Book Review: Say Yes And

Say Yes And By Avish Parashar

Week in and week out I preach the message of “yes and” on this blog.  It will change your life, it will take you to new places, and it will make you happier.  Recently, I received an advance copy of the book “Just Yes And” by Avish Parashar, and it was great to sit back and read a book walking right along my philosophy.  Following the improv theory about staying in the moment, Parashar encapsulates the idea of life being a series of moments where we get to navigate through with the positive movement of “yes and” or the not so positive outlook “yes but.”

This book clocks in at a solid 89 pages, highlighting one of its best attributes, the ease of reading.  I knocked it out on a flight from Chapel Hill to Chicago and felt like I had the time to take it all in.  The pages flowed quickly and the thoughts came rapidly, making it an enjoyable and thoughtful read.  This book focused on one main concept, changing from a “yes but,” to a “yes and” philosophy, which brings it to its greatest weakness a bit of repetitiveness along those lines.  On the flip side, it is great to really delve into one portion of your thoughts and theories. I recently took an improv workshop on initiatives, and we spend4 ½ hours just doing them, and boy did it push me to the limits of learning on that skill.

The crocks of the whole book highlights how Parashar shifted into the “yes and” mindset, highlighted by his first story.  Parashar was unwilling and uninterested in going to see his college improv comedy team perform, eventually a stubborn friend forced him there, and the rest was history, and his life was changed.  It is amazing how those small moments can sometime pass us by, and we might never walk down that path of unleashing a new life journey.

Some of the most important points highlighted the idea of how we “yes but” out of control, this lets us stay in our little bubble.  We “yes but” out of fear, because we are afraid to take the trip down the path less traveled.  In all of those instances the communication with ourselves is almost just as important as our communication with other people.  Parashar talks about how to “yes and” yourself a dilemma we all find ourselves in from time to time as the gateway to pushing the yes and philosophy into the outside world.

The part of this book that really made sense to me was the section starting on page 48 where Parashar discussed how to become a superstar.  He talked about Seth Goodin in the book, and this section particularly reminded me of my favorite book Linchpin by Goodin, but took it to the next level of inserting the “yes and” philosophy into those theories.  Parashar describes, “saying ‘yes and’ is how you get the reputation for reliability.  That is how you become a superstar.”

As with all philosophies there is the shadow side.  How do I become a “yes ander” and not become a push over, or become overwhelmed.  Parashar has some great antidotes to help with that also.  Each of his chapters feature simply described to do lists on how to take his ideas and put them into practice.  He also describes how, “being skilled in the art of redirection is not about being a pushover.  It’s about being one of those rare people who helps others get what they want while still getting what you want.”

Overall Say Yes And is an excellent little read, which takes the art of improvisational comedy and drops it into the modern world of work, family, and relationships.  A simple read that will put a positive spin on your current processes of getting things accomplished in an easier and more positive way.  The book is being released today February 28^th, and if you order through amazon today, you can submit your order number to receive $200 of downloadable bonuses.  Also check out Parashar’s website www.SayYesAnd.com for more information about the different services he offers.

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Steve Jobs was a visionary that did some amazing things, a real creative icon.  In thinking about his passing I wanted to share the 2055 Stanford Commencement video which I think is amazing, and some quotes.  I love quotes, and these are the ones from Jobs that spoke the most to me!

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. … Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

Marcus Buckingham on “Drucker on the Dial”

 

Marcus Buckingham

Marcus Buckingham on “Drucker on the Dial”.

Marcus Buckingham, the leading authority on strengths, recently released his new book StandOut.   I ordered the book on Amazon, and can’t wait for it to get here.  As I wait for my copy, I enjoyed this radio show podcast where Marcus Buckingham discussed the theories of the book on the show Druker on the Dial.

