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The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable
In this stunning follow-up to his best-selling book, The Five Temptations of a CEO, Patrick Lencioni offers up another leadership fable that's every bit as compelling and illuminating as its predecessor. This time, Lencioni's focus is on a leader's crucial role in building a healthy organization--an often overlooked but essential element of business life that is the linchpin of sustained success. Readers are treated to a story of corporate intrigue as the frustrated head of one consulting firm faces a leadership challenge so great that it threatens to topple his company, his career, and everything he holds true about leadership itself. In the story's telling, Lencioni helps his readers understand the disarming simplicity and power of creating organizational health, and reveals four key disciplines that they can follow to achieve it.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2000
453 people are currently reading
9618 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Lencioni
109 books2,545 followersPatrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, consultant and founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthy. Lencioni’s ideas around leadership, teamwork and employee engagement have impacted organizations around the globe. His books have sold nearly three million copies worldwide.
When Lencioni is not writing, he consults to CEOs and their executive teams, helping them to become more cohesive within the context of their business strategy. The widespread appeal of Lencioni’s leadership models have yielded a diverse base of clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, universities and churches. In addition, Lencioni speaks to thousands of leaders each year at world class organizations and national conferences. He was recently cited in the Wall Street Journal as one of the most sought-after business speakers in the nation.
Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. He also served on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.
When Lencioni is not writing, he consults to CEOs and their executive teams, helping them to become more cohesive within the context of their business strategy. The widespread appeal of Lencioni’s leadership models have yielded a diverse base of clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, universities and churches. In addition, Lencioni speaks to thousands of leaders each year at world class organizations and national conferences. He was recently cited in the Wall Street Journal as one of the most sought-after business speakers in the nation.
Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. He also served on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews
January 18, 2019
This is a good book that gives the reader the four principles of running an organization. These same principles can be adapted for running a team.
Discipline one: Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team
Discipline two: Create Organisational Clarity (Identity, values, mission, strategy, Major Goals, Objectives, Roles, and responsibilities)
Discipline three: Over-communicate organizational clarity
Discipline four: Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems.
It's a lot easier to say it than to implement and to maintain. However, while difficult, it's not impossible and worth achieving. It will make work a place you want to be rather than a place you have to go to. :)
Discipline one: Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team
Discipline two: Create Organisational Clarity (Identity, values, mission, strategy, Major Goals, Objectives, Roles, and responsibilities)
Discipline three: Over-communicate organizational clarity
Discipline four: Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems.
It's a lot easier to say it than to implement and to maintain. However, while difficult, it's not impossible and worth achieving. It will make work a place you want to be rather than a place you have to go to. :)
December 19, 2020
Yet another seriously useful leadership “fable” by Patric Lencioni.
He refers to these books as fables, but more precisely, they are fictional teaching narratives.
If the idea of a fiction parable makes you uncomfortable, and you would rather just have the straight dope in a brief nonfiction format rather than sit through ‘story time’, than hold that thought.
After all, that thought it’s self is a type of applied fiction. Bring the thought with you as you go ahead and read this book. See if that thought changes after you experience the actual text. Im guessing it will.
These stories are realistic and ridiculously effective applied teaching tools. I’m finding them much more effective than typical ‘straight up’ nonfiction business lit.
At this point I have read a bunch of them, and they are sticking like glue. Largely due to their nonfictional narrative format.
Not only is the embedded advice sound AF. It’s demonstrating the advice in a highly relatable and engaging way. And I simply cannot get enough.
And don’t worry, incase you missed the big bullet points, he recaps them at the end in a traditional nonfiction mode. So, you kind of get the best of both fiction and nonfiction.
And it’s kind of magical.
Anyway:
This book is about what Lencioni terms organizational health and how executives are tasked with it’s stewardship.
Lencioni asserts that executives need to foster organizational health by radical commitment to the following 4 disciplines.
1. Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team that trusts one another, engages in constructive conflict, commits to group decisions and holds one another accountable.
2. Create organizational clarity via clearly and explicitly identifying organizational values mission and purpose.
3. Over-communicate organizational clarity meaning demonstrate, state and restate over and over if necessary.
4. Reinforce organizational clarity via establishing clear systems. structures and principles for decision making, performance evaluation and compensation.
If all of this sounds too basic to be useful. Don’t be too sure. The ideas hear are simple, but achieving these disciplines is hard. And the “fable” makes that crystal clear.
