5 comments about Self-Esteem and Peak Performance.

1. Going through the tape of Jack Canfield, I found many good tips on how to become more positive and the good thing is his voice reflects the kindness that some other positive thinkers lack. It raises above the average in that respect, even though in the field of the ideas, it is similar to the others. It definitely has its value listening though. I would recommend it.



2. This was the first cassette purchase I made, and I was so impressed, I have begun to keep my eyes open for more books on tape. Jack Canfield, well known for his uplifting "Chicken Soup" series, is just as uplifting in voice. The series is very practical, with Jack outlining simple exercises you can do with minimal time, that will improve your outlook. It is true that repetitive listening makes a difference, though I've only gotten through it 4 times completely. He spices his tips up with stories of success, and the fact that it's a taped live seminar, makes it sound like you are really there listening to him in person. The only thing I could do without were the questions at the end, and the section of affirmations did not strike my imagination too strongly, though both of these would be welcomed by other listeners I'm sures.



3. I first bought this set of tapes several years ago at an education seminar and it was a valuable investment. Jack Canfield is caring, understanding, knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. He comes across as a 'real' person who uses teaching examples from his own life and degrees of self-disclosure that help create a 'trust' atmosphere for the listener. He has a speaking manner that puts you at ease and makes you want to listen to everything he has to say. Self-esteem, self-confidence and relating to other people is who we are every day and he helps improve this with techniques for developing and strengthening our 'inner selves'. I've listened to these tapes every 6 months for the last 7 yrs. and I listen to them whenever I am going through a really stressful time. They are uplifting and healing.



4. Jack Canfield is my motivational role model and for good reason. Jack is a warm and lovable fellow who believes in people--to do better and be better. I love to listen to these tapes over and over again. They are really motivating. And by the way he's funny too! Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works



5. This is a great collection of tips and stories to help alter the way we think of ourselves. These tapes give my self-esteem a boost and make the world a better place. The formula of Experience + Response = Outcome is just one of the great ways this tape influences posative thinking. The only down side is that this product isn't sold as a CD.

5 comments about First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently.

1. Nutshell review - a good book with good insights and advice but, as is the norm for this type of book, filled lots of case studies as page fller.



2. Very interesting perspective on how top managers operate. Plants seeds of change and presents how why what has been done in the past and currently practiced may have not been effective and ultimately successful as we have all been told it would be. Highly recommended reading for those wanting tho think out of the box.



3. Of all the books I've read about leadership, this is the one that gave me the most. I've been able to use the information in this book every single day and guess what? It really works. If you're interested in management and leadership, start here!



4. Outstanding managers know intuitively that one can obtain more from practicing and enhancing our stengths than by trying to overcome our weaknesses. This is the principle of this excellent book and the result of a survey done to a pool of outstanding managers. I bought the book just because it was the result of a Gallup study and it did not dissapoint me. The book contains an interesting but brief explanation of how the study was conceived and performed.
   
   The introduction of this book led my interest to neurosciences, since the author made an analogy between brain circuitry and roads. He mentioned that each brain has differently developed neuronal links, which are developed in early childhood. Those links that are stronger (superhighways compared to small roads) represent our strengths. Access and communication using the superhighways will always be easier for us than struggling through unlevelled sidepaths (our weaknesses) or even to try to broaden these narrow roads, which requires tremendous effort and might be even imposible, since they were set in early childhood. Reading about neurosciences I found out about the plasticity of the brain's circuitry (which years ago was thought to be rigid and set), so with a lot of effort and practise we might overcome some weaknesses, but we would need to really evaluate the effort vs. the result. (See A User's Guide to the Brain: Perception, Attention, and the Four Theaters of the Brain.
   
   I recently found out that had I read the classics, and specifically Aristotle, this idea would not have appeared new to me (so apparently Aristotle broke the rules long time ago), but since I haven't read him, it was good to read this book. Although one always prefers to do things at which one is good at, we sometimes force ourselves to do things at which we are not so good at, to improve our weak spots.
   
