Ego, Authority, Failure
Using Emotional Intelligence Like a Hostage Negotiator to Succeed as a Leader
by Derek Gaunt
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Ego, Authority, Failure reads like a practical wake-up call for managers whose technical skill hasn't translated into leadership results. Derek Gaunt uses workplace anecdotes to show how ego and misused authority cause disengagement and turnover, and to pressure readers toward different behaviors. The clearest value is the situation-based, readable advice for everyday manager moments. The main limitation is repetition and a strongly opinionated tone; it offers few citations and no hands-on exercises for practicing changes.
Read this if...
- •A newly promoted engineering manager at a scaling startup who can ship code but struggles to keep direct reports engaged — useful for spotting ego-driven mistakes and immediate conversational fixes.
- •An HR generalist building manager-development sessions in a mid-sized company who needs readable examples and office-ready talking points to persuade skeptical leaders.
- •A small-company founder shifting from individual contributor to people manager and seeing early turnover — good for quick, candid reminders of how authority is perceived day-to-day.
Skip this if...
- •You’ll likely put it down when the same anecdotes and admonitions repeat; patience runs out if you expect new analytical insights every chapter.
- •Annoying if you prefer step-by-step playbooks or hands-on practice — the book lacks hands-on exercises and templates.
- •Not for readers seeking systemic organizational strategy or metrics-driven change; the focus is on individual manager behavior and stories, not company-wide policy design.
A Gallup study found that 50% of resigning employees did so "to get away from their manager...." The ones who don't quit become disengaged; creating a negative work environment costing U.S. companies billions in lost productivity each year.Leaders in the 21st century need to understand that technical skills are not enough to be an effective manager...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- A newly promoted engineering manager at a scaling startup who can ship code but struggles to keep direct reports engaged — useful for spotting ego-driven mistakes and immediate conversational fixes.
- An HR generalist building manager-development sessions in a mid-sized company who needs readable examples and office-ready talking points to persuade skeptical leaders.
- A small-company founder shifting from individual contributor to people manager and seeing early turnover — good for quick, candid reminders of how authority is perceived day-to-day.
- You’ll likely put it down when the same anecdotes and admonitions repeat; patience runs out if you expect new analytical insights every chapter.
- Annoying if you prefer step-by-step playbooks or hands-on practice — the book lacks hands-on exercises and templates.
- Not for readers seeking systemic organizational strategy or metrics-driven change; the focus is on individual manager behavior and stories, not company-wide policy design.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
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Why recommended
appears in Negotiation.
Recommendation Signals
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Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Influence by Robert Cialdini. Recommended by 16 sources.
“This is a book that pulls apart the psychological shortcuts we use to make decisions, then shows how to deploy them in business contexts. The writing is clear and heavy on real-world examples from sales and marketing, which makes the principles stick but can leave you feeling like you’ve just taken a master class in manipulation. Its useful part is giving a language for the invisible forces that shape everyday choices. The main limitation: it can feel overly tactical, as if relationships are just a series of triggers to be pulled, offering little on building genuine influence through trust.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.