The Present: The Gift That Makes You Happier and More Successful at Work and in Life, Today!

The Present: The Gift That Makes You Happy and Successful at Work and in Life, Today! by Spencer Johnson

From Publishers Weekly

Johnson's megaselling Who Moved My Cheese? helped readers cope with changes beyond their control. The author now proffers another easily digestible parable encompassing a related, but broader, topic: how to attain happiness and success in life. In large type that's easy on eyes both old and young (and that stretches this brief book past 100 pages), Johnson lays out a bare-bones tale of a man who learns a valuable lesson about living in the present from a wise old gent. Stuck in a rut in his job and personal life, the younger man learns about The Present, a three-fold way of living and working. Bit by bit, the old man explains how it works: in order to achieve bliss in life, it's important to pay equal attention to the past (learn from mistakes), the present (live in the moment) and the future (plan for it as best as possible, but don't "lose yourself in worry or anxiety"). The common-sense knowledge and concentration on living in the now lend a Zen feel to the story, and while Johnson's approach may border on the corny (everything runs smoothly for his characters, and they share with each other such tidbits as, "The Present is a gift you give to yourself. Only you have the power to discover what it is"), it's undeniably sound. Despite some awkward phrasings, Johnson's latest brims with good ideas for those feeling frustrated, stagnant, depressed or overwhelmed, and is bound to be embraced by the self-help-loving masses.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

?The Present is a powerful tool that we?re offering to our employees because, in these ever changing times, it can help talented people become more focused, ultimately leading to better overall performance.?
Phil Crippen, Director Iams University
The Iams Company, a Subsidiary of Procter & Gamble

?Like many organizations, we need ways to help our people work better and enjoy their lives, so I?m giving The Present to everyone on our management team.?
Carmen Policy, CEO
Cleveland Browns NFL Team

From the Inside Flap

A Timely Gift From the Author of Who Moved My Cheese?
Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Dr. Spencer Johnson?s stories of timeless, simple truths have changed the work and lives of millions of readers around the world. Now comes an insightful new tale of inspiration and practical guidance for these turbulent times.

The Present

The Present is the best gift you can receive because it makes you happy and successful!
Whether it means ?
? Having peace of mind and feeling more alive; or
? Being more productive and more prosperous; or
? Finding whatever is important to you and to those you work and live with.

The Present

The Gift that Makes You Happy and Successful at Work and in Life

For over two decades, Spencer Johnson has been inspiring and entertaining millions with his simple yet insightful stories of work and life that speak directly to the heart and soul.

The Present is an engaging story of a young man?s journey to adulthood, and his search for The Present, a mysterious and elusive gift he first hears about from a great old man. This Present, according to the old man, is ?the best present a person can receive.?

Later, when the young boy becomes a young man, disillusioned with his work and his life, he returns to ask the old man, once again, to help him find The Present. The old man responds, ?Only you have the power to find The Present for yourself.? So the young man embarks on a tireless search for this magical gift that holds the secret to his personal happiness and business success. It is only after the young man has searched high and low and given up his relentless pursuit that he relaxes and discovers The Present?and all of the promises it offers.

The Present will help you focus on what will make you happy and successful in your work and in your personal life. Like the young man, you may find that it is the best gift you can ever give yourself.


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

“The Present is a powerful tool that we’re offering to our employees because, in these ever changing times, it can help talented people become more focused, ultimately leading to better overall performance.”
Phil Crippen, Director Iams University
The Iams Company, a Subsidiary of Procter & Gamble

“Like many organizations, we need ways to help our people work better and enjoy their lives, so I’m giving The Present to everyone on our management team.”
Carmen Policy, CEO
Cleveland Browns NFL Team
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Spencer Johnson, M.D., is one of the most respected and beloved authors in the world. He has helped millions of readers discover how to use simple, profound truths that lead to less stress and more success at work and at home.
Inspiring and entertaining people with his insightful stories that speak directly to the heart and soul, he is often referred to as the best there is at taking complex subjects and presenting simple solutions that work.

Dr. Johnson is the author or co-author of many New York Times bestsellers, including three #1 titles: Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change In Your Work and Life; The One Minute Manager®, the world’s most popular management method, co-authored with Kenneth Blanchard; and The Present: The Gift That Makes Your Work And Life Better Each Day!

After graduating with a B.A. in psychology from the University of Southern California, Dr. Johnson received his M.D. degree from the Royal College of Surgeons, and completed medical clerkships at the Mayo Clinic and the Harvard Medical School.

