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4 out of 4 stars
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Generally, project failure is regarded as a norm due to the high rate of project failures worldwide. Interestingly, The Red Pill Executive by Tony Gruebl, Jeff Welch, and Bryan Wolbert has a different perspective.
Several Affordable Care Act exchanges failed in January 2014. Soon after, Dr. Harold Kerzner, a senior executive director with International Institute for Learning, was interviewed by Kyle Dowling, who worked for a blog named "Surviving Disaster in Project Management." When asked to state why project management had become so controversial in terms of professional validity, Harold's answer showed that the real reason for project failure had been a mystery for a long time. This mystery was what The Red Pill Executive tried to uncover.
The Red Pill Executive was written to correct the fallacious belief that projects would always fail. It was authored by a group of seasoned professionals who presented an intriguing mix of experience and storytelling. Their writing style took both a narrative and an expository approach, which introduced stories from popular movies to buttress further the excellent points made in the book. These stories they introduced helped me get a clearer picture of their viewpoints. The lessons therein were also taught in clear and straightforward terms. The authors' different approaches to the work were realistic. This made me feel connected and involved in what the authors were saying.
Furthermore, the authors clearly stated their reasons for having a different view on project failure while making direct references to their personal experiences. This went a long way in driving their various points and strategic approaches home. It also made my reading journey more enjoyable due to the realistic stories shared. The authors' use of suspense in the course of telling their stories helped to spice things up.
What I liked most about the book was the part where the authors explained the origin of the Abilene Paradox. I enjoyed the short story surrounding the paradox and connected to it, having found myself in a similar position multiple times. I also liked that the authors used popular American movie storylines as case studies throughout the book. Movie lovers would have a swell time reading this book.
I found a couple of errors in the book. However, it did not detract from the book's flow. The writing style was excellent and reader-friendly. The illustrative stories the authors introduced were also a fabulous addition. Apart from the few errors, there wasn't anything I disliked about this book.
Overall, the book was an intriguing and exciting read. Therefore, I'd rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I'd recommend this book to all entrepreneurs, project managers, and lovers of a well-written business book.
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The Red Pill Executive
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