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The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate Their Most Important Responsibilities
Shay was still angry but shrugged nonchalantly as if to say, it's not that big of a deal. "So, what am I wrong about?"
"You're not going to want to hear this, but I have to tell you anyway." Liam paused before finishing. "You might be working hard, but you're not doing it for the company."
"What the hell does that mean?" Shay wanted to know.
Knowing that his adversary might punch him for what he was about to say, Liam responded. "You're doing it for yourself."
New York Times bestselling author Patrick Lencioni has written a dozen books that focus on how leaders can build teams and lead organizations. In The Motive, he shifts his attention toward helping them understand the importance of why they're leading in the first place.
In what may be his most compelling fable to date, Lencioni introduces readers to a pair of new characters, Shay Davis and Liam Alcott, rival leaders of two very different organizations in the same industry. With sharp dialogue and unexpected plot twists, he takes us on a journey that culminates in a resolution that is as unpredictable as it is enlightening.
Beyond the fictional story, Lencioni provides a straightforward summary of the lessons from the fable, combining a clear explanation of his theory with practical advice and a simple self-assessment. In doing so, he teaches his readers how to avoid the most dangerous temptation that derails leaders and hurts the people they are meant to serve.
"You're not going to want to hear this, but I have to tell you anyway." Liam paused before finishing. "You might be working hard, but you're not doing it for the company."
"What the hell does that mean?" Shay wanted to know.
Knowing that his adversary might punch him for what he was about to say, Liam responded. "You're doing it for yourself."
New York Times bestselling author Patrick Lencioni has written a dozen books that focus on how leaders can build teams and lead organizations. In The Motive, he shifts his attention toward helping them understand the importance of why they're leading in the first place.
In what may be his most compelling fable to date, Lencioni introduces readers to a pair of new characters, Shay Davis and Liam Alcott, rival leaders of two very different organizations in the same industry. With sharp dialogue and unexpected plot twists, he takes us on a journey that culminates in a resolution that is as unpredictable as it is enlightening.
Beyond the fictional story, Lencioni provides a straightforward summary of the lessons from the fable, combining a clear explanation of his theory with practical advice and a simple self-assessment. In doing so, he teaches his readers how to avoid the most dangerous temptation that derails leaders and hurts the people they are meant to serve.
3 pages, Audible Audio
First published February 19, 2020
633 people are currently reading
6495 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Lencioni
109 books2,544 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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December 19, 2020
Another great book by Patrick Lencioni (author of Five Dysfunctions of a Team).
This leadership series is written in the form of fictional ‘fables’ i.e. pedagogical stories.
It’s a really cool, engaging and effective way of handling a nonfiction topic.
Teach by showing, not telling.
The main point of the book is contrasting (a) self-centered verses (b) service-centered leadership motives.
The claim is:
- executive leadership is hard work
- bad leaders avoid the shit they don’t like to do
- bad leaders only do what they feel comfortable with
- good leaders do what needs to be done
- good leaders delegate, hire and mange
The central idea of the book is captured in the catch phrase of the story is Chief ‘Executing’ (as opposed to Executive) Officer.
Meaning.
CEO describes behavior not a birthright.
There are certain things that only a CEO (or top management) can realistically do, that if they abdicate, will mean that the company will suffer.
Some of the ( mostly shitty) things that only CEO’s or top management can do are:
- run good meetings
- give corrective feedback
- hold people accountable
- communicate to the board
The important question of the book is, why (in the fuck) do you (or anyone for that matter) want to do all that?
Why do you want to be the leader if it means doing all of that hard, miserable work that only you can do?
If the answer is, ‘don’t” but “I want the cake” so I’ll either “blow all that off” or “make some other poor slob do it” than you (frankly speaking) probably suck.
If the answer is, “I’ll do it because I want to serve the greater good of the company and the clients” (i.e. the human beings that comprise and depend on the company), than you’re getting warmer.
Lencioni ascertained that there are two basic leadership styles.
Reward Centered:
- views leading as a reward
- focused on status, compensation and perks
Responsibility Centered:
- views leading as service
- focused on service, team, mission and results
- embraces the ‘difficult’ work of leadership
Everyone is a balance of both.
But good leaders are clearly mostly RESPONSIBILITY centered.
Difficult shit that Reward Centered ledgers avoid, and Responsibility Centered leaders embrace:
- developing leadership team
- managing subordinates
- having difficult awkward issues
- running great team meetings
- reminding people (again and again if necessary) of policies, procedures and mission statements.
All of this tracks with my experience.
