The version I listened to of The Dale Carnegie Leadership Mastery Course, published in 2001, has not necessarily aged well, but still had some applicable lessons for business leaders.

On the positive side, this audio program encouraged me to examine my own leadership style, something I’d never considered before. Are you a innovative or organizational leader? Do you bring people together or drive them apart, intentionally or unintentionally? What is your risk tolerance and why?

In addition to introspection, this program asks you to plan for the future based on your strengths and take steps towards those dreams. What are your goals, personally, professionally and for your current company? What would you like to see happen to your company after you die?

It also examines a leader’s entire life with the idea of success isn’t success if you lose your family and important relationships while building your career or vice versa. Are you capable of taking time off? Do you devote time to those who are most important to you at home and at work?

Those are just a few of the positive aspects of this program. On the other end of the spectrum, the music between sections is hilariously dated, almost like motivational elevator music. And there seemed to be what amounted to hero-worship of Dale Carnegie slipped in between the lessons or at the end of sections.

For example, in the lesson on handling disasters and poor decisions as a leader, the program was discussing a CEO’s almost universally hated idea of putting a thermometer on soda dispensers and having the price of a drink go up as the temperatures rose. The narrator closed the section with a statement like: “If Dale Carnegie had been at that meeting, he would have suggested the price of a drink go down as the temperatures went up.” (Cue motivational elevator music.)

I don’t want to dismiss Carnegie’s extensive contributions to the realm of business and leadership skills, but he was human too. To assume he would have been able to turn around some spectacularly bad corporate decisions with just his mere presence struck me as a bit ridiculous.

In that same vein, some of the fable-like stories put into the lessons for emphasis felt heavy-handed, particularly one where a father expected too much of his son. It was a lesson about empathy but it was over the top.

As I said, I did learn some valuable skills from this audiobook and continue to ponder some of the lessons it presented. At the same time, I did have a few giggles at material that, I don’t believe, was ever intended to be satirical. Recommended for those interested in building their leadership acumen, but prepare yourself for a few misses in the presentation.

If you’re interested in non-fiction, business and self improvement books, here are a few I’ve recently reviewed:

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

The Lost Prosperity Secrets of Napoleon Hill by Napoleon Hill

The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn

Thanks for reading!

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