I am primarily a teacher. And currently I’m teaching Agile software to a notably military audience. I don’t expect anyone to absorb much of anything without extensive practice.

The first chapter on Friction is the most concise, thorough anti-pre-planning thing I’ve read in my entire life. I can cite Hume, or the Positivists, but this is clear, simple, and it applies perfectly both in and out of combat (minus the violence section). I’ve been trying to sell the notion of uncertainty and friction (in order to push Agile software) to this business-military audience I’m in for about 6 months… and this presentation is magnificently suited.

The section on education is the most intelligent commentary I’ve ever heard a large organization say about education. Really. By a factor of probably 8x. “Large organization” includes colleges.

The final chapter or section — it’s not in front of me — on the importance of decisions being made by the leader on the ground with knowledge of the goals 2 layers up, the importance of leading from the front, the importance of encouraging mistakes — those ideas, implemented, could by themselves fix two-thirds of the business problems we see in corporate America.

I don’t know that there’s even anything I haven’t said before in the book. It is, however, the most concise, easy-to-read presentation of a huge number of very good, very widely dis-understood ideas for its target audience (moderate-IQ leaders).

Or else you can go work your ass off, discover every one of the ideas independently with blood, sweat, and tears… and then come find them all written down in one 80 page book, nicely packaged.

I agree that it’s lucid and chock-full of powerful ideas, but I have my doubts that the average Marine — or average college student — would get much out of it that they didn’t already bring to it. It’s rather spare, like a good summary of a semester-long course.

Note that it’s a free download, in pdf, at the link in the article.