Book Description
The new grand theory of leadership by Ram Charan . . . The breakthrough book that links know-how—the skills of people who know what they are doing— with the personal and psychological traits of the successful leader.
How often have you heard someone with a commanding presence deliver a bold vision that turned out to be nothing more than rhetoric and hot air? All too often we mistake the appearance of leadership for the real deal. Without a doubt, intelligence, vision, and the ability to communicate are important. But something big is missing: the know-how of running a business—the capacity to take it in the right direction, do the right things, make the right decisions, deliver results, and leave the people and the business better off than they were before.
For well over four decades, Ram Charan has been learning in the most visceral way the underlying reasons why leaders succeed and fail. As one of the most influential advisers to top management teams of leading companies around the world, he has had a front-row seat to observe the cause and effect of leadership practices and behaviors.
Ram Charan’s insight into the real content of leadership provides you with the eight fundamental skills needed for success in the twenty-first century:
• Positioning (and, when necessary, repositioning) your business by zeroing in on the central idea that meets customer needs and makes money
• Connecting the dots by pinpointing patterns of external change ahead of others
• Shaping the way people work together by leading the social system of your business
• Judging people by getting to the truth of a person
• Molding high-energy, high-powered, high-ego people into a working team of leaders in which they equal more than the sum of their parts
• Knowing the destination where you want to take your business by developing goals that balance what the business can become with what it can realistically achieve
• Setting laser-sharp priorities that become the road map for meeting your goals
• Dealing creatively and positively with societal pressures that go beyond the economic value creation activities of your business
Know-How is the missing link of leadership. By showing how the eight know-hows link to, interact with, and reinforce personal and psychological traits, Ram Charan provides a holistic and innovative portrait of successful leaders of the twenty-first century.
Customer Reviews:
Some Good Insights.......2007-09-05
This book has some strong insights into identifying the skill set of performers and non-performers. It is also in some ways though too concise in terms of what Charan identifies.
For instance where he defines Tenacity - the drive to search, persist and follow through, but not too long.
I think Tenacity in leadership is terribly important and not something that has a point of stoppage.
I recently read Bob Prosen's "Kiss Theory Good Bye" and found its identification in terms of Crippling Habits that leaders/companies must overcome to be another inspiring book on how leaders and managers can truly empower long-term change in accountability and in terms of a company's bottom line.
Kiss Theory Good Bye: Five Proven Ways to Get Extraordinary Results in Any Company
Eight priorities for success as a CEO.......2007-08-30
Forty-five years of observing businesses and business leaders as a trusted business-advisor lead Ram Charan to conclude that eight areas of know-how are essential to success: Positioning the Business; Pinpointing External Change; Leading the Social System of your Business; Judging People; Molding a Team; Developing goals; Setting Laser-sharp Priorities; Dealing with Societal Pressures. Using relatable examples Charan explains what he means by these areas of know-how and then ends each chapter's discussion with some guidance on how to gather this know-how.
An easy read that may leave you thinking, "He speaks common sense."
This book is recommended for business leaders who want to consider if they are giving the right priorities to their time and energies. Dennis DeWilde, Author of The Performance Connection
Common sense leadership advice.......2007-08-28
This book covers eight leadership principles in a generic way. The author uses the trick of using success cases that sustains his ideas, but neglects the countless other cases that do not fit his theory. Anyhow, it's an easy and worth read.
Use this to clarify thinking.......2007-08-26
The essence of the book is in the way the thoughts are organized and clarified - and the confirmation that many of our thoughts about running a company and who should be in the company are not just intuition.
It is good value for money and provides a good checklist. I think the first chapter sums it sum nicely; the financial essence of running a profitable company are the same, whether a shoe-shop, a pizza place or a consulting company. What makes the difference is the deep know how needed to succeed in the marketplace - and his value is in giving a framework around which a reader can do substantial self-assessment and put in place a good plan for self improvement.
I also think this is really a good read before making critical hires in particular - it allows one to step back a bit from the hurried pace of today's hiring and take a deep look at what is really needed.
If this book can also help prevent entrepreneurs going off into areas where they lack know-how, this alone would be a great outcome.
Good and Specific Ideas.......2007-08-24
"Know-How" provides a number of credible and helpful ideas on building and sustaining a successful organization. I particularly liked his brief comments on why G.M.'s year 2000 onwards push to regain market had failed, and would greatly have valued more material on strategic thinking. The bad news is, like many books, "Know-How" runs out of gas in its latter half - too many vague aspects relying very heavily on difficult-to-evaluate judgement.
Ram begins by asserting that personal attributes (eg. raw intelligence, commanding presence and great communication skills) are just one small slice of the leadership pie, and that their value is greatly diminished without know-how. ("Know-How" also points out that even management genius Jack Welch originally overemphasized personal attributes.) Some key know-how strengths include the ability to creatively and positively respond to societal pressures with significant impact (eg. global warming, fuel economy), and setting laser-sharp priorities aligning resources and actions to accomplish the goals.
Important personal traits include ambition (with integrity and knowledge regarding where to move), drive and tenacity (stick to the plan, but also realize when it is not working), self-confidence (not driven by a desire to be liked and thereby tolerate non-performers), psychological openness, and an appetite for learning.
Positioning is the central idea of one's business, and most will require at change within each decade. Declining revenues/market share are warning signs. Basic positioning question is "Why is what we offer better than the other options available?" Another is "Where can we win?"
New technology often creates a need to reposition - eg. Google's impact on newspaper advertising. This need may be obscured by conflicting signals - eg. a rise in one region's sales. Another example is Blockbuster vs. Internet movie downloads, or IPod vs. music stores. Down the road thinking is essential in these situations, taking competitors' likely actions into account. The political process now has greater impact than ever before, representing another key area for review - eg. societal positions on global warming, fuel economy.
Immelt of G.E. uses "Dream sessions" to assess trends. Invites customer CEOs (and 1-2 associates) in for a 1-2 day session to hear what the participants visualize for up to ten years. External trends, root causes, views from their customers and regulators are considered. Immelt is also likely to ask those CEOs where they think G.E. should put its R&D priorities.
Promoting cooperation among top leaders is another important concern for a CEO. A new CEO observed that Sherwin-Williams' division presentations degenerated into 7-hour general discussions constantly interrupted by questions from other heads. He decided to limit the presentations to one hour, without interruption, and require the audience to submit three questions - of which he would choose the best. Finally, he asked the division heads whether the meeting had benefited them. Considerable improvement resulted.
Ram suggests multiple people participate in the evaluation of leaders. The intent is more probing, balanced judgement. (However, my experience in an organization needing substantial transformation is that the prior culture's leaders are not likely to focus on the right strengths - eg. overvalue "teamwork" vs. results.)
Hiring criteria for new people should focus on 3-4 top issues; using a broad checklist results in selecting so-so performers with broader experience than most. At least some of the new leaders should come from areas expecting new growth - eg. Brazil, China, India (for an international organization), store managers for Home Depot.
As for the G.M. vignette, when Wagoner took over in 2000 its N.A. market share had been slipping for years, particularly due to Toyota and Honda. Cash generation and margins were shrinking and factories were far below capacity. Wagoner decided to regain market share (probably the politically most popular choice, though my review of others is that it is rarely accomplished), and focused on rebates to accomplish this. Market share did go up, but cash and margins fell; its bonds were downgraded to junk status. Reality was that Toyota and Honda have major competitive advantages - shorter cycle times for new models, and fewer models requiring redesign investment. Also, neither were saddled with G.M.'s health care costs, and the operational excellence added an additional boost to margins. Ram suggests that G.M. should instead have killed off unsustainable product lines - eg. Hummer, Saab, and focused on improving results of those remaining.
Amazon.com
The Heart of Change is the follow-up to John Kotter's enormously popular book Leading Change, in which he outlines a framework for implementing change that sidesteps many of the pitfalls common to organizations looking to turn themselves around. The essence of Kotter's message is this: the reason so many change initiatives fail is that they rely too much on "data gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations" instead of a more creative approach aimed at grabbing the "feelings that motivate useful action." In The Heart of Change, Kotter, with the help of Dan Cohen, a partner at Deloitte Consulting, shows how his eight-step approach has worked at over 100 organizations. In just about every case, change happened because the players were led to "see" and "feel" the change. In one example, a sales representative underscores a sense of urgency to change a manufacturing process by showing a videotaped interview with an unhappy customer; in another, a purchasing manager makes his point to senior management about corporate waste by displaying on the company's boardroom table the 424 different kinds of gloves that the company had procured through different vendors at vastly different prices. Well written and loaded with real-life examples and practical advice, The Heart of Change towers over other change-management titles. Managers and employees at organizations both big and small will find much to draw from. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
John Kotter's international bestseller Leading Change struck a powerful chord with legions of managers everywhere. It acknowledged the cynicism, pain, and fear they faced in implementing large-scale change-but also armed them with an eight-step plan of action for leaping boldly forward in a turbulent world.
Now, Kotter and coauthor Dan S. Cohen delve deeper into the subject of change to get to the heart of how change actually happens. Through compelling, real-life stories from people in the trenches, in all kinds of organizations, the authors attack the fundamental problem that underlies every major transformation: How do you go beyond simply getting your message across to truly changing people's behavior?
Based on interviews within over 100 organizations in the midst of large-scale change, The Heart of Change delivers the simple yet provocative answer to this question, forever altering the way organizations and individuals approach change. While most companies believe change happens by making people think differently, Kotter and Cohen say the key lies in making them feel differently. They introduce a new dynamic-"see-feel-change"-that fuels action by showing people potent reasons for change that spark their emotions.
Organized around the revolutionary eight-step change process introduced in Leading Change, this story-driven book shows how the best change leaders use not just reports or analysis, but gloves, video cameras, airplanes, office design, and other concrete elements to impel people toward positive action. The authors reveal how this appeal to the heart-over the mind-motivates people to overcome even daunting obstacles to change and produce breathtaking results.
For individuals in every walk of life and companies in every stage of change, this compact, no-nonsense book captures the heart-and the how-of successful change.
John P. Kotter, world-renowned expert on leadership at the Harvard Business School, is the author of many books, including the award-winning, best-selling Leading Change. Dan S. Cohen is a Principal with Deloitte Consulting LLC.
Customer Reviews:
Just in Time.......2007-10-07
I read[[ASIN:0875847471 Leading Change] Change by Kotter first. This follow on is a great compliment to the first book. By using examples of the eight-step process, the authors drive home those principles. My organization is in the midst of a large change process, and I am able to identify those who are the guiding coalition and raise my own visibility by aiding them. I am also able to give useful suggestions and identify the change blockers who endanger the process, and therby, the organization.
Not as useful as "Leading Change" by Kotter.......2007-06-28
Full of anecdotes about how the principles in "Leading Change" were implemented, I found this less helpful than that book in implementing a culture change. None of the scenarios were close enough to our organization to make a meaningful impact on the management team. A good read though, illustrating Kotter's excellent roadmap to change.
Addresses an Often Forgotten Part of Management Studies---People!.......2007-05-07
In this age of data, management is still about people. This book hits that aspect square on the head. It provides a realistic 8 step process for managing change filled with examples that bring the steps to life. The book is primarily written for managers of change, but the concepts can be useful to anyone at any level of an organization that's in a state of change. (And what organizations aren't?) It can be a bit dry at times, but the stories spice it up and make it bearable. Overall excellent content.
Just what we needed!.......2006-07-15
This book hits the "heart" of what many managers miss in planning change initiatives. This helps us remember that change isn't all number and business decisions. It's the people. I was able to immediately apply some of the ideas and resteered a change initiative successfully. Now all of my supervisors are reading and learning.
Fundamentals for helping an organization undergo change successfully.......2006-04-03
This book is the textbook for how an organization can successfully lead with change. I have used the 8-step method with various organizations and successfully 'seen-felt-changed' for the better.
Amazon
Robert Quinn's Change the World offers profound yet practical guidance for those who truly want to improve their surroundings. Quinn, a University of Michigan professor and author of five books on change and organizational performance, bases Changeon eight "seed thoughts" drawn from the philosophies of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. After relevant quotations from each, he cites contemporary real-life examples to show how these principles--Envision the Productive Community, First Look Within, Embrace the Hypocritical Self, Transcend Fear, Embody a Vision of the Common Good, Disturb the System, Surrender to the Emergent Process, and Entice Through Moral Power--can really be used. "All our lives we have been explicitly and implicitly taught to see human influence as an exercise in domination," Quinn writes. By learning instead to practice a new type of "transformational behavior," he suggests, even "ordinary people" can have "extraordinary impact." The section on asserting moral authority, for example, segues from his own fifth-grade coaching experiences to those of basketball superstar Larry Bird to details on building a bond between "change agents and change targets" that effects desirable modifications. Recommended for anyone open to new ideas on motivation and stimulating change. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
In this empowering book, Robert E. Quinn, author of the highly successful and influential Deep Change, gives readers the courage to use personal transformation to positively impact their home life, work life, and communities -- to be what he refers to as "inner-directed and outer-focused." We are all potential change agents, but most of us are trapped by belief that we as individuals cannot make a difference. Informed by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. -- three of the most successful change agents ever -- Quinn outlines eight steps each of us can take to move ourselves and others to the highest levels of excellence. Following his advice, each of us can access and apply the power that lies within us in ways that will change our world for the better.
