Book Description
Beginning with the million-copy bestsellers First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham jump-started the strengths movement that is now sweeping the work world, from business to government to education. Now that the movement is in full swing, Buckingham's new book answers the ultimate question: How can you actually apply your strengths for maximum success at work?
Research data show that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets at work -- in fact, only 17 percent of the workforce believe they use all of their strengths on the job. Go Put Your Strengths to Work aims to change that through a six-step, six-week experience that will reveal the hidden dimensions of your strengths. Buckingham shows you how to seize control of your assets and rewrite your job description under the nose of your boss. You will learn:
• Why your strengths aren't "what you are good at" and your weaknesses aren't "what you are bad at."
• How to use the four telltale signs to identify your strengths.
• The simple steps you can take each week to push your time at work toward those activities that strengthen you and away from those that don't.
• How to talk to your boss and your colleagues about your strengths without sounding like you're bragging and about your weaknesses without sounding like you're whining.
• The fifteen-minute weekly ritual that will keep you on your strengths path your entire career.
With structured exercises that will become part of your regular workweek and proven tactics from people who have successfully applied the book's lessons, Go Put Your Strengths to Work will arm you with a radically different approach to your work life. As part of the book's program you'll take an online Strengths Engagement Track, a focused and powerful gauge that has proven to be the best way to measure the level of engagement of your strengths or your team's strengths. You can also download the first two segments of the renowned companion film series Trombone Player Wanted.
Go Put Your Strengths to Work will open up exciting uncharted territory for you and your organization. Join the strengths movement and thrive.
Customer Reviews:
Worth the read.......2007-10-10
I read this over a brief vacation during the summer. Ive found it has enhanced my abilities dealing with people both at work and my personal life. I plan on reading it again when my busy work schedule permits it.
How to take charge of your work.......2007-10-03
Marcus Buckingham is passionate about helping you identify your unique strengths and unleash their power. As you read and work your way through the program in this book, you will become convinced that growing through your strengths is the ticket to your future happiness, effectiveness and success. He refutes the approach of improvement by fixing mistakes as a dead end that cannot help you discover how you can be exceptional. The book constantly refers you to its associated Web site for materials that will help you work through the exercises. Buckingham wants you to act rather than just read a theoretical tract. Nothing presented in this book will help you without action and implementation. However, if you take up the challenge, you will become empowered as you take charge of your work through your strengths. We recommend this book because it contains just a few simple ideas that could change your life.
Follow-up book, much overlap with earlier books.......2007-09-30
Marcus Buckingham discusses six steps to identifying and putting your strengths to work:
1. Convince yourself that exercising your strengths is more fun and productive that spending your time shoring up your weaknesses.
2. Identify specific activities that exercise your strengths. For example, mine include
a. Determine true value
b. Learn and apply new and useful skills, knowledge
c. Creative problem solving
3. Build your job towards your strengths.
4. Stop / reduce time spent shoring up your weaknesses
5. Build a strong team by enabling each member to exercise their strengths towards delivering business value
6. Make a habit of ensuring that each person's activities around you are aligned with their strengths (including yourself :-)
The book could have been much shorter - the concept was repeated multiple times. More specifics on step 3 would also have been more useful.
Excellent book and great team activity!.......2007-09-13
I manage a team of Sales Professionals and found this book to be a great tool to help them stay focused on the positive aspects of their job. I really like the message and appreciate the fact that it does not immediately say that if you are not happy right now, you need a new job. It points them back to their current position and helps them be more productive and utilize their strengths where they are at.
While he also wants to sell you other stuff, the book is a good way to build your own positive deviance.......2007-09-13
If you really look at what is holding you back, from really using your best qualities and talents, you will almost surely find that most of it are the images and thoughts you hold between your ears. You are so sure about what could go wrong, or about what you HAVE to do, or about what is just not possible, that you just don't even try to step out.
Well, to say it simply, stop it! This book provides you with a six step process to help you build on your strengths rather than chasing and fixing mistakes. It is based on the ideas you will find in the business philosophies of Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS). The core idea in these movements is that you can't build on your strengths if all you see are your weaknesses. If you want to be a master of something, you have to study those who do it well, not focus on the mistakes of those who aren't very skilled. The term they often use is "positive deviance". That is, that area of performance that deviates ABOVE the norm. The goal is to learn how to create more positive deviance.
In the first step, Buckingham focuses you on giving up belief in three myths: 1) As you grow your personality changes. 2) You will grow in your areas of greatest weakness. 3) A good team member does whatever it takes to help the team. He says that the truths are: 1) As you grow you become more of who you already are. 2) You will grow in your areas of greatest strength. 3) A good team member deliberately volunteers his strengths to the team most of the time.
As he discusses each of these he asks you to examine what you are getting out of believing in these myths. What would it cost you to stop believing in it? Then think carefully about the benefits you would gain by believing the truth. If you sincerely do this, you will likely be shocked and then energized.
