Customer Reviews

Lessons from the Pit, A Successful Veteran of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Shows Executives How to Thrive in a Competitive Environment

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Joe has done a good job of taking interesting stories from his life and distilling an excellent life-lesson from each. Joe's life comes through clearly in this well written collection. He is transparent and engaging. Not only does it draw us to examine our inner health and values, but to look to our own stories for the lessons hidden in them. Worth a plane flight to read it.

I grabbed this book online on a lark... and am I ever glad I did! I couldn't put it down! From the opening bell of the trading pit in the first paragraph, the author takes off at the speed of the markets, sidetracking only to share the lessons hard-learned along the way. For the first time ever I read about an "Everyday Joe" who buckled up for daily war and successfully fought to win in the greatest financial wars our society knows. He also lets us in on his REAL personal life, his fears, and the dichotomies and dilemnas of being a devout Christian operating ethically and morally in a world that most Christians neither understand nor condone. This is a work that stands for ANYONE trying to succeed in an arena that at first appears counter to their chosen values, regardless of religion or career. If you're reading these reviews to help you decide, STOP HERE! CLICK THE BUY BUTTON! It's the best trade you'll make today!

It is wonderful that a younger person will reflect on life lessons at an early age, and then pass them on to benefit others. I was struck by his humility and willingness to learn, as well as adherence to principles he considers fundamental. You don't have to be in business-- just alive-- to enjoy and benefit from reading this book.

This is a tantalizing and gripping account of trading in the pit of the world's leading exchange. Joe takes you down into the day to day trials and tribulations that one is faced with in this most exciting profession. The pages kept flipping by and before I knew it, the story was complete. When is the next book coming out? Joe and Terry have put their talents together for what I hope will be the first of many ventures together.

I have known the Joe for fourteen years, many of those from the exact pit that is described in the book. This is a man who has taken the time to throughly document his experiences. Joe's interpretations of the market allow one to be in the center of it all.

Included in the text is a compelling acknowledgement of Joe's mentor Bruce. Joe continues on with acknowledging Jesus Christ and some of the benefits Joe has obtained from that relationship. In each case Joe has allowed for the glory and magnificence of the contributions that each has made to his life.

I am committed to each person reading this text to gain an insight into what it is to allow for others to contribute to our lives. Joe has gracefully compiled a thoughtful text based on well documented accounts from the events of a decade of his life.

Enjoy this gem as I did, not only from a trading view point, but from a realistic down to earth text that you will get value from. When you have finished this book you will leave the experience having obtained the insights of a truely gifted expert in the field of trading and in life.

Lessons From the Pit was a very fasinating and involving book. It is obvious that Joe Leininger spent a lot of time thinking and planning this book. This book is not one where the first chapters are interesting. The whole story is interesting. I kept saying to myself "at the end of the chapter, I will go to sleep, but I just couldn't put it down! He talked about personal subjects also, making you feel like you were just talking to him, alone. I highly recommend this book, and I think that Lessons From the Pit was the best book I have read so far.

Lessons From the Pit opens with a strong narrative depicting a day in the life of a young trader unable to reconcile his behavior as a star trader with his father/husband role model. With this same type of introspection,the author shares in a candid, humorous, and at times, self-effacing, manner his foibles and strengths in his struggle for survival and meaning in the chaotic culture of the pit. As Dr. Clayton Yeuter aptly pointed out in the Forward, Joe Leininger, was a quick learner and garnered valuable lesson from his experiences trading that are applicable both to business and life. The metaphors used in this book are drawn from the contemporary sport scenes and news events which makes for both easy assimilation and enjoyable reading; so much so that I had difficulty putting the book down--also, the comments that I heard from other readers! In sum this is a well written volume giving an inside look at the bizarre culture of pit traders through the eyes of one who factored the spiritual dimension into the equation of his success.

Joe does an outstanding job of describing life on the floor of the CME, especially for a newcomer. I appreciated Joe's candor and his connection with Biblical principles.

No business person is immune from pressures associated with their job. The author relates a magnified level of stress in a compelling and insightful manner. The reader enters the pit as a "fly on the wall" and is able to experience in a very real way the intense pressure in one's soul. For years, I have been looking for a book that is written from a business and Christian perspective that I could pass along to unbelieving friends. This book doesn't bury the reader in religious hardball. It takes real life intense business dealings and filters them through one man's unrelenting and uncompromising faith in God. I bought 10 copies to use as a tool for those around me that are struggling to make sense of it all.

I was a broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for 15 years and did much business for Joe and his partners. I knew that Joe was a very unique individual and after reading this book it reaffirmed my thoughts about Joe. I could feel his struggle to maintain his Christian way of life surrounded by all of the temptations at the Exchange. It truley was an odd place for a devout Christian to end up let alone succeed. The truley amazing thing was that Joe was able to leave the Exchange a stronger person and a stronger Christian. The main lesson Joe learned was when he realized that the Exchange was like a race with no finish line and left the Pits. A lesson that many of us traders and brokers wish we had learned many years ago. Congrats Joe-Great Book! your friend Chris Atsaves (ATZ)

Although most would focus on the ability to earn - the ability to attain - Mr. Leininger focused on the lessons learned through his successful tenure as a trader. Packaging these lessons in story and experience, the author graciously gives the reader insights gained through 14 years in the pit. Wisdom on managing risk, living within your strengths, and giving of yourself are only a few of the insights he offers. I learned not only from the explicit lessons Mr. Leininger relates, but the message that must be heard as one reads the book. Life is constantly teaching those willing to stop, reflect, and learn. Whether a veteran professional or at the outset of a career, I would recommend this reading for its insightful lessons and its reminder to reflect.