Parable of the Sower (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Octavia E. Butler wrote one of my favorite novels back in the 90’s. It took place in the 2020s and reflected much of the early 2000s. It is book one in an unfinished triology. Octavia E. Butler died while writing the third book, Parable of the Trickster, but this is book one in a fantastic bi-ology? What do you call a two book series? Anyway, I digress. 

The US is BROKE. Global Warming has lead the nation into a future where water is scarce. Chaos has broken out all over the world and somewhere, in a small suburb of LA, a gated community lead by a college professor and baptist minister, is a young girl discovering that she sees the world very differently than those around her. Lauren Olamina is a hyper empath, meaning she can literally feel the pain (and pleasure) of other people and even animals. This is the ultimate weakness in a world where some people, users of a specific drug, are sexually turned on by fire. Arson is the graffiti of the future. 

If the Hunger Games was not political enough, if you wondered just how in the hell kids missed the race of Rue and Thresh or if you want to see a strong protagonist, Parable of the Sower is it. If you thought Hunger Games was scary, if you thought kids killing kids in a game of fight to the death was the darkest possible future, you HAVE to read Parable of the Sower. Period. 

Lauren discovers that she doesn’t see the world the same way her parents do. She doesn’t believe in their god. She believes that the future of human kind lies in being able to manipulate our own evolution so that we can seek out other planets and populate them. There are some brilliant, inspiring and moving quotes from her belief system. As an atheist, I find her quotes about life and spirituality to be far more moving than the texts of typical religions.

So far, Parable of the Sower will not be made into a movie. Which sucks. It would be an AMAZING movie. Sadly, if anybody does buy the rights to it, Octavia E. Butler will not have the chance to see it. She passed away a few years ago. She passed away around the same time as Kurt Vonnegut and I think I was sadder that week than any other.

“All struggles are essentially power struggles. Who will rule? Who will lead? Who will define, refine, confine, design? Who will dominate? All struggles are essentially power struggles,and most are no more intellectual than two rams knocking their heads together.” 

-Octavia E. Butler

Euripides stated “authority is never without hate”. This can be seen whenever there is a political shift of opinion as one authority loses ground and another gains popularity. Much of the shift can be caused by animosity towards the existing power and the shift may be fueled by the disdain. Perhaps one can liken this to the loss of the Liberal political power in Quebec as students continue asking for a repeal on the quick rise of student tuition starting in 2012. Likewise authority is “never without hate” in the sense of disliking the student initiative which has led to city disruptions  and violence.

Have you ever wondered whether or not the great minds of the past thought much about food? What their thoughts on the cuisine of their time might have been? Apparently Dave Dewitt wonders such things if his book Da Vinci’s Kitchen A Secret History of Italian Cuisine is any indication.

Dewitt’s book does not only speak of Da Vinci of course, but rather uses Da Vinci like a character in the grand scheme of things. In this case, the big picture is that of the history of Italian cuisine. Many books have been written on the subject and they all draw from a similar pool of research to some extent. What often differentiates one book from another is what they focus on and how they go about saying what they want to say.

Dewitt goes about presenting his work in a rather textbook way. His book is quite literally like a textbook. Along with the use of pictures and diagrams we are given sections and gray boxes of information. It feels like a history book. While this is informative and may appeal to some people, it may throw other readers off. Also, while some pictures work in accompanying the words on the page, others feel less connected. Still, most hold some interest to the reader. The writing can be a bit dry and lacking in transitions, but it is varied enough that it can draw the reader back in a bit using poetry and anecdotes. Being a rather short book overall, its wavering pace is not too bad. It just means that it might take longer to read than one expects.

The author himself answers the question of whether this is a cookbook or not in his “Note on Recipes” section of the introduction. He admits that the book is written as a food history, which goes along with the textbook feel, and so it is not a cookbook. The recipes are easily found at the end of chapters and he worked hard to present them in such a way as to make it possible to reproduce them with as much ease as one could expect to have with recipes of so long ago. The fact that these recipes reach so far back into history actually makes them quite intriguing. In actuality, along with the one’s Dewitt presents at the end of each chapter, there are even more recipes included throughout the book; however, these do not include measurements or steps of any certain kind. They are merely written in gray boxes, as if they are mere artifacts. It is understandable that Dewitt was not able to do anything more with these, but they are still probably possible to make if one tried hard enough. In the end, it seems this book may be better off not being used as only a cookbook. It works as one, but not solely so.

For those who were interested in the book due to seeing Da Vinci in the title, you may find yourself feeling a tad disappointed. There is only one chapter focused specifically on Da Vinci and even then it does not only focus on Da Vinci’s kitchen and feelings about food. The way it weaves its tale leaves the reader thirsty for more. Despite the fact that Da Vinci is mentioned throughout the book, it does not exactly make sure the reader’s desire is quenched. Those looking to learn more about Da Vinci are better off looking elsewhere as this book is diet Da Vinci or Da Vinci light.

Dewitt’s book is a good read for those looking for a lighter look at the history of Italian cuisine. If you aren’t looking to learn everything about Da Vinci and Italian food, this is at least a good introduction to both subjects that will hopefully whet your appetite for more.

For more on DaVinci Get The Basic Art of Italian Cooking:DaVinci Style by Maria Liberati

Cover of The Art of War

Executive Summary

The Art of War written by Sun Tzu, is the collective wisdom of Chinese generals in what is now North China, roughly about 2,300 years ago.  It is an absolute masterpiece which shows a person how to conquer, shape, and manipulate any conflict, large or small, before confronting the actually conflict.  The brilliance in this text is that it shapes the way you think so that you may apply these lessons to any and everyday situations.  The general on the battlefield can use these tactics and lessons to gain victory over his enemy, while at the same time the manager in the board room can use the same tactics and lessons to gain a competitive advantage over his rivals.   

    Conflict is an everyday part of human life that we each must choose to face or flee.  By deciding to face conflict, we can begin the process of understanding and manipulate it, so that we may overcome it.  As dictated in the book, knowledge is the key to success.  Transforming the way you think and seeing all the different paths that lead and trail a situation, will help you achieve the best possible outcome for dealing with your situation.  Figuring out your strengths and weakness, knowing your employees strength and weakness, and knowing your competitions strength and weakness is one part of understanding, that of course is easier said than done.  

    The book was written in verses which have since been translated to English.  Some of the translations are not exact due to language differences but the main points are there.  It is interesting to note that the Chinese back then read a lot slower so the text is meant to be read slowly and then to focus on comprehending the text.  Unlike a book that would be read today, it is very fragmented and has to be treated as many different lessons which are to be reread over again.  
    The beauty of the book is that the verses while written with a war like language are a way of thinking so that they can be applied to anything.  “And so knowing victory is fivefold—knowing when one can and cannot do battle is victory.  Knowing the use of many and few is victory.  Superior and inferior desiring the same is victory.  Being prepared and awaiting the unprepared is victory.  The general being capable and the ruler not interfering is victory.” (Tzu, 2011 loc. 423)  This quote shows 5 steps one must know to be able to succeed.  The way I have translated this is, first know when to pick your battles.  Second be sure to that you know when to use a lot of your resources compared to just a few of them.  The third verse is a little tricky but I take it that no matter what position one may hold everyone must want to succeed to achieve the desired outcome.  Fourthly, always be prepared for the situation at hand.  Finally management must be given the authority and power to complete the task at hand without upper management restraining them.  You can see that I’ve taken the passages from the book which is written towards a combat form and use them in a management style.  
   

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from The Art of War

   
1.    Conflict is a part of life, whether on the battlefield, in a meeting room, or just in the comfort of your home. Sun Tzu tries to show how to deal with conflict and conquer it before it even begins.  By understanding the conflict you must deal with, you can find ways to defeat it before even being faced with it.  

2.    To achieve full victory, you first must know your troops can strike.  Secondly, you must know the enemy can be struck.  Thirdly, you must know the form of earth can be used for battle.  In management, you must know your employees, know your opposition and know what environment holds the best advantage for you.  By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of these factors, you can take on a situation with the best chance of winning it.

3.    “One bushel of enemy food equals twenty bushels of mine.” (loc. 351 )  When making management decisions it is important to consider using another company’s tangible resource over your own.  You must consider what went into making that item, the money spent, the transportation costs, and all other factors involved.     

4.    “Seize what he loves, and he will heed you!” (loc. 954)  When being faced with a well prepared enemy how do you get the advantage? Take what he loves, and he will fall.  When faced with a decision where you are equally prepared, find out what the other most desires and take it from them.  By doing this, you will hold the advantage because people give up much for what they love.

5.    “The army one wishes to strike, the walled city one wishes to attack and the person one wishes to kill—
One must first know the family name and given name of the defending general, his intimates, the steward, the gatekeeper, and attendants.”  (loc. 1188)   In negotiating, knowing everything about the other person is essential.  Find out about his family, what his colleagues think of him, even what his personal habits are.  With this knowledge you can figure out what kind of personality and tactics he might employ.  This will give insight which you can use against him.

The Art of War (Photo credit: kainet)

6.    For effective planning, you must realize that everything is interconnected.  Understanding these connections will allow you to be efficient in your decision making process.  Everything from your employees, to the services or items you provide, will have connections with other processes.  To understand them all is what allows you to have the information needed to make the correct decision.

7.    “Subduing the other’s military without battle is the most skillful.” (loc. 1379)  You can have a victory but the battle can cost you dearly.   In management, you might get your way but what is the cost?  How may you achieve your goal without using all your resources? These are questions you should ask yourself when you are looking to engage in an activity.

8.    Knowledge will bring you power and allow you to defend yourself.  It is the greatest asset anyone can have.  If you find yourself unsure about a decision or situation then perhaps you do not know enough and that should be a sign for you to learn more.

9.    Shih is a term used to describe the inherent power that a configuration holds.  The example used is water, which is very soft, but when it comes together it can move rocks.  When your company is faced with huge obstacles, your employees are your water.  Focus them and you can overcome anything you face.  

10.    “Every activity, in life as in battle, takes place on a certain ground.  Every ground suggests the response most appropriate to it.” (loc. 2935)  This quote is a simple one to understand.  Simply, every situation is different and will require a different response.  Do not expect to tackle every problem using the same solution.  

Full Summary of The Art of War

Introduction:

1. Applying The Art of War:
   1. When a leader needs to overcome an objective, or your community needs to pass a project to the housing community, how does one face the task at hand?  By taking the concepts from The Art of War, it shows how to conquer without using aggression, whether the task at hand is big or small.  “One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Subduing the other’s military without battle is the most skillful.” (loc. 62)
   2. Conflict is an integral part of human life.  Conflict can be avoided, passed by, ignored, but it can also be defeated before it begins.
   3. Conquer the enemy in a way that keeps as much of the enemy intact as possible using both your resources and the enemy’s resources against them.
   4. Begin with the ordinary details of everyday life and understand how they work and they are connected.  Seeing the connections will allow you to manipulate how things work before directly confront them.

1. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War:

1. Appraisals:

1. Tao.

1. Tao is what causes the people to have the same purpose as their superior and lets them live, die, and be honest with him. (loc. 261 )

1. Heaven.

1.    Heaven is defined as the moving seasons.  If you follow it and move   along you will find victory while going against it you will find defeat.

        c.    Earth.
            1.    The earth is everything around you, high and low, small and big.
        d.    General.
            1.    General is courage, attuned and strict.  He holds the knowledge.
        e.     Method.
            1.    It’s the ranking and supply, and order of your divisions.
           B.    Doing Battle:
        a.  The method of doing battle.

1.    When raising 1000 troops, you must raise 1000 weapons, all the material for the weapons, the food, means of survival, and once these are all done it is then you will have 1000 troops.

        b.  When one employs battle.

1.    Victory must be taken swift, if not it grinds down the army. Strength and swiftness diminish.  Resources begin insufficient.

        c.  One skilled at employing the military.
            1.  Does not have need to call in reinforcements or resources.
        d.  Taking the enemy’s goods is a matter of advantage.
        e.  Reward the first who captures an enemy resource so that others may follow.
        f.   The military values victory while not prolonging victory.
          C.    Strategy of Attack:
        a.  Taking everything whole is superior while destroying it is inferior.
        b.  Inferior cuts alliances, and the military itself.
        c.  Methods of employing the military.
            1.  When you outnumber 10 to 1, surround the enemy.
            2.  When you outnumber 5 to 1, attack the enemy.
            3.  When you outnumber 2 to 1, battle the enemy.
            4.  When you have even numbers, divide your enemy.
            5.  When outnumbered, defend against the enemy.
            6.  When your forces are inadequate, avoid the enemy.
        d.  Victory is five folded.
            1.  Knowing when you can and cannot do battle is victory.
            2.  Knowing how to use greater and fewer resources is victory.
            3.  Know that when the superior and the inferior desire the same is victory.
            4.  Being prepared and awaited the unprepared is victory.
    D.   Form:
        a.  Invincibility is defense, while vincilibity is attack.
        b.  Defend and you will have a surplus while attack and it is insufficient.

        c.  The victorious military is the one that is first victorious and does battle

        afterwards,  while the defeated military does battle first and seeks victory

        afterwards.

        d.  A victorious military will have weight nothing, while a defeated military will

        have the weight of the world on it.

      E.    Shih:

            a.  Controlling the few as if they were many

    F.    The Solid and the Empty:

          a.  Taking position first will allow your army to rest, while the enemy is hasten.

            b.  Advance so that you may not be resisted, or retreat so that you may not be

         caught.

            c.  Form the battlefield and dictate to the enemy.

    G.   The Army Contending:

        a.  A contending army brings advantage and danger.

        b.  An army without a baggage train is defeated.

    H.   The Nine Transformations:

        a.  Know the ground you do battle so that you may use it against your enemy.

        b.  Know when to face your enemy and when to avoid them.

        c.  Know the five dangers as a general

        d.  The plans of the wise include using advantage and harm

    I.    Moving the Army:

        a.  Know how to use the different terrains to your advantage.  Mountains,

         water, salt marshes, and plains all hold different advantages and disadvantages.

    J.    Forms of the Earth:

        a.  Open.

            1.  Occupy and arrive first to open ground.

        b.  Hung.

            1.  Only the prepared against the unprepared will have the advantage.

        c.  Stalled.

            1.  There is no advantage for either army.

        d.  Narrow.

            1.  If you arrive first, occupy and wait.  If the enemy arrives first then

             avoid it.

        e.  Steep.

            1.  It is the same as narrow.

        f.  Distant.

            1.  Both armies are equal and there are no advantages.

    K.    The Nine Grounds:

        a.  Dispersed Ground

            1.  Feudal lords fight for this ground.

        b.  Light Ground

            1.  Just entering another’s grounds.

        c.  Contested Ground

            1.  Whoever attains this ground gains the advantage.

        d.  Connected Ground

            1.  The military can go and leave as they please.

        e.  Junction Ground

            1.  The grounds where 3 militaries meet.

        f.  Heavy Ground

            1.  Entering another’s ground with cities at your back.

        g.  Spread-out Ground

            1.  Roads that are difficult to move along.

        h.  Enclosed Ground

            1.  Where few can strike the many.

         i.  Death Ground

            1.  If quick you will survive, if not you will die.

    L.  Attack by Fire:

        a.  Setting fire to people.

            1.  Let fire burn there army.

        b.  Setting fire to stores.

            1.  Use fire to destroy their resources on hand.

        c.  Setting fire to baggage trains.

            1.  Cut off their resources that are coming in by setting fire to the routes

            they use.

        d.  Setting fire to armories.

            1.  The army cannot fight you if you set fire to the weapons they use.

        e.  Setting fire in tunnels.

            1.  Set fire in tunnels so that there troops might not see the danger and

             perish.

    M.  Employing Spies:

        a.  Foreknowledge will allow you to be victories.

