TS recommended it to me a few weeks ago. I bought it and put it on top of my “recently recommended” pile.

I might have gotten to it a year from now, but the title intrigued me. So, I picked it up and started reading. It was an easy read. I finished it that evening.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree 

By Eric Barker

320 pages

Published May 16, 2017 by HarperOne

Barking Up the Wrong Tree follows the template of all bestselling self-improvement book by asking, “What are the traits of uncommonly successful people?” But it distinguishes itself from the pack by offering up lots of insights into success that run against the grain, by providing lots of evidence to support those insights, and by bringing them to life with lots of entertaining facts and stories.

What I Liked About Barking Up the Wrong Tree 

Many of Barker’s observations differ from conventional wisdom. (I don’t trust conventional wisdom.) Most of those jibe with observations I’ve made and written about over the last 22 years.

For example:

* There are two kinds of business leaders – corporate executives (who make predictable decisions) and entrepreneurs (who make unpredictable decisions).

* Networks are powerful. It’s as true at IBM as it is with small businesses.

* It’s not enough to do good work in a corporate environment. You have to get noticed. Which usually means you have to toot your own horn. Be modest. Give credit to others. But be sure key people know what you’ve done.

* Quantity produces quality. People that do great work tend to have been doing more work. This has always been my strategy. It is part of my Ready, Fire, Aim philosophy.

Critical Response 

* “Whether you are a connoisseur of self-help books, or despise them, you won’t be able to resist this recipe for living a better life.” (Robert Sutton)

* “Delightfully puckish, evidence-backed and full of insight, this book answers questions about success that have puzzled us for far too long.” (Adam Grant)

* “This book is compelling because Barker’s irreverence is so consistently on-target, relentlessly puncturing the wisdom balloons that most need bursting.” (Robert B. Cialdini)

Click here for a discussion about the book with Eric Barker.

And click here for a short video takeaway from the book.