Gavin Esler’s ‘Lessons from the Top’ has made an attempt to
draw media management conclusions from the top political happenings, from which
he has derived lessons.
Through his narrative one understands he was press covering
TOP political class like Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings & celebrities.
From his profession related interactions over decades, he has analysed the
happenings in the hindsight and has tried to offer lessons with relation to
presentation & story telling.
While doing so, he has tried to quote bygone heads,
including Jesus & Mohammed to underline his point.
Though the book claims that all public images are
orchestrated in a pattern across professions, the examples mentioned are all
related to Heads of States, social revolutionary or religious organisations.
Though it claims, it lacks meaningful coverage on other spheres.
Consequently, this book would be interesting to media
managers and socio-political class of people who wish to get insight into
organising, strategising and managing media.
How to captivate customers, people & voters? Is what it
addresses. It’s basically dealing with public image making or make-over, like
how you manipulate, manoeuvre words and situations to get good press &
image. The philosophy part or the art of seducing is revealing. Deceiving
others, that is what world calls leadership!
The author has offered lesson from some of the well known
leaders in the world on how to tell stories; story telling technique - that is
shaped & edited by the storyteller. He suggests that all leadership story
telling demands a sense of timing.
Good narrative in terms of what goes in the mind and behind the scenes of leaders of Western World. Since the points that need to be conveyed are few, the author has repeated them in different contexts.
Good narrative in terms of what goes in the mind and behind the scenes of leaders of Western World. Since the points that need to be conveyed are few, the author has repeated them in different contexts.
Very detailed analysis in the hindsight, it’s here, readers
from other part of the world gets disinterested.
I believe though there is broad strategy in media
management, it is not scripted, events unfold and event happen, then we try to
comment on it in hind sight.
After the initial inertia, I started reading the book to get
an idea on the contents of the chapter & then shuffled to the last page of
the chapter which is good and adequate summarization from the leadership &
followership perspective.
For me, The 48 laws of Power & The Art of
seduction by Robert Green is much more crisp, revealing and all encompassing!
