Apr 02, 2012 02:00
18) Go Put Your Strengths to Work - Marcus Buckingham
I read this one for work, as it had been recommended to us by our managers. It is therefore difficult for me to review the book without thinking of work, and this has likely influenced my review.
There is a number of interesting ideas in this book, and Buckingham challenges some well-worn ideas about people and how they work and grow in a manner that is successful. His base idea is that we will grow much more by focusing on our strengths and nurturing them than we will by trying to improve our weaknesses. The challenge therefore, is to find ways within our workplace to focus on our areas of strength.
All of this is sound reasoning. However, it seems to neglect that in many work environments, there are duties and situations which are simply unavoidable. If, for instance, attending staff meeting because of the bickering that happens there is one of the things that I dislike abut my job, and that drains my energy, well... Buckingham does not offer a solution for this. I understand that no one book can be the Solution to All Things, but like many books of this type, "Go Put Your Strengths to Work" takes a tone of purporting to do just that. There will be amazing changes in your life, and if there isn't, well then you're simply not doing it right.
The other bothersome part of the book is the blatant attempts to sell the author's other materials ("go watch our video..."). Certainly, if you've purchased the book brand-new, you can do some of these things (though the book implies that there are further materials available on the website, for a fee), as the book includes a code for access (by one person only - if you've borrowed the book from a library, or purchased it second-hand, you're out of luck). It feels manipulative, and a money-grab (though clever on the part of the author, I suppose).
Perhaps I just haven't given the book's suggestions enough of a chance to make a difference in my workplace. Perhaps it will be too difficult to do so unless all of my co-workers and management are on-board. Perhaps my work environment is simply far too different from the office-type audience that Buckingham is writing for - I certainly cannot see this being of value in a factory, on the line!
19) The High Road Terry Fallis
Fallis brings us back to Ottawa, picking up where "The Best Laid Plans" left off. The government has toppled, and a new election is about to be underway. Our young protagonist, Daniel Addison, is looking forward to a quiet life of teaching and being in love... until out hero, Angus McLintock decides that he needs to run for election again, this time doing it right.
There are mishaps and falls, and twists, though perhaps not nearly so blindsiding as "The Best Laid Plans". "The High Road" is more of a lesson in doing the right thing even when it might not seem like the correct thing, politically-speaking. The characters all continue to be very human in a very good way. Perhaps the best part is that one does not need to have a burning interest in politics to enjoy the book, and especially does not need an inside knowledge of how our system works - Fallis does a delightful job at explaining this without talking down to his audience.