Saturday, November 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
.jpg)
Firnando Chau Review
The contents are:
Introduction
Aristotle's Challenge
Part One: The Emotional Brain
1. What are Emotions For?
2. Anatomy of an Emotional Hijacking
Part Two: The Nature of Emotional Intelligence
3. When Smart is Dumb
4. Know Thyself
5. Passion's Slaves
6. The Master Aptitude
7. The Roots of Empathy
8. The Social Arts
Part Three: Emotional Intelligence Applied
9. Intimate Enemies
10. Managing with Heart
11. Mind and Medicine
Part Four: Windows of Opportunity
12. The Family Crucible
13. Trauma and Emotional Relearning
14. Temperament Is Not Destiny
Part Five: Emotional Literacy
15. The Cost of Emotional Illiteracy
16. Schooling the Emotions
Appendix A: What is Emotion?
Appendix B: Hallmarks of the Emotional Mind
Appendix C: The Neural Circuitry of Fear
Appendix D: W. T. Grant Consortium: Active Ingredients of Prevention Programs
Appendix E: The Self Silence Curriculum
Appendix F: Social and Emotional Learning: Results
Resources
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
--
About the Book:-
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (September 12, 1996)
ISBN-10: 0747528306
ISBN-13: 978-0747528302
Amazon.com Review
The Western cultures esteem analytical skills measured by IQ tests: but there is clearly more to success and happiness, even in technological societies, than IQ alone. Goleman has written one of the best books on the nature and importance of other kinds of intelligence besides our perhaps overly beloved IQ. Recommended. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
New York Times science writer Goleman argues that our emotions play a much greater role in thought, decision making and individual success than is commonly acknowledged. He defines "emotional intelligence"?a trait not measured by IQ tests?as a set of skills, including control of one's impulses, self-motivation, empathy and social competence in interpersonal relationships. Although his highly accessible survey of research into cognitive and emotional development may not convince readers that this grab bag of faculties comprise a clearly recognizable, well-defined aptitude, his report is nevertheless an intriguing and practical guide to emotional mastery. In marriage, emotional intelligence means listening well and being able to calm down. In the workplace, it manifests when bosses give subordinates constructive feedback regarding their performance. Goleman also looks at pilot programs in schools from New York City to Oakland, Calif., where kids are taught conflict resolution, impulse control and social skills.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Scientific data emerging from studies using new brain imaging technologies have yielded fresh understanding of how emotions work and, argues the author, suggest ways to regulate the more negative emotions responsible for the horrendous acts of violence that are the stuff of daily headlines. The book calls for universal adoption of educational curricula that teach youngsters how to regulate their emotional responses and to resolve conflict peacefully. Along the way Goleman summarizes much of the best psychological work of the last few decades on such topics as the importance of learned optimism, the theory of multiple intelligences, the role of innate temperamental differences, and the importance of emotional intelligence in marriage, management, and medicine. Based on good empirical data (unlike many popular psychology books), this fine example is recommended for academic and larger public libraries. -- Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, Wash.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
If your class valedictorian did not become the soaring success everyone predicted, perhaps his IQ exceeded his EQ. Psychologist Daniel Goleman's latest book is a fascinating depiction of the role emotional intelligence plays in defining character and determining destiny. He has produced an eminently readable and persuasive work that shows us how to develop our emotional intelligence in ways that can improve our relationships, our parenting, our classrooms, and our workplaces. Goleman assures us that our temperaments may be determined by neurochemistry, but they can be altered. We could turn society on its ear if we learned to recognize our emotions and control our reactions; if we combined our thinking with our feeling; if we learned to follow our flow of feelings in our search for creativity. This well-researched work persuades us to teach our children an important lesson: humanity lies in our feelings, not our facts. This is an engrossing, captivating work that should be read by anyone who wants to improve self, family, or world. Patricia Hassler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'An impressive argument that excellence is more than IQ' Daily Mail 'A well-written and practical guide to the emotions, perfectly pitched in tone and scope' Financial Times 'Forget IQ. Brains may come in useful, as may social class and luck, but as a predictor of who will succeed in any area of life, EQ is the thing to worry about' Good Housekeeping
About the Book
The groundbreaking bestseller that redefines intelligence and success Does IQ define our destiny? Daniel Goleman argues that our view of human intelligence is far too narrow, and that our emotions play major role in thought, decision making and individual success. Self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, motivation, empathy and social deftness are all qualities that mark people who excel: whose relationships flourish, who are stars in the workplace. With new insights into the brain architecture underlying emotion and rationality, Goleman shows precisely how emotional intelligence can be nurtured and strengthened in all of us.
From the Publisher
Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until the discoveries of modern brain researchers, theorists could only guess why. Daniel Goleman's fascinating report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers us startling new insight into our "two minds" -- the rational and the emotional -- and how they together shape our destiny. Beginning deep in the brain, Emotional Intelligence shows us the exact mechanism of an "emotional hijack," when passion overcomes reason. Through vivid examples, Goleman then delineates the crucial skills of emotional intelligence, and shows how they determine our success in relationships and work, and even our physical well-being. What emerges is a crucial new way to talk about being smart. The final chapters reveal the possibilities -- and limits -- of "emotional literary," as it is taught by both parents and educators. The book concludes with a compelling vision of what true emotional intelligence means for us both as individuals and as a society. The message of this eye-opening book is one we must take to heart: the true "bell curve" for a democracy must measure emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman offers a new vision of excellence and a vital new curriculum for life that can change the future for us and our children.
From the Inside Flap
Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until the discoveries of modern brain researchers, theorists could only guess why. Daniel Goleman's fascinating report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers us startling new insight into our "two minds" -- the rational and the emotional -- and how they together shape our destiny. Beginning deep in the brain, Emotional Intelligence shows us the exact mechanism of an "emotional hijack," when passion overcomes reason. Through vivid examples, Goleman then delineates the crucial skills of emotional intelligence, and shows how they determine our success in relationships and work, and even our physical well-being. What emerges is a crucial new way to talk about being smart. The final chapters reveal the possibilities -- and limits -- of "emotional literary," as it is taught by both parents and educators. The book concludes with a compelling vision of what true emotional intelligence means for us both as individuals and as a society. The message of this eye-opening book is one we must take to heart: the true "bell curve" for a democracy must measure emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman offers a new vision of excellence and a vital new curriculum for life that can change the future for us and our children.
From the Back Cover
"Impressive in its scope and depth, staggering in its implications, Emotional Intelligence gives us an entirely new way of looking at the root causes of many of the ills of our families and our society." -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., author of Wherever You Go, There You Are.
