The Power of Positive Thinking in Business: 10 Traits for Maximum Results

Rating:
Summary: Business Globalization Requires Positive Thinking
Review: As schools of management extend their brands worldwide, one of the most important elements missing may be cultural awareness. "The Power of Positive Thinking in Business" calls attention to an important element in global business...the individual's role as he/she works globally but lives locally. It is all too easy for business strategies to overlook this crucial, often cultural take on behavior in the business workplace, a workplace that is often now cyber dislocated. Asking the 10 key questions may not change the world, but they surely assist in an individual seeing where he fits in the ethical spectrum. A very valuable exercise.

Rating:
Summary: The Power of Positive Thinking is too weak.
Review: I am an organizational psychologist, and I have been reviewing a lot of bibliography about positive thinking, optimism, depression and related concepts. The very apealing title of Ventrella's book moved me to read it, but I dindn't find what I expected to find. From my point of view, this book by Scott Ventrella has three importantan weaknesses and one strength. First, it adds nothing new or different from the original book by Norman Vincent Peale "The Power of Positive Thinking"; second, during the reading I felt, many times, like I was hearing a preacher and not a man from bussines administration arena; third, in spite of the etimologic analisys of key words used to nominate the 10 traits, Ventrella has a very low conceptual precision. He makes some reference to some cognitive psychologists, like Ellis and Seligman, but the book is far from having a suond psychological foundation. The only strength I found in this book is the style to write: Ventrella has a light, entertaining way of writing. The stories and anecdotes he tells in his book make it easy and nice to read it. Books like this, that attempt to show the efficacy of an approach only based in some "succesfull" cases, without empirical support are not very usefull for changing nothing. From the time of the first edition of the Vincent Peale's book, a lot of literature has been published in the same line. If the subject (to be positive)was so simply and easy as this books say, we couldn't explain why depression continues growing up in the world. I think we need instead a better diffussion of more scientific solid demonstrated concepts and technics to really help people.

Rating:
Summary: Positive Thinking AND Action Oriented Approach to Success.
Review: In less than 200 pages, Scott W. Ventrella tries to incoporate the principles behind the Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale into the business world. This original work (Power of Positive Thinking) was translated into forty-two languages and sold over 22 million copies. So, it was inevitable that someone was going to leverage the popularity of this concept and ressurect it. Sure enough, the author Scott W. Ventrella has written this new book as it applies to the business world in cooperation with the Peale Center.

The old concept had come under massive attack in the last decade or so by more recent self-help gurus for its undue amount of focus on positive thinking and not enough on taking action (or how and what kind of action to take). The current book as applicable to modern day business world doesn't make that mistake. There is heavy focus on taking action. This book isn't something you just read through and put away, it is a book that you have to work through and probably refer to several times over the next few years.

The title caught my attention because my very first self-help book was the original 'Power of Positive Thinking' by Norman Vincent Peale. It had given me a lot of motivation to overcome obstacles and achieve a lot of success in life. Of course, even then I recognized that it wasn't enough to think positively. Hence I continued my search for a good self-help book and found 'The Ultimate Secrets of Total Self-Confidence' by Robert Anthony. In that book, the author explores deep into why we are where we are today. It traces everything back to your belief system embedded in your sub-conscious brain and how it manifests itself in your conscious actions during everyday life. These principles of how your belief systems ultimately affect your position in life are absolutely true and will never change. Ventrella combines these two and makes both sets of principles very action oriented. The book gives you a lot of things to do by yourself that will result in success.

This book in combination with other good self-help books (for both business and personal life) should drastically set your path in life towards that of success in business. But one has to really WORK through this book. It is not like the original book by Norman Vincent Peale where you got motivated by just reading the book.

Overall, I felt it was a book worthy of being in my business library collection. It does not provide any paradigm shifting ideas, but instead repackages old theories for today's audience. It does so very effectively and hence it is worthwhile to read and re-read this book till you are satisfied with the business results you are getting. I have already started taking massive action based on these ideas and I am confident that I will see the results. I hope you do too. Good luck!

Rating:
Summary: Written as an antidote to gossip
Review: Scott Ventrella's The Power Of Positive Thinking In Business: 10 Traits For Maximum Results was written as an antidote to the gossip, griping, and negative impediments to team effort that undermines productivity and costs U.S. companies about three billion dollars a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When the bottom line suffers from negative thinking, so do all the countless individuals who depend upon the business in question. The Power Of Positive Thinking In Business is a careful, easy to understand guide to adopting a healthy, optimistic attitude for positive action, as well as successful payoffs. From stimulating creativity to fostering an environment of trust, The Power Of Positive Thinking In Business is an excellent reference for increasing workplace productivity, and ultimately, saving a great deal of money.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: The Power of Positive Thinking is one of the best selling volumes of all time. In this book, Professor Ventrella has taken Norman Vincent Peale's work and applied it successfully to business. The principles are consistent wih Dr. Peale's original, the examples will be meaningful to most business people, and the book can readily be applied to diagnose the reader's key issues and improve. I found the book easy to read, even easier to use, and insightful. Anyone who wants to apply the principles of positive thinking to business should read and use the material in this book.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons the book is successful is because it had the support of the Peale Center. In fact, the foreword is an endorsement of the book from Ms. Ruth Stafford Peale.

The book puts the concept of positive thinking very effectively in context. "[Over] 95 percent of the time, people list internal factors as . . . why people fail to reach their full [business] potential . . . ." These are "attitude" issues like "fear," "low self-esteem," "lack of confidence," and having "no clear goals." Also external factors like "lack," "loss," and "limitations" are also controlled by internal perceptions.

