Unshrink: Yourself, Other People, Business, the World Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a short book, but one with some stark and profound messages for both people and organisations.
The title captures the essence of the key idea that so much of what we believe and allow to impact on our lives serves to shrink what we can become and achieve. The book outlines that the problem we face as people and organisations, is not how to grow, but how to remove what limits and prevents our inherent ability for growth.
The book deals with these constraints described as seven major myths, that when taken as facts constrain our behaviours and shrink our potential. Examples are given, drawn from a wide range of backgrounds, of the impact and support shown for these myths in spite of little evidence of their truth, and in many cases strong evidence for the opposite.
`Rules are often built up as scar tissue resulting from an injury.'
At its heart the book proposes as an antidote, a series of principles, in doing so making the case that a key feature of unshrinking is the freedom from rules and in their place a set of principles.
`Principles can be `one size fits all' in a way that rules can not'.
These myths and principles are presented as complimentary pairs which, through a very broad range of powerful examples, allow the reader to challenge what may unwittingly be strongly held preconceptions and explore how liberating the removal of the myth may be. In addition the book provides a number of practical suggestions for consideration in putting the principles to work.
As a taster the myths and principles outlined are:-
You are what you do -> You are what you can become
Work comes first -> Life always comes first
The boss is superhuman -> We are all human
The plan must be secret ->Only the goal unifies
People obey orders -> Only good change is good
Organisations are machines -> The organisation is a community
All change is good -> People do what they want.
This is a small book that can be read in three hours, but may provide insights that may permanently change your thinking and attitudes and maybe the direction you chose to follow.
`Organisation doesn't accomplish anything, plans don't accomplish anything either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavours succeed or fail because of the people involved.'
Colin Powell, US Secretary of State.
I highly recommend it.

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"Interdependence is ten times more challenging than independence, but it is the only viable long-term solution for effectiveness in our relationships at work and at home. This is brilliantly illustrated in Unshrink."Dr Stephen Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Unshrink is the book that exposes the deep-seated myths that keep people and businesses from fulfilling their potential and replaces them with a set of principles that make us better people, that make businesses more profitable and that make the world a more decent place to live.Unshrinkis a new word. It means to restore something to its natural dimensions. It leads to radical change without going back to the beginning. For ourselves, for other people, for businesses.And that's necessary argue Max McKeown and Philip Whiteley, because people and businesses have been shrunk. And to be all we can be -- fulfilled, successful decent people who work in profitable, sustainable, successful businesses, we need to bust the myths that are keeping us and our companies shrunk.Our shrinking myths tell us that we are what we do, that work is more important than life, that capital creates value, that people are stupid, that people do as they are told, that all change is good, that plans must be kept secret, and that the organisation is a machine.To replace the myths we will need new principles to give us back our sleep and self-respect while at the same time increasing passion and profitability. These principles will help us deal with our world, our ever more complex world,the way it is. Clear principles and truths help us to understand unclear events and situations. From these principles we discover that we are not what we do, but what we can become. That work does not come first, it should only serve life. That we are all are human, boss and employee alike. That the plan must stop being secret so that it can unify everyone. That only good change is good. That our organisations and our world are communities not machines. That they are only improved as we share. And that sharing will only happen as trust is built not as the number of rules is increased. Does this mean anarchy? Far from it.But it does mean not treating employees like criminals, sheep, rats, half-wits, or naughty children. It means a workplace for grown-up, complete people with families, brains, unfulfilled ambitions, and pride. People who will follow willingly when they understand the principles, believe in them, and are permitted the freedom to follow their own initiative in so doing. Unshrunk people make better employees and better citizens. Unshrunk businesses make better employers and increased profit. WORK DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY

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