Wellbeing by Tom Rath and Jim Harter

OVERVIEW

Wellbeing will not be described as ground-breaking by those who have a casual interest in the subject matter.  It is even initially tempting to dismiss it as nothing than more of the same old stuff.  Nevertheless, Wellbeing is a worthwhile read because of the deep statistical basis that drives the reported results and the authors’ strategic and tactical recommendations. 

Gallup has invested in decades of professional and focused surveys conducted, worldwide and in many diverse cultures creating an incredible asset that they believe is a truly accurate global roadmap to building a rewarding and satisfying life.

DEFINITIONS OF WELLBEING

Authors Tom Rath (thank you for the personal email) and Jim Hart, leveraging Gallup’s extensive wealth of research data define the Five Essential Elements of Wellbeing as:

Career – Waking up every day with something to look forward to doing in that day.

Social – Being surrounded by close relationships that foster personal growth.

Financial – Being satisfied with current standard of living.

Physical – Daily execution of a healthy lifestyle built around short-term defaults with long-term benefits for exercise, diet and rest.

Community – Feeling safe and secure in a home and a community to take pride in.

COUNTERPOINT

The book, Wellbeing, provides a wealth of statistical support for its findings and declares its research as multinational and cross-cultural.  Nevertheless it is important to point out in any large statistical exercise, there will specific areas or populations that will display significant divergence from what is the statistical trend.   

KEY POINTS

Once again, Aristotle’s Golden Mean is proven as true today as it was 2300 years ago.   Ultimately, Tom Rath and Jim Hart essentially point out that balance is key.  In the parlance of Stephen Covey, one needs to subordinate short-term gratification for long-term benefit, framing the desired behavior as habit.  In other circles this is called discipline or virtue.

The key recommendation of Wellbeing is to create positive personal defaults by making decisions ahead of time and organizing structure to automate those defaults thereby maximizing the beneficial results. 

The authors also declare, based on wealth of survey data, that what makes life worthwhile is to find something you love to do that benefits society.

SUMMARY

The rest of book is rich with specific strategies and tactics drawn from the wealth of data that Gallup has collected for decades.  It is these specifics that make the book worth any person’s limited reading time.  

I rate Wellbeing at 3.5/5 stars. 

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A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly

Bill O’Reilly created and hosts a news program that has dominated in the United States for the last nine years and also enjoys a strong world-wide audience. His success, in my opinion, is a result of his approach at seeking an independent view of current events. He created what he calls The No Spin Zone where the point is to gain a straight-shooting, no BS assessment of situations, root causes and best solutions. Holding people accountable for the actions or lack thereof is the backbone of this approach.

Bold Fresh is a memoir written in an attempt to explain the source of this phenomenal approach. This book is as an insightful view into Marcus Buckingham’s point that everyone sees the world through their own unique perspective which is a result of their predisposition, upbringing, education and life experiences.

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity has remained on the top seller lists for what now seems like forever and the book is definitely an experience to recommend in the fullest. Presented here are the gem’s of Bill O’Reilly’s accumulated wisdom.

I am personally proud to share in his Irish, Catholic, Long Island heritage.

 

CAREER
The most interesting part of life is achieving goals and overcoming challenges.

Harness criticism. Bill O’Reilly has personally proven that you can drive career success by working harder to disprove critics. As O’Reilly put it, “Living well is not the best revenge. Succeeding in your career and humiliating your critics is.” And O’Reilly has certainly showed up innumerable critics!

Be a calculated risk-taker and allow yourself the chance to fall flat on your face. Not allowing for this makes one risk averse and they stop trying. Ensure that failure is only a prelude to trying again. (Remember the model of perseverance that is Abraham Lincoln, having failed at so much before eventually becoming one of the most revered US Presidents of all time.)

Work hard, keep a clear head, don't compromise when you know you're right, give most people the benefit of the doubt, don't fear authority, and definitely have a good time.

