I like this book a lot. It is chock full of tools, tips, techniques, lessons, strategies, tactics, and applications for great leadership in the corporate world today. Bravo, Emily Sander. There is a lot here. Scan it first, then re-read the book to get the details. The author supplies concise summaries at the end of each chapter in the form of Key Takeaways and Key Questions. To me, the chapter on hiring is the best in the book. As a leader, if you hire well, everything else falls into place automatically. Well, almost automatically! Hacks are tips that are not obvious. They provide creative approaches to solving problems. The book has plenty of hacking tools, for instance: • Failure is practice for things to come • The unexpected happens all the time: adapt • Transform fear of failure into anticipation of progress: it’s called looping up • Never compare your day-to-day to someone else’s highlight reel • Swizzle: combining the best components of different items to make a better item • A boss should calmly admit when they are wrong • Here’s how to uncover your hidden beliefs, aka, blind spots … • Have a plan so you can change it • If you are the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room • Avoid automatic yeses; make them default nos • Look for opportunities for others; give them their first break • Switching little words, e.g., “and” for “but,” softens meaning dramatically • Use DISC assessment (dominance, influence, steadiness, conscientious) As a leader you get paid to make decisions other people can't or won't. Read the book to get benefits of lessons learned by the author over the years, for instance: • Making decisions is a skill like any other, practice, practice, practice • Have outside-the-job hobbies • Lean toward done and away from perfect • Plant a seed and give your people permission to grow • As you move up, if you try to micromanage, you're going to die • Mention desired behavior like it is already happening • Don't assume everyone thinks like you • There are thinkers and there are talkers; tell people what you are • Listen for the ability to listen • At the end of an interview, ask "what questions do you have for me?" The one problem I have with the book is that, well, it’s all business. Surprised? No. But, as Chapter 5 points out, “As a leader, people skills matter more than technical skills.” People skills appear throughout the book. They are woven into the text at every juncture. It would be better, in my view, to have an entire chapter focused on people skills. I have worked for leaders who are very selfish, but great leaders are the opposite. Reading the book, extracting the “people skills,” and organizing them into a single chapter would be a good exercise. In fact, it would probably lead to a whole new book – an important book. I hope to read it soon!