Assignment 3 ? Critical book review on Leadership: Students will choose a book of their choice from the list of books on the lead

Intro

The power of being yourself is more than just a book, but it's an inspiration guideline that gives individuals success aspects and models that individuals follow for personal and professional lives. The book consists of eight essential principles that have been placed by the author of this book, Joe Plumeri, as a CEO, role model, son, and father. His many lifestyle stories bring these universal principles to life of how he has used them to succeed. Each principle talks about its unique feature for being successful but also learning from your failures and past pain and motivating yourself. The book is also about the background of the author's life of success and failures. Joe Plumeri breaks down essential guidelines and aspects that taught him to not always dwell on failures but to turn negativity into positivity by going through everyday life obstacles and learning from the challenges, whether good or bad. Each principle is also a breakdown of its meaning in the author's past, which helped him succeed in their strategic ways. By sharing his past experiences and discovering risky attributes to the business decisions along with many personal highs and lows, the author explains that his meaning of success is found not in meetings, memos, or philosophies but rather in allowing motivation, morals, and true feelings to provide an overview and guidelines through all aspects and relations throughout the day. His book is a timely wake-up call in a world where heartless electronic communication too often takes precedence over a genuine connection. Plumeri informs us that living in the moment and being honest with ourselves affect how we live and face different obstacles throughout our lives.

The first principle is that everyone has the same plumbing. When a business is organized and handled, it can start easy but can get overly challenging due to the differences between people and how they operate. Differences are just aspects that are contrasting form of elements that has a way of uniting people. The similarity is a component that shares the same similarities. Researchers ensure that similarity is well characterized as a comparison of structured representations. This process yields differences that align with the commonalities and differences not related to the commonalities. Further evidence for this tripartite distinction is provided in a commonality and difference listing study involving pairs of pictures in the first study. This principle describes that aligning the differences rather than not considering differences are central to being comparable and modifying them to process their connection to the commonalities.

The second principle shows individuals the way to grandma's house. This principle describes the visions that Plumeri requires by having them brought into their life by getting the smells, sounds, and all the senses. Alot of individuals have hopes and dreams for their future, but only a few realize their greatest inspirations without a vision to guide them. An idea to inspire people should be taken into consideration and brought to action. "Showing the way to Grandma's house" means putting the vision into action and it makes the individual feel exciting. Plumeri uses children on a long drive as an example, he states that they can get loud, anxious, and whiney. Parents often begin to narrate what will happen when they get to their destination to settle them down. The kids might start to picture Grandma greeting them at the door, the smell of homemade cookies, the sound of music, the sparkle of wrapped gifts, and other such associations. Realizing visions in adulthood requires bringing them to life similarity by associating them with smells, sounds, and all the senses. These associations help people become invested in long-term goals and maintain the optimism required to achieve them. They help people endure the obstacles that stand in their way on the journey toward their goals. Leaders need to build company-wide expectations. Like kids in the backseat of a long car trip, employees can lose interest in their day-to-day work without a reminder of what they are working toward. Leaders need to keep lines of communication open and understand what goals mean for employees personally. This kind of open communication gives people the energy to work through change and setbacks’

The third principle discusses cutting your path. Respect and honesty are contained by generously following one's motivation and working hard to be the best at what one can be with destiny. Individuals who can indeed help themselves and face obstacles within their fate should consider being motivated, dedicated, motivated, and committed. People earn respect by "cutting their own paths" and not becoming resigned. People may have different agendas or dress differently, but they will have the same common goal, and their hearts are the same everywhere. This combination of courage, passion, and expertise is a formula for winning; having anyone aspect without the others puts people and companies in a position to be overtaken by competitors. When Plumeri was a kid, he remembers admiring legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, who took passion and courage and combined them to breakthrough despicable barriers. With hard work in developing skills, deep love of inspiration, and the courage to withstand. With trails of playing, individuals can seek out their own decisions and cut their paths. Years later, Plumeri got a chance to witness the exact similarity in his father, Sam. After his harsh surgery in 1991, Sam set out to bring a minor league baseball team to Trenton, New Jersey after his recovery from his surgery. Joe agreed to help his father find the funds to get a stadium built. However, Joe's idea would never come to fruition in his mindset. In 1995, New York Times printed an article about the success of minor league team Trenton Thunder and its drastic turn around which effected the city.

The fourth principle recommends that we should let sadness teach us. Loss can be a complex but effective teacher. When people care for their employees, coworkers, family, and friends, they learn what is truly valuable in life. At some point in their lives, people have the experience of recognizing that hindsight is 20/20. This experience is often triggered by loss and deep pain and highlights a series of regrets. For Plumeri, it was the death of his son Chris from a drug overdose that forced a realization about the cost of neglecting relationships. Personal sadness can be an influential teacher. It is Plumeri's hope that sharing Chris' story can inspire others to learn from it. Chris struggled with anorexia and drugs for most of his life, addictions that were deeply tied to his low self-esteem. In hindsight, Plumeri blames the prioritization of his personal business ambitions and consequent absence as a father for Chris' failure to build self-esteem. Plumeri reflects that without the love his son needed, Chris became directionless and turned to drugs. Plumeri believes that his attempts to help Chris with therapy, school, and business opportunities were "structurally correct" but failed to have the transformative effects they should have in the absence of quality time and emotional connection with his son. What is essential is that Plumeri has not simply wallowed in a state of regret about his relationship with his late son; the experience taught him to work harder than ever to nurture relationships with his family and friends. He recognized that becoming too caught up in work can lead to neglect in relationships and neglect of self. To indeed be themselves, people need to have an honest internal dialogue about what needs to change in their lives and how they are navigating challenges.

