“Brian’s book inspires both successful individuals and future entrepreneurs, urging them to embrace challenges and pursue growth.” – Wolfgang Puck
• Employees that don't take ownership of their work • Friction between departments • Inconsistent results
These are the top challenges that face most businesses today.
These common issues create high turnover and force managers into crisis mode where they're consumed putting out daily fires. Over time, the very nature of the business changes and a new culture emerges; one shaped by the lowest level of acceptable behavior.
Beyond the Hammer approaches these concerns in two highly engaging sections: First, a fictional story of George, a business owner struggling with burnt out employees, high turnover, and frustrated customers. Readers follow George as he discovers five foundational pillars of leadership that have the power to build teams that perform at a high level, consistently.
The second section shifts from storytelling to strategy, providing an actionable path to weaving these 5 pillars into any business, enabling leaders to integrate these principles into their daily operations seamlessly.
Written for managers and leaders alike, Beyond the Hammer offers a simple yet powerful approach to creating a team where everyone is aligned, and properly positioned to win.
“Beyond the Hammer” is a captivating book that brings the five key pillars of leadership to life through a fictional story. These pillars aren’t just business buzzwords—they’re essential for succeeding in today’s world. My favorite is Pillar #2: "Leaders shape culture through purpose and direction," a mindset that really resonates. The book provides a clear and practical approach to getting your team on track and building a strong, resilient culture. It’s not just about ticking off tasks; it’s about integrating these principles into your daily routine.
Another great addition to any leadership toolkit—definitely adding this one to mine!
“Thank you, Forbes Book, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.”
“Stories sell”; I really appreciated how the book began with a story and then walked through actionable steps to take that can be implemented at any level of leadership within an organization. It’s a quick read but concise and impactful. Highly recommend for a book club where the focus is growth as a leader and team.
Why did this book have to be a leadership fable? A nonfiction book would have done better, I feel, in explaining its concepts – which, though mostly correct, aren’t that original: the usual stuff about values, purpose, training, and leadership.
One thing I did like, however, was the juxtaposition of “How do you want to treat your people?” vs. “How do you want them to treat your customers?” Food for thought.
Leadership is a skill that I think is like a muscle, it needs to be trained, and we must constantly look for ways to develop it. Reading is one way to learn how to do this. After reading many books about leadership, I came across Beyond the Hammer, which caught my attention because it offered a fresh approach to leadership. The initial part captivated me immediately; the strategy used by the author is impressive. He manages to frame leadership through a fictional story, narrating the management possibilities and struggles frequently faced by leaders. After this engaging story, he introduces five steps as a guided path for leaders to learn and strengthen their abilities. The way he writes is very accessible, especially because he writes about real-world problems that will resonate with readers’ experiences. After laying out the steps, he provides valuable strategies that encourage the reader not only to become a good leader but also to know how to involve the team in the process. Overall, it is a fascinating book. The storytelling keeps the reader engaged throughout, and the way the author connects theory with practice is interesting and appreciated.
“He was energetic and willing to learn. What he lacked was experience and confidence, and what he needed was training and someone to believe in him” “Transfer of belief is highly effective in two scenarios … if a team member is expanding their skills into an area that’s unfamiliar or uncomfortable … if someone is putting in the work, but feels unsure of themselves” “What we are is a training organization” “What makes you stay with X? What would be some reasons you might want to leave? What’s the biggest frustration you have inside the organization right now? What do you expect from me as a leader?” “I believe in you because I know how dedicated and committed you are” “In front of the team leaders don’t get to have bad days, because leaders know their echo affects how a team thinks and feels, both positively and negatively” “Manager navigate the day-to-day complexities inside a business … leaders drive change: change in direction, change in mindset, and change in human behavior.”
As a business leader, this book has been an amazing tool for my organization and my team to build high-performance teams and shape a positive company culture. Changing the traditional leadership point of view and approach, to a more emphatic, vulnerable, and authentic communication is something that can elevate leadership to a whole new level, and I have seen that this has been something that helped me. This book caught my attention because of its topics: How traditional leadership is limited through its authoritarian approach and how empathy can build strong relationships among team members. Stating that vulnerability and communication are both strengths and can create a safe, honest, and supportive culture in the organization. This is an amazing book that shows a leader as someone human, responsible for their team and their emotions, and building an honest, empathic, and authentic organization.
Brian Gottlieb's Beyond the Hammer is more than just a book about being a good leader. It's also a story and a plan for how to be a good leader. Readers see the problems of disengaged employees, rising frustration, and a culture on the edge through the fictional journey of George, a tired business owner. The story draws you in not only to show problems, but also to show how good leadership can really change the way people work every day.
This book is easy to understand because it is so clear. Gottlieb doesn't use a lot of jargon; instead, he breaks down leadership into five strong pillars that you can use right away. His ideas are easy to understand and put into action, whether you're in charge of a team, a business, or just trying to motivate the people around you. This book is interesting, useful, and refreshingly human, so every leader should have it on their shelf.