 

INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-RELIANCE
Every person can, and should, design their own life. Individual responsibility is the key to success in life. Expect—and accept—nothing from anyone else.  Do it yourself.

 

Get comfortable in the Zone of Independence.  Self-reliance is the key.  “Have regular honest conversations with yourself.  Questioning yourself sharply keeps the mind sharp and creates a personal no-spin zone.  Finding the root of your mistakes makes repeats much less likely.”

 

“Independent thinking leads to problem solving, fairness, compassion, and wisdom.” Independent thinking leads to the habit of researching issues and forming opinions based on accumulated facts to back them up.

 

The opposite of independent thinking is blind acceptance of popular opinion or ideology which “usually leads to narrow-mindedness, robotic acceptance of propaganda, and, eventually, embarrassment...no ideology is correct on every issue.”

 

Deal in tough reality, not wishful thinking. Create your own “No Spin Zone” around you.

 

Create your own opportunities and execute them. Rely on no one else when it comes to improving your situation. If you know you can do better, go out and create the situation where you can. If you want it—make it happen.

 

Speculation, no matter how well-informed, is almost always a waste of time, although opinion can provide some value.

 

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Present your case or belief then stand back and let the listener decide. Remember, it is ok to disagree on how to see life (although not necessarily issues or facts) so long as the disagreement is sincere.

 

When critics pound you, fight back and fight back smart.

 

PREPARE FOR CRISIS
Bad things will happen, prepare for it! Life is a series of challenges and that is by design of the Creator.

 

Life is unfair. It is how effectively you handle inevitable unfairness that largely will dictate whether you succeed or fail.

 

3 General Strategies for Dealing with Unfairness

1. Ignore - Most choose to ignore and then hold it inside of them, breeding resentment.
2. Confront - Confrontation leads to a situation. You need power to fight. Fighting can make you stronger but a wiser, more effective approach can spare you a lot of grief.
3. Deal with later, using a well-thought out strategy. A patient approach allows all options to become clear.

 FEAR

 Fear makes many accept the unacceptable such as settling for less than they can achieve.

  

"Fear is your friend if you can control it”, said Cus D'Amato, the famed boxing trainer, quoted by Bill O’Reilly.

 

True courage is not about being fearless; it is about overcoming fear, going ahead with something worthwhile even though you’re terrified. But don't be stupid either. Risks must be calculated.

 

"Taming fear helps you stand up to injustice. Legacy is all about how many wrongs you made right, how many people you helped. But make no mistake, righting the wrongs you encounter means conflict and you will be made to suffer for it."

 

DOING THE RIGHT THING

 The power of choice in all people is basically the choice between good and evil. You either fight evil or you accept it. Doing nothing is accepting it.

 

God and the presence of evil in the world: without the ability to choose evil, there would be no free will to choose good. It is like when a parent allows a child to make a choice in a situation where, to an adult, the choice is blatantly obvious. Parents provide the opportunity of choice so the child can better appreciate outcomes and therefore learn.

 

You cannot justify bad behavior by pointing to other bad behavior.

 

 INJUSTICE AT THE OFFICE

 When faced with workplace injustice, slug it out. Slugging it out is not always the right move—it can be a career killer but it is great basic training for those who are Crusaders. Hold people accountable! Crusades ARE polarizing.

 

Dangers of crusading: blowback and losing perspective by becoming self righteous.

 

Rehearse meetings and events. Do not write a script but coming mentally prepared makes events go much better by reducing your stress. A relaxed mind is much more creative.

 

DISCIPLINE

People need structure and discipline.  Kids need structure and accountability.

 

PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

 

Do not spend frivolously. Do not make vanity purchases but do spend for essentials like travel comfort and good food.

 

Fend for yourself without drama.

 

Few expectations mean few disappointments.

 

Money buys security from harm and often can mitigate difficult situations. Power leads to opportunities.

