Stupidity in Action: Lessons Learned in Leadership the Hard Way
by Clark Huff

Those who knew Clark Huff as a child believed he would either be in jail or dead before he graduated high school. They had good reason to think that. He paid little attention to authority and never considered the risk of his actions. Enjoy these fascinating stories of how this disobedient, adventurous boy learned from his mistakes and survived to became a successful adult. The saga begins with an eight-year-old child who hopes to get a deer rifle for Christmas. As the journey continues throughout his childhood, he pursues the making and building of explosives, rockets, and electronics. Much to his mother’s dismay, he also figures out how to gas his siblings.

Surprisingly, Clark not only lives to graduate high school, but goes on to earn a degree in metallurgical engineering. During his professional career, he becomes a world traveler and immerses himself in other cultures with much hilarity and humility. He also continues to reflect on his mistakes, such as going underground in a flooding mine and being the boss during the construction of a silo that collapsed. By the end of his career he had advanced to become the company’s Vice President of Capital and Technology. These stories are not only entertaining, but will provide you examples of how not to handle a situation. It is always better to learn from someone else’s stupidity. 

4 out of 5 fairies

This was an interesting read. The intro set a good tone for the rest of the book, and each chapter was dedicated to a different interesting story from the author’s life. Each moment added up to a course through life that no one would’ve predicted during childhood. If you were ever a troublemaker as a kid, you’ll probably find more than one story you can relate to in this memoir. Highly recommend if you’re looking for an emotional journey that will make you smile and sometimes even laugh.

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Clark Huff believes he was extremely fortunate to grow up in the 1950s in Spanish Fork, Utah; a small town that would tolerate an adventurous but disobedient boy and help him to learn from his mistakes. He attended the University of Utah and began his career as an associate engineer at a mineral production facility located in Moab, Utah. Although he continued to pull pranks and make mistakes, he learned from them and eventually gained a reputation for solving difficult problems.

Besides Moab, he has lived in North Carolina, Nebraska, and Illinois, as he advanced in the company to finally become the Vice President of Capital and Technology. After retiring in 2012, he spends much of his free time enjoying the outdoors, often with his children and grandchildren.