About the Author
Daniel Goleman, PhD, covers the behavioural and brain sciences for the New York Times and his articles appear throughout the world in syndication. His latest book, Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama, was published in January 2003. He has taught at Harvard (where he received his PhD) and was formerly senior editor at Psychology Today. His previous books include Vital Lies, Simple Truths; The Meditative Mind; and as co-author, The Creative Spirit. He was also a contributor to the business reference work, Business: The Ultimate Resource.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The New Yardstick
The rules for work are changing. We're being judged by a new yardstick: not just by how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other. This yardstick is increasingly applied in choosing who will be hired and who will not, who will be let go and who retained, who passed over and who promoted.
The new rules predict who is most likely to become a star performer and who is most prone to derailing. And, no matter what field we work in currently, they measure the traits that are crucial to our marketability for future jobs.
These rules have little to do with what we were told was important in school; academic abilities are largely irrelevant to this standard. The new measure takes for granted having enough intellectual ability and technical know-how to do our jobs; it focuses instead on personal qualities, such as initiative and empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness.
This is no passing fad, nor just the management nostrum of the moment. The data that argue for taking it seriously are based on studies of tens of thousands of working people, in callings of every kind. The research distills with unprecedented precision which qualities mark a star performer. And it demonstrates which human abilities make up the greater part of the ingredients for excellence at work—most especially for leadership.
If you work in a large organization, even now you are probably being evaluated in terms of these capabilities, though you may not know it. If you are applying for a job, you are likely to be scrutinized through this lens, though, again, no one will tell you so explicitly. Whatever your job, understanding how to cultivate these capabilities can be essential for success in your career.
If you are part of a management team, you need to consider whether your organization fosters these competencies or discourages them. To the degree your organizational climate nourishes these competencies, your organization will be more effective and productive. You will maximize your group's intelligence, the synergistic interaction of every person's best talents.
If you work for a small organization or for yourself, your ability to perform at peak depends to a very great extent on your having these abilities—though almost certainly you were never taught them in school. Even so, your career will depend, to a greater or lesser extent, on how well you have mastered these capacities.
In a time with no guarantees of job security, when the very concept of a "job" is rapidly being replaced by "portable skills," these are prime qualities that make and keep us employable. Talked about loosely for decades under a variety of names, from "character" and "personality" to "soft skills" and "competence," there is at last a more precise understanding of these human talents, and a new name for them: emotional intelligence.
A Different Way of Being Smart
"I had the lowest cumulative grade point average ever in my engineering school," the codirector of a consulting firm tells me. "But when I joined the army and went to officer candidate school, I was number one in my class—it was all about how you handle yourself, get along with people, work in teams, leadership. And that's what I find to be true in the world of work."
In other words, what matters is a different way of being smart. In my book Emotional Intelligence, my focus was primarily on education, though a short chapter dealt with implications for work and organizational life.
What caught me by utter surprise—and delighted me—was the flood of interest from the business community. Responding to a tidal wave of letters and faxes, e-mails and phone calls, requests to speak and consult, I found myself on a global odyssey, talking to thousands of people, from CEOs to secretaries, about what it means to bring emotional intelligence to work.
* * *
This search has taken me back to research I participated in while a graduate student, and then faculty member, at Harvard University. That research was part of an early challenge to the IQ mystique—the false but widely embraced notion that what matters for success is intellect alone. This work helped spawn what has now become a mini-industry that analyzes the actual competencies that make people successful in jobs and organizations of every kind, and the findings are astonishing: IQ takes second position to emotional intelligence in determining outstanding job performance.
Analyses done by dozens of different experts in close to five hundred corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide have arrived independently at remarkably similar conclusions, and their findings are particularly compelling because they avoid the biases or limits inherent in the work of a single individual or group. Their conclusions all point to the paramount place of emotional intelligence in excellence on the job--in virtually any job.
Some Misconceptions
As I've toured the world talking and consulting with people in business, I've encountered certain widespread misunderstandings about emotional intelligence. Let me clear up some of the most common at the outset. First, emotional intelligence does not mean merely "being nice." At strategic moments it may demand not "being nice," but rather, for example, bluntly confronting someone with an uncomfortable but consequential truth they've been avoiding.
Second, emotional intelligence does not mean giving free rein to feelings—"letting it all hang out." Rather, it means managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together smoothly toward their common goals.
Also, women are not "smarter" than men when it comes to emotional intelligence, nor are men superior to women. Each of us has a personal profile of strengths and weaknesses in these capacities. Some of us may be highly empathic but lack some abilities to handle our own distress; others may be quite aware of the subtlest shift in our own moods, yet be inept socially.
It is true that men and women as groups tend to have a shared, gender-specific profile of strong and weak points. An analysis of emotional intelligence in thousands of men and women found that women, on average, are more aware of their emotions, show more empathy, and are more adept interpersonally. Men, on the other hand, are more self-confident and optimistic, adapt more easily, and handle stress better.
In general, however, there are far more similarities than differences. Some men are as empathic as the most interpersonally sensitive women, while some women are every bit as able to withstand stress as the most emotionally resilient men. Indeed, on average, looking at the overall ratings for men and women, the strengths and weaknesses average out, so that in terms of total emotional intelligence, there are no sex differences.
Finally, our level of emotional intelligence is not fixed genetically, nor does it develop only in early childhood. Unlike IQ, which changes little after our teen years, emotional intelligence seems to be largely learned, and it continues to develop as we go through life and learn from our experiences—our competence in it can keep growing. In fact, studies that have tracked people's level of emotional intelligence through the years show that people get better and better in these capabilities as they grow more adept at handling their own emotions and impulses, at motivating themselves, and at honing their empathy and social adroitness. There is an old-fashioned word for this growth in emotional intelligence: maturity.
Why This Matters Now
At a California biotech start-up, the CEO proudly enumerated the features that made his organization state-of-the-art: No one, including him, had a fixed office; instead, everyone carried a small laptop—their mobile office—and was wired to everyone else. Job titles were irrelevant; employees worked in cross-functional teams and the place bubbled with creative energy. People routinely put in seventy- and eighty-hour work weeks.
"So what's the downside?" I asked him.
"There is no downside," he assured me.
And that was the fallacy. Once I was free to talk with staff members, I heard the truth: The hectic pace had people feeling burned out and robbed of their private lives. And though everyone could talk via computer to everyone else, people felt that no one was truly listening to them.