 

Learn patience and not to get annoyed when it is really not warranted. Do not sweat the small stuff…but then again shouldn't we fuss about getting it right? Try to be a big-stuff guy like Jesus or Ghandi. Patience is its own reward but impatience gets things done.

 

Be practical. No four-dollar coffees. Avoid pretension but do not undervalue your time or accept abuse.

 

LEADERSHIP

Disaster is always on the horizon for those who have to struggle just to get by. For those who grew up with power and privilege, the mindset is that things will work out. A more apprehensive leader will react more urgently to bad news.  This can explain why many formal leaders are painfully slow to move on crisis situations.

 

Powerful people control their environment.

 

The powerful get things done. They demand results and people fear not delivering for them.

 

According to Donald Trump, there are two kinds of people:

1. Those who take it
2. Those who don't take it.

Perhaps this is Bill's personal secret to success.  He deflects attacks on himself by taking up the fights for others.

 

O'Reilly says "Trump is right. If you are being mistreated, you should fight back. Try to reason at first but if rejected, come in hard."

 

Power is derived from the folks or by big money.

 

Beware of pretension if you do accumulate power.

 

The world increasingly celebrates selfishness and materialism. Resist and always strive for fairness and justice. Help everyone you can help. Help will find its way to you.

 

RELATIONSHIPS

Social conversations must be maintained as confidential. Keep personal stuff personal (as in private).

 

Calling someone “a work in progress” is a copout. We are all works in progress.

 

Most folks do not change. Evil is not acquired. Watch how a person treats their mother and children. If mother is not treated decently you do not want to know them. Damaging a child is forever. When someone you know does something wrong, do not overlook it. If it's habitual, you will eventually be targeted. Scorpions sting because it is their nature.

 

PERSONAL CARE

Eat healthy to perform well and last long.

 

All men are created equal but from then on training makes the difference.

 

Appearance and speech are critical to success.

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell


Outliers Secrets of Success:

1. Being born early in year (or right after any cut-off for qualification and training) is an advantage that is cumulative.
2. Natural talent is nowhere near as important as practice.
3. Expertise is the product of 10,000 hours of practice. This is roughly achieved in 10 years of dedicated, sustained development.
4. Smarts are important but only up to a point. Smart enough is all it takes. Genius is not required.
5. Opportunity is critical. Being in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the small windows of game-changing opportunity.
6. Drive, as a result of cultural legacy is the most potent filter for success.

The quote of the book: “Hard work is a prison sentence only if does not have meaning”

3 Factors that Give Work Meaning:

1. Autonomy
2. Complexity
3. Effort-reward direct relationship

The review:

In summary, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is, typical of his works, chock-full of richly researched statistical and cultural gems that are valuable to any organization but there are some that are especially pertinent to the US-Philippines outsourcing challenges, which I have preliminarily presented in THE Biggest Challenge to American-Philippine Work: How Cultural Differences Impact Effecive Communication (http://jamesmirasol.com/)

Western communication is transmitter-oriented where it is the responsibility of the speaker to communicate clearly, while Asian communication is listener-oriented where it is the responsibility of the listener to divine what the speaker is saying. This is a cultural issue that I have encountered many times in many organizations. This culturally-based communications gap is what I consider to the biggest challenge in US-Philippine outsourcing execution.

Exacerbating the communications gap is the cited work of Geert Hofstede for IBM worldwide and which was termed the Power-Distance Index (PDI) which measures individualism-collectivism attitudes. Interestingly but not surprisingly, Americans are at one extreme in the PDI scale where individualism is highest and the Philippines is on the opposite end where collectivism is highest. This is another frequent source of execution gaps in US-Philippine outsourced work, I have found. I will expound more on this and the communications gap in another article soon on http://jamesmirasol.com/ so check back again soon.

On work ethic differences between America and Asia, Outlier’s was particularly insightful about the Agricultural differences and how this has led to significant Educational differences. This was one of the great revelations of the book to me.

The discussion on American-Asian cultural differences are astute and an on the money which leads me to a personal question:

What happens to those of us who are hybrids, the result of American AND Asian upbringing?

