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Summary: Think your way to the top
Review: "Everything begins with a thought." Or so says John Maxwell in this excellent book. If you need a new way of thinking about anything, "Thinking for a Change" will give you the inspiration you are looking for. One or more of the eleven skills he discusses will fit nearly every situation you encounter. If you can internalize those skills, you will never be short of good ideas. Mr. Maxwell has a pleasant writing style and a lot of good insight. I really enjoyed the wide range of sources he used for his anecdotes. This book got me thinking about thinking, reinforced what I was already doing, and gave me new skills for finding solutions and ideas for a variety of situations.
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Summary: not worth the money
Review: A mediocre, intellectually lazy piece of work that will be of moderate value to beginners. Its basic points are valuable to those who have not been exposed to this structure, but it sorely lacks depth, committment to its subject, or the information value to hold the interest of a reader of above average mental capacity.
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Summary: I think you will like it!
Review: As a Christian entrepreneur, published author, speaker, and consultant, I am always looking for material to inspire, teach, and strengthen me; for insights that I can assimilate and information I can pass on to others to help them grow. John is one of the most successful authors in this genre and I generally value the material he produces. What Thinking for a Change lacked in originality it most certainly makes up in presentation. That is, it is well organized and does, without a doubt, contain useful information that will help you, through eleven main thinking areas, evaluate the way your mind works and the way you view success. My only criticism is that this book, like many of the author's other works, is largely focused on the secular business world and leaders therein. That being said, it is an excellent read and I would recommend it without hesitation. Reviewed by: James L. Clark, MBA, MSc., PhD Candidate (Leadership) is a serial entrepreneur, lecturer, and consultant. He is the author of Wading Through The Crap: How To Start Living The Successful Life You Have Always Wanted (ISBN 0972697551).
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Summary: We Already Have All That We Need to Think More Effectively
Review: By now Maxwell has earned and thus deserves a reputation for some excellent thinking about leadership. In this volume, somewhat of a departure from his usual concerns, he shares some excellent ideas about the thinking process itself. He asserts (and I wholly agree) that successful people think differently than do unsuccessful people. Specifically, he identifies and then carefully examines eleven different types of thinking. "Those who embrace good thinking as a lifestyle," he suggests, "understand the relationship between their level [and quality] of thinking and their level [and degree] of progress. They also realize that to change their lives, they must change their thinking." Agreeing with Abraham Maslow, Maxwell suggests that unsuccessful people focus their thinking almost entirely on survival, average people focus their thinking almost entirely on "maintenance' (i.e. keeping whatever they now have), and successful people focus their thinking entirely on progress. Maxwell devotes a separate chapter to each of the eleven types of thinking: Big Picture, Focussed, Creative, realistic, Strategic, Possibility/Potentiality, Reflective, Popular (thinking which creates agreement, consensus, teamwork, etc.), Shared/Collaborative, Unselfish, and Bottom-line. According to Maxwell, his book "does not try to tell you what to think; it attempts to teach you [in italics] how to think." At the conclusion of each chapter, he thoughtfully includes a brief exercise which requires the reader to apply the key points in the chapter to her or his own circumstances. I have no problem with the fact that there is some redundancy in Maxwell's presentation of material. First of all, the eleven types of thinking are interrelated, interdependent. Strengthening one inevitably helps to strengthen the others. Also, certain key points need to be reiterated for purposes of both review and emphasis. Presumably Maxwell agrees with me that there is a compelling need for new thinking about how to change one's way of thinking. Metaphorically, we need both new wine AND new bottles but also new, better ideas about the process of producing wine. Paradoxically, as the prophet Eccelesiastes asserts, "there is nothing new under the sun." I am not damning with faint praise when suggesting that there is (essentially) nothing new in Maxwell's book. Almost all of the key concepts in this book can be found in the works of Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Immanuel Kant, William James, and others. (Maxwell duly acknowledges a wealth of resources.) For me, the great value of this book is not derived from any original insights offered by Maxwell; rather, from his brilliant organization and presentation of essentially fundamental ideas about the process of thinking clearly on so many different levels, from so many different points of view. This may well prove to be his most important contribution to our understanding of what can and should be accomplished by more effective use of the abundant resources which are already available...between our two ears.
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Summary: worth its promise in the self-help department
Review: Finally, finally - an innovative self-help book that delivers the goods. Reminds me of the impressive work of Laura Lewis or 'Undoing Yourself' by Hyatt. Written with great authority and insight, "Thinking for a Change" forces you to do just that, which means comfortably setting down the other ten books recommended by your favorite talk show host and going with something truly self-empowering in a UNIQUE way. Thanks for the change!
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Summary: Thinking for a Change - forget the CD
Review: I ordered Thinking for a Change on CD - don't bother. If anything get the book. There are numerous exercises that are tedious to do without the text written in front of you. The book/audio is filled with "here are 5 things you need to do to accomplish X" and then it lists out all 5, for example. Those are lost unless you write all of it down. I would imagine the book may be good as a reference book, but it is painful to listen to, and probably to read cover to cover.