After reading this I’m inspired to have some (EXTREMELY) unpleasant conversations with a couple of people on my team.
No fun, but SO IMPORTANT.
Avoiding it will ultimately sew the seeds of failure.
So....
Consider that shit DONE ✅
Great damn book.
I’m DEFINITELY reading the next one!
Bullseye 🎯
This leadership series is written in the form of fictional ‘fables’ i.e. pedagogical stories.
It’s a really cool, engaging and effective way of handling a nonfiction topic.
Teach by showing, not telling.
The main point of the book is contrasting (a) self-centered verses (b) service-centered leadership motives.
The claim is:
- executive leadership is hard work
- bad leaders avoid the shit they don’t like to do
- bad leaders only do what they feel comfortable with
- good leaders do what needs to be done
- good leaders delegate, hire and mange
The central idea of the book is captured in the catch phrase of the story is Chief ‘Executing’ (as opposed to Executive) Officer.
Meaning.
CEO describes behavior not a birthright.
There are certain things that only a CEO (or top management) can realistically do, that if they abdicate, will mean that the company will suffer.
Some of the ( mostly shitty) things that only CEO’s or top management can do are:
- run good meetings
- give corrective feedback
- hold people accountable
- communicate to the board
The important question of the book is, why (in the fuck) do you (or anyone for that matter) want to do all that?
Why do you want to be the leader if it means doing all of that hard, miserable work that only you can do?
If the answer is, ‘don’t” but “I want the cake” so I’ll either “blow all that off” or “make some other poor slob do it” than you (frankly speaking) probably suck.
If the answer is, “I’ll do it because I want to serve the greater good of the company and the clients” (i.e. the human beings that comprise and depend on the company), than you’re getting warmer.
Lencioni ascertained that there are two basic leadership styles.
Reward Centered:
- views leading as a reward
- focused on status, compensation and perks
Responsibility Centered:
- views leading as service
- focused on service, team, mission and results
- embraces the ‘difficult’ work of leadership
Everyone is a balance of both.
But good leaders are clearly mostly RESPONSIBILITY centered.
Difficult shit that Reward Centered ledgers avoid, and Responsibility Centered leaders embrace:
- developing leadership team
- managing subordinates
- having difficult awkward issues
- running great team meetings
- reminding people (again and again if necessary) of policies, procedures and mission statements.
All of this tracks with my experience.
After reading this I’m inspired to have some (EXTREMELY) unpleasant conversations with a couple of people on my team.
No fun, but SO IMPORTANT.
Avoiding it will ultimately sew the seeds of failure.
So....
Consider that shit DONE ✅
Great damn book.
I’m DEFINITELY reading the next one!
Bullseye 🎯
June 21, 2024
A nice little booklet on what top-level leadership really is. You can easily top it up in one session.
There are some authors who have 20+ years of impressive experience and can't "sell" it at all, there are some who have very little experience but are all about selling - it's more than obvious that they credibility is simply a joke. With Lencioni it's simple: none of these issues exist. This guy seriously knows how to right good, comprehensible, valuable books.
First of all, the formula in "The Motive" is quite specific - it's a fabularised story ("The Goal" style) - some like it, some hate it - consider yourself warned. The story it's very simple - it's mostly a CEO to CEO coaching relationship where one CEO (who "gets it") step-by-step clarifies what's important to the other guy (who has a skewed perspective on that).
Which aspects of being a CEO does this book cover? Mostly the "soft" ones - about coaching people, identifying their weak spots and asking upon that, being there to boost your key personnel - instead of doing their job for them. The most powerful message of this book is that the position of CEO is not a reward but a very particular role - not fit for every person.
Just like in case of nearly every Lencioni's book - this one is calibrated on traditional enterprises, not the high-growth startups. But it doesn't mean the lessons here can't be applied universally. Personally I enjoyed the read, it was refreshing and generated some food for thought.
There are some authors who have 20+ years of impressive experience and can't "sell" it at all, there are some who have very little experience but are all about selling - it's more than obvious that they credibility is simply a joke. With Lencioni it's simple: none of these issues exist. This guy seriously knows how to right good, comprehensible, valuable books.
First of all, the formula in "The Motive" is quite specific - it's a fabularised story ("The Goal" style) - some like it, some hate it - consider yourself warned. The story it's very simple - it's mostly a CEO to CEO coaching relationship where one CEO (who "gets it") step-by-step clarifies what's important to the other guy (who has a skewed perspective on that).
Which aspects of being a CEO does this book cover? Mostly the "soft" ones - about coaching people, identifying their weak spots and asking upon that, being there to boost your key personnel - instead of doing their job for them. The most powerful message of this book is that the position of CEO is not a reward but a very particular role - not fit for every person.
