Victor Maze’s LEAD LIKE AN EDITOR takes a niche approach to the business self-improvement genre, leading audiences to view his business and marketing philosophy through a very narrow lens: that of magazine editors.

Maze’s credentials are undisputed. Having spent well over a decade working on well-established titles such as Coastal Living, Parenting, and American Spa, as well as some years running a branding and design business, he is well used to the exigencies of specialist publishing. He is also aware that specialist magazines have a reputation for being an endangered species, and refutes the point by asserting that many specialist magazines are today flourishing due to careful marketing and editorial decisions. According to Maze, these last are eminently transferable, and he advances the “MY STAMP Method,” which prioritizes mindset, personal development for the individual, forward-facing emphasis on “a vision- and mission-driven Structure,” one’s team, the audience, the message, and the product—which should embody style and substance “delivered in an efficient, elegant way.”

It’s hard to argue with any of this, and Maze argues persuasively in favor of his model. A major plus point is that, unlike some writers in the genre, Maze supports his argument with data, including peer-reviewed scholarly material. Maze is surely right in valuing virtues such as optimism and adaptability, and no one would demur that intelligent hiring and keeping your team happy will benefit the business in the long run. (Moreover, for anyone who has been through an arduous, multi-stage job application process only to be offered an inadequate salary at the end, the advice to hiring managers to be candid about compensation is particularly welcome—as is the exhortation against micromanagement.)

On occasion, however, he is less convincing. Readers will make their own determinations over the implication that employees should always turn up for work, even when ill. Clearly, that sort of thing depends on the illness and its severity (and, for some illnesses, whether one risks passing it on to a colleague; Maze writes approvingly of self-quarantining when sick). But an entire section titled “Show Up In Times Of Illness” acknowledges little of this: “The deadline is today, and it waits for no one.” Maze does later point out that “there are also times when personal events are so impactful that they must take priority over work,” citing bereavement and “personal matters” as examples. But with all due respect to the sacrifices of Maze’s unnamed colleagues, if I break a bone or my child is very sick, I’m going to the ER, deadline be damned.

LEAD LIKE AN EDITOR is ultimately less innovative than the title and approach suggest, as many of Maze’s points are straightforward and intuitive. Where he scores points, however, is in the clear, rigorous, and concise messaging. Readers familiar with the genre may find few truly fresh takeaways, but this book contains much sensible advice for the aspiring managers.

Though some may find fault with a few of its pronouncements, Victor Maze’s LEAD LIKE AN EDITOR contains much useful advice for managers and solopreneurs alike.

~Craig Jones for IndieReader