LOVE THESE BOOKS 📚
Five pointed twinklers ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
He refers to these books as fables, but more precisely, they are fictional teaching narratives.
If the idea of a fiction parable makes you uncomfortable, and you would rather just have the straight dope in a brief nonfiction format rather than sit through ‘story time’, than hold that thought.
After all, that thought it’s self is a type of applied fiction. Bring the thought with you as you go ahead and read this book. See if that thought changes after you experience the actual text. Im guessing it will.
These stories are realistic and ridiculously effective applied teaching tools. I’m finding them much more effective than typical ‘straight up’ nonfiction business lit.
At this point I have read a bunch of them, and they are sticking like glue. Largely due to their nonfictional narrative format.
Not only is the embedded advice sound AF. It’s demonstrating the advice in a highly relatable and engaging way. And I simply cannot get enough.
And don’t worry, incase you missed the big bullet points, he recaps them at the end in a traditional nonfiction mode. So, you kind of get the best of both fiction and nonfiction.
And it’s kind of magical.
Anyway:
This book is about what Lencioni terms organizational health and how executives are tasked with it’s stewardship.
Lencioni asserts that executives need to foster organizational health by radical commitment to the following 4 disciplines.
1. Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team that trusts one another, engages in constructive conflict, commits to group decisions and holds one another accountable.
2. Create organizational clarity via clearly and explicitly identifying organizational values mission and purpose.
3. Over-communicate organizational clarity meaning demonstrate, state and restate over and over if necessary.
4. Reinforce organizational clarity via establishing clear systems. structures and principles for decision making, performance evaluation and compensation.
If all of this sounds too basic to be useful. Don’t be too sure. The ideas hear are simple, but achieving these disciplines is hard. And the “fable” makes that crystal clear.
LOVE THESE BOOKS 📚
Five pointed twinklers ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
April 11, 2012
As usual, Patrick does not disappoint.
I read this book as part of an executive coaching program I'm involved with. The guidance provided is outstanding and is spot on. Fortunately, I'll be carrying the ideas forward as part of a follow up exercise with our team.
I'm really looking forward to processing this information with our team. Life is simply too short to deal with sluggish & confused leadership.
I read this book as part of an executive coaching program I'm involved with. The guidance provided is outstanding and is spot on. Fortunately, I'll be carrying the ideas forward as part of a follow up exercise with our team.
I'm really looking forward to processing this information with our team. Life is simply too short to deal with sluggish & confused leadership.
June 10, 2009
While it has a good message, and it deals with a different component of business than most books, but it was just average and a bit over simplified.
It looks at organisational health and is based on four basic principles. In saying the principles are basic isn't that they would be basic to implement but that the ideas and the concepts are basic to understand and basic to think about.
The first half of the book is a story about two CEOs and the business they run, one using the four principles, the other struggling to understand why the other business is so sucessful. The second half is then the theory and discussion around these principles and how you might go about implementing them, even these were described in a simplistic way.
SBC: Genre not noramlly read
It looks at organisational health and is based on four basic principles. In saying the principles are basic isn't that they would be basic to implement but that the ideas and the concepts are basic to understand and basic to think about.
The first half of the book is a story about two CEOs and the business they run, one using the four principles, the other struggling to understand why the other business is so sucessful. The second half is then the theory and discussion around these principles and how you might go about implementing them, even these were described in a simplistic way.
SBC: Genre not noramlly read
December 31, 2022
I’m a sucker for fable style mgmt stories, even when they’re over dramatised. Solid basics presented in a memorable way
December 17, 2020
Ниша книг Патрика Ленциони — в том, что сложная история организации команды пишется в виде художественной книги-детектива. Поэтому она читается на одном дыхании, с попутным доступным и легким объяснением сложных концепций.
Я думаю, что впервые в истории моя рецензия будет сложнее и труднее, чем собственно сама книга. Патрик написал про четыре привычки отличного босса так просто и занимательно, что под впечатлением будут все, кто читали и Портера, и Друкера, и любой другой управленческий талмуд. https://maxlapin.com/2020/09/18/b277/
Я думаю, что впервые в истории моя рецензия будет сложнее и труднее, чем собственно сама книга. Патрик написал про четыре привычки отличного босса так просто и занимательно, что под впечатлением будут все, кто читали и Портера, и Друкера, и любой другой управленческий талмуд. https://maxlapin.com/2020/09/18/b277/
December 17, 2019
Two things I loved about this book - the focus on organisational health, and more broadly that there’s no substitute for discipline.