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Summary: Much More than an Afterthought!
Review: I thoroughly enjoy reading John Maxwell's works, and this latest volume is no exception. He opens in his first three chapters with a presentation of why it is important to use good thought processes. He then proceeds in the main body of the book to describe eleven cognitive skills every person should possess: big-picture thinking, focused thinking, creative thinking, realistic thinking, strategic thinking, possibility thinking, reflective thinking, critical thinking, shared thinking, unselfish thinking, and bottom-line thinking. While Maxwell has written at least one previous book on attitude, this work pertains to attitude and goes further to address effective patterns of reasoning. I personally appreciate the author's Christian perspective, although non-Christians could benefit by much if not all of what he has to share. Maxwell is tops when it comes to cultivating leadership skills. Anyone in a management/leadership position would do well to read this one. Get it and see if you think the same!
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Summary: common sense stuff
Review: I thought it was a great book. A lot of common sense stuff. Worth the price of the book!
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Summary: Basic thought prinicples helpful to any reader
Review: In Thinking for a Change, John Maxwell targets readers desiring to reach a higher level of success in their professional and personal lives. He proposes that in order to make this leap readers take prescribed steps to improve and enhance their thinking skills. Maxwell bases the principles discussed in Thinking for a Change on his assertion that the one thing that separates those who go to the top from those who never seem to get there is good thinking. In the book, he strives to teach people how to think well in order to achieve their dreams and reach their potential. He emphasizes that this book does not try to teach the reader what to think but how to think. Maxwell discusses the value and impact of improved thinking and then concentrates on eleven thinking skills that he believes lead to success. The eleven skills include creative thinking, strategic thinking, possibility thinking, and unselfish thinking. Maxwell culls ideas, stories, lessons and quotes from various sources including his own previously published books, books by other authors, magazine and journal articles, and a plethora of great and not-so-great thinkers. What Thinking for a Change lacks in originality, it compensates for with excellent organization, flow and many practical suggestions to stimulate growth in thinking. I think Maxwell uses this book as an example to the reader of how effectively we can learn from others and apply their knowledge to our lives. In the book, Maxwell offers several snapshots of his professional and personal experiences, so the reader can see how he and his organizations have prospered by using these strategies. Thinking for a Change is written for the general business market. It lacks spiritual analysis in regards to thinking and does not discuss many of the biblical issues related to the mind. Readers will have to look elsewhere for these insights. Maxwell does offer useful thinking methods to incorporate into your days, weeks, months and years to improve your effectiveness. I think Maxwell makes a poor decision in focusing extensively on Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, in the opening chapter of the book. Maxwell cites a story about Welch and encourages the reader to follow his advice to achieve a higher level in one's career and personal life. Those of you familiar with Welch know he reached the pinnacle of success in his career, but his success has not carried over to his personal life. As a Christian professional, father and husband, I am looking for well-balanced models of success. Maxwell's highlighting of Welch as a role model disappointed me and may have gotten me off on the wrong foot in reading this book.
Regardless of that criticism, I benefited from reading Thinking for a Change and believe that anyone who reads it will also benefit from each of the eleven lessons on thinking. It is a book that inspires review and study of its main concepts and lessons.
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Summary: I would recommend this book to everyone
Review: John C. Maxwell's "Thinking For A Change" was very helpful in teaching me a few of the basics about leadership. He gives eleven main strategies for success in work and life. I think the book can be useful to everyone. You don't necessarily have to be a corporate leader to find it useful. I think it's one of those books you can read ten times, and always find something useful inside. I'm sure I will re-read it when I am further along in my career. I have not graduated from college yet, but it has already started me on a good thinking path. It is useful for business, but it is also useful in everyday life. Since I am not a "business person" yet, I can apply the theories to my life right now, and try to use and perfect them, so when I do enter the business world, I will hopefully have a good grasp on what it is to be a leader. Maxwell talks about big-picture thinking. Big-picture thinkers are never satisfied with their current knowledge, and they always want to learn more. Focused thinking develops and discovers new ideas. Creative thinking celebrate the off-beat and explore options. Realistic thinking is the difference between what is real in life and what we wish to be real. Strategic thinking is planning to make difficult things more simple. Possibility thinking is believing in all possiblities. Reflective thinking is looking back to analyze and learn from what has already happened. Popular thinking, in a way, is not thinking at all. Shared thinking is receiving feedback from others' thoughts as well as your own. Unselfish thinking is getting outside yourself and contributing to others. Bottom-line thinking is measuring the outcomes. These are all very basic explanations of each kind of thinking, but Maxwell goes into a lot of detail. He describes what each kind of thinking is, why it is helpful, and how to go about doing it. Then at the end of each chapter, he has a workbook section that you fill out. These questions and scenarios help you start thinking like the "thinker" described in that chapter. Maxwell uses these eleven strategies to help us understand how to be a good leader, and the workbook parts help us figure out how to put these types of thinking into action. Overall, I thought this book was very affective in teaching some basics about leadership, and I know it is one that i will be pulling off the shelf in the future time and time again.
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