National Learning Institute

Taming Tigers

Jim Lawless

Reviewed by admin Wed 1 Apr 09

Bob's Rating:

The last self-help guide book I read was almost 20 years ago.  I got sick and tired of the same old things being said in slightly different ways.  So, I was a little apprehensive when asked to review Taming Tigers by Jim Lawless.  Always up for a challenge, I accepted.

My apprehensions were soon dispelled as I was gripped by his story of becoming a jockey at the age of 30 as a result of a bet. 

Lawless uses his experience of changing careers from an International Legal Counsel to an International Motivational Speaker, to illustrate what can be achieved by following his “10 Rules for Taming Tigers”.  It was at one of his early presentations to a group of salespeople that a member of the audience challenged him to a £1 bet that he could not use his rules to become a jockey within 12 months.  Lawless’ subsequent jockey experience is the storyline throughout the book to show how the 10 rules (for self development) can be applied.

As Lawless points out, these rules are not new.  Nor did he invent them.  But he has put them together in an eminently practical way and in a very entertaining book. 

I liked the book.  It was easy to read.  The rules were easy to follow and there were plenty of practical examples and suggestions.  Many chapters were followed by an invited story from someone who had applied one or more of the rules after attending one of Lawless’ presentations.

The only small criticism I have is that at times some paragraphs were a bit wordy and repetitive.  I occasionally found myself skipping ahead to get to the next bit of the “jockey story”.  As a visual person, I would have also liked to see some visual representations of the 10 rules.  For me, it meant that I had to go back to check which rule was being referred to.  Perhaps a fold out page with the rules illustrated would assist people like me.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for two reasons.  One, it’s a good read.  And secondly, the 10 rules are put in a very practical way that would make it easy for anyone to apply.