Powerful Principles Still Pertinant Today
599539
Amazing that the principles from centuries ago are still pertinant today. Following these principles have helped me to lose weight and feel better. I recommend this book to Doctors and individuals.
3492405
This book is based on solid timeless principles and teaches the reader what is required to get along with others.  I read this book in my early twenties and have given it to many people over the years.  It gives you a roadmap for success with people.
3390639
This book was published originally in 1936 and still applies today. I have used many suggestions here, and it should be required yearly reading in school and at jobs.  It is a real eye opener and life changer.
3027532
The Art of War by Sun Tzu is the timeless classic on the manners of warfare.

The book itself is quite short but the wisdom contained in it means that it is quite a dense book to read anyway. While we may now read The Art of War and think that we know most of the things, I imagine it was simply a monumental book back then. Even now some of the passages contain immense value and many principles still apply.

The principles outlined in this book are not only applicable to ancient Chinese warfare but many can interpreted in the world today. While many of the principles regards itself on positioning and strategic decisions some other principles struck me as well. Principles such as: "To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." and "Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays" are applicable to everyday life as well. This arguably makes it one of the rare books which transcend the domain in which it was once written in and shows us something that is fundamentally human and gives us the opportunity to improve ourselves.
30321
I only recently read this book so that I could go through the entire series.  The analysis in this book contains enduring principles about visionary companies and their cultures that you will find helpful in business, even though it was written years ago.
2388923
Brilliant work that is as relevant to day as the day it was written. Anyone who takes the time an implements the 16 laws of success is sure to discover principles that can be applied as a winning formula to any definite purpose or endeavor with
1174892
In The Inferno, Dante reserves the last and worst ring in Hell for those who, when faced with a moral crisis, preserve their neutrality. I thought about that as I recently re-read this brilliant book, first published in 1994. Those who assume leadership responsibilities frequently encounter stiff resistance and sometimes place themselves at great risk. Two of the three great leaders whom Heifetz examines in this book, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., were assassinated. (The third is Lyndon Baines Johnson.) There are seldom easy solutions to the most difficult problems and seldom easy answers to the most important questions. Heifetz acknowledges that great leaders are guided by non-negotiable values, to be sure, and sustained by a deep faith in a worthy cause but they are also realists. That is, they have a clear-headed understanding of the perils they face. Draw up a list of the 10-15 greatest leaders in history. How many of them died of natural causes? On my own list, only Winston Churchill and he was twice voted out of office amidst ridicule and even contempt.
Heifetz organizes his material within Four Parts: Setting the Frame, Leading With Authority, Leading Without Authority, and Staying Alive. The book's final section is intended to be a "theoretical framework for understanding leadership and authority in the context of adaptive change." It is important to understand that Heifetz views the subject of leadership in a much wider and deeper context than one normally encounters in a business book. The world has never before needed leaders as much as it does today, in large measure because never before has the world been as dangerous as it is today. (Weapons of mass destruction can accomplish in only a few hours what once took plagues years and even decades to accomplish.) We desperately need effective leaders in all areas of human activity. According to Heifetz, such leaders will probably be ignored, at first, and then ridiculed. When they begin to attract others to their cause, they will be rigorously opposed. If and when they become sufficiently dangerous, either to their opponents or (yes) to those who once supported them, they will be "eliminated"  in one way or another. Have we learned nothing from the past? Heifetz obviously has. After almost 15 years of research on those who provide leadership in all manner of organizations and institutions, he shares what he has learned. I wish a higher rating were available.
Readers who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out the more recently published Leadership On the Line which Heifetz co-authored with Marty Linsky; also David Maister's Practice What You Preach, James O'Toole's Leading Change, and Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.
3710979
This is proving to be a significant book.  I've read it once, reviewed it once and listened to the audio recordings twice.  There are principles here that I want to absorb into my own life and dealings with people in every realm of my life.  I recommend this book to you.  Michael Biggs Up-Words.net
3439622
The principles in this book are eternal and essential for mastery. This writing could and I'm sure has changed lives.
4668642
A challenging book that makes me think. This book is applicable to each of us - without building community - the principles are that universal. This book is a treasure that anyone concerned about wise leadership would appreciate.