   The content of the book is so good, that it makes you forget about the management book writing style and its being repetitive.
   
   The sequel, Now, Discover Your Strengths is also quite good, it makes a summary of the main strengths that people have and to what type of work they can best be applied. It even contains a test (both inside the book or online) to help you discover your strengths.



5. Definitely on my recommended book list. A must read for women in business.
   
   Susan Bock
   The Success Coach for Women in Business
   www.SusanBockSolutions.com

No comments about Dare to Dream and Work to Win (Audio CD Book).

5 comments about Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.

1. The authors spent six years studying visionary companies to see what accounts for their success. Their goal: to uncover the underlying factors that helped the visionary companies outperform the competition.
   
   The authors chose eighteen visionary companies for their book: 3M; American Express; Boeing; Citicorp; Ford; General Electric; Hewlett-Packard; IBM; Johnson & Johnson; Marriott; Merck; Motorola; Nordstrom; Philip Morris; Procter & Gamble; Sony; Wal-Mart; and Walt Disney. These are the premier organizations in their field; firms that have a long record of having an impact on the world. They have distinguished themselves as a special and elite breed of institution. And, with an average founding date of 1897, and stock-return performance of fifteen times the general market since 1926, they are companies that have stood the test of time.
   
   Some of the main factors for success were: To preserve the values that set your company apart from others; to set audacious goals; and to experiment freely.
   
   The authors use the following analogy: Suppose you read of a person who could tell the exact time just by looking at the position of the sun or stars. "It's April 23, 1996, 2:36 A.M." Wow, you'd think. What a remarkable person. Yet wouldn't it be more remarkable--and useful for the world--if that person built a clock that anyone could refer to, even after the clockmaker had died? Having a great idea, or being a charismatic, visionary leader is like "time telling." Building a company that's healthy long after the visionary leader is gone, or after the great product is passé, is "clock building."
   
   Visionary company founders concentrate first on the organization's systems and values, then on products. In fact, you don't need a great product idea to begin. William Hewlett and David Packard of Hewlett- Packard, for instance, had no product in mind when they got together in 1937. They just wanted to start a company together. Early products included a bowling foul-line indicator, a clock drive for a telescope, and a device to make a urinal flush automatically. They persisted until they figured out how to build a firm that could pump out great products. Likewise, Masaru Ibuka didn't have a single product in mind when he launched Sony in 1945. The company survived selling heating pads. Paul Galvin, Motorola's founder, didn't dream about making battery eliminators for radios, its first product. He dreamed foremost about building a great and lasting company. He did that by developing people. He encouraged dissent, discussion, and disagreement, and he gave people freedom to make contributions. He set challenges and gave people responsibility to achieve them.
   
   Here are some interesting notes I took:
   
   Though many visionary companies have had high-profile leaders like Henry Ford or Sam Walton, charismatic leadership is not necessary for success. 3M, for example, has never had a charismatic CEO.
   
   The firm is not a vehicle for products or personalities; products are a vehicle for the company. Looked at in that light, Walt Disney's greatest creation wasn't Snow White or Disneyland, it's the Disney Company and its ability to make people happy.
   
   Purposes are your organization's fundamental reasons for existing beyond making money. They are broad and enduring. For example, Robert W. Johnson founded Johnson & Johnson "to alleviate pain and suffering." Purposes are not about specific products or services. The Disney Company doesn't exist to "make cartoons for kids," for example. It exists to "use our imaginations to bring happiness to millions." Asked whether he started Marriott Corporation to create an empire, J. Willard Marriott, Sr., said no. He wanted to give friendly service to guests, provide good food at a fair price, and work hard to make a profit to create more jobs.
   