People desperately felt the need for connection, for empathy, for open communication.
In the new, stripped-down, every-job-counts business climate, these human realities will matter more than ever. Massive change is a constant; technical innovations, global competition, and the pressures of institutional investors are ever-escalating forces for flux.
Another reality makes emotional intelligence ever more crucial: As organizations shrink through waves of downsizing, those people who remain are more accountable—and more visible. Where earlier a midlevel employee might easily hide a hot temper or shyness, now competencies such as managing one's emotions, handling encounters well, teamwork, and leadership, show—and count--more than ever.
The globalization of the workforce puts a particular premium on emotional intelligence in wealthier countries. Higher wages in these countries, if they are to be maintained, will depend on a new kind of productivity. And structural fixes or technological advances alone are not enough: As at the California biotech firm, streamlining or other innovations often create new problems that cry out for even greater emotional intelligence.
1. Ecological Intelligence: The Hidden Impacts of What We Buy (2010)
2. Measuring the Immeasurable: The Scientific Case for Spirituality (2008)
3. Social intelligence (2007)
4. Destructive emotions: how can we overcome them? : a scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama (2004)
7. Vital lies, simple truths: the psychology of self-deception (1998)
8. The Meditative Mind (1988)
Co-Authors of other books:
1. Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children (2008) Co-Authored with Linda Lantieri
2. Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor (2008) Co-authored with
Warren G. Bennis & James O'Toole
3. The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness (2008) Co-authored with Yongey Mingyur, & Eric Swanson
4. Primal leadership: learning to lead with emotional intelligence (2004) Co-Authored with Richard E. Boyatzis & Annie McKee
5. The new leaders: transforming the art of leadership into the science of results (2003) Co-authored with Richard E. Boyatzis, Annie McKee
6. The emotionally intelligent workplace: how to select for, measure, and improve emotional intelligence in individuals, groups, and organizations (2001) Co-authored with Cary Cherniss
7. Harvard business review on what makes a leader (2001) Co-Authored with Michael MacCoby, Thomas Davenport, John C. Beck, Clampa Dan
10. MindScience: an East-West dialogue (1991) Co-Authored with Robert A. F. Thurman
11. The essential psychotherapies: theory and practice by the masters (1982) Co-authored with Kathleen Riordan Speeth
12. Introductory psychology (1982) Co-authored with Trygg Engen, Anthony Davids
13. Consciousness, the brain, states of awareness, and alternate realities (1979) Co-Authored with Richard J. Davidson
.jpg)
Firnando Chau Review
The contents are:
Introduction
Aristotle's Challenge
Part One: The Emotional Brain
1. What are Emotions For?
2. Anatomy of an Emotional Hijacking
Part Two: The Nature of Emotional Intelligence
3. When Smart is Dumb
4. Know Thyself
5. Passion's Slaves
6. The Master Aptitude
7. The Roots of Empathy
8. The Social Arts
Part Three: Emotional Intelligence Applied
9. Intimate Enemies
10. Managing with Heart
11. Mind and Medicine
Part Four: Windows of Opportunity
12. The Family Crucible
13. Trauma and Emotional Relearning
14. Temperament Is Not Destiny
Part Five: Emotional Literacy
15. The Cost of Emotional Illiteracy
16. Schooling the Emotions
Appendix A: What is Emotion?
Appendix B: Hallmarks of the Emotional Mind
Appendix C: The Neural Circuitry of Fear
Appendix D: W. T. Grant Consortium: Active Ingredients of Prevention Programs
Appendix E: The Self Silence Curriculum
Appendix F: Social and Emotional Learning: Results
Resources
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
--
About the Book:-
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (September 12, 1996)
ISBN-10: 0747528306
ISBN-13: 978-0747528302
Amazon.com Review
The Western cultures esteem analytical skills measured by IQ tests: but there is clearly more to success and happiness, even in technological societies, than IQ alone. Goleman has written one of the best books on the nature and importance of other kinds of intelligence besides our perhaps overly beloved IQ. Recommended. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
New York Times science writer Goleman argues that our emotions play a much greater role in thought, decision making and individual success than is commonly acknowledged. He defines "emotional intelligence"?a trait not measured by IQ tests?as a set of skills, including control of one's impulses, self-motivation, empathy and social competence in interpersonal relationships. Although his highly accessible survey of research into cognitive and emotional development may not convince readers that this grab bag of faculties comprise a clearly recognizable, well-defined aptitude, his report is nevertheless an intriguing and practical guide to emotional mastery. In marriage, emotional intelligence means listening well and being able to calm down. In the workplace, it manifests when bosses give subordinates constructive feedback regarding their performance. Goleman also looks at pilot programs in schools from New York City to Oakland, Calif., where kids are taught conflict resolution, impulse control and social skills.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Scientific data emerging from studies using new brain imaging technologies have yielded fresh understanding of how emotions work and, argues the author, suggest ways to regulate the more negative emotions responsible for the horrendous acts of violence that are the stuff of daily headlines. The book calls for universal adoption of educational curricula that teach youngsters how to regulate their emotional responses and to resolve conflict peacefully. Along the way Goleman summarizes much of the best psychological work of the last few decades on such topics as the importance of learned optimism, the theory of multiple intelligences, the role of innate temperamental differences, and the importance of emotional intelligence in marriage, management, and medicine. Based on good empirical data (unlike many popular psychology books), this fine example is recommended for academic and larger public libraries. -- Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, Wash.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
If your class valedictorian did not become the soaring success everyone predicted, perhaps his IQ exceeded his EQ. Psychologist Daniel Goleman's latest book is a fascinating depiction of the role emotional intelligence plays in defining character and determining destiny. He has produced an eminently readable and persuasive work that shows us how to develop our emotional intelligence in ways that can improve our relationships, our parenting, our classrooms, and our workplaces. Goleman assures us that our temperaments may be determined by neurochemistry, but they can be altered. We could turn society on its ear if we learned to recognize our emotions and control our reactions; if we combined our thinking with our feeling; if we learned to follow our flow of feelings in our search for creativity. This well-researched work persuades us to teach our children an important lesson: humanity lies in our feelings, not our facts. This is an engrossing, captivating work that should be read by anyone who wants to improve self, family, or world. Patricia Hassler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'An impressive argument that excellence is more than IQ' Daily Mail 'A well-written and practical guide to the emotions, perfectly pitched in tone and scope' Financial Times 'Forget IQ. Brains may come in useful, as may social class and luck, but as a predictor of who will succeed in any area of life, EQ is the thing to worry about' Good Housekeeping
About the Book
The groundbreaking bestseller that redefines intelligence and success Does IQ define our destiny? Daniel Goleman argues that our view of human intelligence is far too narrow, and that our emotions play major role in thought, decision making and individual success. Self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, motivation, empathy and social deftness are all qualities that mark people who excel: whose relationships flourish, who are stars in the workplace. With new insights into the brain architecture underlying emotion and rationality, Goleman shows precisely how emotional intelligence can be nurtured and strengthened in all of us.
