Bestselling author Patrick Lencioni's three previous business fables have sold nearly 350,000 copies. His latest takes on the most dreaded company activity...meetings—why we hate them, why we shouldn't, and how to make them great The thought of meetings makes most business people miserable, but they're a critical and unavoidable part of what we do. Through fictional narrative, modeling, and practical solutions, Lencioni shows how to turn meetings from painful and tedious to productive, compelling, and even energizing. The story follows an executive who finds his job on the line and his future dependent on his ability to dramatically improve his disastrous meetings. An irreverent graduate student comes into the picture with fresh ideas and a new perspective to help the executive turn things around. This engrossing and concise audiobook will help improve morale, effectiveness, and the bottom-line at the office.
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"I really like Mr. Lencioni's style. His books are a good read while providing some really good insights into effective team performance. I just finished the book and am looking forward to implementing some of his recommendations with my own team at MBUSI."
— Jay (4 out of 5 stars)
"A work of fiction with important lessons for management.
— Leadership & Organizational Development JournalThe author is something of a master of the modern fable." Professional Manager
Highly recommended: you could even take it to your next meeting.
— On TargetPitches his theory neatly at busy readers.
— Supply Management" This was a pretty quick read. The book felt very much like a screenplay, I enjoyed it. If you're simply looking to pull the content out of the book and don't care much for his style, the exec. summary at the end will do just fine. Also beware the first third of the book is a little slow and dry but it gets better. "
— Tony, 2/15/2014" Great leadership lessons in a very readable format "
— Terrance, 2/12/2014" A quick read with good reminders on how to not have meetings! "
— Mbstrongman, 2/10/2014" The "fable" was, as you might expect, weak writing, but it was effective in presenting the information in a more accessible/memorable way than a traditional "how-to" book. I took a lot of information away from this book that will help me in my job, so that's why this book gets such a positive grade. "
— Jeremy, 2/6/2014" Lencioni is one of the most creative writers I've read in a long time. I need to reread this and continue to adopt the principles. "
— Gary, 2/5/2014" Pretty good book--told in the usual Lencioni fable style--on how to make meetings count, by clearly delineating their specific purposes and frequencies. "
— Wes, 1/31/2014" Incredibly simple take home advice "
— Karen, 1/25/2014" I really like this book...definitely gave me some ideas on how to be more effective. "
— Julie, 1/20/2014" I wouldn't think I'd be one for business books but in all honesty I couldn't put this down once I started it. Read it in one sitting. "
— Nathan, 1/13/2014" I like the fable format. "
— Arkideas, 1/9/2014" Good framework for structuring effective meetings. "
— Mike, 1/3/2014" Although not applicable to all types of businesses/organizations, this book, through a clever little fiction story, shows the importance of communication and offers a way to make communication (i.e. meetings) more efficient. "
— Carling, 12/23/2013" Guess I should have read the title more closely, this really is a story, not what I expected... An easy read, but not what I was looking. "
— Robert, 12/12/2013" ehh. not as interesting or useful as the 5 dysfunctions of a team. "
— Jesse, 12/10/2013" I'm not sure it's necessary to read the fable to get the author's point, but the point is well taken -- we spend too much time in unproductive meetings, and giving the proper context to meetings could make a big difference. "
— Nancy, 12/8/2013" Another great one by Patrick Lencioni. A fictional story but drives home many important points about organizational health and effective / ineffective meetings. "
— Chris, 9/6/2013" Meh... a quick afternoon read for work... nothing earth shattering here. "
— Don, 7/31/2013" A different approach with the idea of actually expecting people to use meeting to make decisions, address issues, and set direction. Worth reading but more importantly worth implementing. "
— Mike, 1/18/2013" Lencioni. I sometimes wonder if he would just put his main points on the front page so you knew exactly what to watch for throughout the fable. Still, quick, easy and again nails fundamental principles. "
— Jeff, 12/28/2012" After rereading Lencioni's book on teamwork, I decided to pick up a couple of his other works. This one I found to be not as applicable to my current workplace environment, and so wasn't quite as enjoyable or useful as "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team." "
— Sara, 11/10/2012" Loved the title. Didn't garner much from the rest. Could've taken the advice from the table in the back of the book and saved myself some time. "
— Geoff, 8/28/2012" Ugh my dad made me read this book, If you really want to learn about business meetings then have fun, it wasn't my description as something fun to read. "
— Aaron, 3/8/2012" Interesting perspective on purpose and functions that a meeting serves. Likewise interesting ideas on how to measure the success or effectiveness of a meeting. Glad I read it. Wish I had read it 10 years ago. "
— Daryl, 2/6/2012" REALLY REALLY HELPFUL - if your meeting make you want to cry - this will give you something to use! "
— Fred, 12/26/2011" Not as good as "The Five dysfunctions". The ideas are much less of a revolution. But it might still be worth reading at least in order to put into words things you already new. "
— Mila, 7/20/2011" Engaging book - good ideas to help meeting do what we hope they will by giving each meeting clear context and purpose. More business books should be written as stories. "
— S.A., 3/11/2011" Quick read and a helpful way of re-organizing meetings so that aren't boring, inefficient, and dreaded. "
— Erik, 2/23/2011" great quick read for real leadership dilemmas. good ideas concerning meetings in the workplace. "
— Kara, 1/23/2011" Great concept that works if you try it for a while. I only give it 3 stars because you could honestly get this principle by just reading the final chapter unlike most of his other books, which you need to read the fable to truly understand it. "
— Jason, 1/12/2011" Interesting perspective on purpose and functions that a meeting serves. Likewise interesting ideas on how to measure the success or effectiveness of a meeting. Glad I read it. Wish I had read it 10 years ago. "
— Daryl, 12/12/2010" It was an incredibly easy read, but had some good insights. "
— Lizzy, 12/7/2010" Great book for anyone participating in meetings. Other business books by Lencioni are great too. The messages are important and will stick with you. "
— Ingrid, 11/25/2010" Patrick Lencioni, he is good. it is very good idea to use stories to attract reader. the book is good, but his "five dysfunctions of the team" is much better. the idea of adding conflicts and drama to meetings are important but not new. <br/> "
— Javid, 11/19/2010" I'm not sure it's necessary to read the fable to get the author's point, but the point is well taken -- we spend too much time in unproductive meetings, and giving the proper context to meetings could make a big difference. "
— Nancy, 8/25/2010" As with most books by this author, Death By Meeting seems too interesting to be a business title. The principles delineated herein tend to embrace all of life, not just what people do in the course of earning a living. I read it all in one sitting. "
— Tripleguess, 8/3/2010" This a business novel, and it's riveting. It's all about how to conduct meetings to be exciting and inspire a company. I read this in one night. Super easy to read, and lots of fun. "
— Brian, 7/26/2010" This was a great quick read. It has lots of easy take aways. "
— Craig, 6/22/2010Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping leaders improve their organizations’ health since 1997. His principles have been embraced by leaders around the world and adopted by organizations of virtually every kind including multinational corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, professional sports teams, the military, nonprofits, schools, and churches. Lencioni is the author of ten business books with over six million copies sold worldwide. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, and USA Today, among other publications.