Customer Reviews:
My first and only review at Amazon - The Highest Recommendation.......2006-12-22
This, more than any book, has had a profound influence on my life. Quinn helps us understand why our lives are so frustrating. The basic notion is that we are hypocrites. We believe or think one thing but we act differently. This integrity gap is what causes us to continue to accept the ordinary, or transactional, world as it is. He challenges us to reduce our integrity gap, and thus transform ourselves from ordinary to extraordinary human beings.
Quinn uses three historical figures to illustrate the power of transformation - Gandhi, Christ, and King, Jr. He also gives examples from his personal life and from his work as an organizational consultant of moving from the transactional to the transformational world. If you are willing to do the work Quinn challenges us to do, you will find yourself much more in tune with your highest ideals. By transforming yourself, Quinn argues, you can change (or transform) the world around you - your family, office, organization, and ultimately, the larger world.
Please read this book. Give it to friends and family. We (and they) are all hypocrites. Let us close our integrity gaps together.
top notch.......2005-09-04
If you want to be effective at influencing others, study this book. This is one of my favorites. It also has many lots of valuable references and a great bibliography.
Change the World by Changing Yourself.......2005-05-26
Bob Quinn is definitely one of the most profound writers on change in this era. But his work is not for the faint of heart because he challenges each of us to start change initiatives in the place we'd least like to go -- inside ourselves. I found this an incredibly powerful book. I've used sections of it with my "change management" classes for several years and I know it has a tremendous impact on students, who like most managers have grown up unconsciously believing that change always needs to start with the other guy. If you want a simple formula for change, don't buy this book. Although it is full of practical, actionable ideas, "Change the World" addresses change at a profound level that asks readers to reflect seriously on what they stand for. It's a very difficult but rewarding assignment.
real change.......2001-01-07
"Typically a top management team goes off for three days," writes the author Quinn. "They hole up in a room with lots of flip charts and go to work." Then he says that when they're through they typically write words on small cards and pass them out to employees. Sadly, he observes these cards are "ignored and things go on as before." The premise underlying this book is that Quinn would have us care enough to change this way of thinking. The key, he says, is to stop doing things out of self-interest and start identifying and going after the shared goals of the group. He does a nice job of working good examples into his text. He also points out how risky it is to be a true leader since it involves overcoming a fear of failure when trying something new. He also does a nice job of making clear that hierarchy in itself is not a bad thing; it's only bad when they're perceived as mechanisms that result in getting nothing done. "Hierarchies become frozen bureaucracies due to the failure of human courage." He makes a compelling case for why it's crucial to skip the hollow words and dare to lead toward change. Only then can organizations hope for real change.
Look Within: That's Where Change Management Begins.......2000-11-24
Hopefully, you have already read some (if not all) of Quinn's earlier books, especially Deep Change which serves as an excellent introduction to this one. In the Preface, he explains that this book "is about changing the world. It is about coming to a deep understanding of human beings and human relationships." He then adds, "The book focuses on vision, unconditional confidence, and profound impact. It is about the mastery of human influence, transformational power, and the capacity to accomplish extraordinary things. It argues that everyone of us is a change agent." It is important to add, that Quinn advocates "deep change" as opposed to "incremental change." Moreover, no organization can achieve deep change unless and until those within that organization achieve deep change. So as I understand it, each of us must assume full authority as well as responsibility for (and have control of) our personal development. "There is a language of transformation. Yet most of us are cut off from that language. All our lives we have been explicitly taught to see human influence as an exercise in domination." Even the most sensitive among us is shaped by this paradigm or worldview. But this outlook prevents us from seeing more deeply into the actual workings of human systems. This book demonstrates an alternative system."
Quinn recalls the remark by Oliver Wendell Holmes that he placed little value in simplicity that lay on this side of complexity but a great deal of value on simplicity that lay on the other side. The framework within which Quinn presents his material comes from the "seed thoughts" of people who have mastered "the language of transformation." By "seed thoughts" Quinn means some of the "core notions that masters of transformation hold in common, the simplicity they send us from the other side of complexity." Specifically, Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Quinn focuses on eight (8) "seed thoughts" (eg Envision the Productive Community, First Look Within, Embrace the Hypocritical Self), providing brief quotations from each of the three "masters of transformation" which he correlates with each of the eight "seed thoughts." His objective is to explain how Advanced Change Theory (ACT) can enable individuals to achieve deep change in their own lives and then within their organizations. The title of this book (Change the World) may be somewhat misleading. I wholeheartedly agree with Quinn that "ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary results", both individually and as members of a group. I also agree that Jesus, Gandhi, and King were "masters of transformation" within their respective spheres of influence as were Carnegie, Edison, Ford, Morgan, and Rockefeller within their own. Quinn's basic idea is sound. He and I may differ only when defining terms such as "change" and "world."
I urge you to read this book, to consider very carefully what ACT offers to you (personally) and to your organization, and then to select whatever is most appropriate. Quinn provides an eloquent and convincing argument in support of his concept of deep change; better yet, he suggests all manner of strategies and tactics to achieve and sustain it; even better yet, almost anyone who reads this book already has the resources required. If you need help to organize and allocate those resources, and truly powerful encouragement to support your efforts in process, look no further.
Book Description
Dr. Dan Baker, director of the Life Enhancement Program at Canyon Ranch, has devoted his life to teaching people how to be happy. And apparently, most of us could use a little tutoring. Research has shown that the root of unhappiness--fear--lies in the oldest, reptilian part of our brains, and negative reactions are often dictated by primal instincts. We're literally "hardwired for hard times." In What Happy People Know, Dr. Baker uses evidence from the new science of happiness to show us how we can overcome this genetic predisposition toward negative reactions and lead a truly rich, happy, and healthy life.In this book, Dr. Baker shares the program that has revolutionized the lives of countless unhappy people, VIP's and regular Joes and Janes alike. First, you'll learn the only two issues that ever cause unhappiness and devise your plan to overcome both of them. Then, Dr. Baker teaches you how to spot the happiness traps, the five doomed ways we try to make ourselves happy, only to dig ourselves further into misery. Finally, he shares his happiness tools, the six simple skills that, when practiced consistently, will inevitably lead to greater optimism, courage, good humor, and fulfillment--in short, to happiness.
