Self-help ✦ Penny’s Take
The Five Temptations of a CEO
Patrick Lencioni · 1999
Patrick Lencioni launched his entire leadership-fable franchise with this slim 1998 book, and the five behavioral traps he identifies — like prioritizing status over results — remain genuinely useful for anyone in an executive or management role. At around 150 pages it's a quick read, and the train-conversation framing feels a little artificial, but the framework is actionable and has proven durable enough to warrant a 10th-anniversary edition. A solid choice for business professionals who want a fast, practical lens on leadership blind spots.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety84
Substance / usefulness71
Craft & writing74
Originality73
Evidence & accuracy81
Hype vs delivers76
Age-fit77
👁 Human-eye gut-check77
Penny’s verdict75
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