You Already Know How to be Great by Alan Fine w/Rebecca R. Merrill - BOOK REVIEW and GIVEAWAY {CLOSED}

Title:  You Already Know How to be Great
Author: Alan Fine with Rebecca R. Merrill
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Publish Date:  October 14, 2010
ISBN 10: 1591843553
ISBN13: 9781591843559
Hardcover, 256 pages 

GoodReads description:

A bold new approach to performance by one of the top coaches in the country.

In trying to improve-on the playing field, in the office, or even at home-most people seek out new information to get to the next level. They read a book, attend a class, or hire an expert to give them an edge.

But Alan Fine, an accomplished tennis, golf, and executive coach and a renowned authority on peak performance, believes that this "outside-in" method is precisely what's holding you back from doing your best work. He's found the biggest obstacle to improved performance isn't not knowing what to do; it's thinking too hard about what you already know. The tips and tools designed to help you get ahead can actually interfere with your ability to focus.

Fine reveals his simple and proven approach to achieving breakthrough performance. It starts with reducing the interference that blocks your potential through an amazing process called G.R.O.W. (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward).

No matter who you are or what you do, You Already Know How to Be Great will help you eliminate what is standing in the way of your goals. 

My Take:  I'm normally not too big on self-help books; my experience has been that they're not much help to ME, but I'm certain that they're a help to the writer's pocketbook! :)

BUT, this book is an exception, as the author clearly states that everything he is telling us is something we already know, but he can help us put it into action.

Initially, as I read the Foreword, I was immediately turned off by the corporate buzzphrase "paradigm shift" being used.  I don't like buzzwords and phrases; they make my brain go into that "Oh, no, please, not THAT word again!" mode and my eyes glaze over.  Then I saw that the foreword wasn't written by the author, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  Not that there AREN'T any buzzwords in the book; but they are not overused and meaningless, so they didn't take away from my focus on what I was reading.

This book is about trying to improve your own performance as well as those you are trying to help, whether it's your daughter who won't clean her room or your employees not taking your guidance to heart.  I liked this phrase near the beginning:  "Most of the time, lack of knowledge isn't the problem", as it is really is true.  We all KNOW what to do most of the time; it's something else that's keeping us from doing it.

The author describes this something else as interFEARance - whether it's fear of failing, fear of not doing it right, fear of what other people will think of us, and he aptly illustrates how to get rid of this outside interference and have the "Faith" (knowledge that we CAN do it), "Fire" (passion for getting it done), and "Focus" (not allowing the past to interfere by focusing on this present moment) to allow us to handle almost any situation.  It could be learning a new skill; perfecting a skill you already have, public speaking, focusing your own words to that messy teenage daughter so that the chore you're asking her to do breaks down and becomes more attainable, or any of the myriad situations we run into every day.

There are reflective questions at the end of each chapter, sidebar quotes and inserted instances that help in reinforcing the main topic (although, and maybe you can color me slow, there was one - "The Flow Experience" - that left me scratching my head), and real-world examples in both the author's experience and others that illustrate how this principle can easily put to use in everyday situations.  It's not preachy; it's not "I'm the King of the World and I know everything, so you should listen to me if you want to be a success" - it's none of the things that normally make me turn off on self-help books.

I think this one is going on my keeper shelf; because as I read, I could recall some recent situations where this advice would have aided greatly in changing my own course for the better.

QUOTES:

My invitation to you is to simply play with the ideas in these pages and use what's helpful to you.  As you will discover, this book is less about gaining new knowledge and more about getting rid of what's keeping you from using the knowledge you already have.

More broadly, as managers, leaders, coaches, or parents, we're incredulous to think (or more likely, it never even occurs to us to think) that without our excessive instructing, regulating, controlling, directing, and intervening, people might actually be able to perform with greater confidence, more enthusiasm, and more effective focus.

It stands to reason that if we can chunk down the challenge into tasks that feel doable and then create a singular Focus on one or more critical variables of the task, we're far more likely to create the flow state that creates high performance.

Book Rating:  4.0 out of 5 stars

Author Website

Author blog

BUY IT:  At Amazon and other on- and off-line booksellers

WIN IT:  Thanks to the generosity of Inside Out Development, you, my readers, have a chance to win one of 5 copies of this book.  If you need a little nudge in ANY area of your life, this is a good book to help you focus on what you need to do to get there.

MANDATORY ENTRY:   Have you ever been in a situation where you second-guessed how to act based on what other people might think?

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ELIGIBILITY:  Open to US and Canada

End Date:  Tuesday, November 30, at 11:59 PM EST

Disclosure:  I was provided with a complimentary title from Inside Out Development to facilitate this review.  No other compensation was received.