Chief Joy Officer

Starred review from October 15, 2018
Authenticity, humility, and visionary are among the most overused words in the world of business advice. Scores of consultant-authors have tried to articulate the necessity of these tired words; few have succeeded. Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations and author of Joy, Inc. (2013), however, does so handily. In a very straightforward and conversational style, he tells stories about his career, his fellow "Menlonians," and what makes the company so remarkable. Anecdotes bring his keywords to life. He equates humble, for instance, with considering others. He relates the time he and the CFO were at loggerheads about physical expansion to demonstrate "grounded in reality." The first section of the book acts as a dictionary for those singular words every CEO needs to adopt, explaining the whys and hows in terms of Menlo and its practices. The second section of the book can be used as a series of process maps. What other company would invest in "extreme interviewing," in which 50 or so candidates are paired with each other and Menlo team members to help determine their fit? Leading with his company and books, Sheridan's a role model for the rest of corporate America.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)