Category: Book Summaries

Full Steam Ahead: Unleash the Power of Vision in Your Work and Your Life

This month’s focus is on planning the future.  A key success factor is having clarity of vision, as you plan for the future.  I like the approach Ken Blanchard outlined in his book Full Steam Ahead: Unleash the Power of Vision in Your Work and Your Life.

Patrick Lencioni, President of The Table Group and author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team penned the foreward to the book and noted that anyone who wants to create a transformation—in either one’s personal or professional life—will have to overcome the fear of rejection and can do so through the wonderfully powerful and simple lessons Blanchard outlines.

Lencioni explains, “In our work with organizations worldwide, we have observed that the biggest impediment to managers becoming great leaders is the lack of a clear vision:

  • Knowing who you are (Your Purpose);
  • Knowing where you’re going (Your Picture of the Future); and
  • What will guide your journey (Your Values).

In fact, less than 10 percent of the organizations we visited were led by managers who have a clear sense of where they are trying to lead people.”

Our world desperately needs visionary leaders.

Click here to learn how to become one

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

This year, my Blog focused on a study of Proverbs:

Do you recall the story from 1 Kings 3?  God appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (verse 5).

Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.  Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”  (verses 6-9).

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life” (verses 10-14).

Steven Scott captured King Solomon’s secrets to success, wealth, and happiness in his book The Richest Man Who Ever Lived.

Click here for a summary