Just like in case of nearly every Lencioni's book - this one is calibrated on traditional enterprises, not the high-growth startups. But it doesn't mean the lessons here can't be applied universally. Personally I enjoyed the read, it was refreshing and generated some food for thought.
July 4, 2020
In this fable, Shay Davis is the CEO of Golden Gate Security, who, after just a year in his role, is beginning to worry about his job and is desperate to turn things around. With nowhere else to turn, Shay receives some hard-to-swallow advice from the most unlikely and unwanted source - Liam Alcott, CEO of a more successful security company and his most hated opponent. The Motive summarizes the theory underlying the fable and offers practical advice to help executives examine their true motivation for leading. I enjoyed the book a lot by there is not much meat in it. I can summarize in one sentence: Leadership is about serving others vs. our own personal rewards. It’s about changing the focus from ME to WE. CEO’s need to do the things they need to do, not like to do. The CEO’s job is about responsibility and sacrifice, not about the title, prestige, or rewards. Why do you want to be a leader?
There are only two motives that drive people to become a leader. First, they want to serve others, to do whatever is necessary to bring about something good for the people they lead. They understand that sacrifice and suffering are inevitable in this pursuit and that serving others is the only valid motivation for leadership. The second basic reason why people choose to be a leader - the all-too-common but invalid one - is that they want to be rewarded. They see leadership as the prize for years of hard work and are drawn by its trappings: attention, status, power, money.
The Five Omissions of Reward-Centered Leaders:
1. Developing the leadership team.
2. Managing subordinates (and making them manage theirs). Managing individuals is about helping them set the general direction of their work, ensuring that it is aligned with and understood by their peers, and staying informed enough to identify potential obstacles and problems as early as possible. It is also about coaching leaders to improve themselves behaviorally to make it more likely that they will succeed. Managing is also ensuring that subordinates one level below are managing their people, too.
3. Having difficult and uncomfortable conversations. One of the main responsibilities of a leader is to confront difficult, awkward issues quickly and with clarity, charity, and resolve. The underlying reason that most people avoid difficult conversations: It is embarrassing and awkward. Failing to confront people quickly about small issues is a guarantee that they will become big issues.
4. Running great team meetings. When leaders accept the less-than-amazing status of meetings, the results are two-fold. First, it leads to bad decision-making. If meetings are not engaging, it’s completely logical to conclude that the quality of those decisions will be subpar. The second problem of accepting bad meetings at the executive level is that it sets the precedent for the rest of the organization.
5. Communicating constantly and repetitively to employees. Most CEOs don’t hate the idea of communicating to employees. But the majority of them greatly underestimate the amount of communication that is necessary. As a result, they think they’ve done an adequate job announcing a new strategy or initiative long before most people are close to understanding and embracing it. This requires real, repetitive, sometimes tedious work from a leader.
There are only two motives that drive people to become a leader. First, they want to serve others, to do whatever is necessary to bring about something good for the people they lead. They understand that sacrifice and suffering are inevitable in this pursuit and that serving others is the only valid motivation for leadership. The second basic reason why people choose to be a leader - the all-too-common but invalid one - is that they want to be rewarded. They see leadership as the prize for years of hard work and are drawn by its trappings: attention, status, power, money.
The Five Omissions of Reward-Centered Leaders:
1. Developing the leadership team.
2. Managing subordinates (and making them manage theirs). Managing individuals is about helping them set the general direction of their work, ensuring that it is aligned with and understood by their peers, and staying informed enough to identify potential obstacles and problems as early as possible. It is also about coaching leaders to improve themselves behaviorally to make it more likely that they will succeed. Managing is also ensuring that subordinates one level below are managing their people, too.
3. Having difficult and uncomfortable conversations. One of the main responsibilities of a leader is to confront difficult, awkward issues quickly and with clarity, charity, and resolve. The underlying reason that most people avoid difficult conversations: It is embarrassing and awkward. Failing to confront people quickly about small issues is a guarantee that they will become big issues.
4. Running great team meetings. When leaders accept the less-than-amazing status of meetings, the results are two-fold. First, it leads to bad decision-making. If meetings are not engaging, it’s completely logical to conclude that the quality of those decisions will be subpar. The second problem of accepting bad meetings at the executive level is that it sets the precedent for the rest of the organization.
