Flip: How to Turn Everything You Know on Its Head—and Succeed Beyond Your Wildest Imaginings

Peter Sheahan, Wm. Morrow Publishers, New York, NY 2008.

In the spirit of enjoying any piece that affirms my counter-intuitive tendencies, I believe I have come upon a treasure.

“There is nothing more important in business today than an action orientation.” If that quote isn’t what you and I have been working on together in developing a “bias toward action,” I don’t know what is. Instead of making big changes, experiment and adjust while moving. If we are coaching together, I will be wanting you to read this book.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sheahan asserts that control does not come from controlling, but from equipping and empowering others to act. He also shares how to personalize business relationships and find marketing niches where no one else is looking for them.

More beneficial for its paradigm shifts than for any practical specifics, you’ll go away with a fresh and clearer set of lenses through which to evaluate your efforts.

What might you be doing that invites people to treat you the way they do?

The Question of the Week is offered to increase awareness of one’s personal leadership practices and encourage experimentation with creative alternatives.