   Merck has long used its values to guide its actions. For example, it once developed a drug called Mectizan to cure a Third World disease known as "river blindness." While it hoped to sell the drug to government and relief agencies, the return on investment would be small. When it came time to sell Mectizan, however, no one bought it. So Merck gave the drug away to the millions who needed it. This was good public relations that could pay off down the road. But it was also because the company has never forgotten George Merck's words: "We try never to forget that medicine is for people. It's not for the profits. The profits follow . . ."
   
   To come up with a purpose, ask: What is our reason for being? What would be lost if we ceased to be?
   
   Boeing's core value, "being in the leading edge of aviation; being pioneers" is permanent. Whatever your business, strategy and tactics, operations, culture, and products are they must change over time. The only thing that shouldn't change is core ideology. When Eastern Airlines said it needed a jet with precise specifications, Boeing took on the challenge. The plane had to land on runway 4-22 at La Guardia Airport in New York, a notoriously short runway. This jet also had to be able to fly non-stop to Miami without refueling, seat six abreast, and hold 131 passengers. Most agreed this was an impossible task. Boeing met the challenge with its 727. It succeeded because, once it got going, it had no other choice. Such goals are always aligned with a Boeing core value: to be on the leading edge of aviation.
   
   Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing's initial idea, to mine corundum, failed, and the company searched desperately for something to do. 3M settled on sandpaper and grinding wheels, which kept it afloat. Such troubles led CEO William McKnight to insist on diversifying. But rather than chart the course himself, he built an organization that would continually change based on the initiative of employees. McKnight hired good people, let them alone to do their work, and encouraged experimentation. The result was many unplanned, successful products. For example, 3M employee Dick Drew was visiting an auto paint shop when he saw a problem to solve. Two-toned paint jobs had become popular, but shops had trouble separating the two colors. Drew went to work and came up with a solution: masking tape. Five years later, he used his experience to develop Scotch tape. Note that 3M hadn't planned to get into tape, now a huge part of its business. It was an outgrowth of the organization McKnight created.
   
   Visionary companies don't ask, "How well are we doing?" They ask, "How can we do better tomorrow than we did today?" This question requires constant self-criticism and investment in the future for a race with no finish line.
   
   Motorola has used an "innovate or die" technique. It has been known to cut off mature product lines that still account for significant sales volume in order to keep innovating.
   
   Boeing uses a process called "eyes of the enemy." It assigns managers the task of developing strategy as though they worked for a competitor and wanted to wipe Boeing off the map. What weaknesses would they exploit? What markets could they invade? Boeing then figures out how it would respond to each threat.
   
   A visionary company is like a great work of art--magnificent in detail, with all elements working together in concert.



2. I enjoyed reading this book very much. It seems the company and the organization as an organic system within a larger system, and which purpose is not simply to make money (although, companies managed this way always do). It brings also the importance of the human side into management and how important it is to have a solid system of core values, beliefs, principles and mission. I highly recommended together with Good To Great, even in spite of the fact that some of the covered companies (like Ford, Sony, and Motorola) not being able to keep their greatness consistently.



3. Finally, a book that includes ideas that are based on research, not just someone's good ideas and stories. If this doesn't change what you are doing in your business, you'd better stop reading, start writing and tell us all your secrets.
   Jim Collins is a great, inspiring author wh will engage you the whole way through.



4. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant
   
   This is one of my favorite book!!



5. Let me just say, I have read two books by Jim Collins and his research team and I have not been at all disappointed. All chapters were explained without complex sentence writings and without all the extra stuff. For example, "Resiliency (not perfection) is the signature of greatness, be it in a person, an organization, or a nation." Jim Collins provided within each chapter insights on how to achieve at any position within a corporate company such as an employee, manager, senior executive, board member,and CEO. The book does mainly talk about people at the "top" but, the research information speaks for itself. Comparing companies such as Procter and Gamble, Walt Disney, Merck, Johnson and Johnson, Wal-Mart to Colgate, Columbia Pictures, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Ames, respectively. The researchers group and Jim Collins provided and proved what facts can represent to a reader. If you are willing to take your time and read with a understanding that anyone can create a "visionary company" of tomorrow. Highly Recommended to all future leaders with the pursue of how to develop what works and what doesn't.

