The Portable Coach : 28 Sure Fire Strategies For Business And Personal Success

Rating:
Summary: Tony Robbins should have written this one!
Review: This is a very impressive work! I've worked as a personal development trainer (Dale Carnegie and NLP) in the past and found this book to deliver more than it promises. You could read a ton of self-help books by a variety of well-known authors and easily not come away with half the high-quality material that is in this straight-forward book. I definitely think that this book should have sold much more and should be in every successful person's personal development library. I say that I wish that Tony Robbins had written this because he may have added a little more flair, stories, humor, and enjoyment to the writing. But as far as content is concerned, this one's got it. You couldn't go wrong buying this one. It's a gem.

Rating:
Summary: Kids, don't try this at home
Review: While I think much of what Leonard has to say is worthwhile and valid, this book is a poor substitute for a "personal coach" for two reasons:
(1) There's no reality check if you do it on your own. I knew a guy who decided that, at age 28, he was too young to be saddled with his heavy responsibilities when there was a whole world out there for him to explore, so he told his wife he wanted a divorce. He'd talked her out of pursuing her own career plans after college, and convinced her to become a full-time wife and mother, and now she was on her own with 3 kids to raise. But he was sure that he was practicing "positive selfishness"!
(2) Most of us don't need someone to tell us what we OUGHT to be doing, so much as an objective outsider who'll help us put it all into perspective and suggest areas in which we can make small, realistic changes that greatly improve our lives. I got tired just reading his "Extreme Self-Care" section, let alone trying to do everything he suggests! (It reminded me of that classic "Dilbert" cartoon in which Dogbert the counselor asks what the participants learned in his workshop, and Alice says, "I learned to listen with my heart. I understand Sanskrit. I got my ham radio license ... ")