The line that really hit me was that "most people start their jobs with a positive, hopeful outlook." This means the "challenge for managers is to create an environment that constantly reinforces and nurtures positive attitudes."

The book provides a road map for applying its concepts to any situation. You start with (1) define the situation (both in terms of business issue and the emotional gravity), (2) then determine what you are telling yourself, (3) determine your desired outcome (goals, affirmation, and visualization), (4) access your positive traits, (5) rehearse the situation mentally, (6) take action, and (7) assess the results of your actions. This is nicely summarized in the end as a Professional Challenge Worksheet.

The book has a very involved definition of what positive thinking is. I won't try to paraphrase or quote it. The main point is that positive thinking is much more than optimism, and is practially tied to a process for producing results.

The book is well grounded in psychological studies of human behavior. In this section, I was particularly impressed with the list of self-limiting beliefs that almost everyone has. These are tied to self-denigration, intolerance, frustration, and blaming others.

The ten traits are as follows: optimism, enthusiasm, belief, integrity, courage, confidence, determination, patience, calmness, and focus. There is a quiz to help you determine where you are strong and where you need work. Each trait then gets detailed treatment, along with suggestions for how to strengthen yourself appropriately in each area. I found the quiz to be helpful and perceptive.

The book is also well grounded in sports metaphors and stories that will be meaningful to many.

I should share that despite having read many books about affirmations and taken many courses in them, I fail to find them to be very useful when I practice them. Research shows that affirmations can be powerful motivators of the subconscious mind if said with emotional conviction. Maybe that's my problem, because I certainly find it hard to locate affirmations that excite me. I hope you find affirmations more helpful than I do.

You can also take the lessons of this book and simplify them into the perspective of the fiction character, Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. He believed that there was always a solution, and always found one. If you treat your business that way, it can be an adventure rather than an overwhelming burden. Difficulties and setbacks then just become the setting in which to allow you to be more heroic and achieve more.

After you read this book, you should take five business problems that hold the full potential for helping you make breakthrough gains and use this process on them. You have nothing to lose except your pessimism!

Prepare for and live in hopeful expectation of your next business success! Then you will be irresistible!

Rating:
Summary: A Helpful Update and Application of Dr. Peale to Business
Review: The Power of Positive Thinking is one of the best selling volumes of all time. In this book, Professor Ventrella has taken Norman Vincent Peale's work and applied it successfully to business. The principles are consistent wih Dr. Peale's original, the examples will be meaningful to most business people, and the book can readily be applied to diagnose the reader's key issues and improve. I found the book easy to read, even easier to use, and insightful. Anyone who wants to apply the principles of positive thinking to business should read and use the material in this book.

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons the book is successful is because it had the support of the Peale Center. In fact, the foreword is an endorsement of the book from Ms. Ruth Stafford Peale.

The book puts the concept of positive thinking very effectively in context. "[Over] 95 percent of the time, people list internal factors as . . . why people fail to reach their full [business] potential . . . ." These are "attitude" issues like "fear," "low self-esteem," "lack of confidence," and having "no clear goals." Also external factors like "lack," "loss," and "limitations" are also controlled by internal perceptions.

The line that really hit me was that "most people start their jobs with a positive, hopeful outlook." This means the "challenge for managers is to create an environment that constantly reinforces and nurtures positive attitudes."

The book provides a road map for applying its concepts to any situation. You start with (1) define the situation (both in terms of business issue and the emotional gravity), (2) then determine what you are telling yourself, (3) determine your desired outcome (goals, affirmation, and visualization), (4) access your positive traits, (5) rehearse the situation mentally, (6) take action, and (7) assess the results of your actions. This is nicely summarized in the end as a Professional Challenge Worksheet.

The book has a very involved definition of what positive thinking is. I won't try to paraphrase or quote it. The main point is that positive thinking is much more than optimism, and is practially tied to a process for producing results.

The book is well grounded in psychological studies of human behavior. In this section, I was particularly impressed with the list of self-limiting beliefs that almost everyone has. These are tied to self-denigration, intolerance, frustration, and blaming others.

The ten traits are as follows: optimism, enthusiasm, belief, integrity, courage, confidence, determination, patience, calmness, and focus. There is a quiz to help you determine where you are strong and where you need work. Each trait then gets detailed treatment, along with suggestions for how to strengthen yourself appropriately in each area. I found the quiz to be helpful and perceptive.

The book is also well grounded in sports metaphors and stories that will be meaningful to many.

I should share that despite having read many books about affirmations and taken many courses in them, I fail to find them to be very useful when I practice them. Research shows that affirmations can be powerful motivators of the subconscious mind if said with emotional conviction. Maybe that's my problem, because I certainly find it hard to locate affirmations that excite me. I hope you find affirmations more helpful than I do.

You can also take the lessons of this book and simplify them into the perspective of the fiction character, Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise. He believed that there was always a solution, and always found one. If you treat your business that way, it can be an adventure rather than an overwhelming burden. Difficulties and setbacks then just become the setting in which to allow you to be more heroic and achieve more.

After you read this book, you should take five business problems that hold the full potential for helping you make breakthrough gains and use this process on them. You have nothing to lose except your pessimism!

Prepare for and live in hopeful expectation of your next business success! Then you will be irresistible!

Rating:
Summary: Must read for individuals serious about success in business
Review: Ventrella captures the spirit of Peale and applies it to the everyday challenges of modern organizational life. So much has been written about centers of influence, self-determination, etc. but Ventrella brings it down to earth with practical, usable tools. The interactions between belief and action are described without a rigid perspective, reflecting both the idea that beliefs influence actions and also the behavioralist view. In describing a pragmatiuc approach to self-improvement, he actually uncovers a potent method of changing corporate culture: one employee at a time. Bravo!!