From the Publisher
Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until the discoveries of modern brain researchers, theorists could only guess why. Daniel Goleman's fascinating report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers us startling new insight into our "two minds" -- the rational and the emotional -- and how they together shape our destiny. Beginning deep in the brain, Emotional Intelligence shows us the exact mechanism of an "emotional hijack," when passion overcomes reason. Through vivid examples, Goleman then delineates the crucial skills of emotional intelligence, and shows how they determine our success in relationships and work, and even our physical well-being. What emerges is a crucial new way to talk about being smart. The final chapters reveal the possibilities -- and limits -- of "emotional literary," as it is taught by both parents and educators. The book concludes with a compelling vision of what true emotional intelligence means for us both as individuals and as a society. The message of this eye-opening book is one we must take to heart: the true "bell curve" for a democracy must measure emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman offers a new vision of excellence and a vital new curriculum for life that can change the future for us and our children.
From the Inside Flap
Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or virtue, but until the discoveries of modern brain researchers, theorists could only guess why. Daniel Goleman's fascinating report from the frontiers of psychology and neuroscience offers us startling new insight into our "two minds" -- the rational and the emotional -- and how they together shape our destiny. Beginning deep in the brain, Emotional Intelligence shows us the exact mechanism of an "emotional hijack," when passion overcomes reason. Through vivid examples, Goleman then delineates the crucial skills of emotional intelligence, and shows how they determine our success in relationships and work, and even our physical well-being. What emerges is a crucial new way to talk about being smart. The final chapters reveal the possibilities -- and limits -- of "emotional literary," as it is taught by both parents and educators. The book concludes with a compelling vision of what true emotional intelligence means for us both as individuals and as a society. The message of this eye-opening book is one we must take to heart: the true "bell curve" for a democracy must measure emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman offers a new vision of excellence and a vital new curriculum for life that can change the future for us and our children.
From the Back Cover
"Impressive in its scope and depth, staggering in its implications, Emotional Intelligence gives us an entirely new way of looking at the root causes of many of the ills of our families and our society." -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., author of Wherever You Go, There You Are.
About the Author
Daniel Goleman, PhD, covers the behavioural and brain sciences for the New York Times and his articles appear throughout the world in syndication. His latest book, Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama, was published in January 2003. He has taught at Harvard (where he received his PhD) and was formerly senior editor at Psychology Today. His previous books include Vital Lies, Simple Truths; The Meditative Mind; and as co-author, The Creative Spirit. He was also a contributor to the business reference work, Business: The Ultimate Resource.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The New Yardstick
The rules for work are changing. We're being judged by a new yardstick: not just by how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other. This yardstick is increasingly applied in choosing who will be hired and who will not, who will be let go and who retained, who passed over and who promoted.
The new rules predict who is most likely to become a star performer and who is most prone to derailing. And, no matter what field we work in currently, they measure the traits that are crucial to our marketability for future jobs.
These rules have little to do with what we were told was important in school; academic abilities are largely irrelevant to this standard. The new measure takes for granted having enough intellectual ability and technical know-how to do our jobs; it focuses instead on personal qualities, such as initiative and empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness.
This is no passing fad, nor just the management nostrum of the moment. The data that argue for taking it seriously are based on studies of tens of thousands of working people, in callings of every kind. The research distills with unprecedented precision which qualities mark a star performer. And it demonstrates which human abilities make up the greater part of the ingredients for excellence at work—most especially for leadership.
If you work in a large organization, even now you are probably being evaluated in terms of these capabilities, though you may not know it. If you are applying for a job, you are likely to be scrutinized through this lens, though, again, no one will tell you so explicitly. Whatever your job, understanding how to cultivate these capabilities can be essential for success in your career.
If you are part of a management team, you need to consider whether your organization fosters these competencies or discourages them. To the degree your organizational climate nourishes these competencies, your organization will be more effective and productive. You will maximize your group's intelligence, the synergistic interaction of every person's best talents.
If you work for a small organization or for yourself, your ability to perform at peak depends to a very great extent on your having these abilities—though almost certainly you were never taught them in school. Even so, your career will depend, to a greater or lesser extent, on how well you have mastered these capacities.
In a time with no guarantees of job security, when the very concept of a "job" is rapidly being replaced by "portable skills," these are prime qualities that make and keep us employable. Talked about loosely for decades under a variety of names, from "character" and "personality" to "soft skills" and "competence," there is at last a more precise understanding of these human talents, and a new name for them: emotional intelligence.
A Different Way of Being Smart
"I had the lowest cumulative grade point average ever in my engineering school," the codirector of a consulting firm tells me. "But when I joined the army and went to officer candidate school, I was number one in my class—it was all about how you handle yourself, get along with people, work in teams, leadership. And that's what I find to be true in the world of work."
In other words, what matters is a different way of being smart. In my book Emotional Intelligence, my focus was primarily on education, though a short chapter dealt with implications for work and organizational life.
What caught me by utter surprise—and delighted me—was the flood of interest from the business community. Responding to a tidal wave of letters and faxes, e-mails and phone calls, requests to speak and consult, I found myself on a global odyssey, talking to thousands of people, from CEOs to secretaries, about what it means to bring emotional intelligence to work.
* * *
This search has taken me back to research I participated in while a graduate student, and then faculty member, at Harvard University. That research was part of an early challenge to the IQ mystique—the false but widely embraced notion that what matters for success is intellect alone. This work helped spawn what has now become a mini-industry that analyzes the actual competencies that make people successful in jobs and organizations of every kind, and the findings are astonishing: IQ takes second position to emotional intelligence in determining outstanding job performance.
Analyses done by dozens of different experts in close to five hundred corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide have arrived independently at remarkably similar conclusions, and their findings are particularly compelling because they avoid the biases or limits inherent in the work of a single individual or group. Their conclusions all point to the paramount place of emotional intelligence in excellence on the job--in virtually any job.