The purpose of this book is to help you take charge of your life and especially your work life. You will make it more rewarding, says the author, by centering your work on your strengths rather than just doing whatever comes to you as an assignment. It is a six step process. The first, as I noted above, is to bust the myths. Step 2 is to get clear about your strengths. Three is to free your strengths. Four helps you see and stop your weaknesses (not focus on fixing them). Five coaches you on how to speak up and get your boss supporting your strengths. Six is about keeping the process alive by building strong habits.
Now, Marcus Buckingham is a big-time, high-priced consultant. The book sends you to his website to use some free materials there (but also offers you others to purchase). Underneath this is the desire to sell your company consulting and seminar services with associated materials. It is interesting stuff, but the sheer "salesiness" of it detracts from it a bit for me.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson
Book Description
Meet Fred.
In his powerful new book THE FRED FACTOR, motivational speaker Mark Sanborn recounts the true story of Fred, the mail carrier who passionately loves his job and who genuinely cares about the people he serves. Because of that, he is constantly going the extra mile handling the mail – and sometimes watching over the houses – of the people on his route, treating everyone he meets as a friend. Where others might see delivering mail as monotonous drudgery, Fred sees an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those he serves.
We’ve all encountered people like Fred in our lives. In THE FRED FACTOR, Mark Sanborn illuminates the simple steps each of us can take to transform our own lives from the ordinary – into the extraordinary. Sanborn, through stories about Fred and others like him, reveals the four basic principles that will help us bring fresh energy and creativity to our life and work: how to make a real difference everyday, how to become more successful by building strong relationships, how to create real value for others without spending a penny, and how to constantly reinvent yourself.
By following these principles, and by learning from and teaching other “Freds,” you, too, can excel in your career and make your life extraodinary. As Mark Sanborn makes clear, each of us has the potential be a Fred.THE FRED FACTOR shows you how.
Customer Reviews:
The short and sweet of customer service.......2007-10-19
This is a quick read and it hits right at the key elements of providing exceptional customer service. Grab a copy and read it on your next plane ride. You'll hit the ground running with a few simple changes in your perspective that will help you to have move 'Fred-like' moments. As a training support tool, you'll find additional resources to use at www.fredfactor.com.
Let's be more like Fred.......2007-09-14
The Fred Factor
The Fred Factor is a rather small book that gives the details on how someone can, by its own motivation, get the extraordinary out of something rather common. The book gives an explanation of how the behaviour of someone can change when and if they commit to it. Some of the topics in the book are rather obious, but re-reading them every once and a while makes one reflect again on how we sometimes can go the extra mile and make a huge different.
We all have values. This book is about making sure that we don't forget about these values when we are doing our job. Let's all care and have a little Fred in us..
This book is worth the reading.
Koen
(review first posted on my blog on http://koen.blanquart.be/blog/item/99/ )
Fred Factor.......2007-09-10
Buying new from Amazon is almost always the best way to go. As a school secretary having them delivered to our door is always a plus. You are quick and accurate. As a college student I like to buy used and you take your chances doing this. BUT if you review who you are buying from FIRST you should have no problems. I have greatly appreciated the deals that I have gotten thru Amazon.
Choosing to Make a Difference is Leadership.......2007-08-28
Every day, in every individual interaction, we have a choice; a choice to make the interaction transactional or relational. That choice will make all the difference in the world to the quality of our lives.
In "The Fred Factor", motivational speaker Mark Sanborn tells the very real story of his postal delivery person, Fred - and how he gave definition to his job as a `service provider' by making mail delivery a relational interaction. Sanborn says that Fred exemplified 4 principles: Everyone Makes a Difference; Success is Built on Relationships; You Must Continually Create Value for Others and It Doesn't Have to Cost a Penny; You Can Reinvent Yourself Regularly. All very real and very useful principles, but perhaps the most valuable principle in this story and the other examples in the book is the principle of choice: Everyone has the choice to be a Leader, by making a difference in the lives of others. This book is highly recommended as a gift for those who say, "Why bother?"
Learn to be a Fred.......2007-08-23
This is a pass it forward book. I am a Fred and I have helped others find the Fred in them. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for everyone who is tired of seeing grumps in the office or in their home and wants to make a change. One person can make a difference if that peoson is a Fred.
Amazon.com
Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Who Moved My Cheese? is that all can come to see it as a blessing, if they understand the nature of cheese and the role it plays in their lives. Who Moved My Cheese? is a parable that takes place in a maze. Four beings live in that maze: Sniff and Scurry are mice--nonanalytical and nonjudgmental, they just want cheese and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Hem and Haw are "littlepeople," mouse-size humans who have an entirely different relationship with cheese. It's not just sustenance to them; it's their self-image. Their lives and belief systems are built around the cheese they've found. Most of us reading the story will see the cheese as something related to our livelihoods--our jobs, our career paths, the industries we work in--although it can stand for anything, from health to relationships. The point of the story is that we have to be alert to changes in the cheese, and be prepared to go running off in search of new sources of cheese when the cheese we have runs out.