He served as Director of Communications for Medtronic, the inventors of cardiac pacemakers; Research Physician at The Institute for Inter-Disciplinary Studies; Consultant to The Center for Study of the Person; and most recently Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Business School.

His work has captured the attention of major media, including the BBC, CNN, Fortune,
New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Today show, Time magazine, and USA Today.

Over thirty million copies of Dr. Johnson’s books are available in more than forty languages.

The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels by Michael Watkins



Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business Press, Sep 2003
ISBN-13: 9781591391104
ISBN: 1591391105

Table of Contents:-
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The First 90 Days
1 Promote Yourself
2 Accelerate Your Learning
3 Match Strategy to Situation
4 Secure Early Wins
5 Negotiate Success
6 Achieve Alignment
7 Build Your Team
8 Create Coalitions
9 Keep Your Balance
10 Expedite Everyone
Conclusion: Beyond Sink or Swim
Notes
Recommended Reading
Index
About the Author
---


About the Book


Whether challenged with taking on a startup, turning a business around, or inheriting a high-performing unit, a new leader's success or failure is determined within the first 90 days on the job.
In this hands-on guide, Michael Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions, offers proven strategies for moving successfully into a new role at any point in one's career. The First 90 Days provides a framework for transition acceleration that will help leaders diagnose their situations, craft winning transition strategies, and take charge quickly.
Practical examples illustrate how to learn about new organizations, build teams, create coalitions, secure early wins, and lay the foundation for longer-term success. In addition, Watkins provides strategies for avoiding the most common pitfalls new leaders encounter, and shows how individuals can protect themselves-emotionally as well as professionally-during what is often an intense and vulnerable period.
Concise and actionable, this is the survival guide no new leader should be without.


About the Author


Michael Watkins is an Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, where he does research on leadership and coalition building. He is the coauthor of Right from the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role (HBS Press, 1999), and the author of Leadership Transitions, an HBSP eLearning Program.

Fortune Digest Four Best-Sellers condensed in One Volume One: Up on Wall Street, Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, the Enigma of Japanese Power and The ITT Wars Foreword by Marshall Loeb

Fortune Digest Four Best-Sellers condensed in One Volume One: Up on Wall Street, Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun, the Enigma of Japanese Power and The ITT Wars Foreword by Marshall Loeb

Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama by Daniel Goleman (Mar 30, 2004)

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553801716
• ISBN-13: 978-0553801712
• 
  

Amazon.com Review

Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them? A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama forcefully puts to rest the misconception that the realms of science and spirituality are at odds. In this extraordinary book, Daniel Goleman presents dialogues between the Dalai Lama and a small group of eminent psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers that probe the challenging questions: Can the worlds of science and philosophy work together to recognize destructive emotions such as hatred, craving, and delusion? If so, can they transform those feelings for the ultimate improvement of humanity? As the Dalai Lama explains, "With the ever-growing impact of science on our lives, religion and spirituality have a greater role to play in reminding us of our humanity."The book's subject marks the eighth round in a series of ongoing meetings of the Mind Life Institute. The varied perspectives of science, philosophy, and Eastern and Western thought beautifully illustrate the symbiosis among the views, which are readily accessible despite their complexity. Among the book's many strengths is its organization, which allows readers to enjoy the entire five-day seminar or choose sections that are most relevant to their interests, such as "Cultivating Emotional Balance," "The Neuroscience of Emotion," "Encouraging Compassion," or "The Scientific Study of Consciousness." But the real joy is in gaining an insider's view of these extraordinary minds at work, especially that of the Dalai Lama, whose curiosity, Socratic questioning, and humor ultimately serve as the linchpin for the book's soaring intellectual discussion. --Silvana Tropea --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In May 2001, in a laboratory at the University of Wisconsin, a Tibetan Buddhist monk donned a cap studded with hundreds of sensors that were connected to a state-of-the-art EEG, a brain-scanning device capable of recording changes in his brain with speed and precision. When the monk began meditating in a way that was designed to generate compassion, the sensors registered a dramatic shift to a state of great joy. "The very act of concern for others' well-being, it seems, creates a greater state of well-being within oneself," writes bestselling author Goleman (Emotional Intelligence) in his extraordinary new work. Goleman offers this breakthrough as an appetizer to a feast. Readers will discover that it is just one of a myriad of creative and positive results that are continuing to flow from the Mind and Life dialogue that took place over five days in March 2000 between a group of leading Western scientists and philosophers and the Dalai Lama in his private quarters in Dharamsala, India. This eighth Mind and Life meeting is the seventh to be recorded in book form; Goleman's account is the most detailed and user-friendly to date. The timely theme of the dialogue was suggested by the Dalai Lama to Goleman, who took on the role of organizer and brought together some world-class researchers and thinkers, including psychologist Paul Ekman, philosopher Owen Flanagan, the late Francisco Varela and Buddhist photographer Matthieu Riccard. In a sense, the many extraordinary insights and findings that arise from the presentations and subsequent discussions are embodied by the Dalai Lama himself as he appears here. Far from the cuddly teddy bear the popular media sometimes makes him out to be, he emerges as a brilliant and exacting interrogator, a natural scientist, as well as a leader committed to finding a practical means to help society. Yet he also personally embodies the possibility of overcoming destructive emotions, of becoming resilient, compassionate and happy no matter what life brings. Covering the nature of destructive emotions, the neuroscience of emotion, the scientific study of consciousness and more, this essential volume offers a fascinating account of what can emerge when two profound systems for studying the mind and emotions, Western science and Buddhism, join forces. Goleman travels beyond the edge of the known, and the report he sends back is encouraging.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc

From Library Journal

Eradicating violence throughout the world is at the core of contemporary social thought and international justice. To that end, Goleman (psychology, Rutgers Univ.) shares relevant discourse from an international symposium between the Dalai Lama and experts in Eastern philosophy and Western science on the topic of emotions. The best of both schools of thought is brought together for the first time to establish a viable "mental gym" program aimed at developing the average person's range of healthy feelings. Training the brain to develop such feelings through the regular use of simple meditation techniques and conflict resolution skills causes our behavior to shift constructively toward other humans, the panel found. The flow of the discussion here operates at a deep level and is suitable primarily for psychology and psychiatry students. Notably, though, the contributors' wise decision to help people strengthen themselves emotionally not for moral reasons but for reasons of health and happiness will ultimately have mass appeal. It is also a practical step toward ending world violence. Recommended for academic libraries.
--Lisa Liquori, M.L.S., Syracuse, NY 
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Instead of just transcribing and editing the March 2000 Mind and Life meeting involving the Dalai Lama, other Buddhist scholars, and experimental psychologists, Goleman, the meeting's scientific organizer, gives a narrative account of the five-day event. As a pair of Pulitzer Prize nominations for journalism and a succession of best-sellers beginning withEmotional Intelligence (1995) confirms, experimental psychologist Goleman is no mean writer, and this book is one of the most absorbing and, yes, entertaining reports of brainstorming in the public interest since Plato wrote up those symposia of Socrates'. The meeting's focus was on the emotions and the prospects for enabling people to defuse fear, anger, and other potentially destructive emotions before they trigger damaging behavior. The Dalai Lama's interest in these matters stemmed from the desire to find a secular means of achieving the compassionate and peaceable conduct of life that individual Tibetan Buddhist meditation practitioners have realized. Taking a page from TV, Goleman opens with a teaser--a description of later research inspired by the meeting--and then, a sketch of the Dalai Lama's lifelong scientific curiosity. The glorious bulk of the book traces the five days of presentations in the morning, informal and formal discussion in the early afternoon, and further presentation or discussion after tea break. The scientists are, except for one philosopher, cutting-edge neuroscientists and research psychologists, and the Buddhist participants are scientifically savvy, too, quite often Ph.D.'s themselves. A sublime intellectual experience with intriguing practical implications for a better world. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

*Why do seemingly rational, intelligent people commit acts of cruelty and violence?

*What are the root causes of destructive behavior?

*How can we control the emotions that drive these impulses?

*Can we learn to live at peace with ourselves and others?

Imagine sitting with the Dalai Lama in his private meeting room with a small group of world-class scientists and philosophers. The talk is lively and fascinating as these leading minds grapple with age-old questions of compelling contemporary urgency. Daniel Goleman, the internationally bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, provides the illuminating commentary—and reports on the breakthrough research this historic gathering inspired.

Destructive Emotions
Buddhist philosophy tells us that all personal unhappiness and interpersonal conflict lie in the “three poisons”: craving, anger, and delusion. It also provides antidotes of astonishing psychological sophistication--which are now being confirmed by modern neuroscience. With new high-tech devices, scientists can peer inside the brain centers that calm the inner storms of rage and fear. They also can demonstrate that awareness-training strategies such as meditation strengthen emotional stability—and greatly enhance our positive moods.