Some Misconceptions
As I've toured the world talking and consulting with people in business, I've encountered certain widespread misunderstandings about emotional intelligence. Let me clear up some of the most common at the outset. First, emotional intelligence does not mean merely "being nice." At strategic moments it may demand not "being nice," but rather, for example, bluntly confronting someone with an uncomfortable but consequential truth they've been avoiding.
Second, emotional intelligence does not mean giving free rein to feelings—"letting it all hang out." Rather, it means managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together smoothly toward their common goals.
Also, women are not "smarter" than men when it comes to emotional intelligence, nor are men superior to women. Each of us has a personal profile of strengths and weaknesses in these capacities. Some of us may be highly empathic but lack some abilities to handle our own distress; others may be quite aware of the subtlest shift in our own moods, yet be inept socially.
It is true that men and women as groups tend to have a shared, gender-specific profile of strong and weak points. An analysis of emotional intelligence in thousands of men and women found that women, on average, are more aware of their emotions, show more empathy, and are more adept interpersonally. Men, on the other hand, are more self-confident and optimistic, adapt more easily, and handle stress better.
In general, however, there are far more similarities than differences. Some men are as empathic as the most interpersonally sensitive women, while some women are every bit as able to withstand stress as the most emotionally resilient men. Indeed, on average, looking at the overall ratings for men and women, the strengths and weaknesses average out, so that in terms of total emotional intelligence, there are no sex differences.
Finally, our level of emotional intelligence is not fixed genetically, nor does it develop only in early childhood. Unlike IQ, which changes little after our teen years, emotional intelligence seems to be largely learned, and it continues to develop as we go through life and learn from our experiences—our competence in it can keep growing. In fact, studies that have tracked people's level of emotional intelligence through the years show that people get better and better in these capabilities as they grow more adept at handling their own emotions and impulses, at motivating themselves, and at honing their empathy and social adroitness. There is an old-fashioned word for this growth in emotional intelligence: maturity.
Why This Matters Now
At a California biotech start-up, the CEO proudly enumerated the features that made his organization state-of-the-art: No one, including him, had a fixed office; instead, everyone carried a small laptop—their mobile office—and was wired to everyone else. Job titles were irrelevant; employees worked in cross-functional teams and the place bubbled with creative energy. People routinely put in seventy- and eighty-hour work weeks.
"So what's the downside?" I asked him.
"There is no downside," he assured me.
And that was the fallacy. Once I was free to talk with staff members, I heard the truth: The hectic pace had people feeling burned out and robbed of their private lives. And though everyone could talk via computer to everyone else, people felt that no one was truly listening to them.
People desperately felt the need for connection, for empathy, for open communication.
In the new, stripped-down, every-job-counts business climate, these human realities will matter more than ever. Massive change is a constant; technical innovations, global competition, and the pressures of institutional investors are ever-escalating forces for flux.
Another reality makes emotional intelligence ever more crucial: As organizations shrink through waves of downsizing, those people who remain are more accountable—and more visible. Where earlier a midlevel employee might easily hide a hot temper or shyness, now competencies such as managing one's emotions, handling encounters well, teamwork, and leadership, show—and count--more than ever.
The globalization of the workforce puts a particular premium on emotional intelligence in wealthier countries. Higher wages in these countries, if they are to be maintained, will depend on a new kind of productivity. And structural fixes or technological advances alone are not enough: As at the California biotech firm, streamlining or other innovations often create new problems that cry out for even greater emotional intelligence.
Daniel Goleman other books are:
1. Ecological Intelligence: The Hidden Impacts of What We Buy (2010)
2. Measuring the Immeasurable: The Scientific Case for Spirituality (2008)
3. Social intelligence (2007)
4. Destructive emotions: how can we overcome them? : a scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama (2004)
5. Healing emotions: conversations with the Dalai Lama on mindfulness, emotions, and health (2003)
6. Working with emotional intelligence (2000)7. Vital lies, simple truths: the psychology of self-deception (1998)
8. The Meditative Mind (1988)
9. Essential Psychotherapy (1987)
10. The varieties of the meditative experience (1977)
1. Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children (2008) Co-Authored with Linda Lantieri
2. Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor (2008) Co-authored with
Warren G. Bennis & James O'Toole
3. The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness (2008) Co-authored with Yongey Mingyur, & Eric Swanson
4. Primal leadership: learning to lead with emotional intelligence (2004) Co-Authored with Richard E. Boyatzis & Annie McKee
5. The new leaders: transforming the art of leadership into the science of results (2003) Co-authored with Richard E. Boyatzis, Annie McKee
6. The emotionally intelligent workplace: how to select for, measure, and improve emotional intelligence in individuals, groups, and organizations (2001) Co-authored with Cary Cherniss
7. Harvard business review on what makes a leader (2001) Co-Authored with Michael MacCoby, Thomas Davenport, John C. Beck, Clampa Dan
8. Mind Body Medicine: How to Use Your Mind for Better Health (1998) Co-authored with Joel Gurin
9. Worlds in harmony: dialogues on compassionate action (1992) Co-authored with Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho (Dalai Lama XIV)10. MindScience: an East-West dialogue (1991) Co-Authored with Robert A. F. Thurman
11. The essential psychotherapies: theory and practice by the masters (1982) Co-authored with Kathleen Riordan Speeth
12. Introductory psychology (1982) Co-authored with Trygg Engen, Anthony Davids
13. Consciousness, the brain, states of awareness, and alternate realities (1979) Co-Authored with Richard J. Davidson
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki
Chapter 5: Shall We Dance? Coordination in a Complex World
Page 84-107
5.1. William H Whyte
5.2. Brian Arthur -> El Farol Problem
Ann M. Bell & William A. Sethares
5.3. Thomas C Schelling -> Schelling Points
5.4. Stanley Milgram
Page 84-107
5.1. William H Whyte
5.2. Brian Arthur -> El Farol Problem
Ann M. Bell & William A. Sethares
5.3. Thomas C Schelling -> Schelling Points
5.4. Stanley Milgram
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
We can engage people's curiosity over a long period of time by systematically "opening gaps" in their knowledge - and then filling those gaps.
After the lead, information is presented in decreasing order of importance. Journalists call this the "inverted pyramid" structure - the most important info (the widest part of the pyramid) is at the top.
Becoming an expert in something means that we become more and more fascinated by nuance and complexity.
Becoming an expert in something means that we become more and more fascinated by nuance and complexity.
When you say three things, you say nothing.
