Book Review: "Tribe of Mentors" by Tim Ferriss

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Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of your favorite movie star or author is like? Maybe you have wondered how the top CEO's in business operate on a daily basis? If you want to discover the habits of the world's top performers, then "Tribe of Mentors" is for you!

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This is a difficult book for me to review. Tim doesn't set out to prove a thesis, or lay out an action plan to become a higher performing individual. What this book sets out to do is ask the same set of questions to 130+ of today's top performers.

First, let me start by giving a brief bio of who Tim Ferriss is in case you haven't heard of him. Tim is an author, investor, and podcaster. His podcast, "The Tim Ferriss Show", is a long form podcast where Tim has set out to deconstruct the world's top performers. His show currently has over 325 episodes. At the end of each show Tim asks a series of "rapid fire questions" to his guests. "What are a few books you have gifted most to others?" or "What is your favorite purchase of less than $100?" are just a few examples of these questions. The show is always very enjoyable, and I always walk away with at least one new insight which I can test or apply to my life. If you want a few examples of what Tim's show is like, check out the top 10 episodes from his podcast: Top 10 episodes of "The Tim Ferriss Show".

"Tribe of Mentors" is similar to the rapid fire questions portion of his podcast. Tim sent out a list of the same 11 questions to individuals from different industries. Those individuals could respond to none of them, a few of them, or all of them. Their answers were then compiled into this book. So, you may be asking, "what were the questions?" Here is the list of the 11 questions asked:

  1. What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?
  2. What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)? My readers love specifics like brand and model, where you found it, etc.
  3. How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?
  4. If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it — metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions — what would it say and why? It could be a few words or a paragraph. (If helpful, it can be someone else’s quote: Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?)
  5. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
  6. What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love?
  7. In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life?
  8. What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?
  9. What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?
  10. In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped? Any other tips?
  11. When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)

These questions seem pretty simplistic at first read, but most of them are a doorway to something much deeper in the individual's life. It gives the reader examples on how to better handle failure and use them to their advantage. It gives examples on how to take back control of an overwhelming situation or period in a person's life. For me it was also a good reminder that every person is different. Each person will handle a situation differently, or find enjoyment in different ways. There is not a "one size fits all" approach to life.

Why does Ben Stiller dunk his head in a bucket of ice in the morning? Why does Arianna Huffington scramble the apps on her phone periodically? How many top performers have a meditation or mindfulness practice? This book sets out to answer all those question and more.

My only negative feedback on this book is that some of the answers became repetitive. This is especially true with the question, "In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)? What new realizations and/or approaches helped? Any other tips?". This is no fault of Tim's, and is actually still very helpful to see that, although many of these individuals are very different, there is still commonality of things that make them successful. 

I also hate the question, "What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?". The answers aren't bad, but they make my already long list of books I want to read that much longer. Come on now Tim, a man only has so much time in his life! :)

I would give this book a rating of: 4.5 out of 5.