Favourite quote: “clarity provides power like nothing else can”.
When people have clarity, in their roles, strategy, mission, objectives, rewards, it’s the ultimate tool in empowerment and productivity.
Some great lessons in leadership told through one consistent narrative, easy to become invested in the characters in the story (who are very relatable in a business setting).
Other key takeouts for me:
- if leadership meetings are boring, you’re not doing them right. Disagreements and debate are part and parcel of a good system, that leads to better outcomes. The challenge is ensuring it’s all directed at the business issues that matter (and not get caught up in politics or personality traits). This can be accomplished by building trust.
- get clear as an organisation and as a leadership team on ‘what’ to communicate, then over communicate it / reinforce in simple, multi-channel ways to hit home and rally the team.
- communication is crucial, but DO NOT fall into the trap of plastering polished ‘slogans’ around, as these can be easily interpreted as temporary/fleeting/superficial. Focus on embedding through consistent reinforcement, cascading and alignment of information.
The four disciplines are simple, but the book brings to life ways to put into practice, and how to know when you have succeeded.
Favourite quote: “clarity provides power like nothing else can”.
When people have clarity, in their roles, strategy, mission, objectives, rewards, it’s the ultimate tool in empowerment and productivity.
Some great lessons in leadership told through one consistent narrative, easy to become invested in the characters in the story (who are very relatable in a business setting).
Other key takeouts for me:
- if leadership meetings are boring, you’re not doing them right. Disagreements and debate are part and parcel of a good system, that leads to better outcomes. The challenge is ensuring it’s all directed at the business issues that matter (and not get caught up in politics or personality traits). This can be accomplished by building trust.
- get clear as an organisation and as a leadership team on ‘what’ to communicate, then over communicate it / reinforce in simple, multi-channel ways to hit home and rally the team.
- communication is crucial, but DO NOT fall into the trap of plastering polished ‘slogans’ around, as these can be easily interpreted as temporary/fleeting/superficial. Focus on embedding through consistent reinforcement, cascading and alignment of information.
The four disciplines are simple, but the book brings to life ways to put into practice, and how to know when you have succeeded.
December 1, 2020
I like nonfiction, but business books are a mixed bag. You have some that spend way too long saying the same thing in 55 different ways, with outdated examples, or the super-long technically brilliant books that take forever to slog through. But Patrick Lecioni's books are different. Seriously, these are the ONLY business books I've stayed up past my bedtime to continue reading.
This book is another great resource on how creating a healthy culture is essential to any organization. Here's one of my favorite quotes, taken from the very back of the book:
"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 and stick to them over time." 💯
This book is another great resource on how creating a healthy culture is essential to any organization. Here's one of my favorite quotes, taken from the very back of the book:
"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 and stick to them over time." 💯
February 9, 2019
Admittedly, I probably would not have picked this if left to my own devices; however, I had to read it for work for an upcoming leadership team meeting. It was a quick read that was grounded in a business "fable" to demonstrate the value of organizational health. The four obsessions are not anything earth-shattering but, as depicted in the book, often overlooked or implemented piecemeal. A good reminder of how much of an impact seemingly obvious things like having a coherent leadership team, clarity of focus, communication of that focus, and processes to support the organization can have.
March 13, 2021
Super Leadership Fable
Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is one of my favorite books. It sets the bar very high. While not as great, this one is a fantastic book too.
The 4 principles covered in the book are great and the fourth principle around Human Systems is well drafted - this topic is usually not explained in many books. The first principle 'Cohesive Teams' is well conveyed too. Pick this up now!
Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is one of my favorite books. It sets the bar very high. While not as great, this one is a fantastic book too.
The 4 principles covered in the book are great and the fourth principle around Human Systems is well drafted - this topic is usually not explained in many books. The first principle 'Cohesive Teams' is well conveyed too. Pick this up now!
January 9, 2022
No amount of intellectual prowess or personal charisma can make up for an inability to identify a few simple things and stick to them over time.
I'm going through all the Lencioni fables. This specific one I liked slightly more than others. I found the situation with the CEO to be quite realistic and human.
I'm going through all the Lencioni fables. This specific one I liked slightly more than others. I found the situation with the CEO to be quite realistic and human.
May 27, 2022
Lencioni is able to take complicated concepts and break them down simply and digestibly. Most of the book is an easy-to-follow story that shows the concepts in action. Where many business fables struggle, this one succeeds by moving along quickly without getting caught up in the ideas. The book's second part discusses the concepts more tactically and makes for a great reference guide.