5 comments about Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't.

1. I did not finish this book. Many may argue reviewers should not review books that they have not read entirely, but I think it would ultimately benefit potential readers if even those who started books reviewed them. Maybe then Amazon book reviews would not be so skewed to 5-star reviews. Now on to why I did not like this book.
   
   As a former management consultant, I appreciated the techniques the author used to make what he was saying sound important such as using fancy charts and graphs and writing in business lingo with little substance. The author also sets the stage by self-aggrandizing. In the first page he ruminates about how much someone would have to pay him in order not to publish the book. Apparently even 100 million dollars would not stop him from publishing his work. Now if this were a truly amazing book and research, why not let the readers decide instead of telling them how great it is going to be? Mr. Collins is smart, however. He knows self-aggrandizing works. Human beings fall for those pretensions all the time. Sales people use those strategies all the time. I don't believe that the author is trying to deceive readers and I am sure he genuinely believes his own material. "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." (quote by physicist, Richard Phillips Feynman).
   
   Collins looks at 11 companies that have achieved success and tries to explain what drove them to that success. This is a meaningless exercise. Every situation is unique and more importantly it has little application to the real world. If it did, then why hasn't he been able to predict the future successful companies and become rich by investing in them? If you are not convinced by my review, consider this: one of those "good to great" companies that is studied in the book is Fannie Mae. Enough said!



2. After many years of ignoring the hype about this book (it admittedly has a great name) I buckled and read it. It was o.k. I did find some useful facts and anecdotes in it but for the most part it reminded me of esoteric research papers that I was forced to read in med school and residency -- crammed with #'s and statistics and graphs, but relatively little in the way of real-life applicable insights. Worth a quick perusal. The books by Trout and Ries are much better.



3. I don't need much to write here as hundreds of people has written review for this book.
   In simple terms the book is easy to read & understand. Analyze how best companies manage to retain their position by innovative & intelligent leadership. Research is sound & findings are really interesting. This book would be useful for any leader (or follower) even if they are not into financial sector.
   The concept of "Good is the enemy of Great" struck me the most
   Definitely worth for its price.



4. Great practical ideas. How refreshing it is to see a passionate individual pursue an idea to completion and take the time to fully investigate all possibilities.
   It's been a great addition to my book club at work.



5. This book is easy and interesting reading. Not only is it required text for my class, but the Vice President of the company that I work for actually told me to read it. Imagine her surprise when I informed her that it was required reading for my masters in social work class.

5 comments about Now, Discover Your Strengths.

1. The book is very interesting and very effective. The internet test is very accurate. Nevertheless each strength profile should be discussed more in depth. Let's say you get an idea of who you are but you would like to get more of it. Anyway, the price is worth the stuff you find in the book!



2. Nice concept that could have been handled with a 10 page paper. Clearly authors had to have some volume to prove value so they drone on and on and on. Very tedious reading. Then at every turn they continue to try to sell other products or services. The major killer is having an online exam to evalute your strengths; however, the code is only good once - so DON'T buy a used book as your code will be invalid. If the exam is a work related exercise, you'll be forced to buy a new book just for the code. Also, DON'T let your spouse read the book. If you do, they'll want to take the exam and suprise suprise, you would need another new book just to take the test.



3. [As a corporate human resources director, I often work on developing the latent talents and skills of various managers. Years ago, I taught a class where I had each participant to look into a hand-held mirror and ask the question, "Would you want to work for this person?"
   