Dr. Johnson, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and many other books, presents this parable to business, church groups, schools, military organizations--anyplace where you find people who may fear or resist change. And although more analytical and skeptical readers may find the tale a little too simplistic, its beauty is that it sums up all natural history in just 94 pages: Things change. They always have changed and always will change. And while there's no single way to deal with change, the consequence of pretending change won't happen is always the same: The cheese runs out. --Lou Schuler
Book Description
The Change Survival Kit is an A-Mazing Way to Deal with Changes in Your Work and in Your Life. It reminds you to use what you discovered in the "Cheese" story - and enjoy it!
The kit contains:
A copy of the #1 Hardcover Book
12 Animated Reminders
24 Screen Saver Prompts
12 Desktop Wallpapers
Photo-Top Mouse pad
FREE! Multi-Level Maze Game
Customer Reviews:
Simplified change.......2007-10-15
Got an hour to fill? That's how long it'll take to read. As many have stated, company heads and consultant groups hand this book out to employees when there are about to be changes in the company. Basically, this is a very simplified parable on four different takes on how to deal with change. Of course at the end you are supposed to decide which of the characters you currently are. Sniff - you actively move about seeking change. Scurry - you move about and quickly adapt to the change to make things happen. And then there's Hem and Haw. Both resist change and stick to the old expecting it to return to the promised treasures. Eventually Haw decides that staying in one place with no rewards is not progressing so opts to go seek change on his struggling legs. The Hem remains obstinant and refuses to change and his fate fades away. Of course no one wants to claim they are Hem but most people are. One of my favorite bits in the book is the statement along the lines of "If you can't change, you may become extinct."
Overall this is a very simple take on how people can adapt to change in their personal and professional lives. Seems quite similar on how to change your personal attitude and outlook that is presented in Benjamin Hoff's "Tao of Pooh". If you're in a company that is about to use outside consulting, expect to get 'homework' to read this book.
Great book.......2007-10-15
This is a fantastic book about reassessing your life and career. I've given it to friends after reading it myself.
It's an OK book.......2007-10-04
Just like most of the people, I got this book from my employer (I hope it's not a sign of restructuring :)).
I'm afraid that I do a too good job of reviewing the book one would no longer need to buy it anymore. In essence, the whole book can be summarized in about 10 statements. In all fairness though, these are insightful and worth meditating on statements.
So, like I said... An OK book.
Thought Provoking.......2007-10-03
The book is an easy and quick read but the story will put thoughts in your head that you will think about for years if not a lifetime. Life brings us all challenges so this book is for all of us... That is, unless your life is perfect.
Genuinely Insulting..........2007-09-29
Genuinely insulting to the independent thinker. Yeah I know, it's been said countless times but I felt the need to reinforce that notion. If you're someone that's more comfortable being a follower and having your life and work environment structured for you then you're more likely to enjoy this book and find something meaningful in it. If you're someone that uses logic and reason to guide your decisions then don't waste your time or money on this rehashed brainwashing manual. This is a book written for unquestioning, mindless followers, not a book for leaders. But a tool that leaders would use to try and control their subordinates.
Average customer rating:
- Brand new - just like she said!
- Great Book!
- Real Positives for a Negative World...
- How Full is Your Bucket?
- Excellent
|
How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life
Tom Rath , and
Donald O. Clifton
Manufacturer: Gallup Press
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StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths
ASIN: 1595620036 |
Book Description
How did you feel after your last interaction with another person? Did that person — your spouse, best friend, coworker, or even a stranger — "fill your bucket" by making you feel more positive? Or did that person "dip from your bucket," leaving you more negative than before? The number one New York Times and number one Business Week bestseller, How Full Is Your Bucket? reveals how even the briefest interactions affect your relationships, productivity, health, and longevity. Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, and grounded in 50 years of research, this book will show you how to greatly increase the positive moments in your work and your life — while reducing the negative. Filled with discoveries, powerful strategies, and engaging stories, How Full Is Your Bucket? is sure to inspire lasting changes and has all the makings of a timeless classic.
Customer Reviews:
Brand new - just like she said!.......2007-09-05
I ordered 25 books that were supposed to be in good condition. They were even better. They were just like new. They were missing one of the supplementary items as was clearly stated up front. I am completely satisfied.
Great Book!.......2007-08-27
Another new bestseller which I recommend - The Exclusive Layguide: When Dating and Having Sex with Incredibly Hot Women is No Longer Mirage Even If You Don't Look Like a Model or Don't Make a Fortune
Real Positives for a Negative World..........2007-08-03
I have probably referenced this book more in my training seminars and speaking engagements than any other book I have ever read. I just love it! (I gave everyone in my family a copy for Christmas) The author states that 99 out of 100 people report that they would like to be surrounded by more positive people. "And the church said; AMEN!" This short, interesting, and succinct read teaches the reader how to become one of those "more positive people." A must read about positive psychology for anyone who has to be around negative people in our negative world. I think that pretty much includes all of us, doesn't it?
SUCCESS: It Just Ain't That Hard Y'all! Three Things to STOP Doing and Three Things to START and KEEP Doing to Reach Your Greatest Potential
How Full is Your Bucket?.......2007-07-29
The book assigns theoretic valuations to philosophic concepts.
