- Hardcover: 200 pages
- Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1 edition (Jan 1 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1576751686
- ISBN-13: 978-1576751688
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #453,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Booklist
The new approach to change management that is presented here will completely flummox control freaks. Block posits a refreshing series of truths that, if adopted, will transform workplaces into journeys of meaning. The best-selling author of Flawless Consulting (1981) and Stewardship (1993) insists that we ask the wrong question about accomplishing the important things in our lives, particularly in our place of employment. We too often ask "How?" which focuses too closely on the practical way of getting something done and is actually a subconscious expression of society's emphasis on control of people, time, and cost. Instead, our concentration should be focused on "Why?" In other words, we need to pay attention to what really matters to us personally, from heart-felt commitments in our private lives to the creation of projects in the workplace. To be able to act on what matters, explains Block, we must reclaim specific qualities, such as intimacy and idealism. Then we can tackle purposeful work as if we were social architects seeking engagement and change. Provocative and stimulating reading. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Personal growth in and out of the workplace has long been hampered by the constant question "how?" In The Answer to How Is Yes, Peter Block teaches readers how to act on what they know and reclaim their freedom and capacity to create a world they want to live in. He shows how to reject tendencies toward passivity and blame in favor of choosing accountability and demanding a more compelling purpose from work and life. The book also emphasizes the need to shift the paradigm from the self-help/bootstrap/make-a-million craze toward something larger and more generous and, in the end, more satisfying.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Book for Everyone?,
By John V. Nichols (Oshkosh, WI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters (Hardcover)
This is a good book. This book is for everyone, but not everyone will find it enjoyable. The reason is that those of us who are accustomed to looking for answers in a book won't really find them. This is a book about the right questions - not answers. It is about a different approach to our life.Block feels we live in an instrumental society. We are too pragmatic. We are a society currently driven by the archetypes of the Engineer and Economist. We tend to rush to the question of How - the practical question. The underlying premise of the book is that we ask the wrong question first. We should be asking Why more often. The book is not a good book for those of us who are looking for quick answers or a road map to nirvana. It is a great book filled with a common sense approach to a re-examination of what is really important to us and thus to the organizations we work in. His book evolves to the archetype of the Architect - a synthesis of the pragmatic and the philosophical approach to life.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Seminal Work on the Leadership Required to Change the World,
By
This review is from: The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters (Paperback)
I have just finished reading this book for the 5th or 6th time. It contains a unique perspective on the type of leadership necessary to transform the world, from the local to the global levels, to a place of harmony, creativity, justice, sustainability, and love. It is not for those still centered in their own egos or even those centered in their families and communities. It embodies a human perspective deep enough to touch values that are universal and if acted upon, healing and life giving. The book culminates in a description of the leader as "social architect." This is a person who helps all people discover the values and vision that they hold collectively and then provides the space for collaborative and creative solutions and designs. It would be wonderful and potentially powerful for all leaders to read this book and then act on what they have learned... especially the leaders of the nations of our world.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peter keeps blazing new trails,
By
This review is from: The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters (Hardcover)
Wisdom. That's what I found in Peter Block's newest book. But be prepared, wisdom does not mean answers. In fact the wisdom in this book comes from the way in which Peter challenges the reader to rethink basic assumptions about the culture that envelopes us. He asks, for example, how the pervasive archetypes of engineer and economist--those of cause-and-effect and predictability--could truly share the stage with the creativity, imagination, mystery and heart of the artist and architect. Not easy to imagine.The journey Peter asks of me is often painful. It's difficult to admit the truth about my questions. He points out that asking questions about "how," is often a way to avoid the much deeper questions of "why." It is also a subtle way to avoid commitment and action. While Peter does not offer easy answers he does point to new directions for communities and organizations. And he invites us to join him on this journey into a new future...one that is not simply an extrapolation of the past. I know when a book captures me, because, on almost every page, I found my mind and heart racing with so many ideas that I'd have to stop reading and simply think. What a gift! This volume has inspired me to new thinking about my work, and my life in community. I have read and loved all of Peter's books. He just keeps blazing new trials!
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