Palm Pilot and James Carville (on the Clinton Campaign) had teams comprised of people who were knowledgeable and passionate about their work - had the capability and desire to do a lot of different things to argue every issue and engineer every feature. Yet in both cases the team needed a simple reminder to fight the temptation to do too much.
People are tempted to tell you everything, with perfect accuracy, right up front, when they should be giving you just enough info to be useful, then a little more, then a little more.
Schemas in Hollywood - Use analogies - Speed was pitched as Die Hard on a bus.
Schemas in Hollywood - Use analogies - Speed was pitched as Die Hard on a bus.
Understand a compact message because they invoke concepts that you already know.
There is value in sequencing information - not dumping a stack of information on someone at once but dropping a clue, then another clue, then another. This method of communication resembles flirting more than lecturing.
Unexpected ideas, by opening a knowledge gap, tease and flirt. They mark a big red X on something that needs to be discovered but don't necessarily tell you how to get there.
Sinatra Test - If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
When one example alone is enough to establish credibility in a given domain
Testable credentials - Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Ronald Reagan in the 1980 debate against Carter. Instead of focusing on statistics of inflation, employment rate, interest rates, he deferred to his audience.
The problem is that when you hit listeners between the eyes they respond by fighting back. The way you deliver a message to them is a cue to how they should react. If you make an argument, you're implicitly asking them to evaluate your argument - judge it, debate it, criticize it - and then argue back, at least in their minds. But with a story, Denning argues, you engage the audience - you are involving people with your idea, asking them to participate with you.
The problem is that when you hit listeners between the eyes they respond by fighting back. The way you deliver a message to them is a cue to how they should react. If you make an argument, you're implicitly asking them to evaluate your argument - judge it, debate it, criticize it - and then argue back, at least in their minds. But with a story, Denning argues, you engage the audience - you are involving people with your idea, asking them to participate with you.
Someone tapping a tune can hear the song in their head, while listeners of the tapping cant.
Stories can almost single handedly defeat the Curse of Knowledge. In fast, they naturally emboady most of the SUCCESs framework. Stories are almost always concrete. Most of them have Emotional and Unexpected elements. The hardest part of using stories effectively is making sure that they're Simple - that they reflect your core message. It's not enough to tell a great story, the story has to reflect your agenda.
Stories can almost single handedly defeat the Curse of Knowledge. In fast, they naturally emboady most of the SUCCESs framework. Stories are almost always concrete. Most of them have Emotional and Unexpected elements. The hardest part of using stories effectively is making sure that they're Simple - that they reflect your core message. It's not enough to tell a great story, the story has to reflect your agenda.
Ultimately, the test our success as idea creators isn't whether people mimic our exact words, it's whether we achieve our goals.
The first villain is the natural tendency to bury the lead - to get lost in a sea of information. One of the worst things about knowing a lot, or having access to a lot of information, is that we're tempted to share it all.
The second villain is the tendency to focus on the presentation rather than on the message. Public speakers naturally want to appear composed, charismatic, and motivational. And, certainly, charisma will help a properly designed message stick better. But all the charisma in the world doesn't save a dense, unfocused speech.
The first villain is the natural tendency to bury the lead - to get lost in a sea of information. One of the worst things about knowing a lot, or having access to a lot of information, is that we're tempted to share it all.
The second villain is the tendency to focus on the presentation rather than on the message. Public speakers naturally want to appear composed, charismatic, and motivational. And, certainly, charisma will help a properly designed message stick better. But all the charisma in the world doesn't save a dense, unfocused speech.
To beat decision paralysis, communicators have to do the hard work of finding the core. Lawyers must stress one or two points in their closing arguments, not ten.
The Curse of Knowledge, is a worthy adversary because in some sense it's inevitable. Getting a message across has two stages: the Answer stage and the Telling Others stage. In the Answer stage, you use your expertise to arrive at the idea that you want to share. Doctors study for a decade to be capable of giving the Answer. Business managers may deliberate for months to arrive at the Answer.
The Curse of Knowledge, is a worthy adversary because in some sense it's inevitable. Getting a message across has two stages: the Answer stage and the Telling Others stage. In the Answer stage, you use your expertise to arrive at the idea that you want to share. Doctors study for a decade to be capable of giving the Answer. Business managers may deliberate for months to arrive at the Answer.
Business managers seem to believe that once they've clicked through a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their conclusions, they've successfully communicated their ideas. What they've done is share data. If they're good speakers, they may even have created an enhanced sense, among their employees and peers that they are "decisive" or "managerial" or "motivational". But, like the Stanford students, the surprise will come when they realize that nothing they've said had impact. They've shared data, but they haven't created ideas that are useful and lasting. Nothing stuck.
The Communication Framework:
For an idea to stick, for it to be useful and lasting, it's got to make the audience:
- Pay attention - Unexpected
- Understand and remember it - Concrete
- Agree/Believe - Credible
- Care - Emotional
- Be able to act on it - Story
Symptom: Apathy - No one seems fired up about this
Solution: Remember the Mother Teresa effect - people care more about individuals than they do about abstractions. Tell them an inspiring Challenge plot or Creativity ploy story. Tap into their sens of their own identities like the "Don't Mess with Texas" ads.
Curse of knowledge tempts people to use language that is sweeping, high-level, and abstract: The most efficient manufacturer of semiconductors? The lowest-cost provider of stereo equipment! World class customer service!
Psychologists have uncovered situations where the mere existence of choice, even choice among several good options, seems to paralyze us in making decisions.
Psychologists have uncovered situations where the mere existence of choice, even choice among several good options, seems to paralyze us in making decisions.
Three barriers to talking strategy - The Curse of Knowledge, decision paralysis, and the lack of a common strategic vocabulary - emerge for different reasons, but they can be overcome in similar ways.
Be concrete - Specific and sensory - So everyone understands you message in a similar way.
- Say something unexpected - Don't waste your time communicating a common sense strategy - Identify the uncommon sense - new or different aspects of the strategy.
- Tell stories - A good story is better than an abstract statement
The conventional wisdom is that leaders should spend a lot of their time presenting and discussing strategy. The most common refrain in strategic communication is repetition, repetition, repetition. Keep repeating the strategy, again and again, until it finally sinks in. Here's the problem: Repetition doesn't prevent the Curse of Knowledge or encourage two-way communication.
Rather we are proposing that leaders treat strategy as a two-step process: Step 1 is determining the right strategy. Step 2 is communicating it in a way that allows it to become part of the organizational vocabulary. Both are necessary.
If strategies are to be living and active - if they are to become embodied in the actions of employees and outside partners - they must be woven into day-to-day conversations and decisions.