It's a quick read and worth it for anyone trying to get alignment in their organization.
It's a quick read and worth it for anyone trying to get alignment in their organization.
April 26, 2023
Finished at a run, just what I needed right now. Challenging—in a hopeful way. Helped me identify so many areas I need to grow and develop in, many I am very far off on. highlighted just how easy it is for me to fall into unfocused behaviors. Great read
January 22, 2025
One of my goals this your is growing my career. This book was a great quick read that got me thinking about the characteristics of a successful exec! It had me thinking about how to integrate these components into my daily practice as a manager. Great book!
April 8, 2021
Easy read. Over the top scenario of a small firm’s four pillars, but takes half the book to discuss the four foundations.
September 3, 2023
What an important message this book covers. All the disciplines are do simple but yet so many companies don't have it right.
September 10, 2024
Another great fable from Patrick Lencioni. It really priced some food for thought around keeping things clear and simple, when it is all too easy to complicate things or work on the complex.
January 17, 2025
Quick read. Using a fable was a great way to keep it interesting while learning the four obsessions of an extraordinary executive!
February 8, 2023
2023- Feb.
August 19, 2023
Short with a good example story.
January 15, 2025
The Fable format is a good way to portray the ideas of the Four principles as you can relate to the situations. I liked it
June 20, 2020
In this astute leadership fable the main protagonist Vince Green, who is the founder and CEO of Greenwich Consulting, struggles to build a healthy organization. Green is faced with backstabbing intrigues that threaten his career and his control over the company. Business school graduates will be reminded of the case studies that put you in the shoes of an executive at a crossroads.
Do not mistake this story for a gripping thriller, but rather it is a fable in which management lessons are told in an extremely memorable way. If you want to freshen up your leadership and managerial knowledge without having to dive into academic papers, then The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive is the right read for you. Patrick Lencioni is a widely recognized consulting pundit who builds his stories around solid theories. He has written ten similar business books. Read them and you are completing an entertaining mini-MBA
Do not mistake this story for a gripping thriller, but rather it is a fable in which management lessons are told in an extremely memorable way. If you want to freshen up your leadership and managerial knowledge without having to dive into academic papers, then The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive is the right read for you. Patrick Lencioni is a widely recognized consulting pundit who builds his stories around solid theories. He has written ten similar business books. Read them and you are completing an entertaining mini-MBA
February 19, 2022
Almost too simple, but that makes it no less impactful.
The four obsessions:
1. Build and Maintain a Cohesive Leadership Team
2. Create Organizational Clarity
3. Over-Communicate Organizational Clarity
4. Reinforce Organizational Clarity through Human Systems
Seem simple enough, but the world over, we simply do not see these handled well. A great discussion piece for exec teams on improvement journeys.
The four obsessions:
1. Build and Maintain a Cohesive Leadership Team
2. Create Organizational Clarity
3. Over-Communicate Organizational Clarity
4. Reinforce Organizational Clarity through Human Systems
Seem simple enough, but the world over, we simply do not see these handled well. A great discussion piece for exec teams on improvement journeys.
December 12, 2017
Every leader should read this book.
August 26, 2018
There are so many insights from this book, I will put some of those on here is not a spoiler it's just a quick reminder core...
Discipline one: Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team
Discipline two: Create Organisational Clarity (Identity, values, mission, strategy, Major Goals, Objectives, Roles, and responsibilities)
Discipline three: Over-communicate organizational clarity
Discipline four: Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems.
Be Cohesive.
Be Clear.
Over-communicate.
Reinforce.
Performance Review (90 minutes with every employee):
- What did you accomplish?
- What will you accomplish next?
- How can you improve?
- —————————————————————
- Are you embracing the values?
Great book, everyone should read this.
Discipline one: Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team
Discipline two: Create Organisational Clarity (Identity, values, mission, strategy, Major Goals, Objectives, Roles, and responsibilities)
Discipline three: Over-communicate organizational clarity
Discipline four: Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems.
Be Cohesive.
Be Clear.
Over-communicate.
Reinforce.
Performance Review (90 minutes with every employee):
- What did you accomplish?
- What will you accomplish next?
- How can you improve?
- —————————————————————
- Are you embracing the values?
Great book, everyone should read this.
June 22, 2012
I love Lencioni's material. It is simple and true; not easy to implement, but it makes complete sense.
