Review of The Smartest Person in the Room
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Lauren Ridge
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Review of The Smartest Person in the Room
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Smartest Person in the Room" by Christian Espinosa.]
This book can best be summarized with the author’s own words:
“My intent with this book was to produce something full of life hacks with an infinite shelf life, rather than another book full of technical tricks with a finite shelf life.”
Christian Espinosa is completely loyal to this intention throughout his entire book, as is evidenced in the writing itself. Although it’s written primarily for those who lead cybersecurity teams, it is perfectly applicable to a variety of situations. In this sense, it’s similar to many other leadership guides. This one stands out, however, because of the way that Espinosa weaves mindfulness throughout his proposed process in order to help the reader more easily determine the root cause of a problem, making it much easier to solve. This and several other carefully executed components has undoubtedly earned this read five out of five stars!
Nothing that Espinosa shares in and of itself is new information. However, the way he frames each “life hack” makes it engaging, funny, and relatable. It certainly feels like something brand new when he lays it out! His ideas for setting aside the need to be the smartest person in the room are introduced immediately, and then carefully explained in detail in the subsequent chapters. They’re supplemented with research, personal experiences, and even with activities at the end of each chapter that allow the reader to sample each concept. It feels much like an organized workshop than solely a book for curious readers.
As helpful and engaging as this book may be, it doesn’t come without its imperfections. Most of the book is free of grammatical errors, but there are at least four in which a clause is omitted or the wording is somewhat confusing, interrupting the flow. However, these are extremely rare, so the flow is quite smooth overall. Even the phrases used to link ideas from chapter to chapter are used both mindfully and strategically, which enhances the ease and pleasure of reading this book.
Perhaps the winning feature of this read is Espinosa’s clear entrepreneurial excitement coupled with his down-to-earth tone. He mentions frequently that he is a recovering smartest person in the room, and that he is still endeavoring to improve. He doesn’t shy away from sharing experiences that place him in a negative light. He uses them to be a more relatable narrator and to warn the reader from making similar mistakes. This enhances the credibility of his book and his overall experience as a cybersecurity expert, CEO, and human being. It is powerful and highly effective. This is why any reader would be wise to join Espinosa on this journey and learn how to both avoid becoming the smartest person in the room as well as to help those who already believe they’re the smartest people in that room.
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The Smartest Person in the Room
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This book can best be summarized with the author’s own words:
“My intent with this book was to produce something full of life hacks with an infinite shelf life, rather than another book full of technical tricks with a finite shelf life.”
Christian Espinosa is completely loyal to this intention throughout his entire book, as is evidenced in the writing itself. Although it’s written primarily for those who lead cybersecurity teams, it is perfectly applicable to a variety of situations. In this sense, it’s similar to many other leadership guides. This one stands out, however, because of the way that Espinosa weaves mindfulness throughout his proposed process in order to help the reader more easily determine the root cause of a problem, making it much easier to solve. This and several other carefully executed components has undoubtedly earned this read five out of five stars!
Nothing that Espinosa shares in and of itself is new information. However, the way he frames each “life hack” makes it engaging, funny, and relatable. It certainly feels like something brand new when he lays it out! His ideas for setting aside the need to be the smartest person in the room are introduced immediately, and then carefully explained in detail in the subsequent chapters. They’re supplemented with research, personal experiences, and even with activities at the end of each chapter that allow the reader to sample each concept. It feels much like an organized workshop than solely a book for curious readers.
As helpful and engaging as this book may be, it doesn’t come without its imperfections. Most of the book is free of grammatical errors, but there are at least four in which a clause is omitted or the wording is somewhat confusing, interrupting the flow. However, these are extremely rare, so the flow is quite smooth overall. Even the phrases used to link ideas from chapter to chapter are used both mindfully and strategically, which enhances the ease and pleasure of reading this book.
Perhaps the winning feature of this read is Espinosa’s clear entrepreneurial excitement coupled with his down-to-earth tone. He mentions frequently that he is a recovering smartest person in the room, and that he is still endeavoring to improve. He doesn’t shy away from sharing experiences that place him in a negative light. He uses them to be a more relatable narrator and to warn the reader from making similar mistakes. This enhances the credibility of his book and his overall experience as a cybersecurity expert, CEO, and human being. It is powerful and highly effective. This is why any reader would be wise to join Espinosa on this journey and learn how to both avoid becoming the smartest person in the room as well as to help those who already believe they’re the smartest people in that room.
******
The Smartest Person in the Room
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Unfakeable Code® by Tony Jeton Selimi
