Penny, The Review Group's reviewer Penny for Your ThoughtsThe Review Group
Self-help ✦ Penny’s Take

The Five Temptations of a CEO

Patrick Lencioni · 1999
75/100
👍 Worth It

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.
📚 Buy the book 📱 Read on Kindle 🎧 Listen on Audible affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
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
Cross-pollinate