Reading this gave me a better understanding of the content from The Advantage. He "parablizes" the four disciplines that I 1st read about in The Advantage and further expands on them. There are some minor differences, particularly in the six questions in The Advantage:
1. Why do we exist?
2. How do we behave?
3. What do we do?
4. How will we succeed?
5. What is most important, right now?
6. Who must do what?
and those in The Four Obsessions:
1. Why does the organization exist, and what difference does it make in the world?
2. What behavioral values are irreplaceable and fundamental?
3. What business are we in, and against whom do we compete?
4. How does our approach differ from that of our competition?
5. What are our goals this month, this quarter, this year, next year, five years from now?
6. Who has to do what for us to achieve our goals this month, this quarter, this year, next year, five years from now?
The essence of those is more or less the same; the greatest difference is in the timeframes of Qs 5 & 6 - "right now" vs "this month, this quarter, this year, next year, five years from now". Curious to know why this revision was made - to simplify and make easier to remember or that the longer term questions were less essential to Organizational Health.
Overall - great, helpful read. Highly recommended.
Format: Hardcover via Amazon ($14.71)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787...
Reading this gave me a better understanding of the content from The Advantage. He "parablizes" the four disciplines that I 1st read about in The Advantage and further expands on them. There are some minor differences, particularly in the six questions in The Advantage:
1. Why do we exist?
2. How do we behave?
3. What do we do?
4. How will we succeed?
5. What is most important, right now?
6. Who must do what?
and those in The Four Obsessions:
1. Why does the organization exist, and what difference does it make in the world?
2. What behavioral values are irreplaceable and fundamental?
3. What business are we in, and against whom do we compete?
4. How does our approach differ from that of our competition?
5. What are our goals this month, this quarter, this year, next year, five years from now?
6. Who has to do what for us to achieve our goals this month, this quarter, this year, next year, five years from now?
The essence of those is more or less the same; the greatest difference is in the timeframes of Qs 5 & 6 - "right now" vs "this month, this quarter, this year, next year, five years from now". Curious to know why this revision was made - to simplify and make easier to remember or that the longer term questions were less essential to Organizational Health.
Overall - great, helpful read. Highly recommended.
Format: Hardcover via Amazon ($14.71)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787...
August 4, 2014
If you are taking any type of Leadership course, then this book is for you. It is a succinct, engaging tale of what are best practices for a healthy organization. The four disciplines as outlined in the book have elements of many leadership theories that have been explored and researched over the years.
Other books by Patrick Lencioni that are great areThe Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fableand The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable
Other books by Patrick Lencioni that are great areThe Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fableand The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable
March 21, 2016
Good, Not Great
One of my favorite leadership books is Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team because the parable format is highly suitable to demonstrating the concepts that prevent teams from becoming cohesive and the actions to increase cohesiveness really make a business impact. This book is a welcome addition to Lencioni's library on leadership and I took quite a bit away from it. I give it 5 stars only because the parable portion of the book wasn't nearly as compelling as that of the aforementioned TFDOAT. Very quick read and very actionable insights here. Check it out!
One of my favorite leadership books is Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team because the parable format is highly suitable to demonstrating the concepts that prevent teams from becoming cohesive and the actions to increase cohesiveness really make a business impact. This book is a welcome addition to Lencioni's library on leadership and I took quite a bit away from it. I give it 5 stars only because the parable portion of the book wasn't nearly as compelling as that of the aforementioned TFDOAT. Very quick read and very actionable insights here. Check it out!
March 5, 2009
I'm marking this as "read" although I didn't completely finish it. Lencioni begins his management treatises as interesting parables, then ends them with a pedantic recap of what he already vividly described in the story. I put his books down after reading that first half.
Nevertheless, I recommend this for managers who, like me, sometimes find themselves too caught up in the details of day-to-day work to remember to keep their overall mission in mind. And I suspect you could finish it on a single plane ride, even if you felt compelled to read the whole thing.
Nevertheless, I recommend this for managers who, like me, sometimes find themselves too caught up in the details of day-to-day work to remember to keep their overall mission in mind. And I suspect you could finish it on a single plane ride, even if you felt compelled to read the whole thing.
October 10, 2014
Nothing earth-shaking here, but as always, the PL narrative/fable style makes the fundamental principles he teaches spring to life. I am truly inspired after reading this to fight to keep my leadership teams strong and healthy, and to clearly define and act on the core values that gird our health.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews