Barefoot on Broken Glass
Introduction
There is a theme running through a number of the books reviewed in this issue– that theme is one of change, how to prepare for it, and how to manage it. The books reviewed are best considered as "specific views", all useful in their own right – but to get a true understanding of the change process,a number of views are necessary to complete the picture.
Barefoot on Broken Glass
John TimperleyCapstone£12.99ISBN 1-84112-1266
This book starts with an assertion: "By the end of this book you will know about a set of skills that will enable you to achieve extraordinary results for yourself and your organisation". How could I resist the challenge?
As ever, the book does not quite live up to the hype. This is not to say that it is a bad book . Far from it. However, a bit of realism needs to be added to the mix.
There are five "secrets" contained within:
- 1.
change to survive and thrive;
- 2.
release your potential;
- 3.
make things happen;
- 4.
create the 2001 attitude; and
- 5.
see the big picture.
The overall secret – and the source of the title of the book – is that extraordinary things are possible from ordinary people. Those ordinary people have to want to succeed –they must be motivated, and they must believe in themselves. If you believe, you can – as Timperley did (see the evidence on the PriceWaterhouseCoopers Website … Timperley is marketing director of PWC) –walk on broken glass or hot coals or …
The secrets are themselves underpinned by six key "principles":
- 1.
getting the most out of life involves overcoming obstacles and challenges;
- 2.
victims do not exist;
- 3.
you are already successful;
- 4.
what you know counts for nothing unless you do something with it;
- 5.
it is not about you, it is about your contribution; and
- 6.
now is the time to do it.
The book is well structured and presented, with summaries for each chapter and "killer" questions to test progress. Forget the hype, and treat this as another piece of equipment in the "personal gym" – it will help you get fit to cope better with today's highly competitive, corporate world.
