Author: Beverly D. Flaxington
Publisher: ATA Press, 166 pages
Book Review by Nano Khilnani
Many team leaders and individuals struggle with setting and achieving goals. Those who do set goals often have trouble accomplishing them.
Beverly D. Flaxington has been helping, for some 25 years, people who are either in or entering the business world. He has been wearing many hats in that endeavor. On the business side of her experience and expertise, she has been a corporate consultant, coach and trainer. On the psychological side, she is a behavioral expert and hypnotherapist. And on the academic side, she has been a college professor and author of several books relating to business and the behavior of those who run companies: people.
All this makes her uniquely qualified to write this book. This book takes a different approach than most others in helping business executives overcome the challenges of not being able to accomplish their objectives on a personal level and through the teams they build with hard work, and sometimes, with frustration.
Her answer to the problems team leaders and their members face is set forth in this great book with a model she calls SHIFT. Each letter stands for the beginning of a phrase, but I will not spell out the phrases and spoil the fun and the exciting discovery process for you, of this new, creative model of goal-setting and accomplishment.
But I will tell you this: the SHIFT model is truly revolutionary. Any process of change for human beings is not effective unless its creator clearly understands human behavior, especially weaknesses. This model takes that into account.
Many of us lack discipline in following through on what we write down on paper. That is, if we write it down at all. This model is based on a thorough understanding of the shortcomings in people’s attitudes as well, not just their behavior. This book is also not something created just out of thought. It is based on many years of actual experience of the author working with people.
Beverly Flaxington understands human behavior well. One of the books she has written is entitled: Understanding Other People: the Five Secrets to Human Behavior.
For change to be effective and long-lasting, learning and practicing new behavior is critical. So, at the end of each chapter is provided a worksheet that teaches and helps reinforce new behavior. The dictum “practice makes perfect” is embodied in this book.
This is an inspiring book for those committed to bring about change and growth in their companies, to say the least. It is practical, with how-to guides and do-able, actionable steps. I would urge readers to get now not just for yourselves but for your teams and for your companies, if you want to move ahead. And not stand still.
