Finally! Time to Read: WHAT THE DOG SAW by Malcolm Gladwell(2009)

What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures
Malcolm Gladwell, Little Brown & Co. 2009


This collection of Gladwell essays derives its title from the essay on the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, and his talent in changing aggressive dogs into more amiable characters.

The essays range from the reason for Heinz Ketchup's success to the inventor of the birth control pill. “ Mammography, Air Power, and the Limits of Looking” is interesting because it examines what we can and cannot predict in life.

We’ve all experienced both highly effective and totally ineffective leaders in the work place. In Part III the essay on "The Talent Myth" gives insight into the characteristics of ineffective managers. Gladwell refers to an essay by Raskin and Fazzini called "The Dark Side of Charisma" (listed by Gladwell as published in the early 1990s) in which they identify 3 types of ineffective leaders

Recognize this type? Some of us have seen far too many of the narcissist type.

"The Narcissist, whose energy and self-confidence and charm lead him inexorably up thecorporate ladder. Narcissists are terrible managers. They resist accepting suggestions, thinking it will make them appear weak, and they don't believe that others have anything useful to tell them."

Just in case you still aren’t familiar with this type…

"Narcissists are biased to take more credit for success than is legitimate and are biased to avoid acknowledging responsibility for their failures and shortcomings for the same reasons that they claim more success than is their due. Moreover "'Narcissists typically make judgments with greater confidence than other people, and, because their judgments are rendered with such conviction, other people tend to believe them and the narcissists become disproportionately more influential in group situations. Finally, because of their self-confidence and strong need for recognition, narcissists then self-nominate(when a leadership gap occurs)'" (quoted from the Raskin and Faxzzini essay).

For those of us who have dedicated our careers to education, the essays on “Late Bloomers,” “Most Likely to Succeed,”“The New- Boy Network,” “Dangerous Minds,” and “Troublemakers” are thought-provoking. In “Most Likely to Succeed,” Gladwell refers to the economist, Eric Hanushek, who observed that just replacing 6 to 10 % of the worst teachers with average teachers could change the below-average global ranking in educational achievement that the US holds now to an advantageously high ranking in league with the higher-performing nations.  Could that be correct?  Those of us who have had wonderful experiences with the best teachers and  far too many experiences with the 'worst' will find food for thought here.

And who can resist a study of pit bulls and, in general, dogs  who attack people? Is the breed itself dangerous? What other breeds have attacked people? What about the owners of these animals? What can we say about them?

The essays on the Veg-o-Matic (“The Pitchman”) and the professional taste testers of “The Ketchup Conundrum” weren’t favorites, but overall, the essays make connections that we don't normally think of;  they are well researched, thought-provoking and well worth the read.

Make What the Dog Saw your non-fiction choice for the summer.