If your frontline employees can talk about your strategy, can tell stories about it, can talk back to their managers and feel credible doing so, then the strategy is doing precisely what it was intended to do: guide behavior.
To make an idea simple, then, first find the core of your lesson, then anchor it in knowledge that your students already have.
Sticky = understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behavior.
SUCCESs: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories
Sticky = understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behavior.
SUCCESs: Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories
The Villain: The Curse of Knowledge - It's hard to be a tapper. Creativity starts with templates: Beat the curse with the SUCCESs checklist:
- Simple
- Find the Core - Commander's intent - Determine the single most important thing. Inverted pyramid. Don't bury the lead. The pain of decision paralysis. Names, names, names.
- Share the Core - Simple = core + compact. Proverbs: sound bites that are profound. Visual proverbs: The Palm Pilot wood block. How to pack a lot of punch into a compact communication:
- Tap into existing schemas: The pomelo
- Create a high concept pitch: Die Hard on a bus
- Use a generative analogy: Disney's cast members
- Unexpected
- Get Attention: Surprise - Break a pattern - The surprise brow: a pause to collect information.
- Hold attention - Interest - Create a mystery - Highlight a knowledge gap. Use the news-teaser approach.
- Concrete
- Help people understand and remember. Write with the concreteness of a fable. Make abstraction concrete by redefining it. Provide a concrete context. Put people into the story. Use more hooks in your idea.
- Help people coordinate - Find common ground at a shared level of understanding. Set common goals in tangible terms - Our plane will land on runway 4-22. Make it real. Why concreteness helps - white things vs white things in your fride. Create a turf where people can bring their knowledge to bear. Talk about people, not data.
- Credible
- Help people believe
- External credibility - Authorities and anti-authorities
- Internal credibility - Use convincing details - Jurors and the Darth Vader toothbrush. Make stats accessible - Nukes as bbs. The Sinatra Test. Use testable credentials.
- Emotional
- Make people care - Mother Teresa principle - If I look at the one, I will act
- Use the power of association -
- Appeal to self interest
- Appeal to identity - Don't mess with Texas
- Stories
- Get people to act
- Stories as simulations - Tell people how to act
- Stories as inspiration
The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy
- Hardcover: 278 pages
- Publisher: Harvard Business School Press; First Edition, Fourth printing edition (December 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0875842461
- ISBN-13: 978-0875842462
- Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
From Library Journal
Handy, a British specialist in organizational management, predicts that the 21st century will be the Age of Unreason. In an era when changes in business and society will be "discontinuous" or patternless, he suggests that our thinking must become discontinuous or "unreasonable" in order to use such changes to our advantage. While his thesis is generally in line with strategists like Tom Peters ( In Search of Excellence, LJ 2/15/83), Handy focuses more on the philosophy, rather than the mechanics, of adaptive change in society. His examples from the business world are interestingly extended to social institutions like marriage and family. Nicely written, this should be popular with open-minded management types. A good addition to management collections.
-Mark L. Shelton, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
-Mark L. Shelton, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Named one of the ten best business books of 1990 by Business Week, The Age of Unreason is now available in paperback. Charles Handy maintains that in an era of random change, it is necessary to break out of old ways of thinking in order to use change to one's advantage.
About the Author
Charles Handy is an author and broadcaster living in London. He is a Fellow at the London Business School where he was a professor for many years. His books have sold over one million copies around the world. He has been, in his time, an oil executive, a business economist, a professor, and Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts.
The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman
From getAbstract.com
- How to get the most out of a brainstorming session
- What personalities and roles are essential to forming an effective innovation team
- Which seven secrets lead to better brainstorming
With his tour through the inner workings of design firm and idea factory IDEO, Tom Kelley achieves the nearly impossible: He presents creative and innovative observations about creativity and innovation. Toss aside ordinary innovation books and tear into this beautifully constructed showpiece. Kelley distills the often amorphous concepts of brainstorming and teamwork into directives with honest-to-goodness real-life applications. His notions about prototyping are fresh, insightful and practical. His bigger-picture ruminations illustrate not only how organizations should work at innovation, but also how easily dumb bureaucracy can smash creative initiative. If the book has one failing it is that reading it can be a bit like watching a home movie of a friend's children: Your role is clearly to join in the adulation. That aside, getAbstract recommends this treatise as one of the few can't-miss books in the creativity genre.
About the authors
Tom Kelley is the general manager of IDEO, a design consultancy specializing in product development and innovation.Jonathan Littmann wrote The Fugitive Game and The Watchman, and contributes to Red Herring magazine.
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber (Mar 3, 1995)
- Paperback: 268 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; Third Edition edition (March 3, 1995)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0887307280
- ISBN-13: 978-0887307287
- Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
Technician, Entrepreneur, Manager
The reason most small businesses don't work is that they are run by a "Technician", someone who knows how to do the technical work involved in a job, without much thought to two other, equally important roles described in the book, the "Entrepreneur" and the "Manager". These are not separate people, but distinct elements of our personalities. In other words, while we might be biased towards one, we all have all of them, and to successfully run a small business, they must all play a role.
- The Technician is someone - a bicycle mechanic, computer programmer, cook, etc... - who is an expert in his or her craft. This often leads these people to go into business for themselves - they're good at what they do, and they know it, so why not reap the rewards of their labor? The technician is happiest doing the work they are good at and ignoring the rest, which is, in the end, a recipe for failure.
- The Entrepreneur is the dreamer, the one who sets out to do something new, who reaches for the stars. The Entrepreneur lives in the future, thinking about what could be (rather than in the present). The Entrepreneur is often frustrated by how slow the world seems to move.
- The Manager is the detail-oriented one, who dots the i's and crosses the t's, the one who remembers to pay the bills, and wants a well-organized world with no surprises; a world where things happen in an orderly, predictable manner.
All of these components are necessary in the founder of a business: without the Entrepreneur, you might as well keep working for someone else as a Technician. Without any technical ability, the Entrepreneur must rely on others to get anything done, and without the organizational abilities of the Manager, the other two would probably find themselves with the electricity in the office turned off because they had other things to do than pay the bills.
The "Franchise Prototype"
If the business is to thrive, it must move beyond the founder: a business that is wholly dependant on the founder and their abilities is not really a business, but rather a very burdensome job for founder. Every time you are out sick or take a vacation or are otherwise absent, the business stops too.