    III.  Three Essays:   
        A.  Taking Whole:
            a.  Do not destroy what you wish to be victorious over.
        B.  The Sage Commander:
            a.  The person that holds knowledge and power is the sage commander.
        C.  Joining the Tradition:
            a.  Oral tradition was the primary method of transferring knowledge till Sun Tzu
            decided to use written form.   
    IV.  Commentary:
        A.  Various commentary on the different concepts of The Art of War.

The Video Lounge

After trying extensively to find an interview with the author from back in 500 B.C., a little humor there, I eventually stumbled upon this video.  It depicts Osama El-Kadi giving a presentation on how to use The Art of War for strategy and business.  He goes on to explain how you can apply the concepts to everyday life.  He compares the book to a Swiss army knife.  You can use this book to apply to all situations in everyday life.

Osama goes on to talk about how he’s given speeches on these strategies to various leaders in government and businesses.  The businesses that want to stay successful will incorporate these strategies to stay competitive.  

Personal Insights

Why I think:

• The author is one of the most brilliant people around…or is full of $%&#, because:

1. Sun Tzu is one of the most brilliant people around because the knowledge he gathered and the way he presented it is still relevant today.  The Art of War was written around 500 B.C. in a period of constant fighting among the Chinese, yet today you can apply it to any situation dealing with conflict.  I would say that any book that is capable of making an influence after 2510 years should be read by everyone.  Other than perhaps some religious books such as the Bible or Quran, name one author that has written a book that has been relevant so such a long time.  

• If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:

1. I would have tried to go a little more in depth with some of the verses.  I think a lot of the book is left open for interpretation which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it leaves a lot of room for what might be the authors point.

2.    Some of the book was written with a poetic feel, which is great in Chinese, but when translated to English loses its poetic qualities.  The message could have been conveyed without the use of poetry which would have allowed for an easier translation into all languages.  

3.    The book could have reached a greater audience in a shorter time frame if perhaps it had been written as a more generalized book versus a book on facing conflict for war.  The message would be the same, but perhaps he could have related it to other aspects of life.  Then again, I’m not entirely sure what kind of professions it could relate too back in 500 B.C.

• Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:

1.    It really made me think how I view and understand situations.  I’ve dealt with conflict before, as everyone has, but after reading this book I think I could handle it a lot better.  I feel like it sort of open my eyes a little wider.

2.    This book actually made me think of how much smarter earlier civilizations of humans were, than we actually give them credit for.  The author used his knowledge which was partly his and partly passed down through generations, to write this masterpiece which has more relevance on the world today than it did back then.  It amazes me to think that in 500 B.C. this is the insight people had.  

3.    The art of winning a conflict before it even begins is an ideal I’ve never thought about before.  I’ve prepared for conflicts before, tried to do my best to face them, but never thought about the possibility of overcoming it before it even starts.  I almost think this book has changed a little in the way I think.

• I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:

1.    I can see the applications this book has in the business world.  I want to take the steps from this book and apply them to business conflicts to see if it’s possible to gain an advantage over rivals who do not use these tactics.  

2.    The book has a part where it talks about by using less resources and less manpower it can be used to give an advantage over bigger rivals with more resources and power.  It has got me thinking about the less is more concept and I can see it being applied to my current job.

3.    When I’m put into a position where I need managers and such, I will require them to read this book.  The insight and perspective that it brings will give any business a conceptual advantage.

• Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:

The book seems to have impacted people’s lives profoundly and makes an impact still to this day.  It’s simply amazing what people have to say in regards to it.  This particular translation has a lot of reviews which seem to praise its accuracy and ability to capture what Sun Tzu was trying to say.  Denma, has been given great praises for there translation.  The following are some of the praises which I think best captures what others have been saying about this book.  

    “A new standard has been set.  The Denma Group’s Sun Tzu rendering shows extraordinary accuracy….In addition to the translation, this book has the finest essays analyzing the many Art of War concepts. Not stopping there, the authors then skillfully explained each and every passage of Sun Tzu. Needless to say, we highly recommend this book.” (VICTORY OVER WAR Reviews and Comments)   
    “An exhilarating experience. The principles of translation adhered to by the Denma group are among the best I have ever encountered for ancient Chinese texts.” (VICTORY OVER WAR Reviews and Comments)
   
“In my seminars I have found that the Denma group’s Art of War is the one version of the text that most closely resonates with the professional experience of senior military officers regarding tactics and doctrine. It’s the most sophisticated and accessible I’ve seen.” (VICTORY OVER WAR Reviews and Comments)
   

Bibliography

El-Kadi, O. (n.d.). Sun Tzu the Art of War Success Strategy. Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAJ3zO6YLZY 

Hawkins, D. E. (2005). Sun Tzu and The Project Battleground. Houndsmills: Palgrave Macmillan.

Interview with the Denma Translation Group. (n.d.). Retrieved from Sonshi: http://www.Sonshi.com/Denma.html

The Art of War. (n.d.). Retrieved from Shambhala Publications: http://www.Shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/ISBN/978-1-59030-728-1.cfm

Tzu, S. (2011). The Art of War. Bonston & London: Shambala.

VICTORY OVER WAR Reviews and Comments. (n.d.). Retrieved from VICTORY OVER WAR: http://www.victoryoverwar.com/reviews2.html

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Contact Info

To contact the author of this article, “A Management in a Minute Book Overview of The Art of War by Sun Tzu] for Practicing and Aspiring Managers” please email shawnherbert30@gmail.com.  

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyldaboutinternationalfoods.blogspot.com/)                                             

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Executive Summary

    Becoming a person of influence is about how to positively impact the lives of others. Everyone has influence somewhere in there life and no matter what your goals are if you learn how to become a person of influence you can achieve them faster and more efficiently. In order for a person of influence to have a positive impact on others, he or she has to obtain qualities to which a person of influence entails. A person of influence has integrity with people, nurtures other people, has faith in people, listens to people, understands people, enlarges people, navigates for other people, connects with people, empowers people, and reproduces other influencers.

A Person of Influence has Integrity with People. Genuine integrity is not for sale, is about the small things, is an inside job, is not based on credentials, and is not to be confused with reputation. The benefit of integrity is trust and the benefit of trust is influence.

A Person of Influence Nurtures Other People. The nurturing process is a genuine concern for others. To become a nurturer you must encourage them because they are influenced the most by people that make them feel the best about themselves. In order to do this you must focus on giving rather than receiving. Also, instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their shoes.

A Person of Influence has Faith in People. To understand this you must first look at the facts about faith in people. Then understand that faith is a belief in actions that we need to need to exemplify and to learn how to become a believer in people is very important.   

A Person of Influence Listens to People. This is an essential quality to have. It is important to understand the value of listening, what the common barriers are to listening, and how to develop listening skills in order to become a person of influence.

A Person of Influence Understands People and has the potential to positively impact every aspect of your life. Understanding people pays great dividends, but first you need to why people fail to understand others. Then you need to know the things everybody needs to understand about people, and acknowledge that you have the choice to try understand others or not.

A Person of Influence Enlarges People. You need to know the meaning of mentoring and that enlarging others is an investment. Therefore, this requires you have to become more yourself in order to do more for others, carefully choose the people you want to enlarge, and make it a priority to take them through the enlarging process.   

A Person of Influence Navigates for Other People. The navigator identifies the destination and plots the course to which you need to follow. A navigator needs to be able to think ahead, make course corrections when needed, and stays with the people that he is influencing.

A Person of Influence Connects with People. Connection enables others to travel to a higher level. This is done by following the nine steps for connecting with people.

A Person of Influence Empowers People. Know what it means to empower others and what qualifications there are of an empowerer. Then learn how to empower others to their potential and what the results are from empowerment.

A Person of Influence Reproduces Other Influencers. The power of multiplication is the idea of being a person of influence to others; you reproduce other influencers as well. You need to awaken the reproducer inside you and move from maintenance mode to multiplication mode in order learn how to raise leaders who reproducer leaders.

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from Becoming a Person of Influence

   
1.    A Person of Influence has Integrity with People. Genuine integrity is not for sale, is about the small things, is an inside job, is not based on credentials, and is not to be confused with reputation. The benefit of integrity is trust and the benefit of trust is influence.  

2.    A Person of Influence Nurtures Other People. The nurturing process is a genuine concern for others. To become a nurturer you must encourage them because they are influenced the most by people that make them feel the best about themselves. In order to do this you must focus on giving rather than receiving. Also, instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their shoes.

3.    A Person of Influence has Faith in People. To understand this you must first look at the facts about faith in people. Then understand that faith is a belief in actions that we need to need to exemplify and to learn how to become a believer in people is very important.   

4.    A Person of Influence Listens to People. This is an essential quality to have. It is important to understand the value of listening, what the common barriers are to listening, and how to develop listening skills in order to become a person of influence.

5.    A Person of Influence Understands People and has the potential to positively impact every aspect of your life. Understanding people pays great dividends, but first you need to why people fail to understand others. Then you need to know the things everybody needs to understand about people, and acknowledge that you have the choice to try understand others or not.

6.    A Person of Influence Enlarges People. You need to know the meaning of mentoring and that enlarging others is an investment. Therefore, this requires you have to become more yourself in order to do more for others, carefully choose the people you want to enlarge, and make it a priority to take them through the enlarging process.   

7.    A Person of Influence Navigates for Other People. The navigator identifies the destination and plots the course to which you need to follow. A navigator needs to be able to think ahead, make course corrections when needed, and stays with the people that he is influencing.  

8.    A Person of Influence Connects with People. Connection enables others to travel to a higher level. This is done by following the nine steps for connecting with people.

9.    A Person of Influence Empowers People. Know what it means to empower others and what qualifications there are of an empowerer. Then learn how to empower others to their potential and what the results are from empowerment.

10.    A Person of Influence Reproduces Other Influencers. The power of multiplication is the idea of being a person of influence to others; you reproduce other influencers as well. You need to awaken the reproducer inside you and move from maintenance mode to multiplication mode in order learn how to raise leaders who reproducer leaders.

Full Summary of Becoming a Person of Influence

Introduction

• Everyone Has Influence
  • If your life in any way connects with other people, you are an influencer.
  • If your desire is to be successful or to make a positive impact on the world, you need to become a person of influence.
  • No matter what your goals are in life or what you want to accomplish, you can achieve them faster, you can be more effective, and the contribution you make can be longer lasting if you learn how to become a person of influence.
  • There is no success without influence.
• Your Influence Is Not Equal With All People
  • Our level of influence is not the same with everyone, once you start paying closer attention to people’s responses to yourself and others, you’ll observe that people respond to one another according to their level of influence to them.
• Stages Of Influence and Their Impact
  • There are four stages of influence to consider when striving to make an impact on others: 1. Modeling, 2. Motivating, 3. Mentoring, and 4. Multiplying.
• Your Influence Is Either Positive or Negative
  • The choice is yours if you want to have a positive or negative impact.
  • “Even if you’ve had a negative effect on others in the past, you can turn that around and make your impact a positive one.”
• Positive Influencers Add Value To Other People

A Person of Influence Has Integrity with People

• Genuine Integrity Is Not for Sale (p. 18-20)
  • In every aspect of life there are character issues that come up and examples of moral breakdowns everywhere one looks.
  • The need for integrity is conceivably at its highest point. It is undeniably vital for anyone who wishes to become a person of influence and is a quality most needed to succeed professionally and personally.
• Integrity Is About The Small Things (p. 20-21)
  • It is the basis that many other qualities are built on.
  • Cheryl Biehl points out, “One of the realities of life is that if you can’t trust a person at all points, you can’t trust him or her at any point.”
  • Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary describes integrity as “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.”
  • Integrity commits itself to character over personal gain, to people over things, to service over power, to principle over convenience, to the long view over the immediate.
  • Character isn’t created in a crisis; it only comes to light.
  • Developing and maintaining integrity require constant attention.
• Integrity Is An Inside Job (p. 21-23)
  • Three truths about integrity that go against common thinking:
    • Integrity Is Not Determined by Circumstances (p. 22)
      • Two people can grow up in the same environment, even the same household, and one will have integrity and the other won’t. Ultimately, you are responsible for your choices.
    • Integrity is Not Based on Credentials (p. 22)
      • Character comes from who we are.
      • Credentials can never accomplish what character can. No number of titles, degrees, offices, designations, awards, licenses, or other credentials can substitute for basic, honest integrity when it comes to the power of influences others.
    • Integrity is Not to Be Confused with Reputation (p. 23)
      • William Hersey Davis says “The circumstances amid which you live determine your reputation…the truth you believe determines your character…”
      • A good reputation exists because it is a reflection of a person’s character. Worry less about what others think, and give your attention to your inner character.
• The Benefit Of Integrity: Trust (p. 27-29)
  • Trust is the single most important factor in personal and professional relationships.
  • One needs to develop the following qualities of integrity to positively influence other people: model consistency of character, employ honest communication, value transparency, exemplify humility, demonstrate your support of others, fulfill your promises, embrace an attitude of service, and encourage two-way participation with the people you influence.
• The Benefits Of Trust: Influence (p. 29-33)
  • One of the keys to influence is when you earn people’s trust you begin to earn their confidence. This is when you will be able to start impacting their lives.

A Person of Influence Nurtures Other People

• The Nature of Nurture (p. 38-40)
  • The nurturing process is a genuine concern for others.
  • To become a nurturer you must encourage them because they are influenced the most by people that make them feel the best about themselves.
• A Nurturing Influencer Is A Giver (p. 40-47)
  • In order to do this you must focus on giving rather than receiving, starting in these areas: love, respect, sense of security, recognition, and encouragement.
• What They Receive (p. 49-53)
  • Instead of putting others in their place, try putting yourself in their shoes.
  • When you nurture others they get positive self-worth, sense of belonging, better perceptive on themselves, a feeling of significance, and hope.
• How To Become A Natural Nurturer (p. 54-55)
  • To become a natural at this you must commit to them, believe in them, be accessible to them, give with no strings attached, give them opportunities, and lift them to a higher level.

A Person of Influence has Faith in People

• Facts About Faith in People (p. 62-64)
  • Faith in people is an essential quality of an influencer when working with others.
  • To understand this you must first look at the facts about faith in people: most people don’t have faith in themselves, don’t have someone who has faith in them, can tell when someone has faith in them, and will do anything to live up to your faith in them.
• Faith Is Belief In Action (p. 65)
  • W. T. Purkiser, professor emeritus of religion at Point Loma College, clearly saw: “Faith is more than thinking something is true. Faith is thinking something is true to the extent that we act on it.”
  • Become a believer in people, and even the most tentative and inexperience people can bloom right before your eyes.
• How To Become A Believer In People (p. 66-72)
  • To become a believer in people you need to believe in them before they succeed, emphasize their strengths, list their past successes, instill confidence when they fail, experience some wins together, visualize their future success, and motivate them to move to a new level of living.

A Person of Influence Listens to People

• The Value Of Listening (p. 80-84)
  • The benefits of listening shows respect, builds relationships, increases knowledge, generates ideas, builds loyalty, and is a great way to help others and yourself.
• Common Barriers To Listening (p. 85-88)
  • To improve your ability to listen is to first be aware of common barriers to listening: overvaluing talking, experience mental fatigue, stereotyping, carrying personal emotional baggage, and being preoccupied with self.
• How To Develop Listening Skills (p. 89-94)
  • To develop better listening skills look at the speaker, don’t interrupt, focus on understanding, determine the need at the moment, check your emotions, suspend your judgment, sum up at major intervals, ask questions for clarity, and always make listening your priority.

