Nonfiction Book Review for ‘The Art of Crisis Leadership: Save time, money, customers, and ultimately, your career’ by Rob Weinhold with Kevin Cowherd
ABOUT THE BOOK: In today's turbulent world, the issue isn't if crisis will occur, but when. Do you know how to prepare for, navigate through and recover from crisis? Can you turn adversity into advantage? This book holds the key. In his decades on the core executive teams of the Baltimore Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice and for Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., Rob Weinhold learned a basic truism: the strengths and shortcomings of leaders are never more magnified than during life's most difficult times. Weinhold flourishes in this space. Now, as chief executive of the highly-respected Fallston Group, a Baltimore-based crisis management & communications firm that guides leaders at every level, Weinhold shares the secrets of how to survive, then thrive, when the stakes are at their highest. A recognized crisis leadership expert who has appeared regularly on CNN, Fox, MSNBC and other national news outlets, Weinhold narrates the stories of real people and companies beset by social media attacks, sex scandals, financial distress, civic riots, active shooter situations, data breaches, natural disasters and other calamities. With each authentic story, he offers unique, yet proven, advice designed to help leaders remain steadfast, focused and resilient.
MY REVIEW: 5 stars. The word “crisis” in the title is what caught my attention and made me want to read this book. There’s a lot of books on the market about leadership, but this one is about leadership specifically under crisis circumstances. As a social worker, I see crises all too often. As a publisher (my other job) I see a lot of things that could quickly turn into crisis or panic mode when something goes wrong and if not handled effectively.
“..when a crisis occurs, no matter how traumatic the event, everyone needs to understand his or her role and stay in their own lane. This doesn’t happen without proper policies, planning, training, and execution.” This sentence is on page 8 of the book, and struck me as wise advice. The author further states that surprisingly, many organizations don’t have a plan. I know from personal experience that well defined roles help prevent crises, but when the inevitable happens, being prepared and knowing what to do in these instances help everyone get through it and helps keep things from falling apart.
This book is visually pleasing and professionally done. Everything from the cover, to the interior design, to the writing looks professional and well-planned out. The author masterfully uses stories that engage the reader and uses these as examples to make his points. The “key points” at the end of the book are a nice touch as well.
The only thing I found curiously missing was a Table of Contents. That would be helpful to a reader if someone wanted to go to a particular chapter quickly. Books like these especially need a table of contents because, unlike fiction novels, a reader doesn’t always read from front to back, but rather turns to the section that they want to know more about. Lacking this feature may make it more difficult for someone who is considering buying the book to see if it contains info they are looking for.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. I was not required to post a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK: In today's turbulent world, the issue isn't if crisis will occur, but when. Do you know how to prepare for, navigate through and recover from crisis? Can you turn adversity into advantage? This book holds the key. In his decades on the core executive teams of the Baltimore Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice and for Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., Rob Weinhold learned a basic truism: the strengths and shortcomings of leaders are never more magnified than during life's most difficult times. Weinhold flourishes in this space. Now, as chief executive of the highly-respected Fallston Group, a Baltimore-based crisis management & communications firm that guides leaders at every level, Weinhold shares the secrets of how to survive, then thrive, when the stakes are at their highest. A recognized crisis leadership expert who has appeared regularly on CNN, Fox, MSNBC and other national news outlets, Weinhold narrates the stories of real people and companies beset by social media attacks, sex scandals, financial distress, civic riots, active shooter situations, data breaches, natural disasters and other calamities. With each authentic story, he offers unique, yet proven, advice designed to help leaders remain steadfast, focused and resilient.
MY REVIEW: 5 stars. The word “crisis” in the title is what caught my attention and made me want to read this book. There’s a lot of books on the market about leadership, but this one is about leadership specifically under crisis circumstances. As a social worker, I see crises all too often. As a publisher (my other job) I see a lot of things that could quickly turn into crisis or panic mode when something goes wrong and if not handled effectively.
“..when a crisis occurs, no matter how traumatic the event, everyone needs to understand his or her role and stay in their own lane. This doesn’t happen without proper policies, planning, training, and execution.” This sentence is on page 8 of the book, and struck me as wise advice. The author further states that surprisingly, many organizations don’t have a plan. I know from personal experience that well defined roles help prevent crises, but when the inevitable happens, being prepared and knowing what to do in these instances help everyone get through it and helps keep things from falling apart.
This book is visually pleasing and professionally done. Everything from the cover, to the interior design, to the writing looks professional and well-planned out. The author masterfully uses stories that engage the reader and uses these as examples to make his points. The “key points” at the end of the book are a nice touch as well.
The only thing I found curiously missing was a Table of Contents. That would be helpful to a reader if someone wanted to go to a particular chapter quickly. Books like these especially need a table of contents because, unlike fiction novels, a reader doesn’t always read from front to back, but rather turns to the section that they want to know more about. Lacking this feature may make it more difficult for someone who is considering buying the book to see if it contains info they are looking for.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for a review. I was not required to post a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
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