Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I don't typically write reviews, but this book annoyed me to the point where I felt like I had to say something. First off, I'll say that the techniques presented in this book are solid tools for corporate and organizational success. There is no bad advice here. However, the techniques will benefit anyone, and not just introverts. Good preparation, being present, pushing yourself, and practicing are useful skills for everyone to develop. The author's mistake, in my opinion, is to try and write a book on leadership targeted at a personality type she does not share. An admitted extrovert, she makes many accurate factual observations and positive statements about life as an introvert, but cannot hide her own bias in thinking that there is something fundamentally wrong with introversion. Some examples: "For introverted people, lacking the self-assurance and confidence to assert themselves in social situations can affect not only their performance, but even more importantly, their health." (Since when do introverts lack self-assurance and confidence? Those are functions of self-awareness and self-esteem, not introversion, which is merely a preference for how one interacts with the world.) "When he didn't receive the information, he wrote a nasty e-mail to the team berating them for their lack of compliance, also telling them that they didn't care about the project. Had he checked with the group by phone or in person, he would have found that the system required to obtain the data had broken down and was causing the delay." (Introversion is not an excuse for not staying in contact with your team. That's just bad management.) "There is no magic to managing introversion" (Who said introversion is something to be "managed" like a disease?) "He finds that if he writes these down beforehand, he is able to mentally bring up the entire paragraph when he glances down, and he adds, 'I can get through it without any introversion getting in the way." (Preparation is essential for anyone's success. Introversion does not "get in the way" of feeling competent.) "It is important to place yourself in situations where you are forced to stretch and get out of your comfort zone, whether it be public speaking or having a difficult conversation with a customer." (Public speaking and client management are skills. Just because extroverts think out loud, it does not make them better at communicating.) Again, none of these suggestions are bad. They are all essential for succeeding in business. Unfortunately, the general tone of the book perpetuates the negative misconceptions about introversion, in spite of intentionally trying to do the opposite. I feel the author would have benefitted by an introverted co-author.