A Person of Influence Understands People

• Understanding People Pays Great Dividends (p. 100-101)
  • It has the potential to positively impact every aspect of your life.
  • David Burns, a medical doctor and professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, observed, “The biggest mistake you can make in trying to talk convincingly is to put your highest priority on expressing your ideas and feelings. What most people really want is to be listened to, respected, and understood. The moment people see that they are being understood, they become more motivated to understand your point of view.”
• Why People Fail To Understand Others (p. 101-104)
  • People fail to understand other people because of fear, self-centeredness, failure to appreciate differences, and failure to acknowledge similarities.
• Things Everybody Needs To Understand About People (p. 105-111)
  • There are five things that we need to understand about people: everybody wants to be somebody, nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care, everybody needs somebody, everybody can be somebody when somebody understands and believes in them, and anybody who helps somebody influences a lot of bodies.
• Choose To Understand Others (p. 111-115)
  • To really make a difference you have choose to look at the other person’s perspective, have personal empathy, and a positive attitude about people.

A Person of Influence Enlarges People

• The Meaning Of Mentoring (p. 121-122)
  • The mentoring process offers people the opportunity to turn their potential into reality, their dreams into destiny.
  • William Gladstone, nineteenth-century British statesman, asserted, “He is a wise man who wastes no energy on pursuits for which he is not fitted; and he is wiser still who from among the things he can do well, chooses and resolutely follows the best.”
• Enlarging Others Is An Investment (p. 122-124)
  • When you enlarge others you raise their level of living, potential for success, capacity for growth, and the potential of your organization.
• Make Yourself An Enlarger (p. 125)
  • You have to become more yourself in order to do more for others.
  • Leadership experts Warren Bennis and Bert Nanus spoke to this issue: “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that disguishes leaders from their followers.”
  • Many people lose the importance of personal growth after they finish their formal education, so don’t let this happen to you and make it one your top priorities.
• Carefully Choose Persons To Enlarge (p. 126-127)
  • Be a model of integrity to everyone and make it your goal to motivate all the people you have a relationship with, but you can’t take the time to enlarge everybody so work first with the ones most likely to be receptive to growth.
  • When you are thinking who you want to enlarge: select people whose philosophy of life is similar to yours, choose people with potential you genuinely believe in, select people whose lives you can positively impact, match the men and women to the mountains, and start when the time is right.
• Make It A Priority To Take Them Through The Enlarging Process (p. 128-134)
  • John’s friend Ed Cole says, “There is a price to pay to grow. Commitment is the Price.”
  • To maximize the enlarging process for others: see their potential, cast a vision for their future, tap into their passion, address character flaws, focus on their strengths, enlarge them one step at a time, put resources in their hands, expose them to enlarging experiences, and teach them to be self-enlargers.
  • “A successful enlarger evaluates the potential of others and places them in a position to succeed.”

A Person of Influence Navigates for Other People

• A Navigator Identifies The Destination (p. 143-144)
  • In Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Leroy Eims wrote, “A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others do.”
  • To help them recognize the destination they are looking for, you need to know what really matters to them, and find out these things about them: what do they cry about, what do they sing about, and what do they dream about?
• A Navigator Plots The Course (p. 144-145)
  • A good rule of thumb is to set your goals in concrete and write your plans in the sand. To help plot their course you need to look at where they need to go, what they need to know, and how they need to grow.
  • Basically, help them identify attainable goals that will give them confidence, and they’ll make progress.
• A Navigator Thinks Ahead (p. 146-149)
  • While preparing them for what they will encounter there are four things you should help them understand: everybody faces problems, successful people face more problems than unsuccessful people, money doesn’t solve problems, and problems provide an opportunity for growth.
• A Navigator Makes Course Corrections (p. 150-152)
  • People will still get off course sometimes no matter how focus they are, but the problem lies when they have difficulty making course corrections.
  • You can help them avoid these situations by teaching them not to listen to doubting critics, coach them not to be overwhelmed by challenges, encourage them to seek simple solutions, and instill confidence in them.
• A Navigator Stays With The People (p. 153)
  • A good navigator travels alongside the people he is guiding as a friend.
  • Author and conference speaker Richard Exley explains his idea of friendship in this way: “A true friend is one who hears and understands when you share your deepest feelings. He supports you when you are struggling; he corrects you, gently and with love, when you err; and he forgives you when you fail. A true friend prods you to personal growth, stretches you to your full potential. And most amazing of all, he celebrates your successes as if they were his own.”  

A Person of Influence Connects with People

• Connection Enables Others To Travel To A Higher Level (p. 161)
  • First, you have to find out where they are, move towards them to make contact, and connect with them. If this is done successfully it can take them to new heights in your relationship and in their development.
• Nine Steps For Connecting With People (p. 162-170)
  • The following steps will help you connect with the people you influence: 1. Don’t take people for granted, 2. Possess a make-a-difference mind-set, 3. Intitate movement toward them, 4. Look for common ground, 5. Recognize and respect differences in personality, 6. Find the key to others’ lives, 7. Communicate from the heart, 8. Share common experiences, and 9. Once connected, move forward.

A Person of Influence Empowers People

• What It Means to Empower Others  (p. 177-178)
  • Empowering is giving your influence to others for the purpose of personal and organizational growth. It’s seeing people’s potential, sharing your resources with them, and showing them that you believe in them completely.
  • “When you empower people, you’re not influencing just them; you’re influencing all the people they influence.”
• Qualifications Of An Empowerer (p. 179-180)
  • The process works only when certain conditions have position, relationship, respect, and commitment.
• How To Empower Others To Their Potential (p. 182-188)
  • As you empower others use these steps to guide you: 1. Evaluate them, 2. Model for them, 3. Give them permission to succeed, 4. Transfer authority to them, 5. Publicly show your confidence in them, 6. Supply them with feedback, and 7. Release them to continue on their own.
• The Results Of Empowerment (p. 188)
  • You will find, as you empower others, personally to have more time for the more important things in your life, your organization increase in effectiveness, your influence with others increase, and incredibly positive impact on the people lives you empower.

A Person of Influence Reproduces Other Influencers

• The Power Of Multiplication (p. 196-197)
  • Creating leaders in your organization who are able to not only follow you but also influence others and raise them up has its benefits: it raises your influence to a new level, it raises the new leaders’ personal potential, it multiplies resources, and it ensures a positive future for your organization.
• Awaken The Reproducer In You (p. 198-201)
  • Make the following principles part of your life to awaken the reproducer in you: lead yourself well, look continually for potential leaders, put the team first, and commit yourself to developing leaders, not followers.
• Moving From Maintenance to Multiplication (p. 201-203)
  • There are a lot of people that live in maintenance mode, but to make an impact you have to make every effort to be a multiplier.
  • Starting at the lowest to highest, there are five stages the exist between maintenance and multiplication: 1. Scramble, 2. Survival, 3. Siphon, 4. Synergy, and 5. Significance.
• How To Raise Up Leaders Who Reproduce Leaders (p. 203-205)
  • If you want to raise leaders who reproduce other leaders, you need to mentor them. It happens when you take the prospective leader under your wing, develop them, empower them, share with them how to become a person of influence, and then release them to out and raise other leaders.

The Video Lounge

Success can be very subjective. What is success? It is knowing your my purpose of life. Successful people have really found why they are here, and knowing their purpose in life is stability for them. They are focus and this is an anchor that is confidence based upon knowledge of purpose.

Personal Insights

Why I think:

• The author is one of the most brilliant people around, because:

This concept of becoming a person of influence is well planned and researched. He mentions various leaders that were very important in the areas in which they influence and gave many examples of how they affect others around them.

• If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:

1.    I would have probably added more statistics from psychiatrist. Just for those who may be on the fence about this method in business, by giving a few more statistics may give that certain reader an extra push to try this method out.

2.    I feel the ending of the book could have been finished a little bit differently or it could’ve gone into more detail on how to reproduce leaders better. In addition, the wording of “The power of multiplication,” I feel like this could have been clarified better as well, I understand it means but in details of the writing it doesn’t really illustrate how its multiplication, anything from just an added sentence can fix this.

3.    In a few of the chapters (such as on p. 24) there are up to 10 questions set in the middle of it, where I think those could have been placed in the back of chapters with the influence checklist.It could have also perhaps been in a better format like multiple choice, where you can have an idea on scale from 1-4 so that you can have an idea maybe where measure at.

• Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:

1.    This book help me truly understand why integrity is so important and that no matter what happens if you have integrity it can get you through some tough times or situations. It also informed me that integrity is more about your character and who are, regardless of what you do or what you look like. Furthermore, it clarified the differences and help understand a little more why integrity is not to be confused with reputation.

2.    This book helped me have a better perspective as to why listening to others is important not only in my personal life, but in all aspects of life when interacting with others. It was also informative when describing why for some people listening may be difficult, and that they are barriers that we need to be aware of when communicating with others. But I think the most important part of this section was how to develop your listening skills, and knowing a few of these things now I think it would very beneficial for everyone to improve on these skills.

3.    A person of influence enlarges people help me see that in order to progress you need a positive mentor that will challenge you and encourage you to do the best that you can is extremely important. Also, when it comes time for you to choose people to enlarge it gave me a better idea of who I should invest my time into rather than waste my time with.

• I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:

1.    Trying to listen to others more clearly, so that I can form better relationships with those around me. Which gives me the ability to be more open minded to new ideas that may be essential or innovative toward the goals of my company striving to achieve.

2.     Trying to connect with others more. I’ve found this can be very insightful in helping me in the career I want to pursue and that forming connections can help me reach my full potential faster than I would alone. I find that the nine steps for connecting with people can help with my overall self, helping me become more sociable with everyone.

3.    Trying to nurture those around me more, by encouraging and giving recognition first to those closest to me, because I would like to help and see them get excel at what they love to do, in hopes they would do the same for me as well.

Bibliography

Maxwell, J. C., & Dornan, J. (1997). Becoming A Person Of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others. Nashville, TN: Nelson, Thomas.

Success Magazine (2009, January 23). John Maxwell – The Secret to Success. Podcast retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU8lUimI-Mk

ACQYR (2009, January 9). Becoming a Person Of Influence by John C. Maxwell, Jim Dornan. Book Review. Retrieved form http://www.acqyr.com/self-help-book-reviews/becoming-a-person-of-influence
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Contact Info

To contact the author of this article, “A Management in a Minute Book Overview of Becoming a Person of Influence by John C. Maxwell and Jim Dornan for Practicing and Aspiring Managers” please email norman.roussel@selu.edu.

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyldaboutinternationalfoods.blogspot.com/).                                            

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Cover via Amazon

Executive Summary

The book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, was written by John C. Maxwell. The book is about 21 laws that Maxwell has come up that will help people come true leader. He also helps to defines what a true leader is and what he stands for. He describes each law in such wonderful detail that it is easy to understand the concepts and learn from them. Maxwell has been a leader for 30 years in the world of business worldwide. But the book cannot only help in the business world but also in your personal life to deal with families and general things about life.

One thing that I found that the Maxwell does is he uses his personal life as the center of the book. He uses his experience from owning businesses and being a minister to help people to better understand the laws that he trying to teach us. Maxwell also used famous quote from several different people in history to describe each law and these quotes better how the reader to grasp the full idea of the law and how they play into the real world. The books help a leader turn into a true leader and helps people realize how to be a leader in the world. It also tells some of the myths about being a leader and how they are wrong. It also tells about factor people must have in order to be a leader and some question people must ask themselves in order to be a leader.

In the introduction of the book, Maxwell asks all his readers to keep four things in mind so they can better understand the laws. The first thing is that laws can be learned. The second thing is that laws can stand alone. The third thing is that laws carry consequences with them. The fourth thing that he asks readers to keep in mind is that these laws are the foundation of leadership. If you keep these four simple things in your mind while reading the book then you will better understand the law and be able to better use them in your own life. One main concept that one has to realize which is also one of the laws is that leadership is not something that you are just born with or is handed to you for just to have in life. Leadership is something that you can learn and always have to be willing to learn as you get older because leadership is always changing and you have to be willing to change with it. The book states that “follow them and people will follow you” but first you have to be willing to learn and understand the laws before you can use them to get people to follow you as a leader.

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

1.    Leadership develops daily, not in a day. You have to be willing to learn. A manager has to be willing to continue to learn new things about leadership. As the business world changes then a manager must be willing to change as well.

2.    Manager and a leader are not the same. A manager is someone who gives people direction to follow but a leader is someone who has people willing to follow them. You need to first become a leader in order to be a good manager.

3.    Leaders attract people like themselves. If you are a good leader then you will attract people who are also good. This means that as a whole group then the group can make something wonderful happen. If you do not like the people around you then you first need to change yourself.

4.    You must touch the heart before the hand. A good leader or manger needs to have a special connection with the people around them on a personal level. If you care about the people around you then in turn the people around you will care as well and try to improve things.

5.    Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. A good manager needs to have a good game plan ready to handle any type of business that may happen. The best thing a manger can do is to plan ahead and be ready.

6.    It takes a leader to raise up a leader. A good manager should have a good inner circle. Everyone knows that “two heads is better than one”.  A manager may not be able to handle everything alone so they need to have a group there ready to help.

7.    The true measure of leadership is influence: nothing more, nothing less. A good leader or manager has to be able to influence the people who chose to follow them. If you are able to influence the people around you, you will have a better outcome in the end.

8.    Leaders evaluate everything with leadership bias. A leader or manager needs to be see things coming and be ready to respond. They need to have a good intuition based on facts, logic, and instincts.

9.    Momentum is a leader’s best friend.  Momentum gives leaders or manager a way to achieve their goals. The two keys to good momentum are preparation and motivation.

10.    Leaders find a way for the team to win. A leader or manager will always find a way to make things happen and to have things go the right way. Even if they have to change the main game play, they should be ready and prepared with another one.

Full Summary of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Introduction

John Maxwell has worked in the business world for thirty plus years and most of the years he has spent them in leadership powers. He is very prolific. He is an ordained minister, professional speaker, author of two dozen books, founder of four companies, expert on leadership, leader of leaders, and developer of leaders. Maxwell begins his book by stating, “I have the privilege of teaching leadership across the country and around the globe”. After reading this quote, one understanding and believes that he actually knows what he is talking about and means what he says. He believes that leadership principles are constant everywhere and in every business. During reading the 21 laws of leader, Maxwell asks people to keep four things in their mind. The four things are: 1. the laws can be learned, 2. the laws can stand alone, 3. the laws carry consequences with them, and 4. these laws are the foundation of leadership.

Chapter 1: The Law of the Lid

Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. If a person has a low ability to lead then they also have a lower potential to be effective. But if the person has a higher ability to lead and good at it, then they also have a greater chance to have great potential effectiveness in the business world. A person’s leadership ability determines their impact of their business in the business world and effectiveness of the business. Your business can not reach a higher level and become greater if you are not willing to lead it to a greater point or have the ability to. One can find smart, educated, talented, successful, and willing to work people but they can only go as far as their leadership abilities can take them.

Chapter 2: The Law of Influence

The true measure of leadership is influence-nothing more and nothing less. You must influence the people to wan to lead. It cannot be awarded or assigned but it can be earned. There are five myths about leadership that Maxwell discusses. The five myths are as stated as:

The Management Myth. This myth states that leaders and mangers are same which they are not. Leading people is about influencing them which managing people is about maintaining direction is systems and processes. Leaders can change things but mangers can only give directions not changes.

The Entrepreneur Myth. This myth is about entrepreneur being able to buy things but not fix or change them. Entrepreneurs are good at seeing the opportunities of a business but not good at being able to lead people to the opportunity they are seeing.

The Knowledge Myth. The myth is about no matter how high your IQ is does not make you a leader nor does education. One’s education or IQ score does not equal to leadership skills.

The Pioneer Myth. This myth is about being the first one or trendsetter does not make you the leader. For a person to be a leader, the person has to be in front but not only be in front, they must have people following the leader and trying to help make the leader’s goals a reality.

The Position Myth. This myth is telling about no matter what your position or rank is does not make you the leader. It is the leader who makes the position not the position who makes the leader.