I am a huge fan of the strengths philosophy, and really want to bring it more closely into the work I do as a manager.  One of the things I am so excited about with this book is how Buckingham is focusing it on making these ideas easier for manager to use.  One of the biggest difficulties that I find is how to I communicate the idea of strengths to my staff, and get them to fully invest in using it with each other. It really seems like this book will bring more of a practicality to the topic of strengths.

One of my greatest strengths and loves is how can I be more creative and help others to find their way into the creative zone.  Buckingham states that this book will help facilitate creativity and authenticity.  I am really excited to see how this book suggests we accomplish that feat.  Authenticity really goes a long way with the people you supervise; if people do not believe you to be authentic they will be less likely to fully trust and follow your leadership.  While strengths provides us with a summary of the way we see ourselves, this new assessments provides us with insight into how others see you.

Especially in this economy, we need to figure out how to find our edge and use it to our advantage in the work place.  The thing I am most excited about with this book is how Marcus said it will provide us with a way to intentionally use our strengths.  He said we can easily use your edge accidently or you can intentionally to be more successful.  I will supply a review once I receive the book and read it, and look forward to finding more of my edge!

JoePa and Coach K Talk Leadership

Coach Paterno gets carried off the field after his 400th win

I am a huge Penn State fan, I have been all of my life, so I admit that I have a bit of a bias for the Nittany Lions.  In my leadership philosophies I also lean a bit towards coaches and their leadership styles.  I am a huge sports fan, but it goes beyond that, I think coaches needs to display great leadership skills, they need to lead a team of athletes who typically display strong personalities, most of them are high in the strength of competition, and there are often statistical and natural leaders on the team which add a difficult dynamic to manage.  So it takes a high-capacity of leadership skills to manage these individuals, in an environment where winning and losing is black and white, and at a NCAA Division 1 or Professional level the stakes are high.

I have spent a good bit of time reading leadership books by coaches.  I really enjoy The Carolina Way, by Dean Smith, books on the leadership of legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, and many others.  So I am very excited for this upcoming television event being featured on ESPN, because it brings one of my favorite coaches Joe Paterno to the screen.  Sadly it will also feature Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, just kidding I can admit he is a great leader and coach, I mean he has an olympic gold medal!  This year JoePa reached victory 400 and Coach K reached victory 900 and between them they have 81 years of experience, that’s a lot of time being the leader of student athletes.  I am excited to see the spectacle around this, and to hear what these two legendary coaches have to say about leadership!

Check out this article on ESPN about the event, and tune in on June 30 at 8 p.m. ET to see “Difference Makers: Life Lessons with Paterno and Krzyzewski.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/27720/joepa-coach-k-to-talk-leadership-on-espn

100 Most Creative People in Business

Fast Company just released its June 2011 edition, and it is my favorite one of the year!  This month feathers the 100 Most Creative People in Business round up.  This is one of the most inspiring editions of the year, and the Fast Company team does an excellent job of bringing people’s creative ideas and processes to print. 

One of my favorite things about this list is the pervasive nature of the people included.  The only rule is the people cannot previously be featured on the list, or have been a major feature in a previous edition of the magazine.  While they pluck people from the normal harbors of creativity in the current business landscape, Apple, Facebook, Hollywood, and Netflix, they also look into other out of the way places for creative minds.  My favorite people are the creative entrepreneurs, and people doing interesting things outside of our country.  This was highlighted by the number one person on the list being Wadah Khanfar the Director General of Al Jazeera.

In getting an in depth analysis of someone’s creative process, the best feature in this year’s list is a behind the scenes tour Conan O’Brien’s studios.  The writer of the story goes through a day in the life of producing his new show on TBS.  The public does not usually get a look at the creative process behind the scenes of a top rated television show, and Fast Company luckily gives an up close and personal look how that production works.  He also gives some good tips on how improvisation supplements and makes his creative process and shoe stronger.

Fast Company is my favorite magazine, it is very creative and inspiring!  If there is any monthly edition to pick up, the June one is it!  Take a gander at the list, and be inspired by the 100 most creative people in business!