Working from the Inside Out

Author Lisa Sansom

It’s said that the only real control we have over our world is our response to it. In this issue, we look at trends in human behaviour, finding a life balance, using our brains to overcome stress, and creating a kinder, gentler environment through our personal interactions. It all starts from the inside out.

2011: Trendspotting for
the Next Decade
Author: Richard Laermer

I have been a big fan of predictions and trends for years. I still have The Book of Predictions from 1981 and use it as a fun yardstick to see how we don’t have flying cars and we aren’t all living past 150 years young. So I really wanted to enjoy this book on trendspotting. I really, really did. But as I read through the funky fonts (with asides in light grey print instead of parentheses), it seemed to me that many of these “trends” sounded more like moralizing from the author. For example, “Trend: We start giving ourselves more pats on the back than we give to performers who really are just there to shimmy for us… .” or “The coming move toward making our kids better citizens will be first to teach them that making tons of money devising crud… is no way to succeed.” While I’m in general agreement, these aren’t the insights I was seeking. It was hard to get past Laermer’s breezy, hip, pop-referenced style, and into the real substance of this book. If you have enjoyed Laermer’s other books, this may well be a useful and insightful updated version for you. If you are stylishly hip and “with the kids”, you may even enjoy it! But, if like me, you prefer plain writing and counsel, then maybe it’s back to The Book of Predictions. I know I’m looking for the 2009 edition out there somewhere.

304 pages | ISBN 978-0-07-149727-5 | Published by McGraw-Hill, 2008

BECOME A LIFE
BALANCE MASTER
Author: RIC GIARDINA

Starting with a short dissertation on the importance of balance, Giardina paints a vivid picture of why “balance” is so necessary to individuals—and it only starts from there. Most intriguing are his “four myths of Life Balance”—the first one being “Life Balance is actually achievable.” Excuse me? You mean it isn’t? What he means is that there is no static point at which we can safely declare “I am balanced,” because even in the word balance, precariousness, rather than permanence, is implied. How refreshing! Giardina says that he believes in kismet, that this book is in the reader’s hands for a reason. That was certainly the case with me. When I started to read Chapter Three, opening with “The Great Conspiracy”, that the forces of the universe tend to align against balance, I thought, “Where have you been all my life?” Giardina counsels that commitment is critical, and the responsibility rests with you—and only you. Tough to hear, tougher to act on, but well worth it. The dedicated reader will gain invaluable counsel on breaking habits, gaining support from others, and really examining his/her own personal life balance equation to ensure a process (not a static solution) that works on an individual level. I enjoyed Giardina’s frankness and calmness. This is a book that you want by your side.

183 pages | ISBN 1-58270-098-2 | Published by Beyond Words Publishing, Inc., 2003

Capitalizing on Kindness: 
Why 21^st Century Professionals Need to be Nice
Authors: Kristin Tillquist

Just on the basis of the title alone, I wished that I could send a copy of this book to the leadership team of every company across the world—every single one of them. How many times have we been foiled at our workplaces by someone else’s rudeness or political ladder-climbing? Tillquist, Chief of Staff to the mayor of a large, fast-growing county in California, notes that people often see success as a trade-off to kindness. However, kindness is, or should be, a requisite, and can actually propel you along a successful work path. Employers and employees everywhere, please take note! You are only damaging yourself when you damage others. Tillquist defines “kindness” along five “powers”: reputation, reciprocity, personality, thanks and connecting, and she gives each “power” considerable attention in this positive and readable tome. Tillquist uses compelling stories to illustrate successful professionals, some well-known and others more obscure, who exemplify each of the “powers of kindness” and provides some tips and hints to help the readers cultivate more of this in their own lives and workplaces. And, of course, it all starts with you—don’t wait for others to become kinder first. If you want to be happier and enjoy more out of life and work, pick up this book and get at it!

255 pages | ISBN 978-1-60163-038-4 | Published by The Career Press, Inc., 2009

Life from the Top of the Mind
Author: Bill Crawford, PhD

Crawford starts out with a definition of “The Problem”—which is one of stress and resentment, which compound each other into a descending spiral. This felt like old news, until I read Crawford’s frankly hilarious story of how, one day, he got so upset at an airline that he ended up in the women’s washroom. That’s when the concepts started to personalize and really make sense. Crawford bridges the theory-practicality gap nicely, taking the theories of stress and relief straight into the chemistry of your brain, showing how excessive stress can make us “out of control” and teaching techniques to alter our brain chemistry (naturally—not through any medications) to bring us back “into control”—which is not the same as being “controlling”. However, Crawford does not stop at correcting the bad stuff. He also promotes the “top of mind perspective”, which he calls C3—clarity, confidence and creativity. By creating more of these attributes, we can help minimize the stress cycle that we often find ourselves in. And what is especially wonderful is that Crawford dedicates the majority of his book to these positive attributes, empowering the reader to really create a new reality by moving forward. How clear, confident and creative! This book is a wonderful reflection of the philosophy it promotes.

312 pages | ISBN 13: 978-0-9653461-2-2 | Published by Florence Publishing, 2007