Customer Reviews:
A Realistic Prescription for Happiness.......2007-08-22
This book falls within a self-help sub-category that deals with happiness issues in a realistic, almost "tough love" style. I'm thinking of two other simlarly styled works - Resilience: Discovering a New Strength at Times of Stress, by Frederic Flach and Grow Up!: How Taking Responsibility Can Make You A Happy Adult, by Frank S. Pittman. These works present happiness not as some idealized, feel good, eternal emotion, but as a state that is achieved through discipline, diligence and responsibility, despite and even becuase of the crises and challenges that come upon us. This is in stark contrast to some of the other happiness prescriptions written by other books that promote affirmations, positive thinking and some downright corny activities.
Baker decribes the 6 happiness tools that he employs in his own life and tries to get his clients at the Canyon Ranch Lie Enhancement Program to apply. He describes the need for the intellect and spirit to override the functions of the reptilian brain, which is still mired in our survivalist flee-or-fight past, and tends to lead us into fear based, and therefore debilitating, responses to life's challenges. The number one antidote to fear is appreciation, as a from of love for people and things in our life, because the two - fear and appreciation - can not neurologically co-exist in the mind.
In addition, Baker delves into the five traps that lead people astray when trying to find authentic happiness, and ulimately cause them to spiral into unhappiness, anxiety and depression. The tragic stories of some of his patients can be jolting but they bring home the point that happiness is not a polyanna achievement but rather something that comes from the very nature of struggle and suffering within the human condition, given the proper attitudes and approach.
Increase in happiness level!.......2007-05-05
I read self improvement books quite often. But I just couldn't seem to put this particular book down! It's opened up my eyes to a lot of the things most people aren't aware of. So many of us are enslaved to society's expectations and have become "lost souls." Everything is routine and the happiness through material things eventually dies out. This book helps you to realize and maintain true happiness. What YOU really want and all the possibilities you have out there. It's definitely changed the way I perceive things in certain situations. I now catch myself when I feel fearful and think back on some of the things Dan Baker has mentioned in this book. Surprisingly, it is one of the best books I've read. It is life-changing. =)
What Unhappy People Need To Know.......2007-04-08
Dr. Baker writes about the science of happiness in a very understandable down-to-earth style that also weaves in humor, pathos, ethics, and the relatively new paradigm of positive psychology. He writes a lot about how fear governs our thinking and actions. In a cardiac rehab unit, he encountered people who were focused on money and status. He states,"You wouldn't want to be a mugger sticking a gun in those guy's ribs and demanding, 'Your money or your life'-they'd spend all day deciding." The book offers a detailed "action plan" that distinguishes between "happiness tools' and "happiness traps." It is a blueprint away from what he calls "the lesser life" to what he refers to as "the emotionally enhanced life." "What Happy People Know" could also be titled "What Unhappy People Need To Know."
Suprised! :).......2006-11-22
I have to admit, I picked up this book in a book club signup. I half expected it to be one of the gimicky "secrets to happiness" books. What I found was completely different. In general I am an optimistic person, but I have my downtimes, as everyone does. This book put a lot of that into perspective, and also helped me understand a lot of people. Not only did it help me realize how I could be a happier person, it helped me let go of a lot of the stresses I normally put on myself.
I've now reread this book three times, and am starting it for the fourth. I have given it to 3 different people as presents. To me, this book was no gimmick, it provides some self introspection and guidance that is long needed by many people in this world. It looks at a more scientific side of happiness, yes there is still some psychology to it, but it shows how all the freudian and psychological tricks dont always come into play. We have power over our own happiness, and we dont just have to "force" ourselves to be happy. Its not about fake smiles, its about understanding and perspective.
If you are looking for ways to reduce your stress and generally just become a happier person, and are open to change, check out this book.
A Life-Changing Book.......2006-10-20
This book has changed my life - and I'm only half way through it. Dr. Baker engages and entertains by writing in a conversational style sharing inspirational experiences and insights. The book takes a "positive psychology" approach teaching the reader what actions one should take to be happy and suggests that simply talking at length about a person's problems in a private office can't get you as far as going out and taking action. He says love is the answer - we should practice altruism, appreciation, and forgiveness. This great book is easy reading but unbelievably interesting and thought-provoking. It's a slightly taller and wider paperback, easy to hold and highlight. The author has given me courage to face life in all its roughness, saying that Happy People know there will still be hard times but they will see the silver lining and peacefully overcome any difficulty. It's a ground breaking book in my opinion.
For perspective here is a little about me: I am 31 years old with a wife and a few kids. I have read numerous self-help and marriage books. My big problem has been with toxic criticism, a generally negative outlook I have about myself and by extension everything and everyone around me. But an open mind, six sessions with a great marriage counselor, and this book have equally contributed to a gradual process of turning my life around. I hold this book in even higher regard than my former all time favorite self-help book, "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen. I am happy I found "What Happy People Know".
Book Description
People losing weight when nothing else worked, new energy and increased body temperatures from those suffering from hypothyroidism, skin rashes and other problems clearing up: these are a few examples of the testimonies from people using Virgin Coconut Oil that you will read about in this book. The book contains over 100 testimonies to the healing properties of Virgin Coconut Oil, and also contains over 75 recipes showing you how to incorporate Virgin Coconut Oil into your diet. Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people's lives, and how it can change yours! is the most practical book written on the health benefits of coconut oil. Based on years of research and the experience of Brian and Marianita Shilhavy, this book documents how tropical cultures eating a diet high in the saturated fat of coconut oil enjoy long healthy lives. It also shows how a premium Virgin Coconut Oil has changed thousands of lives outside the tropics, in helping with obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes, Candida, infections, digestive disorders, skin problems, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on coconut!.......2006-07-20
This book has opened the eyes of skeptics who believe that coconut oil is bad for you because it is saturated. Until I read this book, I didn't realize how healthy coconut oil is. I've loaned this book to my friends and they have started using coconut oil. I only use coconut oil for cooking and coconut concentrate for spread on bagels or toast instead of butter. It's very yummy! Tropical traditions's coconut products are excellent!
If you want to learn about coconut oil, then read this book. This book will enlighten you.
Marina, Bremerton, WA
Coconut oil is great!.......2005-08-26
The authors of this book have done a great service in bringing coconut oil to the attention of health conscious people. If you want to learn more about how to use coconut oil in your diet, you can also consult EAT FAT, LOSE FAT written by Sally Fallon who is a superb cook, and has included a wide range of delicious recipes. That book is also authored by Mary Enig, the leading expert on healthy fats who was 30 years before her time in pointing out transfats dangers.
Amazon.com
Do you "give a lot of importance to helping other people and bringing out their unique gifts?" Do you "dislike all the emphasis in modern culture on success and 'making it,' on getting and spending, on wealth and luxury goods?" Do you "want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life for our country?" If you answered yes to all three of these questions--and at least seven more of the remaining 15 in Paul Ray and Sherry Anderson's questionnaire--then you are probably a Cultural Creative.