5. Communicating constantly and repetitively to employees. Most CEOs don’t hate the idea of communicating to employees. But the majority of them greatly underestimate the amount of communication that is necessary. As a result, they think they’ve done an adequate job announcing a new strategy or initiative long before most people are close to understanding and embracing it. This requires real, repetitive, sometimes tedious work from a leader.
May 27, 2025
This book delivers a compact, insightful look into the mindset and responsibilities of leadership. It distills the core ideas found in longer, more in-depth works like The Goal and Leadership and Self-Deception into a streamlined narrative that’s easy to digest. The author highlights how leaders often shift focus away from their most essential duties, offering a call to realign priorities and refocus on what truly matters. While it doesn’t introduce many new concepts for seasoned readers of the genre, its brevity and clarity make it a useful refresher, especially for those who appreciate a straightforward approach.
That said, the book lacks the level of engagement and depth found in its predecessors. The narrative feels more condensed and less compelling, making it a bit less memorable. Still, the core message is strong and actionable, making it a solid addition to any leader’s reading list. For those who’ve already read similar titles, it won’t feel groundbreaking, but it’s a good reinforcement of essential leadership principles.
That said, the book lacks the level of engagement and depth found in its predecessors. The narrative feels more condensed and less compelling, making it a bit less memorable. Still, the core message is strong and actionable, making it a solid addition to any leader’s reading list. For those who’ve already read similar titles, it won’t feel groundbreaking, but it’s a good reinforcement of essential leadership principles.
February 27, 2020
Read the book in one sitting—one of his shortest and includes a great message. He articulates reward-centered and responsibility-centered leaders in a quick tale to help others recognize it they’ve accepted WHY they’re a leader and the responsibilities associated with that. Provides some nice introspection and can be helpful to evaluate our motives for leadership.
February 7, 2021
My brother is a huge Patrick Lencioni fan so I'm pretty sure I put this one on my to-read list to appease him. But turns out...he was right. (This time.)
I would give this book 5 stars for the leadership content. It was both practical and insightful. Despite the fact that the information is "aimed" at CEOs, I took away a bunch of insights for managing my one direct report. And as a direct report, I feel more equipped to identify what my bosses and the organization I work at do well (and not so well.)
But the writing was just so cheesy. It doesn't say so in the title on Goodreads but the majority of this book is a "fable." So, you learn about leadership motive by reading two CEOs discussing what makes their companies succeed. Then Lencioni unpacks the lesson in the last chapter or so.
I get the use of fable--sometimes, fiction helps convey a truth easier than straight up essay. But I don't understand why the fable has to come across so over the top. It was like bad fiction writing 101. I started highlighting lines for their sheer absurdity, such as: "Everyone laughed, but genuinely, not in a sitcom kind of way."
One page, I just tracked reactions:
* Shay demanded, a little impatiently.
* Shay laughed
* Liam said, then smiled as he corrected himself.
* Shay nodded
* Shay acknowledged
* Liam smiled
* Shay nodded, partially sold.
AND SO ON. Are you exhausted with all the nodding and smiling? I am!
But I guess what makes this book so impressive is that even with all the annoying chatter, I walked away feeling like I gleaned some wisdom. I would absolutely buy this book and give it another re-read or ten if it wasn't so dang expensive. (But seriously, why is the Kindle $15 for 165 pages?)
I definitely want to read more Lencioni, though I'm still not sold on his "fables."
I would give this book 5 stars for the leadership content. It was both practical and insightful. Despite the fact that the information is "aimed" at CEOs, I took away a bunch of insights for managing my one direct report. And as a direct report, I feel more equipped to identify what my bosses and the organization I work at do well (and not so well.)
But the writing was just so cheesy. It doesn't say so in the title on Goodreads but the majority of this book is a "fable." So, you learn about leadership motive by reading two CEOs discussing what makes their companies succeed. Then Lencioni unpacks the lesson in the last chapter or so.
I get the use of fable--sometimes, fiction helps convey a truth easier than straight up essay. But I don't understand why the fable has to come across so over the top. It was like bad fiction writing 101. I started highlighting lines for their sheer absurdity, such as: "Everyone laughed, but genuinely, not in a sitcom kind of way."
One page, I just tracked reactions:
* Shay demanded, a little impatiently.
* Shay laughed
* Liam said, then smiled as he corrected himself.
* Shay nodded
* Shay acknowledged
* Liam smiled
* Shay nodded, partially sold.
AND SO ON. Are you exhausted with all the nodding and smiling? I am!
But I guess what makes this book so impressive is that even with all the annoying chatter, I walked away feeling like I gleaned some wisdom. I would absolutely buy this book and give it another re-read or ten if it wasn't so dang expensive. (But seriously, why is the Kindle $15 for 165 pages?)