A real business is one where the founder has created a system so that the business can run itself without their constant presence. The book describes this as the "Franchise Prototype". The inspiration for this comes from franchise businesses such as McDonalds, Subway, Burger King and so on, where there are manuals describing in minute detail how to run the business, so that customers will have the same experience the world over. The book does not suggest that you necessarily try and create a business to be franchised, just to treat it as if it were in some critical aspects: you need a well-documented system to run the business. Instead of running the business (fixing bicycles, writing computer programs, cooking), you need to work on the business - you need to spend time creating a business that is an entity that can operating and thrive on its own.
The Model
The model your business should follow must have these attributes:
- It provides consistent value to your customers - it can't be great one day and lousy the next.
- It should not require brilliant people to work: certainly, you may need someone with some bicycle mechanic training if you're running a bicycle shop; the idea is not to have people with no skills, but simply to not depend on having people of rare talent in order to work, and indeed to utilize the people with as little skill as possible. The system is what takes ordinary people and enables them to consistently do high quality work.
- Everything about the business should be documented in operations manuals.
- Everything about the model should be uniform: from the dress code to the facilities, everything should follow previously agreed upon standards.
Innovation, Quantification, Orchestration
Innovation is creativity applied to providing a product or service in a more efficient, higher quality, or more profitable way. You need to be continuously innovating in order to improve your business.
Quantification is combined with innovation to determine what actually works. If you're not measuring it, how can you tell if a change is good or bad for business? If you spend money for a new web site, and you're not measuring how much money is coming in through it, how can you tell if the money spent on it was worth it? You need as much data as possible - with time you'll learn what the critical numbers are, and be able to tell how things are going by keeping an eye on them.
Orchestration is the standardization of what works: once you've tried and measured some particular innovation, it must become part of "standard operating procedure". Once something has been orchestrated, it becomes a part of the business that everyone has learned and knows, not some secret recipe that lies only within the mind of the founder. This ensures consistent quality for your customers.
Aims, Objectives, Opportunities
The author explains that in order to make your business work, you must have a "Primary Aim" in life - not business, but your life. Without that, your business may come to consume you.
Your "Strategic Objective" is what you want to do with the business in order to fulfill your "Primary Aim" in life. This could be simply to sell the business on for a million dollars after 10 years, or develop a business that generates $100,000 in annual revenue without your involvement, or whatever else will allow you to live your life as you see fit. There are several important considerations, the first of which is money, and how much if it you are aiming to make.
The second thing to consider is whether a given opportunity is, as the book says, an "Opportunity Worth Pursuing"; something that can meet your financial needs, first and foremost. The key question to ask is: "does the business I have in mind alleviate a frustration experienced by a large enough group of consumers to make it worth my while?". Another key consideration when determing what kind of business your in, is to look not at the thing you sell, but the feeling you create for your customers about your product and business. An insurance company sells you a financial instrument, but the feeling they are really selling is "peace of mind". A flashy car is more than just a bunch of metal and plastic, it's an image, and a feeling.
Organization Strategy
Rather than starting out and just "jumping in", you need to determine, from the beginning, what roles your company needs, and who will fill them. The example given in the book lists 12 positions, and explains how they are divided up between two founders in a company, who must not only fill those roles, but define them so that they can, as the company grows, easily find people to place in those positions, with a well-defined structure and environment for them to thrive in. "Replace yourself with a system", to quote the book. Each position should have a "position contract" with a list of things for which that position is accountable, and even if few people are performing multiple jobs, they should agree to and sign those contracts.
Management Strategy
The management strategy outlined is once again, a matter of having systems in place. Certainly, you need people that believe in what your company does to make those systems work, but having a system in place that doesn't require a fantastic manager.
People Strategy
The people strategy is outlined as a sort of "game" to be played
- The 'game' is not simply a condescending way of getting people to do what you want.
- Make sure it's something you'd be happy to do yourself; otherwise other people wont' want to participate either.
- Allow for rewards and victories, but don't make it so that people can reach the 'end' of the game.
- Be open to change when it's necessary.
- It is not self-perpetuating - it has to be nurtured.
- It has to make sense. Weird and arbitrary rules discourage people.
- There has to be fun involved - maybe not always, but without it, work is only dreary, something to get away from as early as possible every evening.
Marketing Strategy
You must speak to people's unconscious minds - all the rational arguments in the world won't win over someone whose unconscious mind has already said 'no'. You need to learn about your key demographics, and how they think and regard not just products, but the world around them. You need to gather data about who they are. Learn about how other people market to similar demographic targets.
Systems
The book discusses three kinds of systems that are important for your business, with an eye to adopting them in order to make things ever more predictable and consistent.
- Hard systems are physical things that systematically resolve problems and free people to concentrate on meaningful work for your customers. They are things that are introduced to solve time consuming problems that do contribute to the success of the company. An example might be a tool to make cleaning a kitchen faster and more efficient.
- Soft systems are "people systems" - those practices and methods put in place to give people a framework for doing their job. These systems, in many cases, make it so that relatively less-skilled people can do high quality work, because they're following a system created by an expert.
- Information systems are systems put in place to gather information and data about the business and its operations. With actual data, it's possible to test different hypothesis and see which ones work the best. With data, it's possible to know how the business is doing compared to the same metrics at an earlier date in time.
Review
"Gerber loves to exhort people to develop powerful visions for theircompanies." -- Fortune
"Thanks to Gerber l have freed up over three hours a day, significantly increased my sales, more than doubled my bottom line, and been able to take my first vacation in four years." -- Trish Lind, T. Lind Graphics, St. Paul, Minnesota
"Without a doubt, the most important message for our company over thenext decade." -- The John Hancock Insurance Group
"Thanks to Gerber l have freed up over three hours a day, significantly increased my sales, more than doubled my bottom line, and been able to take my first vacation in four years." -- Trish Lind, T. Lind Graphics, St. Paul, Minnesota
"Without a doubt, the most important message for our company over thenext decade." -- The John Hancock Insurance Group
Product Description
In this first new and totally revised edition of the over two million copy bestseller, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. Next, he walks you through the steps in the life of a business -- from entrepreneurial infancy through adolescent growing pains to the mature entrepreneurial perspective: the guiding light of all businesses that succeed -- and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether it is a franchise or not. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business. After you have read The E-Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.
About the Author
Michael E. Gerber is the founder and CEO ofE-Myth Worldwide, based in Santa Rosa, California. He is also the bestselling author of The E-Myth Contractor, The Power Point, The E-Myth, The E-Myth Revisited, and The E-Myth Manager, as well as a highly sought-after speaker and small business revolutionary.
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