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Jossey-Bass

The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable

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Description

A gripping tale that reveals what occupies the minds of the world’s best business leadersAs CEO, most everything that Rich O'Connor did had something to do with at least one of the four disciplines on his famed "yellow sheet." Some of the firm's executives joked that he was obsessed with it.Interestingly, only a handful of people knew what was on that sheet, and so it remained something of a mystery. Which was okay with Rich, because no one really needed to understand it, other than him. He certainly never suspected that it would become the blueprint of an employee's plan to destroy the firm.In this stunning follow-up to his best-selling book, The Five Temptations of a CEO, Patrick Lencioni offers up another leadership fable that's every bit as compelling and illuminating as its predecessor.This time, Lencioni's focus is on a leader's crucial role in building a healthy organization - an often overlooked but essential element of business life that is the linchpin of sustained success.Readers are treated to a story of corporate intrigue as Rich O'Connor, fictional CEO of technology consulting company Telegraph Partners, faces a leadership challenge so great that it threatens to topple his company, his career and everything he holds true about what makes a leader truly exceptional.In the story's telling, Lencioni deftly helps his readers understand the disarming simplicity and power of creating a healthy organization and reveals four key disciplines that they can follow to achieve it.In The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Lencioni delivers an utterly gripping tale with a powerful and memorable message for all who strive to be remarkable leaders. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jossey-Bass


Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 24, 2000


Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0787954039


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 31


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.6 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #29,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #24 in Management Science #72 in Entrepreneurship (Books) #87 in Workplace Culture (Books)