Cultural Creative is a term coined by Ray and Anderson to describe people whose values embrace a curiosity and concern for the world, its ecosystem, and its peoples; an awareness of and activism for peace and social justice; and an openness to self-actualization through spirituality, psychotherapy, and holistic practices. Cultural Creatives do not just take the money and run; they don't want to defund the National Endowment for the Arts; and they do want women to get a fairer shake--not only in the United States, but around the globe.
On the basis of Ray and Anderson's research, about 50 million Americans are Cultural Creatives, a group that includes people of all races, ages, and classes. This subculture could have enormous social and political clout, the authors argue, if only it had any consciousness of itself as a cohesive unit, a society of fellow travelers. The husband and wife team wrote the book "to hold up a mirror" to the members of this vast but diffuse group, to show them they are not alone and that they can reshape society to make it more authentic, compassionate, and engaged. It is an idealistic call for a new agenda for a new millennium. --I. Crane
Book Description
Are You a Cultural Creative?
Do you dislike all the emphasis in modern culture on success and "making it," on getting and spending, on wealth and luxury goods? Do you care deeply about the destruction of the environment and would pay higher taxes or prices to clean it up and to stop global warming? Are you unhappy with both the left and the right in politics and want to find a new way that does not simply steer a middle course?
In this landmark book, sociologist Paul H. Ray and psychologist Sherry Ruth Anderson draw upon thirteen years of survey research studies on more than 100,000 Americans, plus more than 100 focus groups and dozens of in-depth interviews. They reveal who the Cultural Creatives are and the fascinating story of their emergence over the last generation, using vivid examples and engaging personal stories to describe their distinctive values and lifestyles.
The Cultural Creatives care deeply about ecology and saving the planet, about relationships, peace, and social justice, about self-actualization, spirituality, and self-expression. Surprisingly, they are both inner-directed and socially concerned; they're activists, volunteers, and contributors to good causes more often than other Americans. But because they've been so invisible, they are astonished to find out how many others share both their values and their way of life. Once they realize their numbers, their impact on America promises to be enormous, shaping a new agenda for the twenty-first century.
What makes the appearance of the Cultural Creatives especially timely is that our civilization is in the midst of an epochal change, caught between globalization, accelerating technologies, and a deteriorating planetary ecology. A creative minority can have enormous leverage to carry us into a new renaissance instead of a disastrous fall. The book ends with a number of maps for the remarkable journey that our civilization is embarked upon: initiations, evolutionary models, scenarios, and the elements of a new mythos for our time.
The Cultural Creatives offers a more hopeful future and prepares us all for a transition to a new, saner, and wiser culture.
Customer Reviews:
Inspiring but Not Useful a Marketing Guide.......2007-03-13
This book was read in a women's book circle, which was the seed for a business network designed especially for Cultural Creatives -- business people who cared about more than just the bottom line.
[...]
This he book been an incentive for self-identified Cultural Creatives to find like-minded people; however, it has not been useful in understanding the demographic for realistic niche marketing purposes. Unfortunately, Cultural Creatives themselves tend to be very diverse in income, sex, age, etc. -- as the study results in the book show. This makes the Cultural Creatives very difficult to treat as a target market as the defining characteristics of Cultural Creatives are nearly completely invisible. I've learned that the best way to find out if someone is a Cultural Creative is to have a conversation with them versus trying to pin them down using any kind of marketing database.
Anyone interested in serving the Cultural Creative marketplace can use this book to get a general idea of what this demographic looks like, but should look elsewhere for useful, more targeted marketing advice.
The book is, if nothing else, inspirational for those of us looking for other Cultural Creatives. It can be further inspiring to Cultural Creatives in business accompanied with the documentary "The Corporation.
Disappointing.......2006-06-06
This book is not really about creative people. Instead, it's about a host of left-wing causes such as environmentalism, new age consciousness and feminism. So, it's really a book about left-wing politics.
Also, to talk about this phenomenon as "new" is a bit of a misnomer. For 100 years, intellectuals such as Djilas have talked about the "new class" and its excessive influence over public life. Perhaps the current dominance of the political left over culture industries is inadequate for the authors, such that they would prefer a one-party dictatorship.
However, this would be hard for them to do. If there is in fact a new development in recent years, it is the rise of new media such as the internet which have (in part) broken the one-party monopoly of the left-wing media.
Incidentally, at 370 pages the book is way too long and tedious. Also, the research is typically poor--e.g. the unsupported chart on p. 211 that claims convergence of social and consciousness movements over the last 40 years--whereas the same converged left-wing bunch has been lobbying for this whole panoply of issues for decades. Another example is the facile comparison between biological evolution and the life cycle of civilizations on p. 248.
Good to prop up the short leg of a table or as a hot plate.......2005-09-10
Beside the fact that time has long passed this book by, it is utterly unreadable given the tedious writing. The term "Cultural Creative" is so self-congratulatory and pretentious as to be nauseating. This is strictly for San Franciscans lost in a time warp.
becoming obvious.......2005-06-07
If you dislike modern society, read this book to find out why.
You'll also learn that there are millions who think similarly. You'll read about the three main segments of the population: Traditionals, Moderns, and Cultural Creatives.
We all begin as Traditionals, grow up and become Moderns, and then mature to become Cultural Creatives. When we're Traditionals, we agree with whatever authority figures tell us. When we're Moderns, we agree with whatever society tells us. When we're Cultural Creatives, we rely on our conscience.
American society went through these developmental stages in the 20th century. Americans began the 20th century as Traditionals. After two world wars, Americans became Moderns. The protest movement of the 1960's began the process of creating the Cultural Creatives.
Most Americans remain Moderns, living their lives without concern for the global problems that their lifestyles contribute to. Some Americans remain Traditionals, believing most of what their religion and government tells them. A growing segment of Americans are Cultural Creatives, realizing that wasteful lifestyles contribute to global problems and corrective actions are needed.
Lots of data; probably worth 3.5 stars.......2004-11-15
This book provides a model of the US adult population with extremists at two ends and the term "cultural creatives" (CCs)introduced. The authors also provide a short "test" to see if you qualify as a CC. This is not really a new idea. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs has as the apex of his pyramid, "Self-Actualization." This corresponds to Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory where seeking the positive is considered qualitatively different from seeking to avoid the negative. In addition, the Normal distribution indicates that there will be declining numbers of persons in groups deviating from the Mean (average) in a non-linear way (i.e. in accordance with the standard deviation of the distribution). However, the authors do provide lots of backup material and some interesting observations on the nature of the CCs. Some of them seem a bit far out to me--too left wing rather than balanced. I think a reader's reaction to this book will primarily lie in his or her psychological and political positions on the human spectrum. Thus, there are liable to be highly divergent ratings of this book from various people. It is, by the way, a rather heavy tome (literally). My favorite quote from it is: "The media have announced a hundred of the last ten medical breakthroughs" on page 223.