There are several factors that enable a person to be a leader that can influence people. Some of the factors that make a leader a leader are as followed:

Character-Who They Are- Leadership skills come from the person inside.

Relationships-Who They Know- If a person has the right relationships with the right people that they may have a chance to become a real leader in a business.

Knowledge- What They Know- For a leader, information is very important. They must know some the facts so they can determine their vision of the future of the business in which they are leading.

Intuition- What They Feel- Leaders influence intangibles and seek to recognize them. The intangibles are energy, morale, timing, and momentum.

Experience-What They’ve Been- The more challenges and success of your past then the more followers will be more likely to allow you to lead them.

Ability-What They Can Do- As a leader you must be able to let your followers to the best things in life. Once you start to lead your followers to the wrong path then they will stop following you.

Chapter 3: The Law of Process

Leadership develops daily not in a day. Leadership is something that is learned over time not just all in one day. The more experiences you have the better leadership you would have, Good leaders are also good learners. The learning process is one that never ends and good leader will try to learn to better their skills. There are four phases of the leadership growth. The phases are as followed:

Phase 1: Don’t Know What I Don’t Know- The person must know the importance of leadership enable for the person to grow into a good leader.
Phase 2: I Know What I Don’t Know- A leader must realize that they may not know everything to lead so they must be willing to learn to better them. If they do not better themselves then someone will come along and become the new leader.
Phase 3: I Know and Grow and It Starts to Show- A leader is able to better themselves and allow good things to happen to them when they see where they lack certain skills and discipline themselves so they can allow personal growth.
Phase 4: I Simply Go Because of What I Know- A leader must develop a skills that obey the law of process to have great instincts to be able to lead.

Chapter 4: The Law of Navigation

Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.  A leader must be able to think ahead to get the best outcome. Before a good leader starts a new idea, they must take a process to make sure about the new idea.  The process has the leaders drawing experience from the past, examine the conditions before making commitments, listen to what others have to say, and make sure their conclusion represent both fact and faith. Some leaders have a problem with listening to others because they feel their idea is the best idea for the situation. Maxwell uses an acrostic to help in charting a course with a navigation strategy. The acrostic is as followed:

       Predetermine a course of action

       Lay out your goals

       Adjust your priorities

       Notify key personal

       Allow time for acceptance

       Head into action

       Expect problems

       Always point to the successes

       Daily review your plan

The main thing with this law is to be prepared. If you are prepared and know what you are talking about then people will believe in you and be ready to follow you.

Chapter 5: The Law of E.F. Hutton

When real leader holds the power, not just the position. Hutton was one of America’s most influential stock market analysts. This being said means that was also a great leader. When he was to speak, everyone would listen. Another person talked about is Margaret Thatcher. She has a famous quote, “Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t”. This quote describes that you should not have to tell people you are a lady just like you should not have to tell them you are in power. People should be able to tell you are a lady just like they should be able to tell you are the leader.

Chapter 6: The Law of Solid Ground

Trust is the Foundation of Leadership. When it comes to leadership, you have to build leadership with time and commitment. You cannot take shortcuts when building leadership just like we trust. It also requires competence, connection, and character. If you break trust with people, then how would be expect them to follow you and believe in you.

Chapter 7: The Law of Respect

People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves. The rule of respect works as people just those stronger than themselves. The more leadership ability of someone than the more people will see it and they will follow you and your ability.  Even a weaker leader would follow a stronger leader. The biggest test of respect is to see whether followers will still follow after you make a change.

Chapter 8: The Law of Intuition

Leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias. To be a good leader you must be able to see trends, problems, and solve them. They have to be able to read and response. When one reads this chapter an old quote from a song comes to mind, “You must know when you hold them and when to fold them”. This quote comes to mind because a leader needs to see a situation and see how to respond to have the best outcome.

Chapter 9: The Law of Magnetism

Who you are is who you attract. This means that the way you handle your business determines who you attract to do business with you. People always want to find good workers but leaders are always on the lookout for the best people for their organization. Leaders are usually able to attract people who are a lot like themselves and have the same wants as they do so better leader than the better people who you would attract. If you think you need better people around you then take a look in the mirror change yourself first for the better.

Chapter 10: The Law of Connection

Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. A leader will try to make an emotion connection before a personal connection because people respond to emotional connections first. It is true that your heart comes before your hand. If you need to connect with a group then a leader must first connect with everyone on an individual level then on a group level. People wants to know how much you care before how must you know. Because naturally everyone wants to feel safe and that you care about them and their situation.

Chapter 11: The Law of Inner Circle

A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. One thing about this law is that people have more success as a group rather than as individuals. There are five types of people that a leader wants in their inner circle. The five types of people are:

       1. Potential Value- those who rise up themselves

       2. Positive Value- those who raise morale in the group

       3. Personal Value- those who rise up the leader

       4. Productive Value- those who rise up others

       5. Proven Value- those who raise up people who raise up other people

“Hire the best staff you can find, develop them as much as you can, and hand off everything you possibly can to them.”

Chapter 12: The Law of Empowerment

Only secure leaders give power to others. Maxwell uses a quote from Mark Twain to describe this law. The quote is, “Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets the credit”. If you empower your inner circle then they will try to improve things to make their leader proud which will in turn make everything else better as well.

Chapter 13: The Law of Reproduction

It takes a leader to rise up a leader. There is a quote that comes into my mind. The quote is, “it takes one to know one, to show one, to grow one”.  In order to have leader then someone needs to teach them how to be leaders. You cannot teach other unless you are a leader yourself. Leaders who develop other to become leaders are able to see the big picture, attract potential leaders, and create an eagle environment.

Chapter 14: The Law of Buy-In

People buy into the leader, then the vision. If you do not believe in the leader then how are you supposed to believe in their vision?

Chapter 15: The Law of Victory

Leaders find a way for the team to win. There are three main components of victory. They are the unity of vision, diversity of skills, and leader decimated to victory and rising players to their potential.

Chapter 16: The Law of Momentum

Momentum is a leader’s best friend. There are two key facts in preparation and motivation. Leader has to be able to make things actually happen not just in vision them. Momentum is able to make leaders look better than they are, help followers perform better than they are, easier to steer then to start, and most powerful change agent.

Chapter 17: The Law of Priorities

Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. “A leader is the one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation, and yells, ‘Wrong Tree!!’”. This quote is said by Stephen Covey. Leaders must ask themselves three questions about how they live their lives. The questions are: What is required, What give the greatest return, and what brings the greatest reward.

Chapter 18: The Law of Sacrifice

A leader must give up going up. A leader must have to give up certain things in order to achieve certain things in their company. Some leaders sacrifice having a family to make sure they achieve what they want in life.

Chapter 19: The Law of Timing

When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. A leader wants to have the right outcome but they have to hope that it is the right time for it. If they have the right timing and right outcome, then something great may happen. There are four outcomes that can result from making a move:

       1. The wrong action at the wrong time leads to disaster.

       2. The right action at the wrong time brings resistance.

       3. The wrong action at the right time is a mistake.

       4. The right action at the right time results in success.

Chapter 20: The Law of Explosive Growth

To add growth, lead followers-to multiply, lead leaders. John Schantter has said, “It’s my job to build the people who are going to build the company”. Leaders who develop followers need to be needed, focus on weaknesses, develop the bottom 20 percent, treat people the same for “fairness”, hoard power, spend time with others, grow by addition, and impact only people they touch personally. Leaders who develop leaders want to be succeeded, focus on strengths, develop 20 percent, treat their leaders as individuals for impact, give power away, grow by multiplication, and impact far beyond their own reach.

Chapter 21: The Law of Legacy

A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession. Robert Goizueta says, “Leadership is one of the things you cannot delegate. You either exercise it, or you abdicate it”. I think this quote is able to sum up the meaning of this quote. Leaders who leave a legacy of succession have lead organization with a “long view”, create a leadership culture, pay the price today to assure success tomorrow, value team leadership about individual leadership, and walk away from the organization with integrity.

The Video Lounge

[youtube=youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuP8tpLotvc]

This video was on 700 Club and it was an interview with John C. Maxwell. He tells us about his book, “The 21 irrefutable Laws of Leadership”, and the reason it helps people to become better leaders and tells about his inspiration on his laws.

Personal Insights

Why I think:

• The author is one of the most brilliant people around…or is full of $%&#, because:

I think the author is one of the most brilliant author and leader of our time. He actually understands what it means to be a good leader and is able to share it in his 21 laws. He is also brilliant because he is able to make laws easy to understand and learn and use them in our everyday lives.

• If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:

1.    I think the author did an excellent job on this book. But I felt that some of the laws were not as details as other laws. I will that I understand some of the laws better than other ones.

2.    Another thing that I would have liked for him to do differently would be to change up situations. Some of the situations felt like they could have happen to anyone while other seem like they only could happen to certain people in the business world.

3.    Another things that would be nice if they had a final chapter about what to follow up these laws. I feel like Maxwell did a great job on where to start to become a good leader but I wonder what is next once you think you have achieve all these laws.

• Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:

1.    I thought differently about a leader and a manager. I always felt that a manager has a leader but now I see the difference. I see that you listen to the direction of a manger but you only follow what the follower says.

2.    I also thought differently about the concept about touch the heart before the hand. It is such an easy concept to understand but many of us do not get it. If you are willing to make a personal connection with someone, they will help to help you and will continue to follow you because they trust you.

3.    The last thing that I think differently about now is that leaders are very unique people. They are special and hard to come by. They have to try twice as hard to be good at something then you do because they always have followers watching their every move from closely.

• I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:

1.    I will apply this to my career by I will always try to learn new things. I will always try to better myself and my leadership skills enable to make things around me better.

2.    I will also apply that I attract the people around me. If I start not to like the people around me than I need to first change myself. After I change myself, the people around me will also change.

3.    I will also apply what I have learned in this book to my career though be trying to always be prepared. I have learned that a leader best thing is to be prepared and plan ahead. Also you should have a backup plan just in case.

• Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:

“Each time I read, “Follow them, and People will Follow You”, I head a rejoinder in my head: “Don’t follow them, and people won’t follow you.” This book is rightly regarded as a foundational piece of leadership literature”-Julie A. Fleming

“This is a book with a stack of useful insights into process of leadership, which may even help you do it better.”- Phil Campbell

Bibliography

Campbell, P. Perspective Online; Executive Summary: “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”. Retrieved from http://perspective.org.au.

Fleming, J. A. (2008, May 30). Book Review: “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”.   Retrieved from http://lifeatthebar.com.

Maxwell, John C. (1998) “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You. Nashville, TN. Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Retrieved from http://marshallcf.com.

Werff, Terry J. van der, DR., CMC. 1998 Global Future Report. Retrieved from http://global future.com.

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Contact Info

To contact the author of this article, “A Management in a Minute Book Overview of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You” by John C. Maxwell for Practicing and Aspiring Managers” please email jessnicosia@gmail.com.

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyldaboutinternationalfoods.blogspot.com/).                                            

SCIENCE FICTION STARS AND HORROR HEROES, Tom Weaver, 2006, McFarland and Company, 448pp, index, photos

A remarkable collection of Q&A interviews with actors, actresses, directors, producers, writers, and others who made science fiction and horror movies of old. The interviews themselves are excellently done. Author Tom Weaver has produced a series of these over the years, documenting science fiction and horror movie-making of the 1950’s and 1960’s. This is the first I’ve bought and read and am glad I did. I love this stuff.

In this cool collection, Richard Matheson tells of his increasing turn towards humor with the Roger Corman Edgar Alan Poe movies, Yvette Vickers discusses how she didn’t find Attack of the Giant Leeches scarey but did get creeped out making the cave sequence, Kim Hunter discusses in detail the difficulties with the ape make-up in the Planet of the Apes movies, actor Richard Devon explains why he finally turned his back on Roger Corman, Robert Shayne talks about his run as Inspector Henderson on TV’s Adventures of Superman and says George Reeves was not worried about typecasting as often alleged, while Phyllis Coates explains she quit after the first season of Superman to avoid being typecast and turned to B-westerns.  You’ll find that Acquanetta, who got typed as a “jungle girl”, owed her unlikey name to the shortening of her actual name: Burnuacquenetta, a Native name meaning Burning Fire, Deep Water.

Some of the interviewees have passed away in the few short years since publication (2006), being of an advanced age already since their careers thrived in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Tragically, Yvette Vickers of Giant Leeches and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, and a 1959 Playboy centerfold, was discovered by a neighbor in 2011 at her home, dead for at least a year, death due to natural causes. Newspapers prominentaly reported the passing of Hazel Court as well, the red-headed star of Hammer Horror and Corman’s Edgar Alan Poe movies, who died in 2008.  Others happily remain with us.  Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, Incredible Shrinking Man, Poe movies) is still producing work, for example.

Anna Lee (and others throughout the book) describe how much they enjoyed working with gentle Boris Karloff.  Others commented on how Peter Lorre adlibbed a lot of his lines, to the consternation of fellow actors. (Jack Nicholson remarked on the same thing in Roger Corman’s autobiography years ago…Nicholson says Vincent Price adjusted but it drove classically-trained Karloff nuts.

In this book, one interviewee notes that Basil Rathbone bore up under it, but was known to ask Peter if he was going to get somewhere near the script in the next sequence so Rathbone would recognize his cues.)

One thing that comes through all these interviews is how much effort went into making even these low budget movies. (Perhaps “especially” these low budget movies because there was no money to buy solutions.) The interviewees cheerfully admit when they were in something that they didn’t take seriously, something they occasionally didn’t even remember, but still, the effort put into it comes through., again and again.

As I read this book, I popped DVD’s into my player for a marathon presentation of The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Land Unknown, Mole People, and Attack of the Giant Leeches.  It seemed appropriate.

These books are not cheap. Even used on Amazon they are $30 to $40 apiece, but they are great if you are a fan of these old movies like me. Author Tom Weaver points out that science fiction and fantasy is probably the only area for which there are fans who buy magazines about how the movies were made. There’s no Famous Monsters of Filmland for B-Westerns, mysteries, or romances. Not that there aren’t fans, but no fan base that would support magazines like Filmfax, Starlog, or Fangoria, from which these interviews have been compiled.

If you do see these at a yard sale, grab them up, if only to resell on Amazon or Half.com. Meanwhile, I can’t wait to get more of these.

Cover via Amazon

Cover of Attack of the Giant Leeches

Executive Summary

The answer to this question does not come easy. There are many answers and many paths a person can take when figuring out the purpose of one’s life. A lot of times people get distracted by the physical objects we obtain throughout life when we should be focusing on the skills we learn and the difference we make. To find that special place in this world it takes patience and the search for happiness. Some people have the problem with settling for a job because of laziness, distorted views, or fear. The best way to avoid getting into a job or career that isn’t for you, is to follow your gut and use the signs around you. This book offers insight on those decisions. It travels though eight sections separated into categories that give you an up close view on personal experiences and people who have taken rocky roads to get to where they are now. Happy with with their life, the job that they work for, the daily decisions being made, and a place where they can express themselves. Some people in this book take years to find their niche, while others are still searching. This book goes though many different stages where most people have found themselves, are finding themselves, or will find themselves.

Common themes that have occurred in this book are that everyone is different and not to dwell on what other people think. That sense of “rightness” focused on people who try to make right decisions in life. Many of us can relate that sometimes you second guess yourself trying to figure out if this decision will be right for you. In another class focuses on the importance placed on social classes and how hard it is to break that notation to live. This has been a struggle for many years and it is hard to avoid the temptation of money. In temptations vs. aspirations people have internal conflicts deciding on jobs with money and jobs with heart. In destinations vs.journey people have struggled with the long road and the seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In the section called know thyself, people become more aware of their calling in life and try to follow that passion. In changes of scenery some people change location, while others try to forget their past. Relationships and families is probably the most understanding section in the book. We all have families and friends and their opinions tend to sway us in different directions. It is important to know where you stand on how influential their opinions will be and also where you draw the line. To easily your dreams can accidentally become theirs and this could lead to unhappiness. The last section in the book is called the appropriate time frame. This talks about last chances and the importance or unimportance of time in life.