For instance, a full bucket has a net positive outlook + Energy
from every drop of strength expended. Relentless negativity leads to
death. The North Koreans broke down peer cohesiveness by insisting
that captors confess their transgressions publicly.
The author believes that regular praise= increased productivity,
tenure, loyalty and satisfaction. People leave when they aren't
appreciated sufficiently. Bad bosses increase stroke risk.
Activiely disengaged employees cost employers upward of $50B a
year or more. A strength of the book is that the authors attempt
to quantify universal concepts within practical contexts of
everyday life. To a considerable extent, the authors succeed.
Excellent.......2007-07-27
This was a great book that I handed out to my staff. Everyone found it valuable for life not just work.
Amazon.com
Susan Scott believes that interpersonal difficulties--at work and at home--are a direct result of our inability to communicate well. Fierce Conversations is based on principles from her international consulting practice, in which she teaches executives how to conduct such exchanges more dynamically and ultimately more effectively, thereby improving the relationships they enjoy with their various dialogue partners "one conversation at a time." Using identifiable anecdotes from her experience to inspire and inform, along with a series of practical exercises designed to impart the requisite skills, Scott walks readers through the individual steps she's developed to build better associations through more robust and honest discourses. Addressing all aspects of the process, from several methods for listening more attentively to specific ways she's fashioned to confront and resolve issues "that stand between you and success," Scott offers the type of concrete advice and confidence-building counsel that should help even the most reticent improve their communication skills dramatically. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
The Wall Street Journal bestseller, now with new material.
The master teacher of positive change through powerful communication, Susan Scott wants her readers to succeed. To do that, she explains, one must transform everyday conversations employing effective ways to get the message across. In this guide, which includes exercises and tools to take you step by step through the Seven Principles of Fierce Conversations, Scott teaches readers how to:
€ Overcome barriers to meaningful communication
€ Expand and enrich conversations with colleagues, friends, and family
€ Increase clarity and improve understanding
€ Handle strong emotions-on both sides of the table
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding.......2007-08-24
Extremely useful in both personal and professional life. I've attended many classes & seminars in the last 30 years but still learned a host of valuable info. Highly recommended.
Very Engaging .......2007-08-14
I settled in for an average book with and interesting title about communication. What I recieved was an invitation to look in my life and my business for fierce conversations. As a trainer and a business coach communication is my my tool.Fierce Conversations gave me tools that work,ways to assess my progress and stories that assist me in seeing what would be possible in my business and in my life if I had authentic, direct conversations with people.If you have to pick one communication book this year, it's this one!
An Insightful and Very Informative Approach to Communicating.......2007-08-08
Fierce Conversations provides an opportunity for the reader to gain information while participating in a self-discovery process. It takes the idea of communicating thoughts and ideas to a new level and challenges us to think before speaking by considering the ramifications of what others will hear. We are reminded that any "single conversation can change the trajectory of a business, a career, a marriage or a life." This is an awesome statement and the author proved her point repeatedly through examples.
I am determined to address my most challenging "Mineral Rights conversation (you'll have to read the book to know what I mean) in the very near future. I will also recommend my writers' group members review this book as an example of quality writing that captures the audience, propels them to action, and encourages completion of task.
Transformational .......2007-05-19
Susan Scott has a way of getting to the heart of the communciations problem. People say what they think you want to hear, and they are rarely authentic because they are afraid to be. They are even afraid to be honest with themselves. An excellent read.
Connect Better.......2007-05-12
It is rare that I read a book cover to cover. I read lots of books; however, I find most books contain little or nothing new. Susan's book is different.
In my line of work, I am only as successful as my ability to connect with others. Having an arsenal of powerful questions and a strong framework for presenting are key to my success. Susan's book contains the best tools I have found to connect deeply with others.
Average customer rating:
- Great Book
- A go-to book on coaching.
- What everyone needs to know
- the best coaching book
- Your Gate way to Coaching profession
|
Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life
Laura Whitworth ,
Karen Kimsey-House ,
Henry Kimsey-House , and
Phillip Sandahl
Manufacturer: Davies-Black Publishing
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Binding: Paperback
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Coaching for Performance, Third Edition (People Skills for Professionals)
ASIN: 0891061983 |
Book Description
A newly revised edition of the book that helped define the coaching profession, Co-Active Coaching captures the essence of what it takes to design and maintain successful, collaborative, and empowering coaching relationships. The authors describe in detail their flexible and adaptive model-placing the client's agenda at the heart of the coaching partnership, define the skills required for success, provide dozens of sample coaching conversations, and a power-packed Coach's Toolkit of over 35 exercises, questionnaires, checklists, and forms to make these proven principles and techniques eminently practical and immediately actionable.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-16
This was a gift for my boss and he LOVED it! It arrived very soon after ordering. Thanks for everything.
A go-to book on coaching........2007-08-28
This is one of the few go-to books for coaches, or those who want to become coaches. Very, very helpful. Lots of ideas, tips, etc. The CD that comes with the book is worth the price alone!
Buy this book and read it! One of my favs on the topic of coaching!