I definitely want to read more Lencioni, though I'm still not sold on his "fables."
April 7, 2022
به صورت کلی کتاب مختصر، مفید و زیبایی بود. ایدهی اصلی مشخص کردن انگیزهی رهبری در افراد هست و دو نوع رهبری رو تعریف میکنه: خدمتگذارانه، پاداشمحور
مسالهی کلیش هم این هست که رهبر نوع دوم، از انجام دادن ۵ نوع کار طفره میره که اتفاقا اینها خیلی مهمن برای سازمان، و این دلیل طفره رفتن به خاطر انگیزهش توی رهبری هست. اما رهبر نوع اول با جون و دل این کارهارو انجام میده ( با وجود این که سخت و درد آور هستن ) چون از روی مسئولیت داره با مسائل برخورد میکنه و رهبری رو یکجور ترفیع نمیبینه.
به نظرم این کتاب بخش داستانش اونقدری قوی نبود ( به نسبت چیزی مثل بازیکن تیمی ایدهآل ) و دوست داشتم قصهی قشنگتری میخوندم :)
مسالهی کلیش هم این هست که رهبر نوع دوم، از انجام دادن ۵ نوع کار طفره میره که اتفاقا اینها خیلی مهمن برای سازمان، و این دلیل طفره رفتن به خاطر انگیزهش توی رهبری هست. اما رهبر نوع اول با جون و دل این کارهارو انجام میده ( با وجود این که سخت و درد آور هستن ) چون از روی مسئولیت داره با مسائل برخورد میکنه و رهبری رو یکجور ترفیع نمیبینه.
به نظرم این کتاب بخش داستانش اونقدری قوی نبود ( به نسبت چیزی مثل بازیکن تیمی ایدهآل ) و دوست داشتم قصهی قشنگتری میخوندم :)
September 26, 2020
Sweet and short. And above all - inspiring
January 9, 2021
Well done for what it is. Lencioni makes it seem totally obvious that bosses should do basic management stuff that I have rarely seen bosses doing. The worst bosses won't read this in the first place. But maybe the types of people who do read this will do better as bosses or feel less crazy as subordinates and both of those would be good things.
December 30, 2020
Short book (less than 3 hours) but plenty of impactful insights into a reward-centered leader (who thinks they have a right to be a leader...after so many years of hard work) contrasted with a responsibility-centered leader, who is willing to do the hard, uncomfortable work that isn't necessarily fun or easy.
The 5 areas that Lencioni feels are abdicated are:
1. Building an effective leadership team
2. Managing direct reports
3. Pursuing difficult and uncomfortable conversations
4. Running TRULY effective meetings (taking it as seriously as a doctor takes surgery or a teacher takes teaching)
5. Reminding employees of key company messages over and over again (so people know that the leader is serious and it's not just corporate platitudes.)
Many leaders aren't willing to get outside of their comfort zones and intensely grow. Lencioni posits that the best leadership is servant leadership, and it is more vital now than ever, especially in being role models to the younger generations and in this political climate.
The 5 areas that Lencioni feels are abdicated are:
1. Building an effective leadership team
2. Managing direct reports
3. Pursuing difficult and uncomfortable conversations
4. Running TRULY effective meetings (taking it as seriously as a doctor takes surgery or a teacher takes teaching)
5. Reminding employees of key company messages over and over again (so people know that the leader is serious and it's not just corporate platitudes.)
Many leaders aren't willing to get outside of their comfort zones and intensely grow. Lencioni posits that the best leadership is servant leadership, and it is more vital now than ever, especially in being role models to the younger generations and in this political climate.
January 1, 2023
3.96 stars.
April 7, 2020
Свежак от Ленсиони. Правильные базовые идеи, но слишком попахивает созданием «идеального» руководителя
September 25, 2024
Anyone who is a manager, a leader, aspires to be, is responsible for constructing and evaluating the functionality of teams who work together… should read or listen to this short book. It a good check in on motives and a dose of reality medicine- being a leader means being willing to do a few hard, unpleasant things that no one else can do, and do them over and over.
February 21, 2023
I went into this book with lots of skepticism: it’s written by a white man that consults CEOs. The fable part of the book met a lot of this skepticism. I found a lot of Shay’s faults to be something commonly found in men who don’t fully understand empathy and selflessness. To prove the point, Shay’s wife was the one that finally got him to understand where he was going wrong with his stance as a leader. I also believe that the reason why reward-centered leaders have become so common is because it is mostly men in these positions and they often don’t want to listen to anyone but themselves.