Overall this book was an interesting read and the first type I have ever read like this. I believe this book is inspirational with a flare of the truth. It is very interesting to read about such a book that offers real life story to challenge your own daily decisions. I would recommend this book for people who are looking for their place in the world and wondering how to find it and where to look. It offers many problems that some people come face to face with and others are not as unfortunate to have to deal with. Life lessons can be learned and mistakes can be avoided through the stories of other people.

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from What Should I Do with My Life

   
1.    The first section in this book deals with the sense of “rightness”. These seventy pages focus on some remarkable people who have found their calling in life. These roads to these places of belonging came with some form of struggle. Life should be about the skills we learn in life rather than the things we posses. Sometimes people feel as though they need a confirmation that they are in the right career path, but they waste time waiting on this clarification. Don’t risk your happiness in life on uncertainty and follow your gut if fulfillment is not present.

2.    The second section of this book focuses on classifications in life. These stories tend to be somewhat politically based and contains some unfortunate events. People tend to focus on status in life, which normally revolves around monetary value. Some people with higher incomes sometimes look down upon those who make a living through mediocre jobs. These jobs do not necessarily define these individuals and can be more fulfilling then higher income based jobs. Relying on possessions to make a life worth wild can instead leave a person with an empty and unhappy life.  

3.    The third section in the book is the struggle with temptations and aspirations. We learn that it is not the end of the world to get off track with our career goals. These experiences can reinforce our passions.  One story was about a man who had a true passion for writing and got distracted by writing stories for money than writing them with passion. He became a sell out in the pursuit of popularity and ignored his inner desires to write back in his hometown. Another woman struggled with the choice of her career and being a house wife. She realized she has more than one calling in life. It took her almost forty years to get back to her career goals, but she feels as though her time spent raising her children truly benefited them. Life might not go to plan, but it is important to never lose your passions.

4.    In another section of this book, the short stories focus on the lives of four people dealing with the journey to their careers. Three important points came up in the section. Time frame, permanent goals, and a balanced life can really change perspective on not only a job, but a lifestyle. Time frame refers to the amount of time given to complete a task or goal and how these things should not be rushed. Permanent goals can help alleviate setbacks and encourage hard work. Having a balanced life helps stop work overload and allows for other activities to take place.
   
5.    In the filth section of this book the short stories tend to focus on destination versus the journey.This includes the rocky road it takes to get to your chosen path in life. Many people in these short stories have enjoyed the destination more than the journey. Sometimes it is hard to find that destination.While some people thrive in the destination others thrive in the journey.

Po Bronson at the 2009 Texas Book Festival, Austin, Texas, United States. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6.    In another section in the book the short stories focus on the understanding of one’s self. This section focuses on the person we are. If their is enough time spent on understanding yourself then you should be able to find your passions and get a job related to it. If you can answer the question Who am I and What do I believe then you can find your place in this world and achieve happiness.

7.    Sometimes changing location can mean all the difference in the world. In this section people learn that no only physical location that needs to be changed but also where you stand in the world metaphorically. Sometimes a location can change us for the better, but it should not be mistaken with forgetting the past. The past should not be forgotten only improved.

8.    In the last section, the appropriate time frame, we learn through these people the power of patience and persistence. These people struggle with the importance or unimportance in life. Should you really go back to college at the age of forty. It depends on if that is your dream in life. You should not give up on a dream because of time.

9.    One main theme in this book is that we are all different and move at different paces. Some people will have one job their entire career, while other people will have multiple career changes. No one should be judged for the choices they make in their life because we all live life for different reasons. This book helps to teach experiences and shed light on similar issues that people face. This book can be inspirational if you put the effort into relating the stories o your own life.

10.    Another main theme is don’t be afraid of what other people think. If you are not happy with your current job or career choices, change it. Do not be ashamed to go and chase your dream back going back to college or completing an unfinished degree. Changing careers is nothing to be embarrassed about and can really pay off in the end

Full Summary of What Should I Do with My Life

Introduction 

The message of this book is to be an inspirational look into the future or the past, depending on your stage in life, of career choices and how they affect the person we are. Not all jobs have a correlation to the depths of our soul, but most people would like to think that they work at their job for a reason. This book slowly depicts the reasoning behind job choices and whether or not it can last a lifetime. This book contains people who have had the same job their entire life and then people who jump from job to job in search of their passion in life and the true search of happiness. The author’s own struggle is presented in the book in a few sections. There are many themes to think book, but I believe that everyone mentioned in the book have the ultimate goal of being happy. Happy with with their life, the job that they work for, the daily decisions being made, and a place where they can express themselves. Some people in this book take years to find their niche, while others are still searching. This book goes though many different stages where most people have found themselves, are finding themselves, or will find themselves. It dives into the topic of identity and how we are defined as human beings and individuals. It also tries to answer the question, “Where do I belong?”. This book is a great read and really reveals the lives of people around us and makes us think deeply about our own lives. The first section presented in the book is called the sense of “rightness”.

The Sense of “Rightness”

In my opinion, this was the most intriguing section in the book. These stories focus on people who have found their calling in life through rocky roads and longing for finding their place in the world. Some of these people had their passions clearly sitting in their lap and never thought twice about perusing that dream. Some were told to stop messing around and hurry up and find a job that you can stick to. Kat James was getting paid very well and was offered a extraordinary raise when she decided to leave her career of desk work to pursue a passion in gardening. She went to school and worked her tail off to in turn become a landscape gardener and fulfill her dream of working outside and enjoying the fresh air. Warren Brown was a lawyer and wasn’t happy with his life. He decided unlike most people to fix his problem and find what made him happy. He became a baker and decorated cakes. He enjoyed making people happy and helping them celebrate special moments with a delicious cake. Jessica Grossman was an extremely successful OBGYN and she learned her passion from her father. He was a well respected doctor and Jessica wanted to be just like him. The only problem with Jessica is that she didn’t have an off Switch which meant she didn’t know how to say no or take are of herself. She was emotional connected to her job and so dedicated that couldn’t even tear herself away from these people who needed her to use the rest room. Well eventually Jessica realized that this job, even though rewarding, was tearing herself apart. She realized she had to pursue another job because she had to with her personality. These people seemed to have picked a lesser career choice, but this is not true. We only see it this way because of how we view success. They were very successful in their new jobs. They were not making as much money as they were with their previous jobs, but it made them and happy and they were successful at it. Most people would not have the courage quit a well paid job to peruse a completely different field and have the possibility of failing.

In Another Class

This section is about finding where they belong with a focus on the types of social classes these people ended up in and started in. One story was about a man, Anthony Anderson, who became a diver for companies that have constructional foundation underwater. Anthony came from a history of being bullied by peers and by his close family. After working on oil rigs he decided he waned to be a diver. After being denied he turned to books and education for understanding. With his new knowledge he was able to get hired as a diver. Anthony’s story was about struggle and how he overcame odds with hard work. Another story had quite another angle on social classes. Bryce worked in the oil business his whole life and eventually ended up in a nasty situation helping an oil company to cover up their tracks when it came to safety issues. Bryce meant well when he received his degree in environmental science, but fell victim to the empty hopes of money and fast women. Eventually, after being burned by the dame oil company, he realized that he needed to fight this injustice and settle some revenge. He became apart of aw enforcement and personally visited that oil company knowing all the tricks already. Bryce tried his hardness if not for revenge for fixing what he had gotten paid so well to hide. Special admiration for someone to leave a lifestyle like that a result to a somewhat average paying job. Also on the flip side Anthony becoming a quite successful man when he came from a somewhat rough background.

Temptations Vs. Aspirations

Everyone deals with temptations in their own way, but sometimes they can taunt you from your true goals in life. Is it more important to make money or have a nice care or should you focus on your main goal in your career and being searching for that golden opportunity that will complete your true passions. Sometimes our deepest values and desires can be blocked by trivial and monetary means. For instance should a man write about true and meaningful points in his life or write a screenplay to make some quick money, but realize that that short series does not represent who you are and what you have to offer. One particular story in this section made me realize the love of a parent and the sacrifices they make to hope for the best life for their child. This story was about Mary Ann Clark who was a stay at home mother for close to forty years. She desperately had a sense of making a difference in the world and using her brain. he had a great sense of independence, but she also put her family first and put of entering the working force until all of her children were grown.  She did manage to receive a degree slowly over the course of a few years. She had a patience I’ve never even heard about. She had a dream and she held onto it and I feel as though everyone should try and posses this much passion and patience.

Destination Vs. Journey

    This section focuses on how many people have the long journey to end up where they belong. Some people feel as though they have wasted their time when they find their purpose in life, but people should take their experience and struggle and use it to their advantage. This was not the case with Russell Carpenter. He was a man who had only one job his entire adult life. He did not have a loyalty to NASA, but he had no reason to leave. We learned three things about this man. Time frame, not allowing setbacks to interfere with life long goals, and to have a balanced life.This was the success to his happiness. He allowed ample enough time for him to finish projects at work. This avoided the short and quick stimulation most jobs have. He had one main goal and focus in life and do not allow minor setbacks to get in his way. He also used he free time correctly. He did not over work, instead he enjoyed his recreational time. While another person in the book, Heidi Olson, had a different method to achieve her happiness in life. She had many jobs and continues to change her job focus, but she invests enough time to make a difference at each of her many jobs. This made her feel as though she had accomplished enough to move on to the next interest. This may be an unconvientionale lifestyle but it worked for her.

Know Thyself

    This section focuses on understand ourselves before we decide what job we would be best suited for. Nicole Heinrich was one of those people. She dealt with using things to make her fell happy. Well if this happens maybe I will feel better about this job. Po offered some great advice in this section. He said if you succeed and your still not happy, it normally means that you are conflicted in your heart. Many different people have many different types of morals. You may be a great CEO, but if you feel guilty about your path to success, it will eventually way on your mind and soul. It is better to be true to yourself and not allow the short cuts and greed to take over your life. If you know yourself and who you are then you can avoid making these mistakes and start paving out your life based on happiness. When understanding oneself it can be hard to know what to look for. To break down this understanding of ourselves we can ask What do I believe in? What do I want to fight for? and What is my purpose in life? These are very deep questions and they should be thought over not for short periods of time but as you go through life. Understand yourself and what you want and really make life more enjoyable and worth living. It creates a personal connection with yourself. This is not just someone walking to life existing it is your life and you get a say.

Changes of Scenery

    Sometimes life can be about the places we go and the places we live. Here in this section location and placement plays a role on happiness. Many people use changing scenery as a way to start fresh and act on other ambitions in life. Ashley Merryman was a woman in this section that found God. With the help of the church she became whole again. They helped her with her rocky path and changed  this woman into a someone who cared and made a difference. Sometimes having something to believe in can make a life worth living. In this case the church saved Ashley’s life. Many different people have different views of the church, this only enforces the theme of the book, everyone is different. Do not go through life avoiding these questions in life, believe in something. People sometimes feel as though they can become new people with changing their location. It offers a sense of starting over and having a clean slate. This feeling is nice to have, but should never be mistaken as a problem solver. chances are if you had issues in your former place of employment then you will have those similar issues here. Personal problems should be dealt with on a personal level and should not be swept under the rug.

Relationships and Family

    This section is based on the role family and friends play in our lives. Most people keep family close in their decision making process. They want the gratification of thoughts and opinions on life long goals and decisions. Family begins when you are young and having bad memories of the past or bad experiences with your family can shape that person for the rest of their life. Family can include parents and siblings or can include a wife and children of your own. Sometimes families play a huge role in course studies, job selection, and overall happiness of that person. Don’t let the opinions of family members overwhelm your choices in life. If a person is not careful they can wake up and realize how unhappy they are because they are not following their own personal goals in life. Sometimes you have to put your happiness over your family’s happiness.

The Appropriate Time Frame

    Some people believe that only at certain ages you are allowed to accomplish certain tasks. Life has different callings to all of us and we can get that calling when we are young or when we become older. Whether we realize that we are or are not happy is up to us to decide if we want to change the course of our lives. Timing has everything to do with life and just because we get older doesn’t mean we need to stop having dreams. Callings in life can come and at different points in life and we should embrace this calling with change. Moving on from a past career can cause confusion and an array of feelings. It is hard to move on when life is so comfortable and so understanding. Life has to move for some people and you can only surpress your calling for so long. Signs are given and they should not be ignored follow your heart and use the insights avilable to you. If you follow these happiness and good fortune are sure to follow.

Conclusion

    This book is great for not only inspirational reading but also for life advice. This book made me think about my life and put it into perspective. It made me think of what I really wanted to do when I graduated. I really enjoyed the wide range of short stories this book had to offer. I feel as though reading this book has helped me to eliminate some mistakes and think clearer about my future employment. This book focused on eight different sections with multiple stories. Common themes that have occurred in this book are that everyone is different and not to dwell on what other people think. That sense of “rightness” focused on people who try to make right decisions in life. Many of us can relate that sometimes you second guess yourself trying to figure out if this decision will be right for you. In another class focuses on the importance placed on social classes and how hard it is to break that notation to live. This has been a struggle for many years and it is hard to avoid the temptation of money. In temptations vs. aspirations people have internal conflicts deciding on jobs with money and jobs with heart. In destinations vs.journey people have struggled with the long road and the seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. In the section called know thyself, people become more aware of their calling in life and try to follow that passion. In changes of scenery some people change location, while others try to forget their past. Relationships and families is probably the most understanding section in the book. We all have families and friends and their opinions tend to sway us in different directions. It is important to know where you stand on how influential their opinions will be and also where you draw the line. To easily your dreams can accidentally become theirs and this could lead to unhappiness. The last section in the book is called the appropriate time frame. This talks about last chances and the importance or unimportance of time in life. This book was an overall great read and helps answer questions that everyone has had or will have in the future.

The Video Lounge

This video shows the top ten 2011 job opportunities. This is just a short clip about different job options and a description to follow. This can open people’s eyes up to a different selection of jobs that may be available to them.

Personal Insights

Why I think:

• The author is one of the most brilliant people around…or is full of $%&#, because:

I have never read a book similar to this. I haven’t read a lot of business books, but this one in particular is extremely inspirational and helps put future endeavors into perspective. I enjoyed the personal short stories of many different types of people and careers. He adds a certain type of humor to the book and adds real life struggles to counteract with the question, What Should I Do with My Life?

• If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:

1.    Even though I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I do have some suggestions. I felt the book to be a little lengthy. I feel that some types of stories were repeated through the book and could have been left out.

2.     I did not like how the book was set up. I felt that some of the eight sections could have be set up differently. I also believe that even though stories were separated into sections they still overlapped heavily with other stories in different sections.

3.    I also found some of the titles confusing and off point with the stories written. Some titles could have had more suited titles which intrigued the story told. On the other hand, I felt some of the story titles had no reference to the story given.

• Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:

1.    This book made me feel differently about jobs in general. I now have an understanding of a variety of different jobs out there that people, depending on their values and personality, hate and love. I have an understanding of people’s choices when it come to a source of income and trying to live their dream.

2.    When reading this book it made me think differently about my own life. Multiple times I put the book down to research job opportunities in my field of interests. I believe I can learn a lot from not only from my own experiences, but through other people’s stories. I feel as though this book has helped me avoid some mistakes in the future.

3.    This book made me have a new respect for stay at home mothers. I one day may have children and therefore these stories offered enlightenment, but also fear. I will also have to make the decision to either take off work to raise my children or stay in the workforce and rely on other means.