Brian’s Beyond the Hammer is a refreshing and practical read that blends storytelling with good leadership strategies. I really appreciated how the book doesn’t just deliver abstract theories but instead anchors its lessons in the engaging narrative of George, a struggling business owner whose journey mirrors the frustrations many leaders face today. The fictional story keeps the book light and relatable, while the second half provides concrete tools for managers to reshape culture and reduce burnout.
What makes this a very good read is its focus on ownership, consistency, and building strong teams, without overwhelming readers with jargon. It’s written in an accessible style, mixing formal insights with conversational clarity. A reader might come away thinking, “This is exactly what my team needs right now.”
Overall, this book is inspiring and useful, a book that invites leaders to rethink how they approach results and team alignment.
Leadership will always be a big challenge. While reading Beyond the Hammer by Brian Gottlieb, I learned many things regarding leadership strategies and team building, which helped me organize my personal goals. However, at the beginning of the book, a question came to my mind: 'Do we create leaders, or is leadership something innate?' Reading the fictional narrative of George, who faced many challenges as a business owner, I was able to answer part of my question because leadership has foundational pillars. Personally, I found it very interesting that creating a clear vision for the future is a solid base for developing a good leader. However, strategic thinking, effective communication, and embracing improvement are fundamental within organizations. It is a great book for building high-performance teams and empowering them to achieve success.
This book, Beyond the Hammer, by author Brian Gottlieb, shows us a clear and very good strategy to achieve excellent results for both, the company and also in what is called the work environment. In my opinion, it is a win-win relationship, as follows: in my personal case, for instance, something that motivated me a lot about this book was that it helped me to reinforce something that I have always worked for as a team leader and that is to seek both, personal and professional growth of my collaborators. This book helps you to easily and quickly implement strategies that will help you to be a true leader and also helps you to have a high-performance team too.
Well, I've read a lot of these business / leadership / success books, and to be honest they're mostly the same, pretty generic, and I have a hard time grasping the concepts because there's nothing about them that makes them stick to my memory. Here, finally, is a book that teaches leadership concepts in a way that made me want to keep reading, and actually made me learn the lessons in a way that I think will stick. The book is written in a story format, first person view of a son who has inherited the family business after his dad's passing, and he needs to step out of his comfort zone and learn how to lead the company to survival and success. Like Tommy Boy, but with actual useful leadership concepts. Highly recommend!
Managing a business is no game but reading this book definitely helps a lot. There can emerge so many problems when owning or trying to manage a business. Sometimes, you might feel overwhelmed or lost when trying to solve problems, but this book I have to say helped me incredibly. It taught me new strategies on how to tackle problems with employees, working environment, structures, and just how to be a great leader. I appreciate the fact that the book is not too long, so it goes straight to the point and there’s no talking around the bush. If you own a business or if you’re in a high position and you’re not comfortable with the way things are, then please read this book.
''Beyond the Hammer'' is a book that goes beyond leadership. Written by Brian Gottlieb, this book offers a solid strategy that will help you solve the problems that are present every day in a company, especially when we talk about human resources. Frequent staff turnover, incentivizing employers, improving results and more are things that are not always easy to manage. This book offers an excellent guide that will help you with the steps to develop a high-performance organization. This powerful read is engaging, informative, actionable, and very inspirational. It is for all those who want to strengthen their management skills and create a team aligned with the values and objectives of the business.
I must say that the author has selected the best way to introduce such absurdly useful tips and tools for dealing with the inconveniences of entrepreneurship. With an engaging story, we are faced with an organic way of covering the problems that companies in the process of development and growth face on a daily basis and that hardly allow them to grow. I have a background in entrepreneurship and I think the author hits the point with each of the concerns and clearly knowing how to identify the problem is the best way to find solutions. I highly recommend this book to any entrepreneur who is somewhat frustrated and who truly believes that the day-to-day inconveniences are consuming and wearing him or her down.
Highly recommended “Beyond the Hammer” is an open-minded guide penned by Brian Gottlieb. Throughout these pages, Brian wants to foster entrepreneurs and leaders to take challenges in their business. By doing so, they will get better results and make their companies grow. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand how business works but with this guide, doubts about this field will be cleared in the two sections of the book. The author gives a detailed and neat explanation in his book and encourages leaders to embrace new opportunities for growth. There are stories, experiences and some examples that will help readers understand Brian’s points. Everything is backed up with his own expertise in the field. It’s definitely a must!
I enjoyed the book and found the leadership concepts relevant, especially for new leaders/managers who are honing their skills and seeking insights into to defining their approach. As a senior leader myself, I enjoyed the story telling as we have all encountered similar challenges and needed a mentor to help us through the rough spots.
The two concepts that I appreciated most were “leadership is transferable and leaders voices have an echo”. Truer words have never been spoken.
I shared this book with my team of general managers who report to me. There are tidbits that I hope they will learn and apply, and it’s especially useful as stated earlier for entry level supervisors and managers.