The lesson part of the book was much more useful to a reader who has never had much interest in being a CEO. I found that some of the advice given by Lencioni could benefit anyone in any position. Being honest with another person, even if difficult, will be much better for both parties rather than avoiding the situation. Also there is helpful advice on communicating what is important.
Overall, if you are going to be in a position that manages lots of people simply because you got a promotion, you should probably read this.
Unrelated: Reading this book really made me realize how weird jobs are. These men think that having their home security company buy up some other home security company is the most important thing ever and will be their lasting life impact. I don’t think I want to be a CEO.
The lesson part of the book was much more useful to a reader who has never had much interest in being a CEO. I found that some of the advice given by Lencioni could benefit anyone in any position. Being honest with another person, even if difficult, will be much better for both parties rather than avoiding the situation. Also there is helpful advice on communicating what is important.
Overall, if you are going to be in a position that manages lots of people simply because you got a promotion, you should probably read this.
Unrelated: Reading this book really made me realize how weird jobs are. These men think that having their home security company buy up some other home security company is the most important thing ever and will be their lasting life impact. I don’t think I want to be a CEO.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2021
Came here after listening to Andy Standley's interview about it on his podcast. Really great reminder for every leader that especially you can't escape the hard conversations or the unpleasant troops. A leadership position does not exist, but has to be executed.
December 30, 2020
Short but sweet. Have not read Lencioni before, but he seems focused on large companies and specifically CEOs, not even just mere C-levels. Not necessarily what I was going for, but interesting anyway.
I've had a decent variety of managers, ranging between quite good and Machiavellian horrible. I think Lencioni is right about a few things, namely the premise of the book, which is that most actions an average executive does are for themselves, not for the company, and that a CEO's responsibility is mostly in managing and communication, and nothing else.
That said, there's a few things that I don't necessarily agree with (not being a CEO, so maybe I'm just wrong, but this is based on my experience of what works and what doesn't from the employee level):
1. I don't necessarily buy that employees are ever _really_ motivated by CEO speech and direction. You always know that the CEO has much more stake in success than you do, so of course they want buy-in, but an inherently imbalanced system. Personally I place much more value in what leadership values as a fair negotiation of labor -- if you treat me well as an employee, I'll have more motivation to keep it going. For example, if I worked at an airline, telling me about how important the company is and the direction you're going in is nice, but I more care that my salary is good, people treat me well, benefits are good, work is interesting, that kind of thing. I see the CEO motivational thing as disingenuous because yes, you want to make this company huge and amazing and impactful, but I generally stand to gain relatively little if that work is accomplished, barring handing out reasonably large shares of the company, but that never happens. I think it's more genuine to focus on direction and making the company interesting and fair to work for.
2. Team building -- not a fan. There's some theoretical value here but there's a lot of prerequisites that need to be in place for it to make sense. I suspect 99% of the time, the benefits the author describes would be seen even more by just giving your employees a free day off instead. There are some programs I do think are good ideas, generally in the social realm. Lunch programs, happy hours, social clubs, team outings, that kind of thing, are good for cohesion, especially if you split it up into smaller bits. Stuff like personality quizzes and trust falls, though... not a fan. Employees like it because they don't have to work, not because it helps the team.
3. Optimism. This kind of ties back in to #1 -- I think optimism is important when you have high stakes, and becomes increasingly saccharin as you get farther away from the stakes. You want to have vision and you want to feel like you're doing something good and going in a good direction, but I find most leadership is too aggressively trying to push that everything is awesome, which inevitably covers up the real issues. I've seen this one way too many times to count, where clear risks are ignored out of optimism of the future, and planning/work is wrong or not optimal because leadership isn't being clear about what is and isn't important.
In the end, a lot of this reads as someone who has been in leadership for a long time, and only communicates with other leadership.
Writing-wise, it's fine. The fable is a good idea to remember it, but it's long-winded in setup and the turnaround of the protagonist is way too quick. It's like the author wrote a full-length fable and editing told him to cut some out, and he just cut out the filler from the end part. The writing is quite black-and-white, some approaches are Bad and his approach is Good.
I agree with much of the premise in general: people who see their work as a responsibility as opposed to a reward will do better. The analogy of a newly drafted football player who either starts working out hard to live up to expectations vs the player who starts spending their new money, and where they end up long-term, is a good one. The bigger issue here is how to make those without heavy stakes in the system also feel that sense of responsibility, and that is largely ignored in the book.