The distinguished panel members report these recent findings and debate an exhilarating range of other topics: What role do destructive emotions play in human evolution? Are they “hardwired” in our bodies? Are they universal, or does culture determine how we feel? How can we nurture the compassion that is also our birthright? We learn how practices that reduce negativity have also been shown to bolster the immune system. Here, too, is an enlightened proposal for a school-based program of social and emotional learning that can help our children increase self-awareness, manage their anger, and become more empathetic.

Throughout, these provocative ideas are brought to life by the play of personalities, by the Dalai Lama’s probing questions, and by his surprising sense of humor. Although there are no easy answers, the dialogues, which are part of a series sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute, chart an ultimately hopeful course. They are sure to spark discussion among educators, religious and political leaders, parents—and all people who seek peace for themselves and the world.


The Mind and Life Institute sponsors cross-cultural dialogues that bring together the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist scholars with Western scientists and philosophers. Mind and Life VIII, on which this book is based, took place in Dharamsala, India, in March 2000.

From the Inside Flap

*Why do seemingly rational, intelligent people commit acts of cruelty and violence?

*What are the root causes of destructive behavior?

*How can we control the emotions that drive these impulses?

*Can we learn to live at peace with ourselves and others?

Imagine sitting with the Dalai Lama in his private meeting room with a small group of world-class scientists and philosophers. The talk is lively and fascinating as these leading minds grapple with age-old questions of compelling contemporary urgency. Daniel Goleman, the internationally bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence, provides the illuminating commentary--and reports on the breakthrough research this historic gathering inspired.

Destructive Emotions
Buddhist philosophy tells us that all personal unhappiness and interpersonal conflict lie in the ?three poisons?: craving, anger, and delusion. It also provides antidotes of astonishing psychological sophistication--which are now being confirmed by modern neuroscience. With new high-tech devices, scientists can peer inside the brain centers that calm the inner storms of rage and fear. They also can demonstrate that awareness-training strategies such as meditation strengthen emotional stability--and greatly enhance our positive moods.

The distinguished panel members report these recent findings and debate an exhilarating range of other topics: What role do destructive emotions play in human evolution? Are they ?hardwired? in our bodies? Are they universal, or does culture determine how we feel? How can we nurture the compassion that is also our birthright? We learn how practices that reduce negativity have also been shown to bolster the immune system. Here, too, is an enlightened proposal for a school-based program of social and emotional learning that can help our children increase self-awareness, manage their anger, and become more empathetic.

Throughout, these provocative ideas are brought to life by the play of personalities,
by the Dalai Lama?s probing questions, and by his surprising sense of humor. Although
there are no easy answers, the dialogues, which are part of a series sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute, chart an ultimately hopeful course. They are sure to spark discussion among educators, religious and political leaders, parents--and all people who seek peace for themselves and the world.


The Mind and Life Institute sponsors cross-cultural dialogues that bring together the Dalai Lama and other Buddhist scholars with Western scientists and philosophers. Mind and Life VIII, on which this book is based, took place in Dharamsala, India, in March 2000.

About the Author

Daniel Goleman, PH.D. is also the author of the worldwide bestseller Working with Emotional Intelligence and is co-author of Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence, written with Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee.

Dr. Goleman received his Ph.D. from Harvard and reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times for twelve years, where he was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He was awarded the American Psychological Association's Lifetime Achievement Award and is currently a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science His other books include Destructive Emotions, The Meditative Mind, The Creative Spirit, and Vital Lies, Simple Truths.

Thick Face, Black Heart: The Path to Thriving, Winning & Succeeding by Chin-Ning CHU

Thick Face, Black Heart: The Path to Thriving, Winning & Succeeding by Chin-Ning CHU

Product Description

This guide fuses the wisdom of the East and West, and explores how ancient Asian battle strategies and cultural mindsets can be applied today to achieve mental toughness and winning business techniques. Drawn from a formula for mental toughness devised in a 1911 handbook for success called "Thick Black Theory" (which has been banned in China ever since), this book argues that there can be no real enlightenment without a full awareness of the dark side. To achieve success in professional and personal lives, one must "thicken" one's face to create a shield that perserves natural self-esteem, and "blacken" one's heart. The result is a definition of the successful modern business hero as a person of unceasing contemplation and unfettered action. The utilization of the power of this book allows each reader to discover the destiny to which one must be true. Going beyond Sun Tzu's "Art of War", this book shows readers how to: find the inner warrior, and conquer all in one's path; claim one's natural right to dazzling wealth; apply deception without sin to win the deal one wants; dare to succeed by cultivating the courage to fail; use the art of deception without compromising values to win the deal one wants; unchain a killer instinct in the service of a life-affirming cause; and transform negative qualities to one's advantage. Chin-Ning Chu is the author of "The Asian Mind Game".

