Review of Tim Irwin's "De-railed"

I have read an awful lot of books on leadership. Sometimes I feel like I am on a "leadership" overload. I requested this book through the Thomas Nelson Bloggers Review program because I often don't read books on "failed leadership." Some might say it is the cynic in me that wanted to read about the failures, but on the contrary, I was hoping to see some fabulous stories of recovery and learn along the way. This book let me do just that.

Iriwn highlights many recent and familiar business leaders who became "derailed" at some point in their careers. From Robert Nardelli (of Home Depot fame) or Dick Fuld (Lehman Brothers) it appears that each person possessed a character flaw that made even the most successful fail. I appreciate Irwin's candidness at the beginning of the book:

"I chose to write about these particular leaders because they offered highly visible and compelling illustrations of individuals who derailed for the very reasons that we can derailed - a failure of character. I don't mean failed character in the sense of dishonesty that results in fraudulent behavior, but rather compromised character in a broader sense - for example, hubris or being dismissive of others. At the outset, I feel it imperative to make clear that Derailed is ultimately not about the six profiled leaders...it is about us!

I appreciate Irwin's front-end-loaded remark to look for the flaws within each of us, not just see the highlighted stories. I found this book a pleasure to read. It was well researched and Irwin's commentary was profound. I enjoy reading business minded books, so perhaps if that is not "your thing" you might not appreciate the book as I did. But, at the least, we can all appreciate Irwins work to remind us of four important qualities of character — authenticity, self-management, humility, and courage. I found that he did that very well indeed.

The featured product in this post was provided to me free of charge by the author and Thomas Nelson Review program. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company or other endorsement.