• I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:

1.    Now I understand that it is okay that I don’t know exactly the company I want to work for when I graduate. It is okay to have a starter job or three before that dream job becomes available. Even though it may be hard to have patience I know that if I listen to myself that I will find a job where I can be happy.

2.    I know not to let money or power influence my values and core beliefs. Values make me who I am and my current job or career in life should not compromise my beliefs. Self control is important to have when dealing with certain situations in a work related environment.

3.    I have also learned from this book that I have been given great opportunities that not everyone gets a chance at. I am grateful for my education and I now have a sense of respect for those who come back to school after many years. Education plays a huge role in our society and it is something that no one can take from you.

• Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:

I found a a review from Sonder Book Reviews that was of interest. It was similar to my review of the book. It mentions that this book stuck with them and was enjoyable to read. Not because of the literature but because of the chilling realness. It is one of those books that keeps you thinking and makes you relate yourself to the stories presented.

Bibliography

Eklund, S. (2005). Sonderbooks. Retrieved from  http://www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/whatshouldido.html

Bronson, Po. What Should I Do with My Life. New York: Ballantine Books, 20085. 434. Print.

(2011, April 29). You tube. (2011). [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQHIJEJIlu8&feature=related

Flanagan, C. (2003, January 12). Get a job. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/12/books/get-a-job.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Good Reads. (2011, May 17). What should i do with my life?: The true story of people who answered the ultimate question . Retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/163365.What_Should_I_Do_with_My_Life_

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Contact Info

To contact the author of this article, “A Management in a Minute Book Overview of What Should I Do with My Life by Po Bronson for Practicing and Aspiring Managers” please email kelly.indest@selu.edu.

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyldaboutinternationalfoods.blogspot.com/)                                             

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Cover of My Life and Work

Executive Summary

Henry Ford was a man who changed our world to what it is today by his determination and positive outlook on his inventions. He was born to be successful with his drive to be nothing less but extraordinary. His book teaches us the importance of overcoming fear and to always have good faith in your work and to not be discouraged in what you do just because at that time there is no demand for your product, because there never is for new developments. You have to be self reliant and to not hold back your ideas.

Portrait of Henry Ford (ca. 1919) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At a young age he took a great interest in mechanics. Being inspired to do well in mechanics first begun when he laid eyes upon a road engine which ran by steam that farmers used to run equipment from farm to farm. Fifteen year old Henry could fix just about any watch, and seriously considered going into that industry. He just could not get the idea of the steam engine out of his mind. The thought of having a horseless carriage intrigued Henry. While his father did not approve of this idea, Henry began his first experiment of attempting to build a horseless carriage. Lacking the necessary funds needed to support his experiment, Henry went to work for a machinist as an apprentice. Excelling well as a machinist was his confirmation that he could actually accomplish this horseless carriage for the benefit of the community. Working for the Edison Company at the time, Henry attended a meeting in which he briefly met and spoke to Edison himself and described his plan to create a gas powered vehicle. Edison an electric man did not discourage him, but encouraged him to go with his plan and stick to it; for he was bound to be successful.

A photograph of Henry Ford, Thomas Alva Edison, and Harvey Samuel Firestone- the fathers of modernity. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    After being offered a higher position in the company with the exception that he give up his obsession; Henry gave up his job and joined the automobile industry where he joined a group of investors later formed Detroit Automobile Company. However, these investors were not quite as passionate about the quality and success of this, but more so on the money they would earn from it. Tired of listening to the orders of others, he set a goal that he was no longer going to be an inventor under any management but his own. Four years later, the Ford Motor Company was established and Henry was the head man of the organization.
    The new company started off slow, but quickly moved its way up the ranks. Henry’s goal was to make the best quality he could design at a price all could afford. It took his company various styles and models before he was satisfied with his product. The model T was his most popular vehicle, particularly after he announced that this model was the only model that he was going to offer and only in black. After talk that his crazy move was going to land him without sales, just the opposite occurred. Soon after Henry’s demand was growing rapidly and needed to meet the consumer wants quicker. The assembly line was introduced, and was a huge success. As business grew from the assembly line, so did his worker wages. He felt the better a man was paid for their job, the harder they were willing to work for that pay. Service was their number one objective, work being second. The trust he built up with customers based off of his service was precious to him, and he was very good at achieve this.

From The Truth About Henry Ford by Sarah T. Bushnell: Mr. and Mrs. Ford in his first car, which he sold but afterwards bought back. It is now his most prized possession. Notice the old-fashioned bicycle wheels, and the bell on dash. Note:This appears to be the Ford Quadricycle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     Business to Henry was not anything he felt like he could not achieve. He stresses the importance of following through with creative ideas and to not give up. Along his road to success he faced many challenges that without his determination and enthusiasm about his work, he would have never overcome. Focusing on work and the quality and service instead of the money aspect, there will be no need to worry because your product will speak for itself and the revenue will come naturally.

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from My Life and Work

   
1.    Find what you are good at. Henry learned at a young age that he was good at mechanics. Being able to work on watches at the age of fifteen was just a step towards realizing his max potential. Moving up from mechanics to machinist, Henry revealed not only was he good at mechanics but he was even better at working on machines.

2.    Determination is everything. Henry Ford’s determination and his passion towards mechanics and machines was his first step towards his success. Not being discouraged by his surroundings, he was able to achieve his goal of being a successful business man. Without the determination of succeeding your goals you would not be motivated enough to follow through those plans, and would just be wasting your time.

3.    Get inspired. Originally being inspired by a steam engine, the thought of designing a gas powered horseless carriage interested him as many people at the time felt that electric was the future, Henry continued to tinker with his experiments. Actually meeting with Thomas Edison, Henry explained his thoughts of designing his gas powered machine. Edison was impressed by his thoughts and encouraged him to not let it go to waste, because if he continued down this road he was bound to find success. This coming from the man in the electric industry inspired Henry that he not only had a good idea but someone that inspired him pushed him past all the odds against him and made him even more passionate towards reaching that ultimate goal.

4.    Failure is not an option. If at first you don’t succeed, get back up and try again. With many attempts in creating a gas powered horseless carriage, Henry never let his damper his idea. Learning from your mistakes and having an open mind towards new ideas will help you evolve your product.

5.    Customer Service is essential. Henry would say that service comes first, and then work. He felt that the business with a customer did not end with a sale of his vehicle. Customers deserved the best quality and service available for their purchase. He would make sure that they were satisfied with their purchase and could rely on his work to be of the best quality so they should never have to worry about any troubles that could occur. This was his best feature, and because of it he became well known from it.

6.    Work efficiently. Working in any business you should have established goals and plan your steps to accomplish those goals as efficiently as possible. Henry recognized his goals as being the best quality and affordability he can make with the best service provided. In doing so, the assembly line was his most efficient way of work. He was able to assemble more cars a day using an assembly line to meet to demand for his product at a lower cost than competitors.

7.     Fair wages and work. From his assembly line production, Henry needed more workers to work at a station doing the same thing for hours. This thought made Henry think how it would drive him mad doing the same thing repetitively. Thus the fair wages came into effect. Henry would pay his workers, of all kinds, a high pay of five dollars to work in his company. This was a decision made off of his thought that if workers get paid well, it will give them incentive to do well.

8.     Manufacturing at the lowest cost. As one of Henry’s goals, this was important for a starting company. The way of business is not by producing at a low cost and selling high. Being able to put a new product out on the market, consumers will be skeptical to buy it if it is priced too high. He succeeded at making the best quality vehicle at the lowest possible cost and selling to the public as just that, a low cost. His objective was to give more to the community than they had to give up. As a result, this made his business increase because people with decent paying jobs were able to afford them.

9.    Money is not everything. People become so consumed in the quick payoff that they quickly forget what their initial intention was. Money is not useful unless it is benefiting the forward production of your business. The more you put your heart into a product to make it the best it can be, you should not have to worry about the ending revenue, and your product will speak for itself. Money comes naturally as a result of hard work and good service, and nothing less.

10.    What we may expect. Success comes from hard yet intelligent work. By overcoming fears of failure and the future, you can learn from the economy that evolves everyday and use that as a tool for improvement.  Not letting the money get in your way of the clear established goals, one can expect to end on top of the industry. It is not an easy journey, but if you truly desire the ultimate goal and are willing to make the sacrifices in order to attain those objectives, it will be worth it in the end.

Full Summary of My Life and Work

Henry Ford’s “My Life and Work” was a biography of his life. This book gives us insight on the brilliant minded Henry Ford. His dedication to his work, and belief in himself, changed the world for the better. As his mother says, he was a born mechanic, he truly was. Henry found himself as a young man tinkering with watches discovering that he was quite good at fixing them up. At the age 15 he could do almost anything in watch repairing and even considered going into the watch manufacturing business. However, his father did not approve of his mechanic doings; he felt that Henry should be a farmer instead. Henry did not care, and continued to work towards his passion of mechanics. At the age 17, he left school to become an apprentice in a machine shop and worked nights at a jewelry shop repairing damaged watches. At this time the standard railroad time was being arranged, formerly being on sun time, just as in present day daylight savings. Henry succeeded in designing a watch that kept both times, which was a big hit in his neighborhood.

In 1879, Henry managed to get a chance to run a Nichols-Shepard machine with his apprenticeship, and when it ended he began working with a local representative of the Westinghouse Company of Schenectady as an expert in setting up and repairing their road engines. In working with this Ford experienced the pros and cons of this engine. He could not help himself to wonder about the weight and cost of these engines. He felt that they were far too expensive to be owned by other than a farmer with a great deal of land. Because they were sometimes used as tractors to pull heavy loads, or if the farmer was in the threshing business he would put his threshing machines on the engine and transported it from farm to farm. This brought the thought of making a form of a light steam car that would take the places of horses, as a tractor to do the excessive hard labor of farm work such as plowing.

This idea of a light steam car kept rolling around in his mind. The thought of a horseless carriage was a common idea, which at first did not appeal so much to him due to the poor road conditions. However, being the well rounded mechanist he was, it did not take him long to build his first steam wagon, or tractor. In building this, the idea of it possibly being used on road would be of use, because horses were just not worth their keep with all the attending to, feeding and expenses. Thus began his road to manufacturing cars. On this path of manufacturing he discovered that more people were becoming more and more interested in this invention of road cars and less interested on inventions for farm work. The first car he built was a steam car, it had a kerosene-heated boiler and had plenty of power, but the boiler was dangerous. To make it safe it required an excess of weight. Two years Henry worked on his experiment of developing a safer road car, however he did not give up the idea of a horseless carriage.

As Henry Ford was not discouraged at his efforts to make a road car was not going anywhere. He began looking into a new direction. He recalls reading in an English magazine about a “silent gas engine”. It ran on illuminating gas. As far as weight was concerned, it was nothing like the steam engine, and the use of gas seemed to interest Henry. This concept was by no means new to the world, but it was the first time a serious effort was made to put them on the market. Henry followed this concept to about 1885-1886 when the steam engine was no longer and interest to power for the carriage. In 1887 Henry Ford built a new engine first hand on the Otto four-cycle model. Which meant it was an engine with four cycles, the piston traverse the cylinder four times to get one power impulse. The model worked well, while it did not make much power, it was slightly lighter in proportion compared to other engines being offered. Later giving his engine to a man who wanted it. This was the beginning of the combustion engines.

After his attempts to create his road car, Henry decided it was time for him to return to the farm, not because he wished to fulfill his father’s wishes of becoming a farmer, but more so to experiment in the shop he built on the property. His father again disapproving of his mechanist ways offered him a bribe. A bribe that entailed Henry to forty acres of land provided that he give up being a machinist. He agreed. Henry at the time began cutting timber on this land, which gave him a chance to marry. The timber he cut was used to build his house which was added to his workshop. When he was not cutting, he was spending his time in the shop working on the gas engines learning everything he could from them. It was then in 1890 that he began building a double-cylinder engine. After time spent working on his newest idea, it became apparent that it would not work out due to the weight.

Another failed attempt down the drain, Henry was optimistic that he would one day get it right. Henry was then offered a job with the Detroit Electric Company as an engineer and machinist at forty-five dollars a month. Quickly, he accepted the job. Wanting to get away from the farm live anyways they moved to Detroit where he would make more money. After settling in, and building a new shed for him to work in, he began tinkering with a new motor. In 1892, he completed his first motor car. The appearance of the vehicle resembled a buggy, and could hold two people. It functioned by two speeds, low speed (ten miles per hour), and high speed (twenty miles per hour); and contained no reverse. In order to start the vehicle it was necessary to turn the motor over by hand; and stopped by releasing the clutch and pressing a brake. The machine all together weighed five hundred pounds with a gas tank holding of three gallons located under the seats. In spring of 1893, it ran to his satisfaction becoming the first and for a long time the only automobile in Detroit.

Henry Ford became a huge hit with his “gasoline buggy”. He soon found that he was encountering problems of nuisance. This brought light to how many people were interested in it. When he would go to town, he would have to start bringing a chain with him to chain his buggy to a pole, because people would try and mess with his buggy and attempt to run it. Henry ran that machine about one thousand miles in one year, and then sold it to a man named Charles Ainsley of Detroit for about two hundred dollars. This was his first sale, and he wanted to start another. It was not Henry’s idea of making cars, he was into production, and it did not hurt that he could use the money.

In 1896, the second car began being produced. Ford produced three cars from his house that ran for years in Detroit; also buying back his very first car from Mr. Ainsley for a hundred dollars. During this time he kept moving up in rank at the electricity company. The president of the company continued to pursue Henry into making only electric engines because it was the coming thing. Years later, the Detroit Edison Company offered him the general superintendence position, but only on one condition- He would have to give up the gas powered engine theory and devote himself to something they saw “useful”. He chose to give up the job on August 15, 1899 and went into the automobile business; for he already knew his car was bound to be a success.

In March 1902, he resigned from the Detroit Automobile Company determined to never be under other’s orders again; in which the company later on became Cadillac. From there he rented a shop to continue his experiments. In his little shop he worked on developing a four-cylinder motor. With his little money he tried to find out what business really was. From the time he worked at the Detroit Automobile Company to his present company, Henry had built about twenty-five cars. Henry met Alexander Winton of Cleveland, the founder of the Winton car, was at the time track champion and willing to meet all comers. Henry saw this as an opportunity and met with Winton for a race. He won. This became his first form of advertisement for his four-cylinder car, because at the time, all people raved about was its speed. This gave him the attention he needed to finance his service. This seemed to be the reversing the natural process which money comes as a result of work and not before.  His idea was that if a man did his work well, the price he would get from his product and finances would care for themselves, and that a business should start small and work its way up with its earnings. If one does not make his way up in earnings, it signals that the business owner is wasting their time, and does not belong in that business.

“A good business was not one that did good work and earned a fair profit. A good business was one that would give the opportunity for the floating of a large amount of stocks and bonds at high prices” (Ford & Crowther, 1922). Ford felt that the bonds were the most important thing and the work came second.  At this time in Ford’s life he began to plan that his business should start off with the largest possible capitalization and then sell all the stock and bonds. Whatever was left over from paying expenses went towards the business. He found that business that used financing were used was no place he wanted his company to be. He expressed that he saw what was going on all around him with other businesses and stated that it was a money making game and was certainly no place for a man such as himself to accomplish anything, because the true foundation to business  is service.

With Henry’s business mission being complete service, he felt that just because the car was sold, the manufacture was not through with its customer. The price and quality of the car would make the market large, he went further to making sure that his customer’s were always satisfied and served as their sole duty to make sure the car ran and was continuously put into the shape it needed to be. With this type of customer service, Ford became well recognized as an outstanding service provider, along with price and quality of his products. The man who has the largest capacity for work is bound to succeed.  During this year he came to the conclusions that:

“Finance is given a place ahead of work and therefore tends to kill the work and destroy the fundamental of service.
That thinking first of money instead of work brings on fear of failure and this fear blocks every avenue of business – it makes a man afraid of competition, of changing his methods, or of doing anything which might change his condition.
That the way is clear for anyone who thinks first of service- of doing the work in the best possible way” (Ford & Crowther, 1922).

