"Shaping a Winning Team" is a practical guide to positive leadership, introducing the Rowers (energizers), Sitters (followers), and Drillers (saboteurs) framework for team building. Blending Fayad's business anecdotes and Lam's research, it emphasizes hiring for inherent personalities over changeable skills, focusing praise on strengths to boost engagement and productivity. Backed by science on traits like empathy and openness, the book critiques negativity bias and offers tools like the Positive Assessment Tool. Ideal for leaders, it promotes cultures where Rowers thrive, reducing turnover and fostering success.

Although I like the idea of rowers, sitters, and swimmers, I found it far too generalized and thus shortsighted. Rowers are described as golden and drillers are toxic and sitters are passive and easily influenced. It's been my experience that they are intelligent, skilled, team members that do not fall neatly into any of these stereotypes. As a result, I could not finish the book, so I won't be leaving a review on outside sites. I thank you for the opportunity to read this book,

Overall the book is interesting and provides insights on team members and their input in organization development and team performance. The referral goes to rowers, sitters and drillers as well as how to identify, deal with and manage them. For me the main point of management learnt from the book is around positivity in team's life and dealing with assignments. This is connected to PAY (positivity assessment tool) reviewed in the book. There are some good ideas on improving team dynamics and supporting positive growth and performance.

Good insights for management, leaders and organisations.
This book has a good structure,
I was not the most ideal audience, but I took away insights, and I enjoyed many of the anecdotes and analogies.