   This book takes this exercise to a completely different level. To discover your own inner strengths (and weakness) ensures that you will become the very best manager possible. As a fan of First, Break All the Rules, I was very satisfied that this follow-up was as timely and useful as the first book. I highly recommend you purchase a copy of this book for yourself and for all of your managers. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of
   [ASIN:1897326882 Wingtips with Spurs]]



4. I think the subject of the book is good, however a big part of dicovering your strengths is taking the on line strength finder quiz. Unfortunatley for me the code provided on the inside of the jacket is either invalid or has been used by someone already.
   So as I read this book I will be left to wonder "what are my strengths..."



5. Probably the best management and personnel development tool around! Four staff members were each given a copy to read and to follow the instructions for getting an analysis. Each was asked to bring the analysis for their annual job review. They expected the typical "this is good and that is bad" comments but found that when they reviewed their positive traits they were asked "how can you apply that in your job?" Ar real morale and performance builder.

5 comments about The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It.

1. If you picked up this book to help you build your existing business or build a new one, you might be disappointed. Since your thinking of starting your own business, then you should know that most small businesses fail within the first five years. The author hits on some reasons why they fail but most of these you already know. Do you know that if you are not organized, if you don't change or create new ideas or plans and become stagnat or if you force yourself to do every task yourself, your business will be limited in growth and may eventually fail? Right there is the first 25% of the book fit into one sentence. Then he goes onto his love affiar with turn key businesses. But when he starts talking about his favorite business it should make a reader nervous. He starts talking about the great sucess of McDonalds fast food restuarant franchise. McDonalds is a great success and one to be looked at carefully but not for the reasons he points out. It's apparent he has not been in a McDonalds all that often. He mentions that at McDonalds they depend on consistancy at all their chains. For example the fries stay in the fryer for ten minutes "a soggy french fry is not a McDonald's french fry". At any McDonalds a customer knows what to expect. Then he goes into mention that this is why McDonalds chain resturant is more successfull than those businesses that depend on trade name recognition. I'm sorry this throws a red flag. People eat there beacuse it is fast and it is [not expensive}, not becuase of consistant service. They make a large profit because they keep costs down. I do believe that McDonalds spends a large budget on trade name recognition, I have seen many commercials for McDonalds within the last year; particularly with the Olympics. This whole section undermines the rest of the author's book. If you know that a large section is misleading or biased it makes it difficult to listen to the rest the ideas without already being judgemental. I admit that I am not the smartest business person but its clear Michael Gerber isn't either.



2. I have never been a full-fledged business owner although I worked for one as his business fell apart. Had he had this book I might still have that job.

   Gerber takes his cue from the fact that most small businesses close after less than five years. You'd think that facing these odds the world would be full of books on the reasons why and how to avoid them, but this is the first one I've seen.

   As you read you'll be struck by his understanding of the people who set up business, and also by the clarity of his solution. Yes, to some degree it's an advertisment for his consulting services, but there's plenty of advice.

   I feel that a local business I frequent is beginning to enter a period of decline, and I wish I knew the owner well enough to give him a copy.

   Incidentally, I didn't notice any of the problems other reviewers have mentioned, and in one case the book went right over the head of of one.

   I expect to re-read this book several times, and I'm looking at some of the other Gerber titles.




3. I have listened to this audiocasset over 20 times. My 5 year old business has left me wanting to close the doors and walk away. It leaves me with too little free time to enjoy life. This tape really hits home and makes you think about what a business really is and has opened my eyes. I have now started taking steps to change my business for good. Gerber believes your business should be apart from its owner and this makes perfect sense. I can't believe I haven't seen it before now. I have been a slave to my business for years and I need to set up a system so the business can run itself. My concentration should be making the system run smoothly and not the day to day work.
   
   I can understand how this book doesn't make sense for somebody just starting a business. All the 'one star' ratings are understandable for those people. However, if your business is running your life and can't seem to figure out how to change it this book is for you. I love it and wish there was a follow up with more examples of successes.



4. Great stuff and a must have - appears to be simplistic but after you really study Gerber's well articulated strategy carefully - it will then reveal its true value.



