What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography - Alan Sugar

2011-01-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

Whatever you think about Lord Alan Sugar (@lordsugar) the man certainly knows how to make money, and a whole lot of enemies to boot.

His autobiography, 'What You See Is What You Get' does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a no-holds-barred 'pulls no punches' tale of one man's rise to fortune a fame from the slums of Hackney.

I'm not really a fan of autobiographies. I find them incredibly self-indulgent at the best of times, but this one has a certain charm to it and is up there with the best.

Rather than employ a ghost writer Sugar chooses writes solo. As such the text feels like a monologue - you can hear his voice on every page. His memory is impressive - recalling the smallest details of his early business days. His stories as a youngster chopping up wood and selling boiled beetroot to his East End neighbours are a joy to read.

Sugar’s memory is also impressive – he is able to recall the minute details of even his earliest transactions, and he gives a thorough account of the way his business operated in all its incarnations. From this wealth of experience, Sugar offers no-nonsense solutions to common challenges faced by entrepreneurs, from stock market flotations to dealing with disruptive employees (Sugar goes to a pub and challenges their behaviour…with a crowbar). Sugar’s rejection of business orthodoxy – “the Harvard Business School manual” – can go too far, but many of his conclusions are useful, relevant and refreshingly candid.

In the Tottenham years section of the book for example, he refers to Jürgen Klinsmann as “sly", he calls Darren Anderton “sicknote” and reserves special venom for Terry Venables who "has no bottle".

His insults don't just stop there. Everyone from America is "full of shit", City bankers are "gangsters and monkeys" and even the organisers of Comic Relief see the sharp end of Sugar’s famous finger. The relentless one-upmanship and aggression often becomes wearing, but it is undoubtedly one of the book’s highlights.

The Book Worm

What You See Is What You Get: My Autobiography - Alan Sugar