstract when it's treated, well, dryly and abstractly. Lencioni is not a great story writer. He's just effective, which is probably satisfactory enough reward for this management consultant and, now, best-selling author (see The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Five Temptations of a CEO, and the hilariously betitled Death by Meeting). His secret is to keep it simple. There's not a lot of business theory here, but years of acute observation of leaders and the businesses they lead undergird the simple plot line of two executives of Bay Area firms, one who stumbles upon simplicity and another who just stumbles. Lencioni's villains are a little too simple-minded for my tastes, his hero a bit too moral. But that's only a critique if his intention is to write great literature. It's not: he wants to help execs who become too harried for our own good and anybody else's because we allow our task to complicate our work and, inevitably, our lives. I won't give away what the author's four obsessions are. But they're not rocket science. The author would be the first to tell you so. Most of us need some simplicity. And a little bit of obsession. You'll find them both here. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2006 by David A. Baer

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