Firnando Chau Review

Stress for Success: Jim Loehr's Program for Transforming Stress into Energy at Work by James E. Loehr

• Hardcover: 260 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; 1st edition (May 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812926757
• ISBN-13: 978-0812926750
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

Amazon.com Review

Stress for Success: Jim Loehr's Program for Transforming Stress into Positive Energy at Work, by James E. Loehr, expands upon the author's 20 years of experience in preparing high-level executives and world-class athletes for the "stress of competition." It is built upon his contrarian contention that stress does not necessarily inhibit productivity and effectiveness; in fact, he argues, it can actually prove to be a "powerful stimulus" for personal and professional growth. The secret, he says, is learning how to respond, and he presents a 30-day program (similar to an elite athlete's training regimen) intended to do just that.

Product Description

renowned motivational coach of world-class athletes turns his attention to those in the corporate world. In Stress for Success, business people get a practical, performance-based program to strengthen their physical, mental and emotional resilience. Loehr's 30-day program shows readers how to gradually make the kind of personal lifestyle changes that bring about the kind of high-level performance demanded of people at every level of the corporation.

Competing Against Time: How Time-Based Competition is Reshaping Global Markets by George Stalk Jr. & Thomas M. Hout

• Hardcover: 285 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; First Edition edition (March 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029152917
• ISBN-13: 978-0029152911
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Review

Frederick W Smith Chief Executive Officer, Federal Express Corporation There are few profound business books. Competing Against Time is one of them. Stalk and Flout demonstrate conclusively that organizations must adopt fast cycle methodologies or succumb to those that do. 

Product Description

The ways leading companies manage time represent the most powerful new sources of competitive advantage. With hundreds of detailed examples from companies that have put these strategies in place, the authors show exactly how reducing elapsed time can make the critical difference in success or failure. 40 line drawings. With many detailed examples from companies that have put time-based strategies in place, such as Federal Express, Ford, Milliken, Honda, Deere, Toyota, Sun Microsystems, Wal-Mart, Citicorp, Harley-Davidson, and Mitsubishi, the authors describe exactly how reducing elapsed time can make the critical difference between success and failure. Give customers what they want when they want it, or the competition will. Time-based companies are offering greater varieties of products and services, at lower costs, and with quicker delivery times than their more pedestrian competitors. Moreover, the authors show that by refocusing their organizations on responsiveness, companies are discovering that long-held assumptions about the behavior of costs and customers are not true: Costs do not increase when lead times are reduced; they decline. Costs do not increase with greater investment in quality; they decrease. Costs do not go up when product variety is increased and response time is decreased; they go down. And contrary to a commonly held belief that customer demand would be only marginally improved by expanded product choice and better responsiveness, the authors show that the actual results have been an explosion in the demand for the product or service of a time-sensitive competitor, in most cases catapulting it into the most profitable segments of its markets. 

With persuasive evidence, Stalk and Hout document that time consumption, like cost, is quantifiable and therefore manageable. Today's new-generation companies recognize time as the fourth dimension of competitiveness and, as a result, operate with flexible manufacturing and rapid-response systems, and place extraordinary emphasis on R&D and innovation. Factories are close to the customers they serve. Organizations are structured to produce fast responses rather than low costs and control. Companies concentrate on reducing if not eliminating delays and using their response advantage to attract the most profitable customers.

Stalk and Hout conclude that virtually all businesses can use time as a competitive weapon. In industry after industry, they illustrate the processes involved in becoming a time-based competitor and the ways managers can open and sustain a significant advantage over the competition.

About the Author

George Stalk, Jr., is vice-president and director of The Boston Consulting Group in Chicago, Illinois, coauthor of Kaisha, The Japanese Corporation, and author of "Time—The Next Source of Competitive Advantage," which won the 1989 McKinsey Award for the best Harvard Business Review article of the year.