Genre: inspiration, self-help, business, management (are these genres?)
My rating: 3/5
Age: Adult
Type: Book review
As some of you know, I traveled to Oregon a few weeks back to run the 50th Portland Marathon (I wrote about it / shared some photos in this post). That was a hella long flight, though. Well. Not close to the Orlando-to-Beijing flight, which I’ve done five times. Still long.
Most passengers slept (my twin and I did took the red eye), but of course I had to read. Visions of grandeur and a bigger brain refused to let me rest. So today, weeks later, I humbly give you my review of The Mind of the Leader (find the Goodreads synopsis here).
I can’t really spoil anything in this book since it isn’t a story. And there isn’t much to spoil.
The gist boils down to 1) Be present, 2) Be compassionate, and 3) Be selfless. That’s it. If you’d like to know the how, at least from the authors’ perspective, you would read on. Many of the methods they offer are meditation-based, in which I see value.
So why am I giving this only 3 stars? Hmm. First, 3 is 60%. This isn’t a primary school grade, y’all. I didn’t give it a D. Or your country’s equivalent. I’d say 3 equates to a rating of fair.
I wouldn’t go out and distribute this book on the streets as a game-changer. Neither do I resent reading it. Hougaard and Carter do offer some valuable direction and tips to becoming a mindful leader.
However, I felt that nearly 20% of the text verged on repetitive. Sometimes I could feel the hammer against my skull. Ok, to be fair, that might have been changes in pressure during the flight. Regardless, at times I caught myself drifting because I felt I’d already read something.
I did find the charts sprinkled throughout most informative. A few times, I’ve gone back to review them.
My recommendation? If you appreciate (or wish to try) guided meditation as it pertains to leadership, read the book. If you find yourself easily distracted, stunted, etc., at work, go ahead and read the book. Perhaps you’ll glean something useful. The authors have certainly put in quite a bit of work in case studies and charts.
But this book might not interest everyone.
Like this review? You might be interested in checking out others on my Book Reviews page.
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