What everyone needs to know.......2007-08-05
This book opened great ways to honor myself and others. It is well written and expanded my idea about coaching.
the best coaching book.......2007-06-29
This book is the best and most comprehensive coaching book I have on my shelfs.
Co-active coaching is what my profession is about and I've found so many answers to my questions about how-to and what-is-next .
Captures the wisdom of co-active coaching and it's a must read if you want to tap into the real power of coaching.
Your Gate way to Coaching profession.......2007-05-28
It's an amazing book that groups theories and practice for a profession that needs alot of practice. It's a necessity for all new professionals in the field.
Book Description
Another Spencer Johnson #1 Bestseller
#1 New York Times Business
#1 Wall Street Journal
#1 BusinessWeek
From the Author of Who Moved My Cheese?
Dr. Spencer Johnson’s stories of timeless, simple truths have changed the work and lives of millions of readers around the world. Now comes an insightful new tale of inspiration and practical guidance for these turbulent times.
Good Things Happen To Those Who Open The Present
The Gift That Makes Your Work And Life Better Each Day!
For over two decades, Spencer Johnson has been inspiring and entertaining millions with his simple yet insightful stories of work and life that speak directly to the heart and soul. The Present is an engaging story of a young man’s journey to adulthood, and his search for The Present, a mysterious and elusive gift he first hears about from a great old man. This Present, according to the old man, is “the best present a person can receive.”
Later, when the young boy becomes a young man, disillusioned with his work and his life, he returns to ask the old man, once again, to help him find The Present. The old man responds, “Only you have the power to find The Present for yourself.” So the young man embarks on a tireless search for this magical gift that holds the secret to his personal happiness and business success.It is only after the young man has searched high and low and given up his relentless pursuit that he relaxes and discovers The Present—and all of the promises it offers.
The Present will help you focus on what will make you happier and more successful in your work and in your personal life, today! Like the young man, you may find that it is the best gift you can give yourself.
www.ThePresent.com
Customer Reviews:
Christians Beware of Hollow Philosophy.......2007-05-18
The Present by Spencer Johnson is a self-proclaimed life changing book for those who would incorporate its principles. For those who have not read it, the book is all about living in the present, and focusing on the positive aspects of every moment, never focusing on the negative. It presents these teachings by telling a story (typical of existential philosophy). The story is about an old man (read: guru) who shares the secret of meaningful living throughout the life of a man seeking answers. The old man never seems worried; he is always relaxed and appears to be at peace with life and the world. Through a series of cryptic messages, the old man teaches the other man that he can find meaning in the "present," which essentially consists of an existential experience that each person defines for themselves. By focusing on the good in the moment, we can find peace, meaning, and success.
This book ascribes to a combination of existential philosophy and Zen Budhism, blurring the line of truth. Truth is not seen as an objective thing, but an existential experience. Experience, not propositional truth, is the key to unlocking the meaning of life. Salvation comes through the teachings of a human guru leading to spiritual enlightenment, which man can achieve on his own. By definition, this is a godless philosophy.
The Present ignores the real problem of man: his depravity. I can be "in the moment," or practicing carpe diem while engaging in ungodly behavior. Of course, this is all up for interpretation. The existentialist is not interested in my definition of right and wrong, but only in his subjective experience. There is no authority to which one can appeal. So what if my carpe diem approach hurts others? It is up to the practicioner to decide if that is against his value system, which is determined by a kierkegaardian leap of faith, rather than any transcendent moral standard.
There is truth in most errors, though. That is were the deception lies. The message of focusing on the positive can be helpful, but only in the biblical sense of giving thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18), not in avoiding pain. What is right is more important than what makes me feel good. Jesus told his followers they would (and should) suffer, and exemplified it through the cross. While suffering, he cried out "My God, why have you foraken me" (Mark 15:34). This is the most poinent of the examples of partial truths, though there are others.
Much more could be said. The point is this: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Col. 2:8) In the end, what the author tries to do will not work: his program cannot offer real hope to mankind, for it does not deal with human depravity. Rather than seeking to find meaning by focusing on my present, we truly find it in God's presence. The quest for ultimate meaning is found in a relationship with the God of infinity, and through developing intimacy with Him. For a much better alternative to The Present, read Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.
Energize the team and prioritize.......2007-02-19
I purchased this book for my department at work. The team was under a lot of pressure to perform and as is often the case in adverse conditions, some were beginning to blame others and lose focus on the tasks at hand given the large amount of work yet to be done.
The response I recieved from the workforce was varied but all positive. Living in the present, learning from our past, preparing for the future, and living with purpose has become a sound bite in our department. The book is a quick read (less than 90 minutes), is entertaining, comes on CD if you want a book on tape rather than paper, and has been talked about far more than the time it took my team to read it.
If you have customers or coworkers that do important work and you have lost touch with what needs to be done, this book will help you step back from your task saturation and reflect on where you are at, where you need to go and why it is important for you to do so.
This is a book I will share for many years to come.
The Present Is A Gift.......2007-01-20
A lot of wisdom and common sense wrapped up in a small package! Easy and fun to read yet, as deep and profound as you want to go.
