Book Review - The Road Less Stupid
Posted by [email protected] on Jul. 6, 2023 / Book Review / Subscribe 0
In July of 2017, I published a blog post on projectmanagement.com titled ‘When is a Good Idea a Bad Idea?’ In this post, I briefly explored the idea that there are times when an idea that sounds good is actually a bad idea that should not be implemented at that time, if at all. In the book “The Road Less Stupid: Advice from the Chairman of the Board,” Keith J. Cunningham expands on this idea and presents activities and skills to make sure the activities we pursue really are good ideas. Keith sets the tone of the book with the opening statement, “Smart people do dumb things,” and follows this up with chapters that emphasize the “…importance of getting clarity by asking really good questions.”
Other reviews I’ve seen focused on the Five Core Disciplines of Thinking that the author presents. While I found them interesting, I also found that almost every chapter contains what I feel is the right blend of wit and wisdom to keep things interesting. Here are just a few examples:
- Running the wrong direction enthusiastically is stupid.
- Changing culture is not a one-time activity.
- Good intentions do not achieve results. Creating a plan does not cause the outcome to materialize; executing a good plan does.
- Identify who is responsible for the outcomes, not just the outputs.
- Care enough to have the hard conversations.
I’m not saying that everyone will find pearls of wisdom in every point, but I do feel that there are points we can all learn and benefit from in this book. Don’t take my word for it. To quote Keith, “Just because someone has written a book doesn’t mean he knows what he’s talking about.” Check out the book and judge for yourself.
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