Am I Being Too Subtle?

The Adventures of a Business Maverick

By: Sam Zell

Narrated by: Sam Zell

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The traits that make Sam Zell one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs also make him one of the most surprising, enigmatic, and entertaining mavericks in American business.

Self-made billionaire Sam Zell consistently sees what others don't. From finding a market for overpriced Playboy magazines among his junior high classmates, to buying real estate on the cheap after a market crash, to investing in often unglamorous industries with long-term value, Zell acts boldly on supply and demand trends to grab the first-mover advantage. And he can find opportunity virtually anywhere - from an arcane piece of legislation to a desert meeting in Abu Dhabi.

"If everyone is going left, look right," Zell often says. To him, conventional wisdom is nothing but a reference point. Year after year, deal after deal, he shuts out the noise of the crowd, gathers as much information as possible, then trusts his own instincts. He credits much of his independent thinking to his parents, who were Jewish refugees from World War II.

Talk to any two people and you might get wild swings in their descriptions of Zell. A media firestorm ensued when the Tribune Company went into bankruptcy a year after he agreed to steward the enterprise. At the same time, his razor-sharp instincts are legendary on Wall Street, and he has sponsored over a dozen IPOs. He's known as the Grave Dancer for his strategy of targeting troubled assets, yet he's created thousands of jobs. Within his own organization, he has an inordinate number of employees at every level who are fiercely loyal and have worked for him for decades.

Zell's got a big personality; he is often contrarian, blunt, and irreverent, and always curious and hardworking. This is the guy who started wearing jeans to work in the 1960s, when offices were a sea of gray suits. He's the guy who told The Wall Street Journal in 1985, "If it ain't fun, we don't do it." He rides motorcycles with his friends, the Zell's Angels, around the world and he keeps ducks on the deck outside his office.

As he writes: "I simply don't buy into many of the made-up rules of social convention. The bottom line is: If you're really good at what you do, you have the freedom to be who you really are."

Am I Being Too Subtle? - a reference to Zell's favorite way to underscore a point - takes listeners on a ride across his business terrain, sharing with honesty and humor stories of the times he got it right, when he didn't, and most important, what he learned in the process.

This is an indispensable guide for the next generation of disrupters, entrepreneurs, and investors.

©2017 Sam Zell (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The notoriously blunt businessman shares the ups and downs of his career and the lessons he’s learned in business - with just a little profanity - in a new book, Am I Being Too Subtle?" (The Wall Street Journal)

"Here we have the real Sam Zell: one of our nation’s most interesting, provocative, and successful practitioners of business and life. He’s a wise man who hates fuzzy thinking. He is a biker, wearer of leathers and jeans and boots and his signature quirky beard. He points his skis straight downhill. You know, all the usual things that the few really smart (but not too smart for their own good) business people do." (Steve Roth, chairman and CEO of Vornado Realty Trust)

"A highly readable and revealingly personal book filled with unique insights and unvarnished straight talk about business, people - their quirks and potentials - and about life itself." (The Huffington Post)

Sam Zell

At first I thought he was bragging too much but towards the end his true character was outstanding.

inspiring stories and good business lessons

appreciate that sam did the voiceover. very inspiring stories! i recommend to anyone interested in real estate , investment or business

I wish this book never ended

I love reading and listening to books, especially when written by so accomplished, inspiring and genuine people like Sam Zell, but every time I start to read/listen to a book I want to finish it as soon as possible and grab another book. This one for the first time in my live I never wanted to end. I could just listen to these stories forever.
There is so much wisdom, knowledge for every entrepreneur and it’s all told through real life stories and experience of the author.
I wish I could give this book 10 stars and I hope he writes another book.
Thanks Sam!

Really enjoyed

I really enjoyed the book. Plus I really liked that is narrated by the author.

Fantastic

Very inspiring book!. I feel that I was able to learn a lot by listening to Sam’s experience throughout his life.

Inspiring and great story!

Very inspiring story with a big dive into his life, how he always found a way to succeed and exceed his goals.

RIP Mr. Zell

Even prior to Sam’s passing; he was was an influential, straight talking, successful voice that I’d listen to whenever possible.

He narrates his own story here and doesn’t change any of his tune. This book includes many deals and attributes of his life that were previously unknown to me.

Recommended for any ambitious, human, capitalists out there looking to learn from one of the legends.

A great book well worth the listen

I have always been intrigued by Sam Zell and valued the many observations and perspectives he has shared on business and risk in countless interviews and articles over the years. This book authored and narrated by Sam is an insightful extension of those perspectives and provides the listener with the benefit of many great nuggets of wisdom on life and business from Sam himself. While I never had the honor of meeting him after listening to this book I feel that I know him better and have a greater appreciation for how he viewed opportunities and risks in the world. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends and may his memory be for a blessing. He did indeed make a difference in the world and this book certainly helps to enhance the rich legacy he has left to the world.

Unique personality in the investing business world

Sam Zell’s book nicely blends autobiography with business insights and historical reflections, offering a look at key economic events in the USA over the past 50 years.

some good lessons to be learned.

Some good lessons but stuffed with personal stories which are and relevant. Over all I enjoyed it