5. I highly recommend this book. I am a businessman and currently I own two small businesses. Since originally reading this book years ago I find myself buying copies for friends, associates and one person I just met between flights. After they read the book they tell me it is as if it was written about them, just as I felt. Once you get your small business running it is quite difficult to understand how the focus of your effort and your role in the business needs to change. This book helps you realize what your role should be and how to go about getting there. If you are like most small businessmen, working to many hours putting out fires instead of guiding the ship, this book will give you real world inspiration and guidance that you can actually apply.
   
   Regards,
   
   Al Johnson Jr -CPMR

5 comments about How to Win Friends & Influence People.

1. I haven't finished the book yet but it definately motivates you to better yourself and be a more positive person. I recommend this book to anyone.



2. How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleA book of proven advice that has stood the test of time.



3. No wonder this is a classic. It is a good reminder of all the things you inherently know, but forget as a normal part of daily life. Immediately upon starting to read it, the way I was dealing with people changed - and business improved quickly! Obviously, a book that should be read over and over. One of the best!



4. This book will make you a million bucks just like it has me if you follow the very simple rules for relating to people.



5. A lot of it is common sense, but things we tend to forget. Book came in great condition and came quickly.

5 comments about Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and In Your Life.

1. "Who moved My Cheese." This is a very interesting book which touch base on the basic human ways of dealing, reacting and processing life's changes.
   
   The book introduce to us simple character that act as a form reaction so to say. In life we will run into complication. In life we will encounter unexpected change if we don't already know that there are molds growing. In life we will allow fear to inhibit our senses of the need to let go of our comfort zone and venture.
   
   To venture out and seek something new, better can be very uncomfortable to somebody who feel as if everything is a okay or is working for them. We don't want to have to struggle to an unexpected zone because fear tells us maybe there is nothing out there better than what we already have.
   
   Fear becomes the dominate self criticizers.
   
   We have been program to go through steps in our lives. From not knowing as infant...the ability to crawl, walk then run; to going through a programmed chapter in our lives from elementary, high school, college, grad school and then getting the big job. What else should we do. Have we not found the "big cheese?" Yet it is perhaps this way of comformity is what traps us in the many form of unhappiness we face.
   
   We try to be content with our jobs, our relationship, our life but in doing so we have harness this comformity along with fear of decomforming. We want to look for "new cheese," becuase the "cheese" we have now is either molding or just not being the "cheese," we thought it would be.
   
   It is not the idea that if something is great we should disregard it and look for something better. It is the idea that we should open our minds and think outside of the box. Maybe the journey may be long, maybe we will only finds crumbs, and maybe we will find a whole new batch of cheese that is better tasting than the ones we have. The idea is our life does not just end at one station of cheese. Living is believing in yourself. Finding that letting go of your fear and learning that worries and trouble thoughts we have can confine us and stop us. The matter can easily be dealt with a simple laugh and a strong mindset that there are better things out there. Life does not end at one place.
   
   The book taught me the easiness of life. We should not hold too much value in any aspect of our life because life is unpredictable, things change. What we should do is be the best and the happiess in our moment of comfort but fear not for changes or sell ourself short by stopping. "Never give up" life is about happiness and where can we find happiness? It's not in finding "New cheese." It in the process of regaining ourselves in every aspect; from confidence to freedom.
   
   "Who Moved My Cheese?" Does that question really need to be asked? Maybe the cheese need to be moved.
   
   -TK



2. An excellent book that makes us think the way we are now and helps us move forward. After reading, I was laughing at my self and was comparing myself with the 4 characters in the book. A book worth kept for any time reading.



3. It has been well documented that the people in this book are appalling stereotypes of average-Joe workers. Whose instinct is to moan about things that are out with their control rather than do something about it. I won't add to this by pointing out how offensive this is again.
   
   Sod it, yes I will!!
   