If you feel American individualism was at first a great idea in the spirit of our founding fathers or even later  through Emerson but find now we are all lost when it comes to building peaceful inspiring community, this book is for you.

The book is built upon ancient and simple principles that appeals to my "common sense". Worth many reads!
2326745
I am a pretty big fan of Andy Stanley. In my experience with podcasts and leadership conferences, he is consistently the source of the most memorable principles. His book, Communicating for Change, has been the most helpful book for me in honing my skills as a communicator.

Recently, I won a copy of his new book, The Principle of the Path, via an online giveaway at Michael Hyatt's blog (Hyatt is the CEO of Stanely's publishing company). I devoured the book. Albeit simple, Stanley drills down important concepts.

The big idea of his book is "Direction, not intention, determines destination." In the pages that follow, he outlines how we often brush off this statement in our lives as we believe that our desires and intentions are really what matter. Stanley reminds us - it only matters what we do, not what we hope or want or aspire to do.

Stanley describes how we ignore the fact that there are paths we move down to destinations we don't anticipate or prepare for - many of which were very relevant to people I work with (divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, unemployment, etc.). Every decision is not simply a decision, but in fact, a step in a direction.

One of the biggest personal challenges was Stanely's discussion of how we think our issue is not having the right information, when, in fact, the issue is not information, but submission. We refuse to believe that the information applies to us; we all believe that we will be the exception to the rule.

Very challenging read; a good reminder that simple concepts can be just as arresting and convicting as complex ones. I strongly recommend this book to everyone - regardless of whether you are a follower of Jesus or not. This principle applies to you. Your direction, not your intention, determines your destination.
2917236
An old book by now, but extraordinary in the way it explains key principles and tools of fundamental importance in civil engineering and beyond. The methods pioneered by Milton have been renamed several times since then, one of the latest being "predictive uncertainty", but the substance remains the same. That substance is in this book: essential reading for serious professionals.
3857960
Dr. Opincar's treatise on the ethical implications of leadership is a relevant as it is timely. In a world where rules are being rewritten each day, standards change with every news cycle and even our understanding of right and wrong is the topic of twitter-sphere debate; 'Ethical Intelligence' reminds us why integrity is critical to organizational health. Weaving historical reference with personal experience and contemporary news; Dr. Opincar argues that while contious change may be provocative, the vast majority of such change is superficial and what's really important is guided by a set of unchanging moral imperatives.  Emotional Intelligence connects the success or failure of any organization, institution or social unit with ethical standards. Reader learn how ethical intelligence can foster all that's best in the human spirit and lack of ethical intelligence can constrain or even eliminate the moral foundations that serve to bind us in common cause.

A must read for anyone still believes in the value of values!

-Jeff
2126519
How wonderful to find such a compelling book of hope, of comfort, of action -- a clear voice of reason in a confusing and sometimes frightening world.  It presents simple principles that are powerful enough to not only affect the way you view life experiences, but change your life if you apply them.  The only person over whom each of us can hope to have any control is our own self.  This book helps us see the possibilities of taking that control, no matter what else happens around us.  And as Lois Wyse expressed, "[I]f one soul awakens, is not the whole world strengthened?"  Read the book, then try to live the principles.  You'll be happily surprised by the result.
Thank you, Kent, for sharing these eloquent Paradoxical Commandments with us.
3051201
This book has been around for a long time; but is still current for today's problems... Our Way of thinking and feeling of Our Self -Worth>
3631358
I have read (and am still reading) Never Be Closing  dancing with the content. Sometimes I flow, sometimes I skip, sometimes I go fast, sometimes I go slow, sometimes I go forwards, sometimes I have to go back. I am taking my time, and enjoying it very much. The principles of the book have been very timely for us. Our economic landscape has changed forcing us to sell differently. We are not yet using all the tools, but we are using the principles; for example: staying useful is now our most important mission with our clients. And that single element is changing the way we do business.
1411494
This book is a great read and provides some fantastic principles for use in every day personal and professional life. The thing that I found most useful about this book is that it applies on a large scale and small scale basis. Very useful book!