Product Description
What does it take for lasting change to take root in your life? If you ve ever tried, failed, and wondered why, you need How People Change. This book explains the biblical pattern for change in a clear, practical way you can apply to the challenges of daily life. But change involves more than a biblical formula: you will see how God is at work to make you the person you were created to be. That powerful, loving, redemptive relationship is at the heart of all positive change you experience.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome Bible Study.......2007-10-03
I have literally done dozens of Bible studies in small groups, and this one is over and above The Best. It's nothing inherently new, but the way the authors organize the study and theologically lay out the material, as well as their use of the Scriptures as foundational to illustrate the truth, has been nothing short of life changing for our little group of 40 something Christians. We have learned so much about each other that we never knew, so much about ourselves, and perhaps most exciting, have actually CHANGED in response to seeing exactly what a Gospel-centered life means TODAY, and how living in true community with other Christians is a basis for life change. The Gospel is relevant again, whaddya know! Not just when I got saved, or in eternity, but Today. I recommend it to everyone. Our church had the authors out for a seminar and they were humbly inspiring. Authentic Christianity at its best.
Change that Lasts.......2007-07-13
Modern counseling typically tries to give the counselee "tools" to help them either get through or stave off the "heat" of a problem. These "tools" are usually nothing more than new habits that usually last only a short time. Instead of addressing the fruits of our actions, this book gets to the heart, the root--where real change can take place. We must first see who we are apart from Christ, and then see who we are in Christ. As the comfort and the call of the Gospel begins to shape our lives with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will find what is at the root of our sinful behavior. This book is clearly written and extremely helpful for those who are ready to deal with their sin and long for a life that truly glorifies God.
A profound self-help guide grounded firmly in Christian faith........2007-03-04
Written by Christian counselors and faculty Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change discusses the biblical pattern of change that any Christian can apply to the challenges of his or her daily life. Encompassing the principle that change comes not only from within, but also with the guidance of God helping the individual become what he or she was created to be, How People Change is embraces the qualities of love and redemption. "Without an awareness of Christ's presence, we tend to live anxiously. We avoid hard things and are easily overwhelmed. But a clear sense of identity and provision gives us hope and courage to face the struggles and temptations that come our way." A profound self-help guide grounded firmly in Christian faith.
The ultimate self-help book for a frustration Christian.......2006-12-24
Reviewed by Vicki Landes for Reader Views (12/06)
Are you ready to change your life? Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp have partnered up to prove that traditional self-help books just don't go far enough to initiate that sought-after (and seemingly unattainable) change. Grounded with heavenly teachings, "How People Change" doesn't just tackle surface issues such as outward behavior; it reaches into the deepest depths to transform the very being of your heart.
"How People Change" incorporates the why's with the how's - why Christians can worship, be involved at church, and still feel like something's missing and how God's grace can alter the path of self-debilitating actions. However, the book conveys that true change is internal and that modifying how you think and feel will subsequently be reflected in external behavior and reactions. Further, their series of `x-ray questions' jar you into silencing your brain and listening to the true desires of your heart so you can determine what exactly needs to be done to make that change happen.
Easy-to-understand and applicable to all areas of life, "How People Change" is deeply profound. Lane and Tripp touch the heart and motivate the soul into positive action with an abundance of insightful statements that almost sing as you read them. "God calls you to be dissatisfied. You should be discontent, restless, and hungry! The Christian life is a state of thankful discontent or joyful dissatisfaction." "The more you understand who God is and who he has made you to be, the more you realize that the Christian life is not an emotionless, stoic, existence." After all, getting to heaven isn't just about avoiding bad behavior...there's so much more.
"How People Change" targets Christians who yearn for more or harbor disappointment for worship, their connection with God or their church, or feel they are doing right by God but still feel like something is missing. Their worship practices and frustrations are broken down to reveal underlying issues and the best fixes for a much more holistic view of life and grace.
"How People Change" is a beautifully inspiring roadmap for anyone not happy with the current status of their life. Lane and Tripp not only write intelligently for the Bible scholar but thoughtfully simple for those still young in the faith and struggling with their understanding of God's plan. Insightful, profound, and truly reflective of Biblical teachings, this work is a must-read - a hearty `amen'!
Christianity & real life.......2006-08-03
When the subject of how people change is brought up among Christians, so often all that is said is simply "trusting God" or just "giving" something to God. But in real life, why is it never that easy?
This book is about the truths of the Gospel bearing down on daily life. If you want to see the deep connection between your daily life & how change, rooted in the gospel, takes place, then this book is for you.
If you are a pastor, youth minister, Sunday School teacher, elder, or teach the Bible in any way, you have to get this book. So often pastors & teachers will simply tell people what to do & what not to do (only focusing on making direct calls to the will), while completely ignoring what is going on in the heart. This book will help you see yourself & others in a new way that is centered in the gospel.
Book Description
Praise for Future Energy
"Do not despair. Energy independence is in our future and this book has the road map! Bill Paul, one of the most astute observers of the energy scene, describes the new technologies that are taking us there and that will change our lives. A must-read book showing how business, citizens, and investors can take advantage."
—Consuelo Mack, Anchor and Managing Editor Consuelo Mack WealthTrack
Concerns over the availability and security of world energy supplies, especially when it comes to crude oil, have many people wondering what the future of this industry holds and how technology will continue to change it. Thanks to the energy technology revolution currently taking place, a promising "new" oil industry is quickly beginning to take shape-and it will, without a doubt, affect every company, household, and investor.
In Future Energy, author Bill Paul-a national energy and environmentaljournalist for more than thirty years-skillfully addresses the investment implications of this new oil industry and shows you how to profit from the changes that lie ahead. Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, Future Energy will introduce you to some of the most essential issues found within this new environment, including:
- The companies that will be counted on as the producers andinfrastructure providers of the new oil industry
- Why you should consider holding "oil shock" absorbing investmentsin your portfolio
- How electricity will become a new transportation fuel, providingunprecedented transportation fuel diversity
- The role that substitute liquid fuels (SLFs) will play in the newoil industry
- And much more
Customer Reviews:
Worse than amateur.......2007-09-14
Bill Paul wastes our time and money with this worse than worthless book. Here are a few examples of its problems:
- On page 1, Mr. Paul dismisses global warming as an "environmental anxiety", as though anyone concerned with global warming is suffering from a type of delusional and irrational phobia. Global warming is never brought up again (according to the index), as the author expounds on and extols such environmental horrors as oil from coal and oil from tar sands.
