good ideas condescending tone stupid metaphor made me giggle when they kept on talking about the box in the box out of the box ( )

I find myself wondering all the time, "How can [that person] possibly see the world that way/reach that conclusion/think that? How are they not more self aware? Why am I getting so frustrated with this person who is clearly having a different experience than I am?" This books gives you the answer. I've learned this lesson in other formats, but this short book presents it in a very accessible way. Even though the business story approach is a little stilted, it's still a quick read. It provides a very simple but profound way to be aware of your internal state-of-mind and how you relate to other people in both professional and personal settings.

Read the other reviews and the blurbs. It's as amazing as everyone says, and I don't really have much to add.

( )

I find myself wondering all the time, "How can [that person] possibly see the world that way/reach that conclusion/think that? How are they not more self aware? Why am I getting so frustrated with this person who is clearly having a different experience than I am?" This books gives you the answer. I've learned this lesson in other formats, but this short book presents it in a very accessible way. Even though the business story approach is a little stilted, it's still a quick read. It provides a very simple but profound way to be aware of your internal state-of-mind and how you relate to other people in both professional and personal settings.

Read the other reviews and the blurbs. It's as amazing as everyone says, and I don't really have much to add.

( )

Loved it. A shorter version of "The Bonds that Make us Free. " I think I liked the former better but this is the perfect size for a recap. Also I'm not quite sure that it qualifies for non-fiction. They frame it as a story. But it's meant to be seen as non-fiction. ( )

If you could improve a relationship, a job, or any other interpersonal interaction simply by changing your own behavior, would you do it? The answer to this seems obvious, but the answer is at the core of this book - self-deception.

The bulk of this book is a fictional telling of a few days in a man's life who is a recently hired executive in a successful company. He is called in by his manager for a discussion, which is to be for two days. He is told that the discussion and training involved will be critical for his continued employment. Over these two days, his world view is changed - a more correct statement might be that his perceptions are changed. He is first presented with ideas. He considers them and then during a break tests them with varied results. He is prepared to reject the ideas but is then reinforced with supporting ideas by the CEO of the company, and his manager. He tests the ideas again, this time without really knowing that he is testing the ideas. He goes forth with a new mindset to his family, and treats them in way that shows that he sees them as people, rather than objects. The results are immediate, if not fully developed. He comes back the next day to discuss and discovers what happened, and what he can do to continue the behavior that produced positive results.

I enjoyed reading the story in this way (reading it as a fictional story), because it helped me to picture the direction of ones thoughts. The narrative progresses with ideas being presented, received, digested, and implemented. One of the strongest parts of the book is a section that goes over alternative approaches, and how each one of them fails. These alternatives are carefully considered and analyzed, so that it is clear why they will not work.

The idea of self-betrayal is key to understanding the whole book. We often think that others betray us in business, home, community, and that may be true, but what if we are the ones that are enabling, encouraging, directing this betrayal? Then it is indeed self-betrayal. The book illustrates how we form these kinds of self-betrayal relationships, and then illustrates how we can change from self-betrayal to outward awareness.

I know that this book is useful for multiple applications. I have already seen results in myself and those I interact with at work and at home. I highly recommend it for everyone. ( )