Review by Kirkus Book Review
This motivational leadership book presents ways for readers to overcome their fears. Keegan, the CEO of tech company Merchants Fleet and editorial contributor to Fast Company and other publications, focuses his book on a concept he calls "the FUD Factor." FUD stands for fear, uncertainty, and doubt, and he characterizes them as a knitted complex of negative feelings, instilled in most people when they're young. Caring loved ones may have imparted these notions with the best of intentions, Keegan allows; however, if his readers want to become effective team leaders and manage people and projects successfully, he asserts, they must overcome such anxieties through their own efforts. Leaders are made, not born, he writes, and readers shouldn't believe those who say otherwise; he clarifies this further by stating that "Leadership is a daily decision." In these pages, Keegan draws on his 30 years of experience in the business world while highlighting some of those decisions, and he offers some clarification on how to be "fearless" while building strong teams and achieving success. He does this by relating a great many personal anecdotes from his own life, all designed to highlight the "inspiring, exhilarating, and challenging" aspects of being not merely a manager, but also a leader. As is often the case with such an approach, there are perhaps too many stories in which the author is cast as a hero, even in his youth ("The moment I chose to be a leader was the first day of football practice in rural New Hampshire when I was in third grade"); there's also a tendency to present Vince Lombardi--style leadership mantras, such as "It's not the title, it's how you show up." Still, Keegan's no-nonsense prose and clear passion about coaching the next generation of leaders is ultimately affecting and convincing. An often powerful, example-driven management guide. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