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A Great Help and Call to Return to the Basics for Every Leader
Format: Hardcover
I was caught up with the genre of this series of books for the "5 Dysfunctions of a Team." I have read nearly everything in the series and really enjoy the format, ease of reading, and the writer's style. As a leader of a church, I am always looking to improve my effectiveness to oversee an organization. Not all lessons from the "business world" apply perfectly, but I have found that even in the cases where there is no direct correlation, it is good to understand how those in the business world think. Beyond that, the principles that Lencioni communicates can usually be adapted to my particular context. What drew me to this book was the emphasis on the role of the senior leader in a company. The fable involves how the CEO interacts with his management team and how, in the most successful companies, there is a dogged determination to remain committed to the "most" important things. A CEO could become involved in a number of aspects of company operations; however, he is most effective in developing his senior leadership team, bringing clarity of purpose (vision) in every decision and direction, communicating that vision/direction "ad nauseum," and reinforcing the clarity through the human systems of the organization. Now I did not just share any new insights or upend some popular "B School" teaching; rather, I just shared what Lencioni reinforced throughout the book. A senior leader who focuses on these aspects of the organization can allow his senior leadership to carry out the task in the most effective way for their particular area of responsibility. While there is no "new" information or "magic pill" related in this book, there is a huge opportunity for the leader to evaluate his/her own organizational health, persona leadership effectiveness, and to make adjustments accordingly. I recommend the book highly to all leaders who are responsible for "shepherding" the vision and overseeing the direction of an organization. If you ever wanted "permission" to pull back from for the intricacies of the details and focus on what you do best...this is the book for you. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2012 by C. M. Aiken
    • great read for any ceo
Format: Kindle
Love this book. We are actually having our whole executive team read it would highly recommend it to any organization striving for excellence
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026 by Dr. Abby
    • The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable
Format: Hardcover
This book took me on an insightful exploration of the principle foundations of leadership that a company used towards its success. It highlighted and reinforced the core disciplines in establishing and maintaining a successful company from the perspective of the leader. The book was enjoyable to read because the message wasn't hindered by overcomplicated words and ideas. Each of the four disciplines was reiterated throughout the text in different ways. Because of this, people who learn through narrative, example and explanation, or definition will all be able to find this book useful and informative. The majority of the book is a narrative about two competing firms, Telegraph and Greenwich. The author does a good job of describing the culture of the companies and the roles of the employees so that readers are able to identify with the organizations and the people in them. There is a relatable employee or situation in this book for any reader. The latter part of the book is a more structured look at the principles. I found this to be very helpful because not only did it clearly state and explain each discipline, but it also gave clear examples and samples of how to implement these values and strategies within your own team. Implementation is only the first part of the process. Full integration and success takes some restructuring, time, cooperation, and effort on everyone's part. The book emphasizes this, but doesn't necessarily lay out the process for the reader. So, if you are looking for a start to finish example of the process of reevaluation and the restructuring of an organization's values, mission, strategies, and beliefs, this book won't have quite enough information for that. The only part of the book that I found to be a bit uninspiring was the fact that this was a "leadership fable," so the story was not actually true. Although I still learned of the disciplines and witnessed them in action, I feel that this book would have a little more power if this had been an example of real companies. I found this book to be an interesting approach to leadership. It definitely gets your mind thinking about the improvements that your company could benefit from, and it makes you proud of the things that you're already doing. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2011 by Rebecca
    • Simple yet compelling concepts
Format: Kindle
Really appreciate the storytelling approach to add context to the principles. Reinforces where I should be spending my time.
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2026 by Zachary P Matthews
    • If you like a story, If you don't like a story THAT is the question.
Format: Hardcover
When I read through a good portion of the reviews of this book, something I always do prior to offering my own review, I see that many folks either directly or indirectly reference the 'story' offered in the beginning of the book; either because it was found distracting in some way or because it provided a landscape from which to mine or connect to the principles of the book's message. The book's message is most definitely one out of the KISS realms and as things from this realm are they are potent reminders to not complicate the art of leadership. I enjoyed the story and the reminders; it's a quick and easy read, probably something one could cover on a day trip to a clients office on a plane and through the airport. It's also worth the read, especially if you find a good story useful for connecting with a message as I know I do. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020 by Oliver
    • Great, quick read …
Format: Kindle
Great, quick read with real-world applicability. I’d suggest reading with a notebook close by to jot down ideas and ways you can adapt your leadership today! I’ll be referring back to this as often as I look back on 5 Dysfunctions of a Team!
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2025 by Amazon Customer
    • "[email protected]" Fair Lessons, But Good If You Haven't Read Much Books On Running A Company
Format: Hardcover
This book is a fairly decent fable on running a business. Patrick builds up the story about two rival companies, but despite being rivals, one outperforms the other constantly. Patrick starts the story by describing each firm and the internal clockwork that keeps them running. He then goes on to describe the rival company that's constantly outperforming the other. which all boils down to 4 disciplines on a yellow sheet of paper, but we don't get to find out until the end of the story. And that's when it gets really good The 4 disciplines turn out to be simple, yet powerful things. and if we as CEOs can incorporate this behaviour in our firms, then we would be winning too. Well once the other firm isn't doing this... also i must mention that Patrick has one of the best writing styles i have ever seen, i felt fairly relaxed as i relished the jolly welcoming font he used in this book, i liked how he broke up the paragraphs so that you felt as if you could take a breather to think about what he said for a few mins or more, and then get back into it. As opposed to other books that have a tendency to let their paragraphs lead onto 4 pages or more. I'll be the first to tell you i haven't read a million books as i've seen other do but I have read 70 books+ so i feel i'm fairly qualified to say such a thing. Verdit: If you're new to "how to run a corporation" type books, this will be really beneficial to you, on the other hand. if you're fairly learnt in this area, then it will probably serve as an enjoyable fable that you managed to pick up some decent tips from Physical Quality: This hard cover is strong, the title cover material is of respectable calibre Feel free to contact me at [email protected] ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2012 by Mr. K. James
    • Simple. Powerful. Persuasive. Insightful.
Format: Hardcover
There is something special about hearing a story, whether it is around a campfire, a corporate boardroom, or in a book on leadership. It has a way of drawing in the reader and springing a surprise on them when their guard is down. We find ourselves more open, perhaps more honest, when we collectively share in a story that is definitely not about ourselves. Lencioni delivers a "leadership fable" in such a way as to sneak past our defenses and impart some important values: clear consistent communication, a leadership team which is candid but caring, and not taking the simple things for granted. We have heard these things dozens of times, yet "Four Obsessions" delivers these lessons in a way which hits home. The most important things tend to be the simple things: integrity, honesty, trust, transparency and love. The author never states it, but I believe that love is the underlying power that distinguishes and characterizes the truly remarkable company from the merely mediocre. "Four Obsessions" is a quick read but the moral of the fable lingers long after the candle is blown out. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2006 by Jeffrey E Ellis

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