|
BOOKS
by Ron Richardson
Us. by Terence Real ON THE WEB The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. and Spencer Johnson, M.D. Susan J. Bramlette, LMFT The One Minute Manager is a concise, easily read story that reveals three very practical secrets: One Minute Goals, One Minute Praisings, and One Minute Reprimands. Going beyond the premise of managing in one-minute chunks, the book's broader lesson concerns the values that get expressed in those minutes , such as: respecting people, providing emotional security for others, setting reasonable but challenging goals, and helping others to develop excellent work habits. There's merit in being brief in your communications, the authors say. Restricting your message to one-minute chunks helps your listener understand you more clearly. So does starting and ending with praise and appreciation, possibly with a "behavior change request" sandwiched in between. The lessons in this book are both simple but profound. They will help you in both career and interpersonal arenas. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was groundbreaking when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, says true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift"--a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more. This isn't a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you'll want to study this book, not skim it. Throughout the seven principles, Covey's presence is both learned, personal, and thoroughly appealing. He drops references to the likes of Socrates, T.S. Eliot, and Robert Frost with the aplomb of an English professor. And his knack for mixing everyday stories with abstract concepts manages to clarify difficult issues while respecting your intelligence. In the end, we're moved to learn more about integrating all seven habits in our struggle to become better and, yes, more highly effective people. |
