“All of us who work in organizations are the engineers of something, whether it is a team, a project, a department or a mail room. While our derailment may not cause loss of life, it does negatively impact others and our own careers.”
Tim Irwin writes Derailed in two parts. In the first portion, Tim Irwin gives a compelling argument for character in business as he outlines the lives of six business leaders who derailed their own careers. They got off the tracks and could not proceed in their current positions. His research is taken from respected media such as the Wall Street Journal and Business Week. They were men and women he appreciated so tried to give a fair illustration of their lives. Tim tells their stories and the moment of their derailment but not without showing clearly how their character impacted that moment of going off the track. This first half is an easy read seeing the success and failures of others at a distance.
Since this book is about character Dr. Irwin then turns back to the reader reminding us that “a leader is only as good as their character” – and we are nailed. The self examination must begin. As carefully as he outlined the lives of these business leaders he outlines how the reader can avoid them and succeed.
I absolutely loved this book! I took an incredibly long time to review this book; too long in fact. But it caused me to look hard into my life, make some changes and scrutinize who I followed and emulated. As a result of reading Derailed and another book I have made major changes in my business life. So I caution those who read this book …. beware…. this book could change the direction you are going and save your entire career.
Read it with caution! Changes ahead!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255
