Pure Awareness. GAP meditation. AGAPE techniques. Not commonly heard or used words in the business world. But is it possible that a book like Tom Stone's "The Power of How" can actually be a powerful business book? In this short book review, I'll review The Power of How from a purely business owners viewpoint and will discuss the business applications of this Tom Stone work.
Tom Stone is not your typical business book writer. Though I've never met him, I imagine that he isn't even aware that he is a business book writer. There are few "motivational quotes," and even fewer "business case applications" referenced in his books. His most recent book, The Power of How, is no exception. My first reading was from a purely "personal development" concern. Like many, I believe that if I am not growing, I am dying. The Power of How is a wonderful and powerful personal development book, that introduces some ancient but very timely techniques to live in a state of "Pure Awareness." A state where your actions/thoughts/decisions are made from a place of awareness, not from past, possibly flawed conditioning. Stone makes a powerful analogy that we humans have internal software that acts as our operating system. Like computers, this software can be full of "bugs," "viruses," or simply be outdated. Updating and cleaning out your software allows you to live a life of awareness. Getting rid of these "bugs," is the main focus of this book.
My second reading was from the viewpoint of a business owner. Like many business professionals, I am thirsty for information/strategies that will allow me to improve my effectiveness. In short, I want to serve my customers better and make more money! When in this mode, I don't have time for words like "pure awareness" nor time for meditation. I want hard and fast tips for immediate improvement that I can implement right away and realize immediate benefits. And though there are no obvious business improvement tips, this book is full of self-improvement, or rather, self-upgrade ideas, that, once fully integrated, will show positive results in my business life. Understanding that our different life areas are all connected is key to realizing that The Power of How is a business book.
You could say that the Personal Development side of me is in conflict with the Business Owner side. One strives for knowledge while the other for achievement. However, regardless of which "mode" I am in, there is one irrefutable truth: If the models on which I base my decisions on are flawed, my outcomes are likely to be flawed as well. I take the same "mind" with me when I am negotiating a deal and when I am watching my son play baseball. The same brain that designs effective marketing programs for my clients is also the same brain that makes decisions about where my family and I will vacation. And if my mind or brain has some "bugs," then my decisions and/or designs will be flawed as well. Perhaps they will be effective, but not as effective as they could be if my operating system was running at full speed.
Tom Stone's The Power Of How will most likely never see a boardroom, but is certain to find its way on several executive's desks. Anyone who wants to improve their effectiveness should begin with improving themselves. I strongly suggest to those that work for me that they read this book; telling them that it is imperative that they keep an open mind and realize that to improve their business effectiveness they first need to improve themselves!
As for me, I have experienced incredible results using this book, and have also seen unexpected improvements in my business as a result. Removing the flawed programming and "updating my operating system," (two great analogies) has been one of the most dramatic life improvements I have made during my fifteen years of personal development. Bravo, Mr. Stone!!! Job, very well done
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