   I was one of those people who came across this book when the company I worked for bought thousands of copies and gave them out to people during an endless run of re-orgs. No doubt expecting us all to think "Ahh-now I get it, we have no rights. We should be like brainless animals and follow the commands of our betters". At the time the company weren't so much 'Moving The Cheese' as having "The Cheese" continuously flown around the world, attached by a long string to the back of a blind Stork. Occasionally, you would see "The Cheese" fly by the window on the 19th Floor.
   
   Incidentally the HR Director who thought this was a great idea also thought that "Big Brother" (before the reality shows began) was a good thing. Unveiling a new coaching initiative with the slogan "Big Brother is back". When I challenged her on this (pointing out that Big Brother was a symbol of a totalitarian regime who tortured and killed anyone who even thought of standing up to them) her response was "But they (meaning the staff) won't know that". So her credibility was already gone by the time of "The Cheese" fiasco.
   
   I'd like to say that the workers rebelled against the ideas that this book put forward and stood as one against the lacklustre management of the company while simultaneously burning the HR Director on a stack of Who Moved My Cheeses.
   
   Or that the workforce upped and left (inspired by the book) and the company was forced to hire Mice, who were completely unable to operate even the simplest telephone system or grasp the concept of video-conferencing (but were cheap and had surprisingly good timekeeping and attendance). Thus sending the company share price plummeting and forcing the Management team into hiding in Rangoon.
   
   Unfortunately, as you've probably guessed, everyone just shrugged their shoulders and started looking for Jobs on Monster.com. As is common in these cases, the really talented people got jobs elsewhere no problem and the company was left with the poor few who couldn't.
   
   I was one of the lucky ones who got out. And now just a few years later this well-established Company is gone.
   
   And the moral is - if your employers ever give you a copy of this book shove it up their a** and get the hell out of there!!
   
   So as an indicator that you work for idiots.....it is good for something.



4. ...that the reason this book is a best-seller is that companies about to lay off lots of people are buying it in bulk to distribute to those on the way out, in the hope that it'll brainwash them to the extent that they won't go postal and return to their erstwhile workplace with AK-47s.
   
   Sounds likely to me.



5. If you have trouble with change you will like this book because it will force you to think about why change is such a problem to you and then, once the awareness strikes, you can change and deal with change more effectively.
   
   I also like The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book as a change primer, and, moreso, as a book that showed me how I can be more effective personally and in my relationships with others.
   
   Oh, as for parables, the only other one I like besides the Cheese is Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results. It's a better read than Cheese and it's lessons are no less powerful.

5 comments about The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
   
   this is a great book. I have to read it for one of my classes, but
   I am really glad I got assigned to read it.
   
   It is a great resource of knowledge that could help one throughout
   their whole life.
   
   I strongly recommend it!



2. I know a lot of people who have done great things after reading this book. Obviously, not right after finishing, but I think it helps your frame of mind if you are driven, and success and accomplishment is important to you. It speaks to some fundamental truths about human nature that allow the book to stand the test of time.



3. While I read through this wonderful book, I came to a striking realisation: There exist ways to deal with any situation in life effectively. Stephen Covey has put these into writing.
   The challenge remains to live by these universal principles - which Covey did not create but so prudently recognises - but realising they exist is the first step.
   How one person, through years of research even, put this vital gem so rich in content together escapes me. It's as if the book was written from the creator of these concepts themselves - a higher force.



4. A recipe for life success (I first heard it 8 years ago). Covey's style is compelling in audio - for me much better than reading the book.
   Listen to it twice (at least) to let it sink in.



5. Habits! Yes, consistent, belief-based, and optimized habits are the only way to be your best self. Thoughts are the parents of our experience and performance. This guy will guide you to it. You will also learn how to optimize these habits with Rosalene Glickman's book, Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self (endorsed by Covey). These books will bring that optimal consistency into every aspect of your life.