In 1903, Henry Ford teamed up with Tom Cooper, in which they built cars designed for speed. Creating one of the fast cars, at that time, the “999” was definitely designed for speed. Neither Ford nor Cooper lined up to test drive this car, instead Cooper suggested Barney Oldfield, a professional bicycle rider to test it instead. After teaching Oldfield how to drive, he took off. The “999” did exactly what it was supposed to; it showed the world that he indeed could, build the fastest car. A week after the test race, Henry Ford formed the Ford Motor Company. Thus under no other order Ford became the vice-president, designer, master mechanic, superintendent and general manager. He started off with owning twenty-five and a half percent, about twenty-eight thousand dollars. In 1906, Henry began buying stock to raise his holdings to fifty-one percent, which would pay out about seventy-five million dollars.

    In their first year of Ford Motor Company, they built “Model A” cars selling for about eight hundred fifty dollars. The business was going smoothly and was gaining a reputation for “standing up”, tough yet simple. In the second year they developed three models: Model B, Model C, and Model F. Ranging in prices they sold fewer cars than the first year, sales were at 1,695 cars. Henry decided to begin advertising the Model B more, because it was the four-cylinder car for general road use and fixed up the twin of “999” to be advertised however no stunt will sell for any length of time. Ford changed his policy the next year making his cheapest car six hundred dollars and the most expensive being seven hundred fifty dollars, which demonstrated what price meant to them. That change increased his sales by five times the amount from the previous year. Cars were beginning to be sold globally and business began booming.

    In 1908 Ford had sold over ten thousand cars, and yet there was still a rave about expanding, new styles and models. Already creating eight different models, Ford announces in 1909 without warning that in the future, he was only creating one model, the Model T. He stated,” Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black” (Ford & Crowther, 1922). He stated he would build a vehicle large enough for a family, but small enough for just an individual to tend to. Using only the best materials and lowest price, no man making a good salary will be unable to own one. The people did not like his new plan and felt that his business was sure to fail within six months of his announcement. From this year to the year 1911, their business still continued to skyrocket.

Around the beginning of 1913, Henry Ford began an assembly line in his company. A Ford car contained five thousand parts, and the assembly line made this process a much quicker production and helped cut down the time spent on assembling one car. However, Henry feared that the repetitive work would drive a man wild; having to do the same thing continuously terrified him. Ford had a theory about wages he paid his workers. He felt that when you pay men at a high rate, they do good work. This was because they will work hard to continue to work for that pay and would not have to worry about not being able to provide for their family. He paid his workers five dollars a day for eight hours work, which was a large pay at that period. Ford’s workers were of all different kinds, he never turned a man down from work because of education or a disability they may have. He felt that the workers that were not smart worked harder than the ones that were quite intelligent. In his mind, workers that were not knowledgeable about machines were hard labor workers because they had to learn their job from him and his ways of work, where as workers who were educated about machines would try and change the way of things or find things wrong in his production. Men who had disabilities such as missing appendages, blind, or deaf were not turned away either, they were willing to work to support their families and Henry was not going to stop them from achieving just that. This work ethic and wage motive was a huge desire for all of the workers in his company, and out. By the year 1918, America was getting filled with cars, half of them being Model Ts. His production of Model Ts, the use of a moving assembly, and having low cost made his company the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

In 1917, World War I was still occurring in America. Ford proclaimed he did not understand why we would go to war. He learned that people were anxious for a peace settlement across the nations and decided to finance a mission to Stockholm later called the “Peace Ship”. However his attempt for peace failed, Henry felt he got a valuable experience out of the journey. From that moment until late 1918 his company was dedicated to the United States government making cars, parts, ambulances, delivery trucks, listening devices, steel helmets, boats, armor, whatever they needed. Ford’s production principles were put to a new product, a three hundred fifty foot wide, one hundred feet tall and a third mile long boat. After this boat was designed and ran the Armistice was put in effect, and there was no longer war, America was in peace again.

In the final chapter of the book, Ford states, “all that I have done- is to endeavour to evidence by works that service comes before profit and that the sort of business which makes the world better for its presence is a noble profession” (Ford & Crowther, 1922). He describes to the readers not to give up, for his theories and methods were at one time taken for granted; but that was because they were not understood. Money is useful only as it serves the company to better itself. It should not take away from the community more than the benefits it gives. Poverty is not a something one can avoid by doing nothing; it is diminished by hard yet intelligent work. “Everything is possible… faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Ford & Crowther, 1922)

The Video Lounge

    This video displays Henry Ford’s models of gas powered horseless carriages, the cars. As you watch this video you get to see a glimpse of Henry Ford’s life, the Ford Motor Company. As each vehicle evolves over the years, you see the differences he made to each car as they varied in what they were capable of. Also it demonstrates the number models he went through in developing his greatest one, the Model T.

Personal Insights

Why I think:

• The author is one of the most brilliant people around…or is full of $%&#, because:

I think the author was one of the most brilliant people around, at that time period, because he was so intelligent, and thought things through about how he needed to get where he needed to be. He was never discouraged by failed attempts which demonstrate his optimism towards life. Nothing was out of his reach as long as he set his mind to it. No one could stop him or bring him down, not family, not the economy or market, and not himself. You just cannot help but get consumed in his life story and achievements; it is quite inspiring from how he came about.

• If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:

1.    It is a wonderful book and story; however I would have done things a little different by sticking to the timeline of the story. He jumped around the book with times and dates of things he did or accomplished. It was a little difficult at first to follow along with the chronology of events.

2.    I was so intrigued at his attempt in his “Peace ship”. It was disappointing to see that there was no more to the story than he just set sail because of what he had learned about the nations crave for peace. He mentioned that his sail was a failure, but he did not regret it because of what he learned on his journey. I would have loved to read more about his adventure on the ship and what exactly he learned from it.

3.    I wish he would have elaborated more about his wife and son. We learned that his son eventually took over his company, but not how he did at running the company. With little talk of his wife and son, I wish to have read more about his family’s involvement and thoughts of his struggle to success.

• Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:

1.    How often things are taken for granted. Everyday people, objects, ideas, and leisure items are taken for granted. Henry Ford told us in the book that at the beginning of his career he was taken for granted. His ideas were merely a joke when electricity was coming about. He states that he knew his plan was going to benefit all; he just needed the chance to create it and prove that they would indeed benefit from it. His ideas were merely misunderstood and that once they discovered the luxury of having his vehicle, they wanted to change it (i.e. such as styles, colors, and uses of his products), when in the beginning they never gave it time to come about.

2.    Value your workers. Your business is not only about your product. Your workers play a valuable role in your success. If Henry did not pay his workers well to give them incentive to do well, who is to say that they would not slack off or pay less attention to their jobs? This could have caused a major problem when assembling vehicles, and for Ford Motor. Not just that but your workers are those who make your products. Regardless if they are bad or good products, it still reflects your company. Take time to value your workers in the work they do, and in return your products will reflect that.

3.    Work efficiency. The best way to get something done is to do it fast and efficiently. Discovering new ways for things to be done at a faster pace without pulling you under financially is essential. For example, if I have to wash 10 loads of clothes on a time frame, it would be better for me to go to a laundry mat. That way instead of waiting 20 hours ( an hour to wash and dry) and running up my electric bill, I could spend twenty dollars (a dollar per load washing and drying) and use 10 machines at once and get my laundry done in as little as two hours. Every situation varies, but that is why it is important to discover the best work efficiency that suits your company.

• I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:

1.    I will not let anything get in my way of achieving my ultimate goal. Letting no one get in my way towards achieving my utmost best I can be, I will be at the top of my market and unstoppable. I am the decider of my future and I will not stop until I achieve my goals.

2.    Determination and hard work pay off in the end. You cannot sit around and do nothing and expect something. When it comes to business, you cannot slack with the evolving markets. Staying on top of my job requires the utmost awareness of what is going on around me and how my product can continuously have a competitive advantage over other rivals.

3.    Money is not everything. I will not be so consumed in money that I cannot do my job to it finest. When you put forth your best work and achieve the maximum efficiency of your work, the money will come naturally. It is not something that can be forced or received by doing nothing; it comes from good work and service.

• Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:

“What others have said about the book and its author?”
    “A fun, easy to read book by a man with common sense and tremendous insight. It is written during a “simpler” time when America was becoming an industrial powerhouse. Ford is a very intelligent and practical man, a man you wish you could have a conversation with. Two reasons I didn’t give this 5 stars; is because it becomes superfluous in describing day to day operations at the Ford factory. Also, I thought I would find more principles that could be applied to today. Overall, an enjoyable read!” (”Amazon,” 2012).
    “Anyone who has read “My Life and Work” will understand exactly what is wrong with our country today. There are three ways to create wealth–grow it, mine it, or make it–and activities like flipping houses or trading carbon credits do not qualify. Ford developed what is now known as the Toyota production system, and readers will see a very explicit description of just in time manufacturing (and its benefits) in “My Life and Work.” Ford also summarized effective labor relations in one sentence: “It ought to be the employer’s ambition, as leader, to pay better wages than any similar line of business, and it ought to be the workman’s ambition to make this possible.” (“Amazon,” 2012).
    These are just a few of the many people raving about Henry Ford’s life and how he has greatly impacted our world today with his determination then. We will forever be grateful for his ideas that he brought to life and evolved to what they are today. As the book may be dated, it still opens our eye to how far we have come from that time and the wonders he established for us today.

Bibliography

Amazon (2012). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/My-Life-Work-Autobiography-Henry/product-reviews/146352546X

Ford, H., & Crowther, S. (1922). My life and work. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page &

Company.

(2011). Henry ford: On mens desire for corporate advancement. Retrieved from http://frrl.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/Henry-ford-on-mens-desire-for-corporate-advancement/

Oak, M. (2011, August 26). Buzzle.com. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/Henry-ford-timeline.html

The life of Henry ford. (2003). Retrieved from http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/default.asp

Yihan, L. (2011). Leadership With You. Retrieved from http://www.leadership-with-you.com/Henry-ford-leadership.html

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Contact Info

To contact the author of this article, “A Management in a Minute Book Overview of My Life and Work by Henry Ford for Practicing and Aspiring Managers” please email Jenna.Gindro@selu.edu.

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyldaboutinternationalfoods.blogspot.com/)                                             

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Executive Summary

The Peter Principle was first published in 1969 and created quite a controversy.  This book did become a #1 best seller and provides a comical satirical look at organizational hierarchies that explains why employees are promoted into positions where they are incompetent.

The writer Dr. Laurence Peter, a Canadian school psychologist, teacher, counselor, prison instructor, consultant and university professor who obtained his doctorate in education, collaborated with Raymond Hull, an accomplished Canadian born writer.  Dr. Peter did not have time to write this book so Mr. Hull used Dr. Peter’s scattered notes to compose the Peter Principle.   

A hierarchy is defined as an organization whose members or employees are arranged in order of rank, grade or class.  The work is spread out much like a pyramid shape with the regular employees doing the largest amount of work, which represents the bottom rung of the pyramid.  As they advance up the pyramid, there are the supervisors, then management, continuing upward until we reach the top of the pyramid where we find the owner or CEO.

It is stated that many companies would rather promote from within their hierarchy.  But, in theory, the employees that are promoted from within are already familiar with the workings of the company and have a good idea of the company’s goals.  The Peter Principle reveals a problem with internal promotions.

As an employee continues their promotion with the company, they eventually are promoted from a position of competence to a position they are unable to sustain, or in other words, they become incompetent.  An example as stated in the book would be in education.  Dr. Peter (1969) states that incompetence is rampant in the education system.  One high school graduate in three cannot read at a normal fifth grade level.  He states that it is common for colleges to be giving reading lessons to freshman.  In some colleges, twenty percent of freshman cannot read well enough to understand their textbooks.

It is understood from Peter’s analysis that when this level of incompetence is reached, an employee’s promotional tract usually ends.  The employee is stuck in the position where he no longer has the ability and provides less work than before when he was in the position in which he excelled.  The problems that are caused by the promotion create an incompetent employee that will be making incompetent decisions.  The Peter Principle states that the higher levels become populated entirely by incompetent employees.

Once at the level of incompetence, the employee will generally not be fired from the position but will become a mediocre employee.  The employee is able to spend a lot of time covering up his incompetence.  There is not usually something in place to demote the employee.  Therefore, he is either left alone or fired.

Not to worry, it seems the bulk or the productivity within the company is usually carried out by the regular employees who form the base of the hierarchical pyramid.  It is possible for a company to operate indefinitely as long as the incompetent supervisor does not create problems.

A point of interest is that incompetence is not limited to larger companies, or to any one specific company of any kind.  Incompetence is pervasive throughout the professional workplace.  It can be present in a solitary profession as well.  An example could be having your hairdresser, with many years of experience, giving you a terrible haircut.  Therefore, individual incompetence can be found as well as organizational incompetence.

It has been stated that employees gravitate toward professions that allow their incompetence to manifest.

The Ten Things Managers Need to Know from The Peter Principle

1.  Managers need to know about The Peter Principle (Peter, 1969 p.19), a concept that all employees rise to their level of incompetence.  It explains the growth and persistence of incompetence at the top levels of organizations.  The worker, having been hired into an entry-level position, does his job well and will eventually be promoted.  This process is repeated again until the employee has risen into a position where he cannot properly satisfy the responsibilities, thus his level of incompetence.  He will remain there until he retires or is fired.

2.  Managers need to know the existence of a hierarchy (Peter, 1969 p.69).  This as defined is an organization whose members or employees are arranged in order of rank, grade or class.  A hierarchy is one way a company can be organized.  Thereby, the work is spread out as if in a pyramid shape with the top of the pyramid being the owner or CEO.

3.   Managers need to know about an employee’s level of incompetence (Peter, 1969 p.139).  As an employee is promoted within his organization, he will eventually be promoted out of his area of expertise into an area where he is hopelessly incompetent.  Therefore, an employee who had once been good at his job finds himself in a position where he no longer has confidence in his abilities and begins to produce less work.

4.   Managers need to know about manipulation (Peter, 1969 p.64) by the employees thus taking the blame away from management.  An employee can manipulate the reward system to get a promotion.  The employee seeks a larger paycheck, higher status or a corner office and he works extra hard to get that promotion.  After an amount of time, the employee gives himself a break, taking a bit of time to relax.  It can appear as though the promotion caused a decline in work when realistically the work performed before the promotion was artificial.  This is not incompetence but an employee’s desire to work less.

5.   Managers need to know about employee self-sabotage (Peter, 1969 p.36).  It is possible that an employee knows his limits and thus shields himself from being promoted to his level of incompetence.  The employee who is happy in his current position will take steps to make it appear that he is less desirable for being promoted.  This can be a risk for the employee who would not want to get fired from the current position.

6.   Managers need to know that they are hiring the right individuals for the right job (Peter, 1969 p.64). You need to ensure that the person has the desire and ability to be a leader.  It is important that you provide objective feedback along the way.  This can highlight any shortcomings and provide an opportunity for the employee to improve their performance.

7.   Managers need to know that the Peter Principle can be deterred by refraining from promoting an employee until they show the skills and work habits needed to succeed at the next higher job (Peter, 1969 p.91).  Thus, a worker is not promoted to managing others if they do not already display management abilities.

8.   Managers need to know that one suggestion for overcoming the effects of the Peter Principle can be found in the use of contractors (Peter, 1969 p.139).  A contractor can be selected for their experience for a particular position for short periods of time to complete a job.  Certainly if they are incompetent they can easily be laid off or not renew their contract.  The contractor cannot be considered a part of the hierarchy.