In my case, I feel that being raised largely American by an Irish-American mother and a US-educated father, in the Philippines has resulted in a dual-cultural hybrid that is truly native in both and yet able to view either from a single perspective. Granted, this ability is not always a conscious decision which can then become challenging in itself but overall, it is my feeling that is a unique hybrid which delivers a unique value proposition.

Shoot me an email at james@jamesmirasol.com if you would like to discuss this and perhaps share an opinion that may be posted as a follow-up to this review.

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Notes:

I feel that in Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell made some generalizations that I have a hard time accepting on face value. In particular, Gladwell stated that "Even the most gifted of lawyers, equipped with the best of family lessons, cannot escape the limitations of their generation." This simply cannot be true as every generation has to have a some single lawyer that must rise to the top of their profession unless we consider that generations can be skipped, bridged by an older generation hanging around for extended service and then subsequently supplanted by a younger generation leapfrogging to the top.

Additionally, I need to wonder out loud about Outlier’s assertion that Jewish Lawyers and Doctors became professionals because of their humble origins rather than inspite of their humble origins. Specifically, what of the cliche of the Jewish parents pushing their offspring to become lawyers or doctors or marry them? Could that have something to do with what is presented as an inevitable career? Later on in the book, Gladwell also points out that Jewish immigrants from Europe were largely urban professionals because they were prohibited by law from owning land and thus clustered in city centers where urban professional pursuits were their only economic recourse. There is a disconnect here that I cannot resolve.

Shoot me an email at james@jamesmirasol.com if you can shed some light on this.

What Is Important In a Career

I was being interviewed recently and I figured I would share some of my thoughts here.

Stephen Covey said adults are essentially big kids and I agree. While I also agree that we can act our way into a new way of thinking, I also believe that essentially our default emotional response is a reflection of our personality established very early on. Don't get me wrong, I have personally validated that we can drive personal growth at any stage in life, embracing the concept of our power to choose our response to any stimulus.

I was asked what industry I wanted to work in, given a choice. My response was industry is not important because skills are easy to acquire so long as a person is sharp and committed. What is truly important is how one relates to others, how one works with others and how one leads in group dynamics.

Richard Pascale On Adopting A New Way Of Thinking

In Execution: The Discipline Of Getting Things Done, Larry Bossidy quoted Pascale as saying "People are much more likely to act their way into a new way of thinking than to think their way into a new way of acting."

James Mirasol Ramblings

Things have been really hectic latelty, so I have not had time to post a new review (yes, it's that tight) but I thought I would share a ramble with you anyway...

Stephen Covey rightly said that most of the world's work is accomplished through organizations and most people are members of organizations (Teams) even if it's as part of a family. Jim Collins also said that people are NOT an organization's greatest asset-- the RIGHT people are. The keys are, to find the right people first, then finding them the right seat on the bus based on their unique mix of innate talents and then ensuring that they have the right opportunities to enable them to flourish. Easier said than done? Yes but it is the JOURNEY that makes all the "effort" a transcendant mission.

More again soon!

Good to Great by Jim Collins

Good to Great is delivered in such a direct and unpretentious voice that it is essentially conversational. That may explain why it was over all too fast.

The real value of Good to Great is its data-based approach to discerning what truly works and more significantly, creating the flywheel framework that elegantly encapsulates the sequential approach that was rightly inspirational to Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit.

Beyond the Flywheel framework, Good to Great does not generate anything new. The findings make perfect sense and are consistent with many other works reviewed here but the research validation does add an extra dimension of credibility that is truly appreciated.

Good to Great's one weakness is that it is a bit dated already and in the interim much has transpired that exposes the stated "facts" as pure editorialization. Most prominent are the cases of Circuit City and Fanny Mae --enough said there.

There's lots of valuable practical gems here that also align well with Bossidy and Charan's Execution.

Overall I have to say it is a must read. 4/5 stars.