TOP DRAWER BOOK REVIEW
by
HL Carpenter

 

Every Mistake in the Book
by F.J. Lennon
ISBN 0-7858-1832-4
195 pages; hardcover; $23.00
Castle Books, New Jersey, 2005

The original edition of Every Mistake in the Book was published in 2001, which means it was probably written a year or so earlier, given the glacial workings of a publishing industry stuck in the 18th century. Why is that significant? Only because the most useful fact in the book is the one not included – the one about how little things change.

Even worse, when author F.J. Lennon delves into journals he’s kept since 1985, it’s obvious how very little things have changed over the past twenty years. No wonder all management books sound alike.

Every Mistake in the Book offers the same advice you’ve heard before. In the process, Mr. Lennon manages to ripsaw through a forestful of woulda, coulda, shoulda’s. You get the impression it’s a psychological soul-baring for him, though there’s some practical advice mixed with the high-school locker-room language.

For instance, in the introduction, Mr. Lennon states his reason for writing the book was so others could learn from his errors. Perhaps unintentionally, he also reveals how you can deal with a boss who makes the mistakes he has. That’s a handy thing to know, especially if you’re just starting your career.

It’d be a mistake to think Every Mistake in the Book is anything more than management-lite fare, with training wheels. But the writing is clear and concise, and the book may steer you away from a blunder or two. Seeking that kind of guidance is seldom a mistake.

 

Review originally published May 2006.