Books for Business: Filling The Glass
Legacy signals
Legacy popularity: 1,463 legacy views
Filling the Glass: The Skeptic’s Guide to Positive Thinking in Business by Barry Maher (Dearbo
Trade Publishing, $19.95)
Rating: $$$$$n n Barry Maher’s new book, Filling the Glass: The Skeptic’s Guide to Positive Thinking is a business self-help book with an edge: Chicken Soup for the Skeptical Soul. It’s a book for the rest of us—for those who understand the benefits of a positive attitude but deep down inside don’t really believe that chanting affirmations will make our dreams come true. It’s a book for those who suspect that when the boss enthuses, “Jack has a positive attitude,” he really means, “Jack kisses all the right posteriors and doesn't gripe about my stupidity.”
Though author Barry Maher is himself a popular keynote speaker and business consultant, he maintains a healthy skepticism towards self-help books and business gurus. And when he holds them up to question, he holds himself up as well. Readers who loved Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, Maher writes, will find that Maher is “every bit as much an expert on seat-of-the-pants psychology as Attila was on rape, pillage and--I guess--twentieth century management technique.”
To Maher (www.barrymaher.com), whether you call the glass half empty or half full, it’s still only four ounces of water. The problem isn’t whether it’s half full or half empty, the problem is figuring out how to fill it up. Reality counts. To grow or change or improve a business, to motivate people for the long haul, you have to begin by dealing with that reality—rather than what you, the company, the CEO or the stockholders might wish were true. All the innovative--and even counter-intuitive--strategies, tactics and tips that Maher offers for improving businesses, business lives, and careers spring from that deceptively simple premise.
Filling the Glass: The Skeptic’s Guide to Positive Thinking in Business is a strong $$$$$: our highest recommendation. nn # # #n
Books for Business Ratingsnn$$$$$ A Must-Read, Invaluablen n $$$$ Well Worth the Investmentn n $$$ Some Worthwhile Contentn n $$ Invest Your Money Elsewherenn $ Demand a Refundn
Article author
About the Author
Books for Business reviewer Philip Abelard can be reached at booksforbusiness@yahoo.com.
Further reading
Further Reading
Article
The Multi-tasking Myth
Okay, so enough already. We hear from managers all the time about how they “multi-task” to be more effective. It may be time to really review this myth. Multi-tasking came from the home, where multiple projects can happen simultaneously. A good example might be that the laundry is ...
Related piece
Article
Diamonds and Dollars: It’s Not What Your Product or Service Is Worth. It’s What the Customer Thinks It’s Worth.
One summer while I was on vacation from college I became a tin man: selling aluminum siding and roofing door to door in the Boston area. The business has a bad reputation but our siding and our roofs were the finest available. Our prices were high but fair. In spite of what consumers always want to believe, you can’t get the best without paying for it.
Related piece
Article
Belief Sells, Confidence Motivates
It's far easier to make someone else a believe when you're a believe yourself. Let’s say you have a health problem and you go to a doctor. You want him to listen, evaluate and investigate. When he makes his recommendation, you want to hear as much confidence as possible. "Andrew, you've ...
Related piece
Article
The Blame Game: Speaking of Not Motivating
When you fail, when you make a mistake, keep your head—unless you can think of a lot of situations that were actually improved by panic. And, own up to your mistake—to yourself and to any others involved. Anyone who doesn't realize that's the best course of action hasn't been paying much ...
Related piece