I've had a decent variety of managers, ranging between quite good and Machiavellian horrible. I think Lencioni is right about a few things, namely the premise of the book, which is that most actions an average executive does are for themselves, not for the company, and that a CEO's responsibility is mostly in managing and communication, and nothing else.
That said, there's a few things that I don't necessarily agree with (not being a CEO, so maybe I'm just wrong, but this is based on my experience of what works and what doesn't from the employee level):
1. I don't necessarily buy that employees are ever _really_ motivated by CEO speech and direction. You always know that the CEO has much more stake in success than you do, so of course they want buy-in, but an inherently imbalanced system. Personally I place much more value in what leadership values as a fair negotiation of labor -- if you treat me well as an employee, I'll have more motivation to keep it going. For example, if I worked at an airline, telling me about how important the company is and the direction you're going in is nice, but I more care that my salary is good, people treat me well, benefits are good, work is interesting, that kind of thing. I see the CEO motivational thing as disingenuous because yes, you want to make this company huge and amazing and impactful, but I generally stand to gain relatively little if that work is accomplished, barring handing out reasonably large shares of the company, but that never happens. I think it's more genuine to focus on direction and making the company interesting and fair to work for.
2. Team building -- not a fan. There's some theoretical value here but there's a lot of prerequisites that need to be in place for it to make sense. I suspect 99% of the time, the benefits the author describes would be seen even more by just giving your employees a free day off instead. There are some programs I do think are good ideas, generally in the social realm. Lunch programs, happy hours, social clubs, team outings, that kind of thing, are good for cohesion, especially if you split it up into smaller bits. Stuff like personality quizzes and trust falls, though... not a fan. Employees like it because they don't have to work, not because it helps the team.
3. Optimism. This kind of ties back in to #1 -- I think optimism is important when you have high stakes, and becomes increasingly saccharin as you get farther away from the stakes. You want to have vision and you want to feel like you're doing something good and going in a good direction, but I find most leadership is too aggressively trying to push that everything is awesome, which inevitably covers up the real issues. I've seen this one way too many times to count, where clear risks are ignored out of optimism of the future, and planning/work is wrong or not optimal because leadership isn't being clear about what is and isn't important.
In the end, a lot of this reads as someone who has been in leadership for a long time, and only communicates with other leadership.
Writing-wise, it's fine. The fable is a good idea to remember it, but it's long-winded in setup and the turnaround of the protagonist is way too quick. It's like the author wrote a full-length fable and editing told him to cut some out, and he just cut out the filler from the end part. The writing is quite black-and-white, some approaches are Bad and his approach is Good.
I agree with much of the premise in general: people who see their work as a responsibility as opposed to a reward will do better. The analogy of a newly drafted football player who either starts working out hard to live up to expectations vs the player who starts spending their new money, and where they end up long-term, is a good one. The bigger issue here is how to make those without heavy stakes in the system also feel that sense of responsibility, and that is largely ignored in the book.
September 20, 2023
I'm a huge Lencioni fan. His leadership teaching has probably shaped me the most out of any author or leader. This book contains some excellent and confronting instruction regarding the motives we have for leading, especially on an executive level.
His main argument is you either have a reward based or responsibility based motivation for leading, pick responsibility. There's some great questions and examples at the end of the book to locate your motive.
But really, this book was not worth the price of admission ($27 for a kindle book of 165 pages!!).
The fable is a shocker, like it's just not good writing and so it made it very difficult to connect with.
I would still highly recommend the content at the end, as he really puts you on the hook if you are shirking the important responsibilities of your leadership.
His main argument is you either have a reward based or responsibility based motivation for leading, pick responsibility. There's some great questions and examples at the end of the book to locate your motive.
But really, this book was not worth the price of admission ($27 for a kindle book of 165 pages!!).
The fable is a shocker, like it's just not good writing and so it made it very difficult to connect with.
I would still highly recommend the content at the end, as he really puts you on the hook if you are shirking the important responsibilities of your leadership.
July 23, 2020
This is probably my second favourite of the three books I've read by him, although with the genre of inspirational specifically about office work not being a tremendously enjoyed one, none of his publications have been for me. Whereas he writes them all in the same format, me knowing already some of what to expect in it may be partly why reading more than one subtracts from the little thrill for it there was from the start. There was a couple interesting surprises at the end of the story section of the book though which added back a few kool points and if there was someone who had this as their first book by him that they were reading, the person may like it more than I did especially if they are in or plan to matriculate to a career in upper management of corporate business.