The Present Will Change Your Life.......2006-12-07
Often when I host a Leadersway training session I ask which of the many books we have read the group found most valuable. The answer I receive most often is, "The one about The Present".
"The Present", by Spencer Johnson is a great little book of only 104 pages that is packed full of more good advice than most books twice its size. The concept is simple, yet complex; the ideas are easy, yet difficult; the message is clear, yet indistinct. You must think, focus, and seek to understand "The Present".
For those of you who have not read this great book, or need a refresher, here is a condensed version of the concepts that you need to remember.
Always remember that you live neither in the past nor the future. You only live in the present. Therefore, you will be happiest and at your most productive when you focus on what is happening at the current moment in time. That is the essence of it.
Always focus on what is "right" in the present moment. Never focus on the negative in any situation. Focus on the positive and you will make good things happen. You will never make a positive choice or create a positive result in the present if you focus on the negative.
Speaking of focus: Always focus, focus, focus. When you are speaking with someone focus on them and what they are saying. Eliminate extraneous thoughts of other things, turn away from your computer, turn off your phone, and pay attention. That's it! Your life will be much better by simply applying that one simple rule to your dealings with others. You will learn more about them and they will appreciate you much more. Apply this to all elements of your job and your life. You will be much more successful and the fruits of your labor will be that much sweeter.
You need not eliminate the past or the future from your life completely. You should learn from the past. Remember your mistakes and take steps not to make the same ones over and over again. Also, remember to recall the good things of the past and attempt to recreate them. In times of trouble, always buoy yourself up with good memories and positive thoughts.
Do not make the mistake of wasting your present by dreaming of an imaginary or unrealistic future. You must always plan for the future and do positive things in the present in order to attain your goals. "Plan your work and work your plan." Do not wish your life away by making unfounded assumptions that the future will be better than the present unless you have done the work and laid the plans to make your dreams come true.
The Present is all you have right now. Enjoy it and live it to the fullest!
A logical companion book to "The Present" is "Always Remember: If it ain't fun it ain't Worth Doing!" This one will show you how to use the "Present" in real workplace situations... Wayne Kehl
A Take-Away Told in a Clever Story.......2006-10-17
I picked up this book at the recommendation that the moral of this book would do me some good -- and it did. The key take-away is woven through a clever story of this short book. I picked it up at the bookstore and read through it in a few hours. It is recommended for those looking for a reminder to see what's in front of them now (i.e. Don't forget to smell the flowers). However, it is NOT recommended for those looking for an eye-opening revelation.
Caveat/Note: I have not read any of Johnson's other books but I would consider taking a look at it based on my review of this book.
Book Description
In this first new and totally revised edition of the 150,000–copy underground bestseller, The E–Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed. He then shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business 執hether or not it is a franchise. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in. your business. After you have read The E–Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.
Customer Reviews:
Best yet!.......2007-10-20
This is simply required reading for anyone who is in business or is thinking about being in business for themselves. No-one tells a better business fable than Michael Berger and when you then add his expertise in the business arena, you have a winner. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was an easy, fairly quick read with a powerful punch. Thank you.
Know Yourself.......2007-10-19
I have read and re-read this book (and the original) many times over the past 15 years.
With the first reading I was struck at how many people I knew that fit perfectly into the nutshell descriptions of individuals with locked in mind-sets presented!
The entrepreneurial seizure; The Fat Guy & The Skinny Guy; The Entrepreneur & Manager & Technician; customers Sam Tommy and Mary; Bookkeeper Harry; the suppliers, the improperly trained helpers, the desperate owner, and many others. I KNEW these people! Or at least the essence of them.
With later readings I became aware of ALL of them as being aspects of my own self, and the possibilities each offered. Attitude is Everything! Change the attitude, change the outcome!
For me, this is the main value of the book, learning to understand myself, and why I do the things I do.
I feel the overview presented by the E myth should be understood by each new business owner BEFORE making that first leap.
No one book can be all things to all people, but for those interested in starting or improving a business, this one comes close.
In my mind, there is only one minor failing in the book. It does not examine in great enough detail why people would want to work for you. Success comes from helping other people get what they want. What are their interests, dreams and goals? How can you help them reach what THEY want? Why would they want YOU to succeed?
Great businesses can only exist if they have great people.
All in all, this is my most valuable Business Book.
Grade School Lessons & E-Myth Acadamy Advertisement .......2007-10-04
This is, at best the beginning part of a working business solution. Yes, Gerber makes a valid point about the E-myth concept (read other reviews if you don't know the concept) but it's really for beginners (newbs). All his books are really just advertisements,for his E-Myth Academy consulting business in the back of all his books. There is nearly no practical information. He makes his point about the E-Myth, then masterbates it endlesly, re-making that point six ways to Sunday, add nausium and leaves you wondering, well, but what should I do? Well, little lost lamb (newb), go to E-Myth web site or call the 800 number where they have a fast talking sales crew and sign up for 2 years of 700 plus a month (I haven't checked lately) consultation/classes.