- In the one potentially redeeming chapter, "The Power of Efficiency", the author somehow recommends the Chevrolet Corvette as "the spirit that I feel must guide the new oil industry". Perhaps one can conjure up a worse symbol, such as a Mercury Navigator, but there are far better ones, such as the Toyota Prius.
- The same chapter starts with a diagram showing "Kilowatt Gasoline" as a type of efficiency, clearly a false representation.
- The author is so untechnical that he doesn't know the difference between power and energy.
The book is filled with so much misinformation, that the author should receive a negative royalty with each copy sold.
good but incomplete introduction.......2007-08-04
The reader should know that one purpose of this book is to give investors advice on companies to invest in. Mr. Paul hardly mentions solar or wind power, though in Denmark the wind provides 20% of the country's energy. The author believes that, except for a difficult transition period because we have failed to plan and with a few caveats, basically everything will be just fine. The author also believes that with more government control that things will be even better, despite the government's past failings in this area. The facts the author himself mentions would indicate a less rosy picture.
Nonetheless, I gave this book 3 stars. It is clearly written, not too abstract or technical; has a good glossary, index, appendixes and footnotes; and has a list of relevant internet web sites. The author states that one of his purposes is to open a discussion. I believe the author has succeeded in that area.
Excellent on some points, misses the boat on others.......2007-07-31
Bill Paul's book takes a stab at predicting what the energy sector of the future will look like. It's refreshing to see a journalist taking the future of energy seriously. I really like some of his analysis. For example, he calculates that if all the hidden subsidies were included, the cost of a gallon of gasoline would be at least $11 a gallon. These subsidies include such things as military expenditures, lost economic opportunities due to transfer of funds to oil-producing countries, and the like. Paul is certainly correct here. In my opinion, $11 a gallon is actually a lowball figure. For example, he says nothing about one of the most destructive forms of government subsidy, local regulation requiring the provision of certain numbers of parking spaces around businesses and residences. Most American localities have such regulations, which are known as parking requirements. The idea behind parking requirements is to make sure that free parking is always available. Unfortunately, the effect is to favor automobile travel over other forms of transportation, like walking, that don't require all that vehicle storage space. It's a form of enforced inefficiency. U.S. building codes also favor the automobile in other ways, such as by requiring very wide streets. Parking requirements are one of the main reasons why housing is so expensive in the U.S. The cost of parking requirements in the United States is in the hundreds of billions of dollars per year, which would shove up that per gallon price a few more dollars. For more on this, see Donald Shoup's book "The High Cost of Free Parking."
Paul assumes economic growth is a good thing. Economic growth is generally measured by GDP, which as a measure of well-being is so inaccurate as to be almost laughable. GDP is measured by counting up what is spent on various items. This works more or less OK if you're counting food bought by hungry people, but very poorly indeed if you're counting money spent on bombs or automatic rifles, or on parking garages for rich people's cars. GDP is not corrected for increasing population, pollution, exhaustion of natural resources, or declining quality of life. More accurate measures of economic growth, such as the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare or Genuine Progress Indicator, tend to show that there has been far less genuine economic growth than the official statistics suggest. For more on this, see McKibben's book "Deep Economy," Daly's "Beyond Growth," or Brian Czech's "Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train."
I think Paul is too optimistic on how easy it's going to be to make the switch to new technologies and keep our current American lifestyle going. Driving 90 minutes alone each day just to get back and forth to work in my opinion is not a viable option for the long-term future, no matter how efficient the car. The U.S. population is still climbing. None of Paul's proposals will work if this continues. Even if we managed to find a way to fuel all the existing cars with alternative fuels, it's very unlikely we could find enough to fuel cars for all the newcomers, not to mention housing, heat, lighting, etc. No matter how you look at it, a stable population is the first requirement for a sustainable economy. In the U.S. that means we have to take reducing immigration seriously. If we want to keep any semblance at all of the current U.S. lifestyle, we can't invite an unlimited number of people to this party.
Paul is excited by the possibility of converting garbage and other wastes to energy. I tend to disagree with him here. A great deal of the wastes we deal with today are themselves products of the age of cheap oil. An example is meat by-products, such as turkey offal. Cheap turkey is itself a product of cheap grains, which are produced using natural gas-based fertilizers and shipped long distances using diesel fuel. These products are not likely to be available for energy production in the future. For more on this see Kunstler's book "The Long Emergency."
Paul devotes a chapter to "Every Drop of Oil We Can Get is Important," discussing how to get more oil out of of the ground to meet demand. Paul has this completely backward. The more we push to get the last drop out of U.S. oil fields now, the sooner the earth's oil endowment will run out. Fossil fuels are the product of millions of years' worth of sunlight falling on ancient swamps. When they're gone, they're gone. We'd do better keeping them in the ground for a while longer. That oil will be worth a lot more in 50 or 100 years than it is today. What we need to be aiming for is the softest possible landing when making the transition away from fossil fuels. The sooner we start, the longer we'll have at least some of those fuels around to ease the transition.
Paul thinks raising gas taxes is a loser because of how Americans feel about their cars and trucks. He prefers a scheme known as Tradable Gasoline Rights, or TGR. I simply don't see the advantage of this over conventional gas taxes. I think a rise in gas taxes would work fine if it were carefully handled. The most important point is that it needs to be a tax shift, not a tax increase. Raise gas taxes while reducing income taxes, with the shift in tax types being dollar-for-dollar as closely as possible. Why would people object to this? After all, if they really wanted to, they could simply take their income tax savings and spend them on gas. We need to tax less things we want--like income and employment--and more of things we don't want--like fossil fuel use.
Paul also doesn't like gas taxes because they can hurt the poor. Wake up! Anyone who can afford a car these days probably isn't among the poor.
I really enjoyed Paul's analysis of the risk of large shocks in oil prices. This is a serious problem that doesn't get enough attention.
The High Cost of Free Parking
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful Spenders, and a Plan to Stop them All
Future energy provides realistic options for the future;by the time you are done, these expectations will be things of the past!.......2007-05-07
Though Future Energy by Bill Paul provides pheasible expectations for our country/planets energy future, I feel the book was too slow a read to be rated highly. Though the facts were good, I see this book as a waste of blank pages. I give this book a 2 star rating out of pity and respect for facts.
Book Description
The stages-of-change model has become widely known as a framework for conceptualizing recovery. Less well known are the processes that drive movement through the stages or how the stages apply to becoming addicted. From Carlo C. DiClemente, codeveloper of the transtheoretical model, this book offers a panoramic view of the entire continuum of addictive behavior change. The author illuminates the common path that individuals travel as they establish and reinforce new patterns of behavior, whether they are developing an addiction or struggling to free themselves from one, and regardless of the specific addictive behavior. The book addresses crucial questions of why, when, and how to intervene to bolster recovery in those already addicted and reach out effectively to people at risk.