April 28, 2020
Reading Patrick Lencioni's latest book was sort of like listening to the latest album from my favorite band. You're excited to see what it's all about and you're guessing it's going to be good...but there's a small fear that this will be his first miss. But having now finished the book (in less than 24 hours), I can happily report such fears were unfounded. In fact, I now consider this book his most important, because it gets at the "why" which drives the "how" described in his other works. If you lead other people or aspire to lead other people, this is a must-read
September 14, 2021
Sencillo, directo. Cinco funciones que muchos directores generales abdican o delegan. El impacto es desastroso en el desempeño de las empresas o gobiernos que dirigen. ¿Cuantos gobernantes no has visto que una vez en el poder se dedican a hacer lo que les gusta y no lo que es necesario hacer?
Simple, straightforward. Five functions that many CEOs abdicate or delegate. The impact is disastrous on the performance of the companies or governments they lead. How many elected officials have you not seen that once in power they do what they like to do and not what needs to be done?
Simple, straightforward. Five functions that many CEOs abdicate or delegate. The impact is disastrous on the performance of the companies or governments they lead. How many elected officials have you not seen that once in power they do what they like to do and not what needs to be done?
January 12, 2023
I am really learning a lot from Lencioni’s fable-style books. I love how quick they are to read and fast hitting at the end explaining the main principles. Honestly, this book would probably be a 5 star for me but I felt like it was almost too lean. I would have appreciated a few more examples and more detailed descriptions. But, perhaps that’s what makes Lencioni’s books so great - short and sweet. Already thinking of ways I want to incorporate this into my work and life.
November 26, 2025
Quick read with some good examples. Here are my top takeaways.
YOU MUST BE THE CRO, WHICH IS THE CHIEF REMINDING OFFICER THAT IS CONTINUALLY WORKING WITH EACH DEPARTMENT MAKING SURE THE PROJECTS MOVE AHEAD AND OVERCOME BARRIERS.
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO LEAD AND SUPPORT THE TEAM AND IS SEEING AS EXCITING.
BE A RESPONSIBILITY CENTERED LEADER
YOU MUST BE THE CRO, WHICH IS THE CHIEF REMINDING OFFICER THAT IS CONTINUALLY WORKING WITH EACH DEPARTMENT MAKING SURE THE PROJECTS MOVE AHEAD AND OVERCOME BARRIERS.
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO LEAD AND SUPPORT THE TEAM AND IS SEEING AS EXCITING.
BE A RESPONSIBILITY CENTERED LEADER
March 6, 2020
Pretty good advice but a little too condensed
Good insight and some actionable steps, but I think I’ve read New Yorker articles longer than this. If you like his stuff you will like this. The lessons are certainly worth considering.
Good insight and some actionable steps, but I think I’ve read New Yorker articles longer than this. If you like his stuff you will like this. The lessons are certainly worth considering.
June 14, 2020
Lencioni returns to his table format with this book. In the final chapters he takes time to unpack the ideas presented in the fable in a straight forward method. One of the final lines says "perhaps people will stop using the line servant leadership altogether, because everyone will understand that is the only valid kind."
June 16, 2020
One of my favourites by Lencioni
This book is short, but well-presented and thoughtful. It’s characters are relatable and the plot gives ample room to apply this storyline to any business or team structure. Highly recommend this important topic.
This book is short, but well-presented and thoughtful. It’s characters are relatable and the plot gives ample room to apply this storyline to any business or team structure. Highly recommend this important topic.
September 27, 2021
A helpful book on the transition leaders of organizations need to make from doing the work they enjoy and are good at to doing the work only they can do. Lencioni rightly shows that a leaders character and motivations will make or break the way they function.
February 11, 2025
While I understand the point of this book was the message and not the story, I do feel like the story could have been less cheesy, however I do think the lesson is very good and well written. It almost seemed like 2 different authors.
July 12, 2025
If you want to read a “leadership” book, it really should be this one. As promised, the author nails the biggest dilemma that comes with managing other adults: To do what I want to do - or what I need to do. Bonus points for writing it as a fable rather than just assaulting the reader with best practices.
December 8, 2025
4.5 stars.
I listened to the audiobook.
This one surprised me. The motivation behind why people want to be leaders is interesting, and it’s not talked about enough. I think this is a good topic and a definite must read for those who want to study leadership.
I listened to the audiobook.
This one surprised me. The motivation behind why people want to be leaders is interesting, and it’s not talked about enough. I think this is a good topic and a definite must read for those who want to study leadership.
February 11, 2021
Watch a detailed review along with my favorite ideas and takeaways at:
https://youtu.be/qm1ffl6iJ8E
https://youtu.be/qm1ffl6iJ8E
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