After you get the point that to make your technical skill pay/function as a business you need to have business skills/know how. You can sign up for the 700 plus per month for 2 years advertised in the back of his books. Start looking elsewhere for actual practical information. Because there are no E-myth books or tapes that have that information. You can do a lot for your business with that kind of money. I'm always shocked at how newbs starting businesses throw money around. Something to buy and a place to buy it, no matter how pretty it all is, doesn't make a successful business, In my observations, it's the major reason new businesses fail. I'm sure some of you with deep pockets or You corperate types who have never had to find the guts or earn the money to build a small business without Sugar Daddy Warbucks help will think I'm wrong. This E-Myth stuff is valid but it it's grade school lessons made to look like some kind of super-profound truth/solution. Well, it is, grade school true, now what Mr. Gerber, where's the solutions, spend, what, nearly 17,000 Sign up for what I thought I was getting when I bought the Books and tapes? What a greedy little tight wad! When are you going to write a book with substance? Hey Newbs! Trust me, yes you need real business skills, there are plenty of great business books out there, take some of that 17,000 and buy some and be careful with the rest you're going to need it.
One of the top business books.......2007-09-29
This book gives both inspiration and practicals to make any small business a successful venture. It certainly changed the course of my business and got me to work at making my business something that can be reproduced through the processes that I create.
A two-piece orange suite in a blue jacket.......2007-09-28
"And a silver belt buckle with his initials in green jade acrosss in face. ... Can you see it? Do you get the picture?" And no, he is not out of business.
For me it is a number of good ideas and a hard sales pitch. Next time less pitch more workout please.
Book Description
The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and
quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live.
As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in their groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. Their Full Engagement Training System is grounded in twenty-five years of working with great athletes -- tennis champ Monica Seles and speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, to name just two -- to help them perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Now this powerful, step-by-step program will help you to:
· Mobilize four key sources of energy
· Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal
· Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do
· Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals
The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully. It provides a clear road map to becoming more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned -- both on and off the job.
Download Description
"We live in digital time. Our pace is rushed, rapid-fire, and relentless. Facing crushing workloads, we try to cram as much as possible into every day. We're wired up, but we're melting down. Time management is no longer a viable solution. As bestselling authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in this groundbreaking book, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live your life. The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully both on and off the job. During the past decade, dozens of Fortune 500 companies have paid thousands of dollars to learn the Corporate Athlete training system. So have FBI swat teams, critical care physicians and nurses, salesmen, and stay-at-home moms. The Power of Full Engagement lays out the key training principles and provides a powerful, step-by-step program that will help you to: . Mobilize four key sources of energy . Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal . Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do . Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals Above all, this book provides a life-changing road map to becoming more fully engaged on and off the job, meaning physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned. "
Customer Reviews:
Pragmatic, useful ideas to improve the quality of your life.......2007-10-11
I loved this book because it offers very simple, very practical ideas that busy, busy people can use to improve the quality of their lives without having to make significant behavioral changes or significant time commitments. This type of counsel is hard to come by and very valuable. The book itself is a quick, easy read -- perfect airplane reading.
Manage Energy - great insight........2007-08-23
We need to manage our energy to perform the most important things. We often take our energy for granted and are not aware of our ebbs and flows.
We need to do the most important things when we have the most energy. We need to eat and sleep to have more energy. It originally comes from a sports performance model, but has been adapted for executives. It is also important as we grow older. Truely a new insight for me that unified a few things I ahve been learning.
Push Past Your Limit To Grow.......2007-06-04
I felt this book's main premise was a useful idea, but nothing novel. Expanding past one's limit, followed by a rest period resulting in growth whether physical or psychological. I liked the informational nature of the book, however, I didn't care much for the examples of actual people written about in it. I understand it is used to help prove the points, but it appeared to be fluff to me and I would have liked more information to drill the point home and more sources to back up the info.
Those opinions aside, it is worthwhile, to the point and contains enough information to satisfy reading it once, but I don't expect to re-read it.
Not a silly self-help book.......2007-05-17
At first look, the subtitle "Managing Energy, Not Time" smells of another 'just do this and your life will be great' self-help book. However, this book avoids most of the simplistic approaches other books take. Outlined is excellent, yet straightforward guidance on how to bring into balance a work life that is out of control or at least a bit out of whack. The simple advice given (which regretfully requires some basic self discipline - I prefer to avoid self discipline) is both helpful and if followed, effective. The book is relatively careful not to imply that applying its principles or introducing self discipline is easy. It is, however, unapologetic when suggesting that making a set of changes in how one manages one's life will make a difference. The book also lays out a very helpful distinction between one's energy and one's time - and it is a very helpful distinction - describing a truth that I had not before carefully considered. The book includes numerous case studies of actual people with which the authors have worked. I think you will be able to identify with a number of these case studies. If you feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and/or lack balance in how your work life, home life, and downtime function, take a look at this book.
Disappointing.......2007-03-21
Nothing new here. Eat right, get plenty of sleep and drink your water and you too can have more energy. I have to agree with other reviewers that state that this book is poorly written. Instead of providing a method for creating your own energy plan, the authors give simple hazy case examples.
