This book is a wonderful, fresh perspective on how to tackle some business endeavours. Not everyone likes to admit their mistakes, but many can learn from them, and I am grateful for the opportunity provided by the author and Netgalley to review it honestly. The book is structured like a guideline, providing you with different perspectives to unpack the advice given. It is a quick read (3:15 hours audiobook), but the content will stay with you for a long time.

This was an easy-to-understand read with concrete examples. I like that it was broken into different types of errors and had examples across different fields. The only downside was that the author referred to Patrick Lencioni's books a little too often, making it seem like marketing was inserted into the book. The narrator was great.

⭐️⭐️ | Engaging but Shallow for Experienced Managers
Received as an ARC, thank you!

I read That’s on Me by Mike McHargue in just two sittings, and I did enjoy it overall. The concept—sharing management advice from people who have truly climbed the ranks to lead massive companies—is fantastic. Hearing from leaders who have been in the trenches and risen to the top is inspiring, and I believe more managers at all levels should share their stories. When one manager wins, we all win.

That said, I had two major gripes. First, most of the advice felt quite shallow and obvious. I’ve been in management for six years, so very little here was new to me. However, I think someone brand new to management would find this book valuable, especially because it emphasizes fundamentals that are easy to overlook.

Second, as someone who runs a small business with 15 employees in the education sector, I struggled to relate to much of the advice. The stories and takeaways were overwhelmingly geared toward leaders in large corporations, which makes sense given the authors’ backgrounds, but I wish there had been more stories from small business leaders (there were a couple, and those were excellent).

That being said, the closing message of the book is by far its strongest point. The final advice McHargue leaves readers with is essential for any manager—though it’s also something you can discover organically through experience, as I did.

Overall, I liked the idea of this book more than its execution, but I still think it’s worth picking up if you’re new to management or simply enjoy hearing how leaders think.

I finished this yesterday, I know I did, but overnight the entire book went "poof" in my brain. Nothing stuck - all I can remember is that another author's business book was mentioned so many times that I forgot this was supposed to be about executive mistakes. And that other book mentioned several times per chapter? Never heard of it. Did the author of THIS book get a kickback every time the other author was mentioned or the other book was shamelessly plugged? I wish I hadn't bothered.

That's on Me is a quick read that provides a multitude of different perspectives, experiences, and stories to really highlight the practical advice provided. The book could be finished in a day, but the takeaways could be unpacked for the rest of your career.

You have to appreciate when people are willing to get vulnerable and discuss their failures with some sense of humility. Each story is a carefully curated snippet that really serves each overarching mistake and none of them dwell any longer than necessary to get their point across.

Mike McHargue shows readers how to avoid making those same mistakes with easy, actionable, and thoughtful advice and considerations for all levels of leadership without shaming those who shared with him their own faults (including his own personal stories!).

Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for allowing me to listen to and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Some of the best advice I’ve been given in business has come from seasoned executives discussing their successes, but, more often, their failures. Mike McHargue brings together dozens of executives to share their personal experiences and business failures in his new book That’s On Me. With decades of his own experience in the C-Suite, McHargue pulls together these stories in a way that leaves readers feeling inspired to tackle their own business challenges head-on.

I give That’s On Me 4 out of 5 stars. This was a fantastic read with so many great stories from business leaders. You would not see these leaders put together at the same time in any other forum. Coming from multiple industries and management positions, these leaders show a vulnerability most executives don’t display in their day-to-day lives. I chose the audiobook version and found it tough to follow the chapter changes well. This is definitely a book I would recommend to business leaders looking to move up in their organizations.

With advice from multiple industries and business roles, this book would be a great gift for any new business leader. I would also recommend this to readers who have enjoyed other management books like Simon Sinek’s Start With Why or Think Again by Adam Grant. I would also recommend this as a great gift for business school graduates as they enter the workforce.

I have been very interested in management books recently and chose this book for the opportunity to learn from so many great leaders. This felt like a master class in learning how to effectively lead my people, develop systems and processes to serve my customers, and build a better business. I would love to see a continuation of this work!

It’s always refreshing to hear upper management positions share when they made mistakes and learned from them, it’s not something normalized and reminds us they’re human too.

That’s on Me is a brave, brutally honest, and deeply compassionate exploration of what it means to take responsibility for your life without drowning in shame. Mike McHargue—widely known as “Science Mike”—has written a book that is as vulnerable as it is insightful, and as grounded in science as it is rich in heart.

From the very beginning, McHargue invites us into his most personal failures—not to glorify them, but to show how true growth begins with radical honesty. He doesn't offer cheap redemption stories or simple fixes. Instead, he shares a hard-won path toward emotional maturity, one that includes discomfort, self-compassion, and neuroscience-backed tools for transformation.

This book is a gift to anyone navigating the fallout of their own choices, wrestling with internalized shame, or trying to rebuild their lives with intention. What makes it stand out is McHargue’s ability to speak to both the head and the heart. He combines science and storytelling in a way that makes complex emotional truths feel accessible, actionable, and—most importantly—human.

That’s on Me is not just a book for people who want to be “better.” It’s for people who want to be real. Honest. Whole. It’s for people who are tired of self-help that avoids hard truths, and who are ready to face themselves with grace.

A must-read for those on a journey of healing, accountability, and meaningful change.

I enjoyed the book, but there were multiple times it felt like I was being sold Patrick Lencioni books. While I intend to look into books that were referenced, the way they were brought up in the book felt inorganic and forced. While this may be different in the text version, it made me want to stop listening multiple times.

However, I do feel the content is relatable and provides good insight.

Going into this book I was really expecting it to be a lot of corporate nonsense wrapped up in a little self deprecation but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually quite encouraging and informative. A lot of the weaknesses described by CEOs feel like common sense and there’s not much to really take away from here but the central messages are pretty solid: be clear in your communication, let your staff know you value them, and don’t be a horrible person.

There’s one bit of advice in this book I would ignore though: in one of the anecdotes the high ups call an employee during his non working hours to tell him how much they appreciate him. Guys, respect your employee and their free time, also 99/100 people would prefer a financial bonus over a verbal one.

This is one book I had no idea I needed in my life. Never have I related to a book this hard. Absolute gem
of ideas here in one book. Already recommending it everyone I know.

Extremely well articulated and the real time stories and examples just put so much light on the every day situations we might ignore or choose to ignore due to multiple reasons. Love how it is not just addressed but given ways to handle.

Highly recommend this book and the audiobook version really made it so much easier to absorb.

This is excellent because it's clear, honest and practical. There were issues I have trouble with, such as confronting people when there are problems, and the advice felt very doable. Not only that, everything was explained in a way that felt very positive and productive. Thanks to NetGalley, I got to listen to the audiobook, which was very well done.

’ve read a lot of business books. Hundreds upon hundreds of business books. This one has really actionable items that are also practical, and applicable at any level of leadership.

It was a quick and easy read, and I found myself wanting to take notes as I went through it - so many great points were made, many that are easy to lose sight of when you’re overwhelmed and growing. Definitely worth checking out, especially for new leaders.