Customer Reviews:
How people become addicted; how they recover........2006-12-05
This book, based upon the Prochaska and Norcross model of "stages of change" is a vital resource for the chemical dependency/abuse counselor, or anyone else who works with this population.
The authors clearly delineate how a person becomes addicted (using the stages of change model- except in reverse), then moving on to the process of recovery.
Contrary to an earlier review, I did not find this resource to be "verbose;" rather I thought the presentation was cogent and crisp.
Scholarly yet practical without pedantry this is an informative piece of literature in a field where one needs all of the resources one can get.
Highly recommended.
Addiction and Change: How addictions and addicted people recover.......2006-11-10
My review is that the book is somewhat verbose but has a message for clinitions who work with people who have a need to change their thought patterns and do not know how to accomplish this task.
Book Description
Change is the essential goal of the counseling process, as the author reminds us. This book provides us with an explanation of the idea that "substantial change requires the alteration of the heart."
Customer Reviews:
Counseling God's Way.......2007-07-30
I was looking for a book that would help teach me how to better use the Bible in counseling and I found it in this Jay Adams book. He does a marvelous job in showing that the Bible is totally sufficient in correctly identifying and labeling our problems as well as fixing our lives.
The outline of the book can be found in 2 Timothy 3:14-16 where it deals first with the Bible's total sufficiency in giving a person wisdom for salvation. Jay then shows, as the Apostle Paul did, that the Bible is totally sufficient to teach us what is true, convict us of what is wrong in our lives, corrects us so we get back on the right path, and trains us to live a faithful, godly life. I love how Jay shows each of these parts as essential to counseling and how psychology distorts or even skips some of the essential elements of counseling people for change. And when counseling, not all change is good. Change must be to make us more like God. Psychologist who do not go strictly by the essentials of what the Bible teaches sometimes do more harm than good. They teach people a "victim" or "disease" mindset in which there is little or no hope for them. God's Word teaches "forgiveness, repentance, and deliverance." God's Word solves our problems instead of ignoring, falsely diagnosing, and mistreating them.
Jay shows that the Spirit of God working through the Word of God can make a person pleasing to God. Therefore, God wants to use a Biblical Counselor to teach, convict, correct, and train a humble, repentant person back into a fully restored relationship with God and others.
Purely Biblical Approach To Counseling.......2007-05-27
The four-step biblical process that Adams (1986) puts forth is based on sound interpretations of the Scriptures. His views are distinctively biblical and are likely to be best applied by clergy in the discharge of pastoral counseling duties.
Adams four-step model of biblical counseling is troubling for some - refreshing for others. The modern landscape of biblical counseling is filled a wide diversity of opinion in regard to the usage and integration of secular psychological principals in Christian counseling settings. While some choose to integrate, Adams thoroughly rejects the idea of integration.
In his model, all that is needed for counseling is found in the pages of Scripture and anything outside the realm of Scripture should be soundly rejected. "Strangely enough, many of the most prominent defenders of biblical inerrancy and authority are the very pastors who, in biblical counseling, treat the Scriptures as an insufficient source, in need of supplementation from psychiatry and psychology. Sad to say, they implicitly deny the Scriptures' credentials for helping people change." (Adams, 1986, p.21)
Adams four-step approach to biblical counseling is put forth as an attempt to counsel purely on the basis of the Scriptures ability to help people change. Adams places a high emphasis on the need for biblical teaching in counseling. He asserts that it is not possible to achieve positive change apart from the impartation of biblical truth from the counselor to the counselee.
The counseling process in this system basically leads a counselee toward serious Christian disciples by way of biblical teaching in an effort to import change in the direction of Christ-likeness. This system is unashamedly biblical and blatantly intolerant of secular counseling principals. The goal here is Christian discipleship and the aim is Christ-likeness.
Adams sees the need for change primarily as the result of a deficit of instruction in biblical truth - a shortfall of Christian discipleship.
In this system the true goal of Christian counseling is sanctification through the power of the Holy Spirit. "In other words, this book is not about neutral change. The change for which Christian counselors strive has a spiritual direction and their aim is to help people prosper in the at direction. All change toward God is good, and all change away from God is bad. Sanctification, change toward God is the goal of all Christian counseling." (Adams, 1986, xiii)
Adams counseling methodology is about forsaking sin for the sake of Christ. It is a distinctively Christian approach to the Christian life and Christian counseling. As a pastor I embrace a Christian counseling method very similar to that of Adams. While I do not reject secular principals as wholeheartedly as Adams, I choose not to integrate as a matter of pastoral counseling integrity. I have seen first hand the damaging affects of pastoral counseling done in haphazard ways. If integration is not adequately accomplished then the result is likely to be a mish mashed methodology which has the very real potential to damage clients (parishioners).
I am of the opinion that Adams philosophy fits the needs of pastors most fully. Pastors have been called to minister through Sacrament, Scripture, and Spirit. When ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ stray from that calling they are likely to be unfaithful to both the ministry of the Word of God as well the secular principals they seek to embrace. It is as if they have one foot standing on each side of a moving conveyor belt. They are not full committed to either direction and in the process their counseling is less effective and potentially it is absolutely destructive.
While I appreciate his admonishment toward a truly and purely biblical counseling style, Adams views are rather narrow. I am under the impression that it is highly appropriate for professional Christian counselors to integrate secular psychological principals into their biblically based counseling practices. Though we are to be separate from the world, as Adams clearly points out, we are also to be wise stewards of all truth. "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16 ESV)
I highly value the insights of Adams and I do incorporate his counseling approach into my ministry. Reading this book has given me greater insight into a biblical counseling approach which fits into my ministry philosophy. It has been a valuable experience to discover
Adams contribution to the field of biblical counseling.
I look forward to integrating his insights into my counseling ministry in the context of my local church pastorate.
Nicely done.......2006-11-10
I appreciate all of Jay Adams' work and this book is excellent as well.
Indespensible for the Biblical Counselor.......2006-03-03
Jay E. Adams has done it again. He is right on point. Change is necessary and Adams truly shows you how to assist in that effort. Necessary reading and using for the Biblical Counselor and any one who cares about God's people.
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- Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style: A Life in Architecture
- Maintaining Mission Critical Systems in a 24/7 Environment (IEEE Press Series on Power Engineering)
- New Moon (Twilight, Book 2)
- NorCalMod: Icons of Northern California Modernism
- Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir
- Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist
- Paris Then and Now (Then & Now)
- Practical Astronomy with your Calculator
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work)
Books Index
Books Home
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General
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What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
The Substance of Successful Leaders
