TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
by
HL Carpenter

 

The Wright Way
by Mark Eppler
205 pages; hardcover; $21.95
Amacom, New York, 2004

There’s no question Wilbur and Orville Wright accomplished an extraordinary feat on December 17, 1903 at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina.

There’s also no doubt Mark Eppler, speaker, consultant and author, is a Wright Brothers fan of the first order.

Instead, the issue is whether the way the brothers tackled - and famously overcame - the problems of powered, heavier-than-air flight can sustain a business book on the topic.

Sadly, the answer is no. There’s not enough lift under the slim pages of The Wright Way to keep it aloft, despite the obvious passion of the author for his subject.

A big factor in this tailspin to failure is the repetition of certain scenes. The reason is obvious: The author states the book is not a series of problem-solving steps, but rather a collection of problem-solving principles. The distinction means individual accomplishments are used to illustrate multiple points.

This type of reiteration is a successful technique in speaking and teaching. Indeed, Mr. Eppler acknowledges using his Wright Brothers examples in both venues. Unfortunately, the duplication makes for distracted reading.

Another impediment: There’s nothing new in the principles themselves. Take calculated risks, pay attention to the details and persevere. You may not achieve something as momentous as flight, but you’ll certainly succeed. And you don’t need this book to tell you so.

The final drawback is the author’s fascination with the brothers themselves. In a testament to creativity, Mr. Eppler has come up with a unique angle to their story by tying his specialty of management consulting to their accomplishment. Yet throughout the book is the pervasive feeling he really wanted to write about his heroes without being sidetracked by business - but was forced to compromise by the sheer volume of information already published.

That’s probably why the trivia nuggets in The Wright Way are far more interesting than the ho-hum business tips. Who knew Dayton, Ohio ranked first in the nation in patents secured per capita in 1900? Or that Wilbur Wright had insight worthy of Ben Franklin? “Men,” he wrote in a letter, “become wise just as they become rich, more by what they save than by what they receive.”

Wright Brothers fans will receive – and possibly save - quite a bit from The Wright Way. Regrettably, managers will not.

 

Review originally published July 2004.