I genuinely looked forward to reading this book. The subject resonates, is critical, and often overlooked.
This book is a perfect example of why there are ghostwriters in this world. The genuine, valuable, piercing insights are buried so profoundly in turgid, mind-numbing prose that it's not worth the effort. The terrific principles that Uphill shares are simple and extraordinarily difficult to do well, but the desire and the doing make a powerful contribution to the organization and enable even greater growth. There are rockstar business book ghostwriters and there are also equally talented, less costly writers eager to craft, to mold and sculpt great ideas into powerful message. Not everyone can write -- nor should everyone try. Writing this book was one of those golden moments to elect the precise talent to fill the need. It's regrettable that the moment was blown.

The manuscript downloaded was a different book so I can't give feedback on this text as I haven’t read it (different author, book on workforce planning). I’ll happily review this book if the Kindle file is updated to be Creating Competitive Advantage. I’m reluctant to give a star rating for something I haven’t read although the system is forcing me to put something.

**Update: Netgalley reached out to me and let me know that they weren't able to get a replacement file and that I should submit as Will Not Provide Feedback. However, I now can't edit my review to get that option. Apologies, now I know that option is available I will use that should this situation ever occur in the future.**

Uphill is smart. He is experienced, strategic, capable, the person you want in the room when you're thrashing through tough issues, impossible decisions, unanticipated market moves. I do not know him, have never met him, but feel fairly confident in assessing his qualifications to write this book.
I am smart. I am likewise experienced, strategic, capable, the person you want on your side in assessing a situation, figuring out what to do next, how to gain competitive advantage. What's more, I have an MBA from a leading business school and have spent decades with leading companies including a stint as management consultant where I worked with dozens of companies in assessing their situation, developing the strategies, tactics, and ways to create competitive advantage. I worked with many clients in assessing, planning their workforce capabilities.
I genuinely looked forward to reading this book. The subject resonates, is critical, and often overlooked.
This book is a perfect example of why there are ghostwriters in this world. The genuine, valuable, piercing insights are buried so profoundly in turgid, mind-numbing prose that it's not worth the effort. The terrific principles that Uphill shares are simple and extraordinarily difficult to do well, but the desire and the doing make a powerful contribution to the organization and enable even greater growth. There are rockstar business book ghostwriters and there are also equally talented, less costly writers eager to craft, to mold and sculpt great ideas into powerful message. Not everyone can write -- nor should everyone try. Writing this book was one of those golden moments to elect the precise talent to fill the need. It's regrettable that the moment was blown.
As I read, I considered how Uphill might have shared his story. In the past, there were numerous business and academic outlets for tight, well-written pieces. Today, unfortunately, what would have made for a dense, memorable, important piece is puffed up into a book, into turgid, moribund, exhaustion-inducing blather.