The Importance of Being Earnest

Confessions From the Corner Office: 15 Instincts That Will Help You Get There

Scott Aylward and Pattye Moore

224 pages

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

$24.95

The Importance of Being Earnest
by Michael Brestovansky

            You pick up the book, curious. “Confessions from the Corner Office: 15 InstinctsThat Will Help You Get There”. Catchy title, anyway. And you are interested in career advancement, so why not? You pick it up, buy it, take it home. And then, opening to a random page, you find the authors bantering and regaling each other with tales of the advertising industry. They are talking about getting free burgers. One of them says they were “right up there with sex.”

            That is the beauty of this book, what makes you read it and not want to stop: its absolute frankness, its charming informality and its infectious optimism.

                                                                            Source: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

            This excellent guide to leadership success was written by Scott Aylward and PattyeMoore, two well-known and respected figures in corporate marketing. The two met in 1994 working for the Sonic Corporation, and have been partners (“corporate soul mates,” they call themselves) ever since. Together they founded INSTINCTS, LLC, a company focused on helping executives develop their leadership skills. Currently, Aylward works with the entrepreneurial counseling agency SCORE, while Moore is Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc.’s chairman of the board.

            These two powerhouses wrote a book, a manual of sorts for becoming a good leader. But rather than a dry lesson in eyeing profit margins, bottom lines, and brown-nosing, they highlight the value of caring, the worth of devotion and the importance of being earnest.

            You start from the beginning now, reading the preface and introduction, smiling as the authors tell you their stories. Their words are friendly and inviting; you feel as though you know them personally after only a few paragraphs. You reach the first chapter (titled “Get Married Again—Your Spouse Won’t Mind) quickly and voraciously. Quotes, authorial dialogue, and anecdotes pepper the text—you find you are at times amused, touched or shocked, but never bored.

            The dynamic between Moore and Aylward is what makes this book the gem that it is. Each chapter is prefaced by cheerful banter between the two, but it never feels forced and it never gets old (rather, it feels rather Burns and Allen-esque). Their easy comfort with each other transfers to the reader, who feels instantly at home in their pages.

            Most refreshing, however, is the book’s emphasis on compassion in leadership. We live in a time dominated by cynicism surrounding corporate America. We are unsurprised, nay, we expect our CEOs to be aloof and impersonal. That this book challenges that belief and gives strong reasons to do so is encouraging and gratifying.

            You are at the eleventh chapter now (“Working the Room Is Not Just for Politicians”). You haven’t set the book down once. You try to recount what instincts you have learned. What were they again? They blend together somewhat, a repeated message made indistinct by its many permutations, but made all the clearer for its simplicity. You begin to feel optimistic. Maybe you can enjoy this job after all.

            I feel as though I should say some ill about this book. Perhaps the message repeats itself too much, or perhaps the self-evaluations at each chapter’s end become wearing. But these complaints are miniscule, and can’t hold up against how the book makes you feel. The guide’s optimism and heart are contagious, and made me see my career choice in a completely new light.

            You finish the book, but don’t shut it right away. You stare into space, thinking for a while. Your heart feels lighter than it has for weeks, maybe months. Finally, you close the book, and smile. You have work to do, after all.

            In case it wasn’t obvious, the “you” here is me.