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August 18, 2010

BOOM! 7 Choices For Blowing The Doors Off Business-As-Usual

Kevin and Jackie Freiberg

Thomas Nelson Books, 2007

286 pages

the big idea

When you realize your career and your reputation is a result of choices and not

conditions, the effect is absolutely liberating. You begin to think big and act bold.

You become impassioned and engaged. Co-workers look to you for leadership

and inspiration. You become more accountable and involved in closing the gap

between the corporate culture you envision and the one in which you work. In a

word, you become “indispensable” on the job.

After twenty years of talking to America’s most innovative and unconventional

business leaders and accountable employees, the Freibergs have distilled this

collective wisdom into seven essential choices. If you are ready to move from a

life stuck in neutral to the freedom of seeing work as an exciting and passionate

adventure, then BOOM! is your ticket.

Expand your influence and engage in work that matters!

Leadership is a choice! Leadership doesn’t come from titles, positions or DNA.

Leaders choose—they choose to serve others, take on risk, assume responsibility

and discover a life where passion and excitement replace ho-hum routine.

nutshell

CHOICE #1 BE A PLAYER, NOT A BYSTANDER

Extraordinary Happens When Ordinary People Choose to Do Whatever It Takes

Players choose to “be there,” and you can count on them to bring their all to the competition.

CHOICE # 2 BE ACCOUNTABLE

There is No “THEY” Only You and Me

If we can’t be blamed, we are safe, right? Wrong. The problem is that you will never get to the cause of your misfortune and therefore never get on with liv-ing the life you want by pointing the finger at others. Blaming may make you feel good temporarily, but in the end it will only leave you stuck in the situa-tion – a lousy relationship with your boss, a job that sucks the life out of you, a culture that values bureaucracy and politics over making things happen – that is making you unhappy. Blaming only perpetuates the problem. Own the problem! Be accountable, think and act like an owner (even if you aren’t one).

Refuse to Play the Blame Game.

CHOICE # 3 CHOOSE SERVICE OVER SELF-INTEREST

Me–First Rarely Delivers the Desired Outcome

When your contribution takes the form of service to others, your work sud-denly starts to come alive with meaning. And you don’t have to be Gandhi or Mother Teresa. Service isn’t reserved to helping the poor, waiting tables or working behind a counter. It’s just like Bob Dylan said: “We all have to serve somebody,” and no matter what your job is, there are real people – in your company and outside of it – who depend on you for some kind of service.

CHOICE # 4 FOCUS FORWARD

Your Future Isn’t in the Rearview Mirror

Focusing forward enables you to improve decisions and performance. Focusing forward is about emphasizing your strengths versus your weakness-es, what you do right versus what you do wrong, and what you can do versus what you can’t do.

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BOOM! | © BusinessSummaries 2010

CHOICE # 5 PLAY TO YOUR GENIUS

Your Work Is a Statement About You

Your work matters. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can begin to change your life. As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.” If you don’t plan for your life to matter, guess what? It won’t, at least not to the extent you wish it did. The work you do – in fact, everything you do – is a statement about who you are. Why not choose to make it a masterpiece?

CHOICE # 6 GET IT DONE

Success Is the Reward for Those Who Make a Difference

Right now someone somewhere is training to kick your butt. When you stop bringing something of value to the game, the game is over (whether you realize it or not).

CHOICE # 7 RISK MORE – GAIN MORE

The World Isn’t Changed by Those Who Are Unwilling to Take Risks

What makes YOU unforgettable? What makes you stand out in the eyes

of your coworkers, your boss, your customers? You become unforget-

table when you leverage your unique gifts, perspectives, and voice to

make a difference. Of course, this assumes that you have the courage to

risk, to step through the door of uncertainty to seize an opportunity.

YOUR CHOICES SHAPE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR LIFE IS IN

YOUR HANDS….

AN INVITATION

If you accept our call to arms and join this revolution, at least three

things will happen: you will expand your influence, you will become a

positive force for change, and you will live with fewer regrets.

Your life is not a dress rehearsal. Your life is now. Time is ticking.

Guess what? IT’S YOUR MOVE!

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