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A review by globber
The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable on Real Success in Business and in Life by Robin S. Sharma
1.0
There is something to like about this book, in the sense that it encourages people to take responsibility for themselves and look for ways to better their lives and the lives of the people around them. However, Sharma fails to nuance this position in important ways - for example by talking about the ways the teams and communities we are in affect us in powerful ways and are, in fact, an essential part of who we are.
The final chapter of the book, in particular, I found troubling. There is a lot of talk of personal awesomeness and the power of positive thinking. Sharma does not bother to mention that calling negative thoughts "germs" that ultimately attract an unhealthy way of thinking is, in itself, a sort of path to mental illness. If we do not make space for negative thoughts and then expose them to objective judgement, we end up ignoring large parts of our own personalities. The expectation that we are always positive and never entertain negative thoughts is crushing and can be harmful. Far better to engage with the Stockdale Paradox as described by Jim Collins, if that's your sort of thing. This was only one of many problems I saw in the final chapter, and I think it undermined any other value that could be uncovered in the book. I'd say skip this book and look for books that explore similar, important themes from a more nuanced perspective.
The final chapter of the book, in particular, I found troubling. There is a lot of talk of personal awesomeness and the power of positive thinking. Sharma does not bother to mention that calling negative thoughts "germs" that ultimately attract an unhealthy way of thinking is, in itself, a sort of path to mental illness. If we do not make space for negative thoughts and then expose them to objective judgement, we end up ignoring large parts of our own personalities. The expectation that we are always positive and never entertain negative thoughts is crushing and can be harmful. Far better to engage with the Stockdale Paradox as described by Jim Collins, if that's your sort of thing. This was only one of many problems I saw in the final chapter, and I think it undermined any other value that could be uncovered in the book. I'd say skip this book and look for books that explore similar, important themes from a more nuanced perspective.