Amazon.com
QBQ! by John G. Miller is a motivational primer aimed at purging the "blame, complaining, and procrastination" from the workplace. Miller believes that one of the hallmarks of today's business culture is a lack of personal accountability; he prescribes the cure in this series of short stories and personal observations drawn from his years of experience running his organizational development firm. His main point is that positive change begins with individuals changing themselves: "Instead of asking, 'When will others walk their talk?' let's walk our talk first." The result is choppy (39 chapters in 115 pages), and at times Miller's advice boils down to truism and cliché. Nevertheless, managers whose workplaces demand remedial, straightforward advice should find a useful tool here. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change.
Fish! helped raise flagging morale.
Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done.
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability.
The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability.
The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, "Who dropped the ball?" "Why can't they do their work properly?" or "Why do we have to go through all these changes?" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: "How can I improve this situation?" "What can I contribute?" or "How can I make a difference?"
Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change.
Download Description
"Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change. Fish! helped raise flagging morale. Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done. QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, already a phenomenon in its self-published edition, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability. The lack of personal accountability has resulted in an epidemic of blame, complaining, and procrastination. No organization-or individual-can achieve goals, compete in the marketplace, fulfill a vision, or develop people and teams without personal accountability. The solution involves an entirely new approach. We can no longer ask, ""Who dropped the ball?"" ""Why can't they do their work properly?"" or ""Why do we have to go through all these changes?"" Instead, every individual has to ask the question behind the question: ""How can I improve this situation?"" ""What can I contribute?"" or ""How can I make a difference?"" Succinct, insightful, and practical, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question provides a method for putting personal accountability into daily action, which can bring astonishing results: problems get solved, barriers come down, service improves, teamwork grows, and people adapt to change. "
Customer Reviews:
It should be required reading.......2007-09-05
The book is thin and it is a simple read. My 6th grade daughter would understand every concept in the book. While this would all generally make for a low rating, I instead give it the highest rating. Why? Because although it does not present many original ideas, the vast population of American at least, do not follow the QBQ. If it takes a book that can be read in an hour and that can be understood by someone who reads at a 6th grade level for people to start taking responsibility for their actions and thier lives, then I am all for it.
This is not to say that the only people who will benefit from this book are the young and irresponsible. Many of the points, while not rocket science, were new ways to look at old ideas and as the book says "repetition is the motor of learning."
Personal accountability is fine in theory, but more should be said about what to do when others do not.......2007-08-22
Personal accountability is fine in theory, but enormously difficult in practice. This is because it will only work if the overwhelming majority of people practice it. It is a fact of life that it takes only a few people engaging in selfish behavior to slow down the progress of everyone else. If you hold yourself accountable for what is done and those you work with do not, then the group, including those that are unproductive, will collectively get the credit.
I am not saying that you should avoid holding yourself accountable for what you do; just that one must be reasonable about doing it. You must keep your expectations to a manageable level and understand that there might be times when only you will know what you have accomplished.
Personal accountability of course starts with the actions of each and every individual and from that perspective this is a good book. Miller discusses what questions or statements should be said rather than what is actually being said. By using the singular pronoun I in "What can I do better?" rather than "What do I get out of it?" each person can take an enormous step towards success and personal achievement. However, as has already been stated, the actions of others may render your achievements down to a much lesser height than they could have been. Miller largely ignores this segment of reality, which lowers the value as you ramble down your lane of the rat race.
Outstanding!.......2007-08-14
In a word, OUTSTANDING! This book is an inspiration and a guide for me every day. I share it with my students in EVERY class. It is a quick read and full of simple insight.
Buy this book!
Motivational.......2007-07-27
I think every business owner should require their staff to read this book. "what happened to personal accountability", this is the main theme of this book. Amen!!!!! Our generations view things so differently, however I think we can all agree on the information presented in this book. This is another required read for all of my new staff.
Nice quick and concise read for personal accountability.......2007-07-10
I had the pleasure of hearing Mr Miller speak to my organization and felt his message in personal accountability spoke volumes about how to make small changes create a large impact.
Mr Miller speaks eloquently about his topic and is obviously passionate about the role QBQ takes for everyone, be they a leader, parent or any human being. The book is an easy read and the concept is not a stretch to understand, follows similarly to "Who Moved My Cheese" or the One Minute Manager series. This is the type of concept that asks you to think about what is the right thing to do, and more importantly, complete it. The procrastination concept is powerful and impactful, again, very simple, however a concept all need to follow and practice...practice being the root of all habits.
Mr. Miller has one example of a cashier at Home Depot that lowered the rating from 5 to 4 stars; this example is too far fetched and the litigious results that potentially could arise from other customers feeling slighted is too over the top. I understand what Mr. Miller is presenting, and why he purposely ignores the repercussions of such an act, this example only degrades the message he is presenting.
I look very forward to reading "Flipping the Switch" and putting these concepts into action, along with re-reading this series annually to ensure I continue to practice personal accountability.
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- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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