At first, it seemed like a match made in heaven. The book’s big, bold title grabbed your attention. The subtitle promised to solve one of the many challenges you’re facing right now. The glowing testimonials from CEOs and respected peers confirmed that it was the missing piece for anyone who hoped to be successful.

But by the time you got to chapter three it felt like a bad Tinder date. The author was repeating different versions of the same humorless anecdotes and displaying a brazen disregard for your time and attention span.

He was out of things to say.

You closed your eyes and whispered through clenched teeth:

“This should have been a blog post.” 😑

This is the big gripe readers have with business books — that they’re 90% fluff. They’re...