Official Review: The Cadence of Excellence

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 19 Aug 2019, 18:10

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Cadence of Excellence" by Matthew McDarby.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The Cadence of Excellence: Key Habits of Effective Sales Managers, written by Matthew McDarby in the first person, is a non-fiction book that delivers just what its title proposes. The author presents a series of habits, methods, and tools that can help sales managers succeed in leading their teams in the pursuit of better results. He hopes readers will “take control of the time available to them and choose excellence over mediocrity.” To me, this goal sure seems valuable.

With a little less than a hundred pages, this short book is a fast and straightforward read. Each of the eleven chapters involves either an inwardly or an outwardly task and has a title that begins with a verb in the present continuous tense, such as leading, focusing, aligning, building, and motivating. There are illustrative stories in every chapter, and readers get to follow real people solving real issues.

I particularly valued how the author talks about modeling behavior to foster excellence. Matthew McDarby acts like a seasoned mentor and coach that gives good advice based on his extensive experience. I liked the ethical way he presents his ideas and principles. For instance, he believes in “having positive outcomes based on the right behaviors.” The author uses a somewhat Socratic method. He asks and answers multiple questions, and I thought this gives readers tangible examples of how to draw out ideas and address concrete situations.

Most of all, I enjoyed how practical the book is. McDarby even mentions examples of computer software. In a way, I felt that The Cadence of Excellence resembles a college textbook with analyses of practical business cases. In the chapter entitled “Motivating Others and Keeping them Motivated,” for instance, I believe that anyone can learn something useful. Also, the author provides a planner at the end of the book to encourage readers to contemplate and monitor their steps as they put in practice the methodology. In this planner, there is a list of questions about each chapter.

In closing, I rate The Cadence of Excellence 4 out of 4 stars. I have no noteworthy negatives to mention. It seems professionally edited, for I only found a couple of minor errors in it. This book will surely appeal to sales managers. I also believe it can be useful to any leader, for it offers good tips on managing teams in general. I don’t think it will appeal to readers who have no association whatsoever to leadership or the business world.

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The Cadence of Excellence
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 20 Aug 2019, 19:52

I'm not nor do I ever want to be a sales manager. Therefore, this book wouldn't be useful for me. It does, though, sound like it has good tips. Thanks.

Nizar Ali Shah · Post by **Nizar Ali Shah** » 21 Aug 2019, 00:21

"The Cadence of Excellence" by Mathew McDarby is a non- fiction book and is related with real life situation.Mathew advises his readers to upgrade their skills, methods and tools so that they could compete in the market as sales managers or as a viable members of its team.Mathew rightly prefers excellence over Mediocrity to achieve better output and better results.
At the same time he mentions even more important thing that is the better utilization of time to make your business successful and this has a universal appeal.The book is the best book for all hardworking people and it provides successful tips and guidance to make ones business successful and specially for those who are involved in managing team and to promote sales.

LinaMueller · Post by **LinaMueller** » 21 Aug 2019, 05:57

Thanks for your in-depth analysis of the book. It seems to be a very useful book. Easy-to-read and practical.

Erin Painter Baker · Post by **Erin Painter Baker** » 21 Aug 2019, 16:01

Sales is the thing I am worst at it, and yet just about every job I have ever had involves some bit of sales. In my current case, it is "selling" my department to potential donors. It's not actually my job to do the ask, but it is my job to present us in the best light. I might very well benefit from this book.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 22 Aug 2019, 08:25

The tips on how to take control of time would be helpful for any leader. I like the way the author chose to use verbs for chapter headings. I appreciated your mention of the autor's use of the Socratic method. Great review!

OuKoyoo · Post by **OuKoyoo** » 22 Aug 2019, 14:23

This sounds like a great book. The author made it straightforward and included great practical business cases which make it an interesting read. Thank you for the review.

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 22 Aug 2019, 18:04

kdstrack wrote: ↑22 Aug 2019, 08:25 The tips on how to take control of time would be helpful for any leader. I like the way the author chose to use verbs for chapter headings. I appreciated your mention of the autor's use of the Socratic method. Great review!

Thank you for reading and commenting!

Wyland · Post by **Wyland** » 23 Aug 2019, 11:35

This looks like a book that will improve excellence in the sales field for compaanies. thanks for the nice review.

mmm17 · Post by **mmm17** » 25 Aug 2019, 07:50

kandscreeley wrote: ↑20 Aug 2019, 19:52 I'm not nor do I ever want to be a sales manager. Therefore, this book wouldn't be useful for me. It does, though, sound like it has good tips. Thanks.

Same here! Thanks for reading and commenting.

BookPower9 · Post by **BookPower9** » 20 Sep 2019, 06:54

This is worth reading since I'm into business. Hope I can find time for this. But being a Sales Manager is a tough job. This review is enlightening. Thanks

Manas Ranjan Mishra · Post by **Manas Ranjan Mishra** » 13 Feb 2022, 08:47

Thanks for the review. I don't see myself becoming a sales manager, but this book can help me to expand my knowledge in the bussiness sector. I can consider picking this book for reading.