Summary of The Motive

Patrick Lencioni

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Editorial Rating

The rating – what does it mean?

At getAbstract, we summarize books* that help people understand the world and make it better. Whatever we select for our library has to excel in one or the other of these two core criteria:

Enlightening – You’ll learn things that will inform and improve your decisions.

Helpful – You’ll take-away practical advice that will help you get better at what you do.

We rate each piece of content on a scale of 1–10 with regard to these two core criteria. Our rating helps you sort the titles on your reading list from solid (5) to brilliant (10). Books we rate below 5 won’t be summarized. Here's what the ratings mean:

10 – Brilliant. A helpful and/or enlightening book that, in addition to meeting the highest standards in all pertinent aspects, stands out even among the best. Often an instant classic and must-read for everyone.
9 – Superb. A helpful and/or enlightening book that is extremely well rounded, has many strengths and no shortcomings worth mentioning.
8 – Very good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that has a substantial number of outstanding qualities without excelling across the board, e.g. presents the latest findings in a topical field and is written by a renowned expert but lacks a bit in style.
7 – Good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that combines two or more noteworthy strengths, e.g. contains uncommonly novel ideas and presents them in an engaging manner.
6 – Notable. A helpful and/or enlightening book that stands out by at least one aspect, e.g. is particularly well structured.
5 – Solid. A helpful and/or enlightening book, in spite of its obvious shortcomings. For instance, it may offer decent advice in some areas while being repetitive or unremarkable in others.

*getAbstract is summarizing much more than books. We look at every kind of content that may matter to our audience: books, but also articles, reports, videos and podcasts. What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover.

Qualities

Eye Opening
Engaging
Inspiring

While the rating tells you how good a book is according to our two core criteria, it says nothing about its particular defining features. Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths:

Applicable – You’ll get advice that can be directly applied in the workplace or in everyday situations.
Analytical – You’ll understand the inner workings of the subject matter.
Background – You’ll get contextual knowledge as a frame for informed action or analysis.
Bold – You’ll find arguments that may break with predominant views.
Comprehensive – You’ll find every aspect of the subject matter covered.
Concrete Examples – You’ll get practical advice illustrated with examples of real-world applications or anecdotes.
Controversial – You’ll be confronted with strongly debated opinions.
Eloquent – You’ll enjoy a masterfully written or presented text.
Engaging – You’ll read or watch this all the way through the end.
Eye opening – You’ll be offered highly surprising insights.
For beginners – You’ll find this to be a good primer if you’re a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge.
For experts – You’ll get the higher-level knowledge/instructions you need as an expert.
Hot Topic – You’ll find yourself in the middle of a highly debated issue.
Innovative – You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends.
Insider’s take – You’ll have the privilege of learning from someone who knows her or his topic inside-out.
Inspiring – You’ll want to put into practice what you’ve read immediately.
Overview – You’ll get a broad treatment of the subject matter, mentioning all its major aspects.
Scientific – You’ll get facts and figures grounded in scientific research.
Visionary – You’ll get a glimpse of the future and what it might mean for you.
Well structured – You’ll find this to be particularly well organized to support its reception or application.

Recommendation

Bestselling business author Patrick Lencioni garnered fame for offering storytelling analogies to inspire leaders and to drive home his insights about leadership. Picking up where Aesop left off, Lencioni uses the familiar form of a fable to explain why top leaders, especially CEOs, should always let their mission be their greatest motivation. His inspirational storybook will help executives identify their purposeful motives and embrace their duties as servant leaders.

About the Author

Patrick Lencioni, the author of 11 business books with nearly seven million copies sold worldwide, is founder and president of The Table Group consultancy.

Summary

Shay Davis became a CEO for the wrong reason – but he did something about it.

Shay Davis had been the CEO at Golden Gate Security, a San Francisco firm, for only six months, and things weren’t going well. He worried that his hold on his new job was shaky.

As CEO, Davis was responsible for the firm’s progress, and it wasn’t growing as fast as other local security companies. Davis’s company could not compete with All-American Alarm, the dominant player in the home and small business security market. Davis believed he had less than a year to make Golden Gate Security a winner before the board bounced him out.

In need of expert business advice, Davis called Lighthouse Partners, a well-respected California consultancy. Unfortunately for Davis, Del Mar Alarm, a San Diego firm that routinely got under his skin, was one of Lighthouse Partners’ most prominent clients. Davis could not stand Del Mar Alarm’s CEO, Liam Alcott, a British citizen, whose profitability made him the subject of constant press adulation.

Davis was jealous that Alcott seemed so great at running a home-security firm since the job was challenging him so much.

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