What a disappointment this book turned out to be. Not because of the topic: getting more out of what is already in existence is a business imperative. Not because of the style: described as an ‘outstanding contrarian consultant’, Dryburgh caught my attention with his challenges to paradigms. Examples included advice to throw away the management accounts and turning the thinking of finance directors and CEOs upside down by asking them to consider increasing costs rather than cutting them. Nor was it because of the length or layout of the book: almost pocket-sized and with accessible chapters which stand alone.
It was the sheer number of typos – everything from repetition of phrases and letters missing within words, to appalling punctuation. My attention was constantly redirected. In fact it made me wonder if anyone had bothered proofing or editing the book at all. Whilst I appreciate that this is a business skills book and not an A-level in written English, the high number of errors distracted from the fluency of the text. It was as if someone had applied the 80-20 rule and only scanned 20% of the text.
The distractions do a disservice to the wide-ranging experience in strategy, finance and marketing upon which the author draws. The content should be deserving of 3 stars but regrettably I rate this book as 2-star. A poorly-written document cannot possibly communicate its message properly.