The fifth principle states that we should look up and not down. Difficult times are an actual test of people's ability to rise above circumstances and stay positive. The willingness to look up and believe that anything is possible brings transformation. Grief and disappointment can be significant barriers to people's ability to be optimistic, but deep sadness and major setbacks ultimately validate how powerful positive thinking really is. The direction people look—up or down will eventually determine the direction in which they go. Chris' death coincided with a faltering economy and a poorly timed business deal at Willis for Plumeri. No time would have been more opportune for looking down, but the legacy of Plumeri's father left him looking up and able to see significant opportunities. Plumeri helped negotiate a deal that would put five different Chicago offices under one roof in the former Sears Tower and renamed the building Willis Tower. The legacy of another insurance provider Plumeri had led, iPrimerica also taught him the importance of always looking up. Art Williams founded the company with a passion for helping people with modest earnings get life insurance. The company's innovation of term life insurance was coupled with the opportunity for agents to earn money for signing up other agents. This created a passionate workforce of middle-class people selling "hope and opportunity." Plumeri's tenure at Primerica involved imposing discipline and initiating needs-based selling with a Financial Needs Analysis to ensure customers were getting the right plans. Years later, what stayed with him was the optimism and faith the employees had in a better future.

6. Play in traffic. "Play in traffic" means exposing oneself to opportunities for serendipity. In some cases, playing in traffic means "always show up" because people never know when luck will strike. If someone is asked to attend a meeting or speak at a conference, they will not know ahead of time what could happen. The risk of missing something incredible is far greater than an event being boring or a waste of time. In other cases, playing in traffic means taking risks and seeking out people and opportunities. Getting excited about the different principles will not matter much if people do not, then go out and apply them and act. As a young law student, Plumeri went door to door in New York looking for a part-time job at a law office. He accidentally ended up in the brokerage firm of Carter, Berlind & Weill, got an entirely different kind of job, and launched an impressive career in finance. Playing in traffic can also mean taking a risk to try and remedy a bad situation. It might mean making the extra effort to talk with a substantial client in person about his or her complaints, taking the time to write a handwritten note, or letting go of a business that is not salvageable and putting extra effort into starting something new. Finally, playing in traffic should be fun, exciting, and engaging. The best places to play in traffic are fitness clubs, sports leagues, social or business clubs, religious organizations, public lectures, concerts, political gatherings, restaurants, alumni trips, or organized travel. Playing in traffic should give people a sense of "childlike enthusiasm" and provide a constant source of inspiration.

7. Make your heart your teleprompter. Most speeches given today are written out ahead of time and recited, or a PowerPoint is created as a crutch for presenters. Many people rely on scripts and data instead of their hearts and emotions. When people use their hearts as their teleprompters, they will be able to present their true selves and get a genuine reaction from others. Using the heart as a teleprompter is not always easy and does not always bring a tangible reward in the short run. Plumeri's friend Joe Califano was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1977 when he launched a major initiative to ban smoking in places like government buildings and on commercial flights. Having quit smoking, himself just a few years earlier, he knew it was right. He also knew that he would get a lot of pushbacks. He was fired from his job after intense lobbying efforts. In the long term, Califano's actions have had a significant positive impact, but following his heart was a difficult road. Using the heart as a teleprompter can also lead to successful business decisions. During Plumeri's tenure at Willis, he felt the company should offer benefits to any life partners regardless of their sexual orientation. The company implemented this policy when it was uncommon and before any human resources or media pressure. The decision was simply based on a feeling from the heart that it was the right thing to do. When people allow their hearts to guide them, there is no need to wait and see what the herd is doing or the data says. The decision might not be easy, but it will be the right one. The heart should be the primary compass in decision-making. Tools like data, technology, market research, and consultants should remain tools; they should never be substitutes for what people's hearts say.

The final principle states that you have a purpose. People need a reason to begin each day and do their work beyond making money. People need a reason to start each day beyond making money. When a person's purpose is helping others succeed, he or she often experiences fulfillment that cannot come from pure self-interest. Without a more profound sense of purpose, people's emotions will not become passions. The purpose is all about getting involved in someone or something else to become more fulfilled and attuned with oneself. Companies also need a purpose greater than making a profit. Since 2013, Plumeri has been a senior advisor at First Data, a company that processes payments. On its surface, First Data is all about using technology to conduct business, but this is not a purpose that inspires passion. The company's guiding goal is not about the payment system itself but how it helps other people grow their businesses and make their dreams a reality. Finding purpose is all about finding a passion and taking action.

References

The Power of Being Yourself. https://www.gitp.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/The-Power-of-Being-Yourself.pdf

The Power of Being Yourself: A Game Plan for Success by …. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/video/the-power-of-being-yourself-a-game-plan-for-success-by-putting-passion-into-your-life-and-work/

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