Kim Gentes

I've read business books. I've read leadership books. But what I haven't read is a real, honest-to-goodness, practical play-book of how to do small business. Until now. Dave Ramsey's book, EntreLeadership, is just that- a fairly comprehensive and integrated manual for growing small businesses that (whether they know it or not) will need training in leadership development and core business skills.  For those that don't know, Dave Ramsey is a radio show talk personality who largely is known for his on-air advice to callers on the topic of personal finance. Something of a combination of Suzie Orman and Clark Howard, with Christian values contextualizing his perspective, Ramsey is strongly opinionated but has proven to be practical and effective as an advisor on money matters, especially concerning the topic of debt.

Ramsey's advice and radio show have been the centerpiece of a company that also sells products and training services to millions of people looking to manage their finances and pay off their debts. The success of his sales of those goods and services has turned him into the leader of a small but growing and successful enterprise in its own right. The author clearly knows what it takes to actually build a business, and he understands how to effectively dissect and represent good thinking about the strategies that can be transferable to other people. In short, Ramsey is as capable a coach as he is an implementer, and this is a rare trait.

EntreLeadership not only defines the generalities of vision, mission and goals, he gives play-by-play details on very well thought out execution plans for sales, marketing, employee management, financial oversight, leadership and much more.  Actually, I found that Ramsey abbreviates points I've heard in other books, but does so with sharper focus than other business "leaders" who tend to leave their advice open-ended to work with various situations. Dave Ramsey is more "black-and-white" than most. And to be frank, this makes his book worth its weight in gold because he doesn't mince words. He has some opinions about how to get things done - sales for example- and they are about 99% right. I caveat the remaining 1% because he falls trap ever so slightly to one of his own mentioned vices- believing his own press.

I suspect that this comes from Ramsey's unflappable personality, but more than once, the author expounds his success as a validation of his book. For sure, this is essential for any great teacher- do first, then teach to do. Ramsey's success is certainly a proof for his passing on his wisdom. But his salesmanship bleeds through. In the introductory section of the book, Ramsey goes from saying "our tremendous success"1 to declaring "This is the personal play-book of an ultra-successful EntreLeader."2 in just a few sentences. Microsoft, Dell Computer and Chick-Fil-A are examples of "ultra-successful" leaders and companies (all examples that Ramsey acknowledges in his book). But self-identifying Ramsey's company as "ultra-successful" seems comically ill-advised.

However, that minor brush of hype aside, no small business leader should pass by a chance to read this book and put its points into practice. It really is a succinct and arduously well organized course that can do nothing but help anyone trying to "make it big" with their big idea.  Ramsey is a great doer and an even greater instructor. Don't skip over EntreLeadership. You can't afford to. It's that good.

Amazon Book link: http://amzn.to/1cnWXKR

Review by Kim Gentes

1. Ramsey, Dave (2011-09-20). EntreLeadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches (p. 2). Howard Books. Kindle Edition. 

2. Ibid. Pg. 2

Years ago, I was serving on the executive team with one of the best managers I've ever worked with. His name was Chris. He had the most highly attuned sense of team-building and leadership that I had seen in a CEO. One of the first books Chris asked our team to read was "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni. This last month, I revisited this book and read it again. It struck me again as a succinct and actionable treatise for any team.

What it exposes is the real reason that most teams fail- people are often more interested in personal accomplishment than achieving team success. Lencioni artfully narrates what he calls a "leadership fable" of a new CEO who comes into a high-tech company to try to turn it around. The scenario that unfolds sounds so familiar to any of us who have worked in a senior staff meetings that it's a little indicting just reading the book, let alone considering doing something based on it. But that is why using a narrative is so powerful.

Lencioni recognizes that we must hear these truths in a reasonably real context rather than simply have them extrapolated as another "5 steps to corporate success" or such business book claims. And this book does exactly that. The reader is allowed to enter the world of DecisionTech, a fictitious Silicon Valley startup with everything going for it- except results! The story strips back the layers of dysfunction in the leadership team to its very core, and draws some deft steps at deconstructing the failures and reconstructing a strong working team. Not only do you end up seeing the components, people and issues for the raw things they are, but you begin to see (by the dissociation of story-telling) how those might be addressed in your own situations.

The author doesn't leave it to story either. Once the narrative has completed, Lencioni retraces the core points of the "Five Dysfunctions" and you are given concrete steps to moving to building an effective team that can produce results. Since this book has become one of the best selling books on business leadership in the last 10 years, I am guessing many people have found this sage advice. I would be in that camp. Some of the observations and truths pointed out here are so poignant they may seem obvious. Yet, the real problem is that we often stay mindlessly aware of these "800lb gorilla issues" that are in the room, but fail to address them. Lencioni faces this head on and doesn't blink.

This is an excellent book, and it gets better each time I read it. I will be going back and reading it again in the next couple days. It's usable, thoughtful, and potentially revolutionary (to those who will act). The book is short (239-240 pages, depending on the version you read) so you should be able to read it in just a few hours. Well worth the time.

Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/VUpdNl

Review by Kim Gentes