In the book "Beyond the Hammer", Brian Gottlieb offers an innovative perspective on the challenges facing modern companies. One of the interesting things is that the narrative begins with the fictional story of a businessman who has unmotivated employees and a deteriorated business culture in his company, which for me, is the reality of many companies in the world, so through in this story, I was able to learn about five fundamental pillars of leadership that truly transform work teams. I completely recommend this book because it has practical tools to be applied in companies and really obtain motivating results for employees.
Beyond The Hammer is a book that shares the challenges in the workplace nowadays. With extensive research and experience in the matter, Gottlieb explains the main causes of dysfunction and dissatisfaction, which lead to many negative factors, such as unproductivity.
Overall, it was a fine read. Some of the examples I can really relate to are both being an employee and a boss, so I think this book can be of great help for different businesses and positions inside the company. Recommended especially for new leaders who want to change things around to bust their career and be considered a problem-solver. For people who identify this way, this is the perfect fit.
Gottlieb’s book has been designed to serve as a handy resource tool both for new leaders and for experienced ones. It highlights the critical principles needed to address challenges sure to arise during our tenure as a leader and it provides proven ways of addressing them. All the principles proposed here are applicable to virtually any situation, whether minor or major, and point us towards the right decision. This book allows us to navigate through the rough waters of unforeseen circumstances. If applied, I guess leading would be easier and our teams will be more solid. This is the type of book I would recommend to anyone I want to help thrive in life and in business. Loved it!
I loved this book; it is ideal for business leaders or entrepreneurs who are going through a difficult time with their workforce due to issues such as demotivation, misalignment and high staff turnover. It is a book that is quite easy to understand, especially because it starts with a fictional story with which you will feel quite identified if you are having problems with your employees, to follow with a lot of strategies that will help you cultivate a much more pleasant work culture and above all focused on the goals. I highly recommend it, it helped me to solve several doubts I had about my processes and led me to make changes that have had great results.
A practical guide for leaders. I think the format the book has at the beginning is really unique and engaging; it starts with a fictional story about real world challenges and then the author gives actionable strategies. I think it helps to give context and make the topic more understandable for everyone no matter how much knowledge the reader has on leadership. The author also introduces five pillars of leadership that give really useful tips in business, but also in a personal life. I really like this book and took very valuable concepts to apply to improve in business and in life. For everyone trying to work leadership qualities, this book is great for that.
The presentation of this book is totally winning from the start. I was really hooked from the cover, the title, the sentences on it and the drawing are amazing. This graphic language makes the reader change their mindset even without having read a page. This is very important because the reader's disposition changes, which makes the reading much more fluid. I think this book develops topics that are becoming more and more relevant such as leadership, culture and teamwork. It is a book that is not so extensive and even one can simply open the book and find very good phrases. Incredible book!
This book was very insightful. Our author, Brian Gottlieb, breaks down how chaotic workplaces can get today. This is perfect for folks who may need help in improving their workplace or wish to learn how to prevent creating a negative workplace environment. Gottlieb provides a story that takes you from a disastrous workplace to a workplace who is improving and succeeding. I appreciated seeing how the pillars work throughout the story but also breaking down each pillar afterwards. The book is split into two like that. I think it's neat! Overall, this book is great for folks who wish to just create a succeeding workplace.
Regardless of what kind of business you own or operate, you will probably see some universalities in the challenges you face. They can include staffing shortages, unmotivated workers, logistical or supply chain issues, and more.
Now, though, there’s a book that can help you with all of them. This handy guide will give you some fresh perspectives and ideas if you’re tired of the business-as-usual approach to improving your company that doesn’t ever seem give you the results you want. The author tells you about the pillars of leadership to which you must adhere if you’re going to command the respect of your workers that leads to a better culture.
Building the right company culture is so critical for long term growth and success. And, not all those in leadership positions are naturally cut out to be leaders. In this book, Brian Gottlieb presents an easy to read and easy to understand parable that will resonate with any manager or leader. Are leaders born or made? After reading this book and understanding The Five Pillars, anyone who wants/needs to lead, whether born that way or thrust into a leadership position, will have a roadmap to follow and a step by step plan to execute
This is a good, fairly quick informative read. The first half of the book is written in a fictional story format to give the reader a situation of a business in dire need of help and good leadership. The story is a little clunky and the characters are a little one dimensional, but they do a good job of getting the "business in crisis" across. The second half is really the half that offers the most illumination with the author's takes on helpful business practices. I think a lot of what he has to say is useful advice for anyone in a leadership position. I'll definitely try out some of the techniques listed here to see if it helps out my team!
I felt identified with this reading since the author shows us from his personal experience many situations that I have lived as a craftswoman. I learned that beyond the physical tools you have to understand the art of building. Since I was very young, I have loved the manual work, it is very nice when I immerse myself in the work and as the book says, I understand how important the dedication, patience, and care of all details are. I highly recommend it and Im sure you will love it too!
When searching for this book, I was looking for a reading that would help me to increase my characteristics as a leader, understand the critical role of workplace culture, and a way to foster a strong team, this was exactly what I found in this book. The writing style of the author was conventional and engaging, making a clear and accessible read for anyone. Overall, this is a great book recommended for all leaders, managers and anyone seeking to improve their leadership skills.