9.  Managers need to know that they can consider instituting a policy of demoting employees without the stigma of failure (Peter, 1969 p.66).  An employee can be moved into a position that is more suited to that employee.  If the employee is struggling at the higher position then by allowing him to go back to a position at which he can excel would avoid the effects of the Peter Principle.

10.  Managers need to know that human behavior in the workplace, for the most part, shows that organizations can be quite competent at behavior that is rewarded and realizing that what is broken is the hierarchy structure (Peter, 1969 p.108).  There can be many other explanations for incompetence.   

Full Summary of The Peter Principle

The Peter Principle

Dr. Peter (1969) writes that he was taught that the more you know the further you go.  He began his career as a teacher.  During his first year of teaching he was disappointed to find that other teachers lacked the knowledge of their professional responsibilities and were incompetent to follow through.  He decided to apply elsewhere to teach.  It was during this search that he began seeing incompetence everywhere.   Thus began his serious study of the ways in which employees move upward through a hierarchy and what happens to them after promotions.  He describes three examples and determines that all three have common features.  The employee had been promoted from a position of competence to a position of incompetence in each example.  He determined this would happen to every employee in every hierarchy.

Dr. Peter’s analysis (1969) of hundreds of cases of occupational incompetence led him to formulate the Peter Principle.  ”In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence”.  Hierarchy was originally used to describe the system of church government by priests graded into ranks.  The contemporary meaning includes any organization whose members or employees are arranged in order of rank, grade or class.  Peter’s Principle is the key to an understanding of all hierarchical systems.  This explains that a competent employee promoted upward until his final promotion wherein he rises to and remains at his level of incompetence.

The Principle in Action

In every hierarchy “the cream rises until it sours” (Peter 1969).  An example at the Excelsior School System will be used to illustrate.  There are three categories: competent, moderately competent and incompetent.  It is suggested that distribution theory predicts that teachers will be distributed unevenly in the classes with the majority in the moderate competent, minorities in the competent and incompetent classes.  Thereby an incompetent teacher is ineligible for promotion.  The example used is of a competent student in college who always did as she was told, no more, no less.  Therefore, as a teacher her works go fairly well until the school began flooding after a water pipe burst.  She continued teaching.  The principal rushed in to ask why her class was still in session and she stated she did not hear the emergency bell.   She never breaks a rule or disobeys.  She was competent as a student but reached her level of incompetence as a classroom teacher but there she will remain.

Apparent Exceptions

It is stated that many do not want to accept the Peter Principle (Peter 1969) and have tried to find flaws in the hierarchiological structure.  A warning is issued to not be fooled by apparent exceptions.  Many examples are given in this chapter, one of which is called “The Percussive Sublimation”.  The example is that a hopelessly incompetent Mr. Blockett was kicked upstairs by management to get him off of the road.  Therefore, did Mr. Blockett move from a position of incompetence to a position of competence?  No, he was moved from one unproductive position to another.  He has not taken on any greater responsibility and he does not accomplish any more work.  This is a pseudo-promotion.  Some believe they have actually received a promotion.  The main function of a pseudo-promotion is to deceive people outside the hierarchy.  When this is achieved, it is considered a success.  The only move which can be acceptable is a move from a level of competence.

Pull and Promotion

The Peter Principle (Peter 1969) we have seen is immutable and universal but how long will the hierarchical ascension take?  It is first explained as an accelerated elevation through pull.  Pull is defined as “an employee’s relationship, by blood, marriage or acquaintance, with a person above him in the hierarchy”.  It is understood that to acquire pull there are five practical suggestions for the would-be Pullee: 1. Find a patron; 2.Motivate the patron; 3.Get out from under; 4. Be flexible; and 5. Obtain multiple patronage.  It is stated why wait?  Escalate!  By following the hints you can obtain Pull.  It can bring you to your level much sooner.

Push and Promotion

An employee’s promotion rate can be affected by the face of Push (Peter 1969).  There is much that is misunderstood about the function Push.  The fallacy has exploded that in established organizations downward pressure nullifies the upward force of Push.  It is shown that Pull is stronger than Push.  Likewise, Push suggests the following: Signs and symptoms of Push; Perils of Push; The final verdict; An exception that proves the rule; A dangerous delusion; The medical aspect; and, An important distinction.  The last words on Push are: “Never stand where you can sit, never walk when you can ride; never Push when you can Pull”.

Followers and Leaders

The fallacy “nothing succeeds like success” is stated to be misleading (Peter 1969).  The hierarchiology shows that nothing fails like success, when an employee rises to his level of incompetence.  Now it discusses the old saying, “you have to be a good follower to be a good leader”.  This as it is written is also a hierarchiological fallacy.  An example is when the mother of George Washington was asked to comment on how her son achieved his military prowess, she answered “I taught him to obey”.  How ridiculous is this statement.  How can the ability to lead depend on the ability to follow?  You could say then that the ability to float depends on the ability to sink.

Hierarchiology and Politics

The Peter Principle operates in some simple hierarchies such as school systems, factories, auto-repair shops and the like (Peter 1969).  Now we will examine complex hierarchies of politics and government.  It is written that no political theorist has analyzed the government or predicted the political future.  These studies in comparative hierarchiology have shown capitalistic, socialistic and communistic systems are the same incompetent group.  In any economic or political crisis, many learned experts will prescribe many different remedies such as raising or lowering taxes.  Why the confusion?  Those experts have reached their level of incompetence

Hints and Foreshadowing

There is no formal bibliography to this book since this is the first book (Peter 1969).  ”Cobbler stick to your last” refers to the journeyman cobbler to be wary of being promoted to foreman.  ”Too many cooks spoil the broth” suggests that the more people helping to cook, the greater the possibility of one of them reaching their level of incompetence.  Freud came close to discovering the Peter Principle.  He was a satirist at heart choosing to explain this frustration mostly in sexual terms such as penis envy, castration complex and Oedipus complex.  Freud missed the point.  Hierarchiology shows us that frustration occurs as a result of promotion.

The Psychology of Hierarchiology

It is stated that hierarchiology is a social science (Peter 1969).  Therefore, it states objective criteria rather than emotional terms such as loafer or parasite.  The approach to behavioral science is that of an objective observer.  The Peter Principle was discovered through observing overt behavior.  An example:  a competent stock clerk, attended night school to acquire a diploma in warehouse management.  He was promoted to assistant warehouse foreman.  After six years he asked for a promotion.  He was told he lacked leadership ability.  He was not able to make the men in the warehouse obey his command.  It is stated that without understanding the Peter Principle, psychiatry is at a severe disadvantage in trying to treat problems arising from occupational incompetence.

Peter’s Spiral

In most cases of incompetence, there appears to be a definite “wish to be productive”.  The employee would be competent if he could.  Incompetence plus incompetence equals incompetence or, The Mathematics of Incompetence.

The Pathology of Success

It should be clear by now that when an employee reaches his level of incompetence he can no longer do any useful work (Peter 1969).  In most cases the employee still wants to work.  He thinks he is working, yet little that is useful is accomplished.  To that regard, there are many medical issues associated with incompetence such as ulcers, high blood pressure, hypertension, insomnia and much more.  They are labeled as the Final Placement Syndrome or FPS.  An example is a department store executive spent every afternoon at his club rather than returning to his office.  He had an advanced case of FPS.  He was a near-alcoholic and had survived two mild coronary attacks, was overweight and dyspeptic.  His doctor advised him to take up golf.  He becomes obsessed and makes rapid progress only to suffer a fatal stroke while driving the golf cart.  Therefore, his symptoms were not relieved but he was transferred from an FPS case to Pseudo-Achievement Syndrome in relation to golf.  The treatment was considered a success.  In other words, the patient was given the feeling of competence in a non-occupational field.

Non-Medical Indices of Final Placement

How can you tell if an employee has reached Final Placement Syndrome? (Peter 1969).  This is stated as an important piece of hierarchiology.  An example is an employee normally keeps on his desk just the books and papers that he needs for his work.  After Final Placement, the employee is likely to have some unusual and highly significant arrangement of his desk.  He develops Phonophilia rationalizing his incompetence by complaining that he cannot keep in close enough touch with colleagues and subordinates.  To help this, he has several telephones added to his desk, a communication device with buttons, flashing lights and loudspeakers with a voice recording machine.  Soon he forms a habit of using two or more of these devices at the same time.  This becomes a sign of galloping Phonophilia.  This can degenerate rapidly and is usually considered incurable.  A word to the sufficient is wise that you need to look around you for the signs described above.  They will greatly help you to analyze your fellow workers.  But your most difficult task will be self-analysis.  Hierarchiologist Heal Thyself!

Health and Happiness at Zero PQ – Possibility or Pipe Dream

When an employee reaches his Level of Incompetence (Peter’s Plateau) he is said to have a Promotion Quotient (PQ) of zero (Peter 1969).  Employees react differently to this situation.  An employee has realized that he has arrived at Final Placement and reached his level of incompetence.  If the employee is capable of realizing this he will equate incompetence with laziness and will assume that he is not working hard enough, therefore, he will feel guilty.  He will begin working harder to try and overcome his inadequacies.  He begins to skip coffee breaks, work through lunch and take work home.  He quickly becomes the victim to the Final Placement Syndrome.  Many employees will never realize they have reached their level of incompetence.  They will keep perpetually busy and never lose the desire for a promotion and so remains happy and healthy.

Creative Incompetence

Is the Peter Principle a philosophy of despair?  (Peter 1969).  It is quoted “Better to Light a Single Candle than to Curse the Edison Company”.  You may conclude that a person can refuse to accept a promotion and stay working happily at a job that can be done competently.  Refusing a promotion is known as Peter’s Parry.  The author has only found one successful example:  a carpenter was hardworking, competent and had been offered a promotion to foreman several times.  He was happy as a carpenter.  He had no worries and when he left each day he could forget about his job.  The job as foreman, however, would leave him thinking each day about the work to be done.  This carpenter was an unmarried man with no close relatives or friends.  He could act as he wanted.

The Darwinian Extension

This chapter expands on the Peter Principle to a broader issue of life-competence.  Can the human race hold its position, or advance in the evolutionary hierarchy? (Peter 1969).  In the Peterian interpretation of history each promotion has increased his prospects of survival as a species.  Conceited members of the race think in terms of an endless promotion.  Sooner or later, man must reach his level of life-incompetence.  There are only two things that could prevent this.  One is that there is not enough time available, and the other not enough ranks in the hierarchy.  But so far is appears as though we have infinite time and an infinite number of ranks in existence.  As explained, the hierarchical regression through schooling begins to mold and train students.  We look at the school as it affects the pupils.  It is stated that the old-fashioned school system was an extension of the Peter Principle.  If the student failed a grade he had to repeat the grade, in other words he had to remain at his level of incompetence.  Obviously, school officials do not like this system as it shows an accumulation of incompetent students thus lowers the standards of the school.  Therefore, to avoid the accumulation of incompetents everyone was promoted.  The psychological justification of this policy is that it spares the painful experience of failure.  This is what the author calls hierarchical regression.

Lastly, we discuss Computerized Incompetence (Peter 1969, p.155).  Case file no. 11 discusses a founder and managing director who was an inventor-engineer.  He was convinced to get a computer to improve efficiency at the plant and do much of the work of his office staff.  The surplus staff was dismissed.  Soon the work at the firm was not being handled so fast or so well as before.  His business went downhill rapidly and within a year he was out of business.  He had fallen victim to Computerized Incompetence.

The Video Lounge

The following video is a clip about the concepts of the Peter Principle.  It supports the observation by Dr. Peter that in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.  People get promoted for working competently and sooner or later you are left at a position where you are no longer competent.  You will be left there to stay.  In time every position tends to be occupied by an employee that is incompetent.  The work is thus being done by employees who have not reached their level of incompetence.  The military recognizes this principle by allowing a military individual to hold his position only for a certain amount of time. Presented by Bubble Thought 3/29/10.

Personal Insights

Why I think the author is one of the most brilliant people around because:

Dr. Peter has devised an entire language around describing levels of incompetence.  It is written in a fashion that is satirical and makes you laugh.  This idea of being promoted until your last job is your level of incompetence does make sense.  Can all of top management be incompetent?  We learn in this book that if things are being accomplished it is because middle management is doing the work.   

If I were the author of the book, I would have done these three things differently:

1.  I believe the information in this book is older than the 1969 publishing date.  I would have updated the material to make the examples more relevant for today.

2.  Some of the examples seem exaggerated and not believable.  I think that I would have concentrated on providing more realistic examples.

3.  The cartoons used in the book were originally published in Punch magazine.  The original captions were removed and something related to the book was added instead.  I think I would have been more creative in developing my own cartoons with the captions.

Reading this book made me think differently about the topic in these ways:

1.  I now reflect on my past jobs and wonder how or when I had ever been at a level of incompetence.  For the most part, I think I was a competent employee.  There were times that I skipped lunch to work, brought work home, and worked late.  According to the book, these were signs of having to try harder because of being at the level of incompetence.

2.  When I was promoted to my level of incompetence, I reflect on what I could have done to prevent this from happening.  But, according to the Peter Principle it was not possible to prevent this from occurring.

3.  Whether I become a lower level manager or an upper level supervisor, I will be aware of my employees that request a promotion.  I will make my determinations with the relevant facts so that I can ascertain their abilities.

I’ll apply what I’ve learned in this book in my career by:

1.  Making sure that I am qualified for the position I seek.

2.  Assessing my employees to make sure that they are not promoted to a level of incompetence.

3.  Continuing my skills through education or experience on the job to prevent my being promoted to a level of incompetence.

Here is a sampling of what others have said about the book and its author:

Fairburn writes “that the Peter Principle is still accurate and useful today.  Many anecdotes and case studies may remind you of yourself, someone or some people you’ve worked with.  There are illustrations, diagrams, charts, graphs, and the ever-present Bell Curve.  There are too many good things in this book to list.  It’s also a quick and easy-read.”  (2000)

Clark writes “this book’s subject has been described as “satirical sociology”.  It’s a rather short book that consists of made-up stories about administrative and business hierarchies.  Some (if not all) of them are based on true events.  Dr. Peter has given his characters funny names and the stories make you laugh frequently but actually the message of the book is very serious.  Dr. Peter demonstrates that endless climbing higher is bound to lead your life to a dead end.” (Date unknown)

Some of the reviews I read agreed that this book is brilliant in giving the world an answer to a nagging question of why incompetence is so widespread.  This book is considered comic yet classic in defining what Dr. Laurence Peter has written, which is “in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence” (Peter 1969).

Bibliography

Bezroukov, N., (1996-2011).  Retrieved 1/13/12 from http://www.softpanorama.org

Clark, J., (Date unknown) How the Peter Principle Works, Retrieved 3/13/12 from http://money. howstuffworks.com/ peter-principle1.htm

delAlcazar, N., (Date unknown) Retrieved 3/13/12 from mhtml:file//E:MGMT464Bus StrategyReconsideringthePeter Principle.mht

Fairburn, J. A. & Malcomson, J.M., (2000).  ”Performance, Promotion and the Peter Principle,” Economics Series Working Papers 9926, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.

Peter, L.J. & Hull, R., (1969). The Peter Principle, Why Things Always Go Wrong (pp. 1-168). New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc.

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Contact Info:

To contact the author of this article, “A Management in a Minute Book Overview of The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, please email linda.thatcher@selu.edu or lsthatcher@bellsouth.net.

About the Publisher  

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Management, can be viewed at http://wyldaboutmanagement.blogspot.com/. He also serves as the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center (http://reverseauctionresearch.com/), a hub of research and news in the expanding world of competitive bidding. Dr. Wyld also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding:

• management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/)
• book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/) and
• international foods  (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/)