One of the most important books on business excellence and leadership I have ever read was Good to Great. It had everything I needed to breeze through the book; empirical data, great writing and a topic I am keenly interested in studying. So, my hopes were high when I picked up Success Built to Last because Jerry Porras, a coauthor of Built to Last was also involved in this book.
This book does not disappoint! Although the focus is on individuals instead of business, it is still a must read. My suggestion is to start at the end. Go to the last chapter, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out and read through the results of their research. It is impressive because this is a meticulously researched book.
The real reason I want you to start at the end is because it is eye opening. Growing up, many of us were taught that success was all about how much money, power and fame someone had. Fortunately for me, my family focused a slightly different version of success that encouraged relationships and hard work. Reading through this part, I found that much of my thinking is in line with the Dali Lama's and Richard Branson's of the world. I also found there were still things I need to work on, like my attitude toward setbacks.
I also really encourage you to read the introduction. They lay out the notion of the Mandela Effect, the idea that you can create enduring success by having the courage to do what matters to you. I specifically endorse the introduction because it is one of those points of a book many of us neglect, but in this case, is a very integral part of the book.
The chapter that had the biggest impact on me was Chapter 10: Naked Conversations-Harvesting Contention. As a teenager, I had a wicked temper that I acted on regularly. It was polarizing, destructive and played a large part in me living away from home for my Senior year of high school. To combat this tendency, I avoid confrontation. I will walk away from confrontation often never saying what needs to be said to positively impact decisions.
Confrontation as described in the book is not personal. It focuses on issues and allows ideas to come from several sources, not just the top of the organization chart. They credit it with keeping senior leadership attitudes in check. The book gives rules for contention, encourages setting times for creative contention and encourage you to master the art of contention. It is fascinating and counter-intuitive for me, but I plan on working on this skill!
This is absolutely a book that needs to show up in your personal library and revisited every so often!
Part-time blogger, trainer and full-time networker, David Lingholm is the leadoff hitter for Basso Design Group http://www.bassodesigngroup.com, premier creators of interactive media. In addition, he is a director for BNI of Michigan http://www.bni-mi.com supporting chapters throughout southeast Michigan and a partner in Nspired Networking.
When his head is not buried in a book, he serves of the Board of Trustees for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Detroit, the Maple Valley Memorial Scholarship Foundation and sits on the advisory board for Operation Kid Equip. If all else fails, you might even find him whitewater rafting in West Virginia or anywhere else the water is wild!
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