Customer Reviews

The Ant and the Elephant: Leadership For the Self

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vince Poscente has created a powerful little book that will propel you to be the best you can be. Written as a quick read using an entertaining allegory between an ant and the elephant, the book contains strategic tools that you can use to create peak performers personally and personally.

Vince also weaved in his great sense of humor that had me laughing out loud! The crux of the book is his five-step program that he calls the 5 C's. Here are the 5 C's that you will learn about in the Ant and the Elephant:

1. Clarify your vision.
Make fear your friend, not your master. You don't know what you don't know. Open your mind to discover possibilities that may not be obvious at the time. Zero in on a goal that has depth of meaning. The journey has to be worth taking.

2. Commit to cultivating positive dominant thoughts.
Shift beliefs, attitudes and truths so they are in alignment with your vision. Envision having the goal, rather than merely wanting the goal.

3. Consistently focus on performance.
Experience the goal as though it were happening right now. Show your gratitude consistently.

4. Strengthen confidence.
Frustration will lead to negative thoughts. Negative thoughts add fuel to more negativity. This negativity can be a pattern that destroys confidence. No two thoughts can occupy the mind at the same time. Replace negativity with positive, confident thoughts.

5. Control the response to any situation.
Unforeseen circumstances will arise. Expect the unexpected. Anticipate your response to challenges as well as your team's.

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works and founder of EmpoweringMessages.com

I found The Ant and The Elephant an excellent resource on self development not only in the workplace but also in my personal life. I read this book at a time when my family was going through a great loss of a loved family member. As in all situations in life we are always faced with the projection of negativity from unexpecting sources. This book helped me in being the guide for those around me not to get caught in the patterns of negativity but focusing on the joy we had for one another.

Vince Poscente is an incredibly gifted speaker, and his wisdom shines through in The Ant and the Elephant. The story of Adir's journey to the oasis, and the helpful action steps and "Notes to Self" that are liberally sprinkled throughout this delightful story, can help any reader dream bigger dreams and think more clearly about how to overcome the barriers that stand between them and the realization of those dreams. I plan to highly recommend this book to the readers (all over the world) of my Spark Plug newsletter, and I highly recommend it to the readers of this review. -- Joe Tye, CEO of Values Coach America

The best thing I took away from this book is the idea that life actions are much more powerful and effective when they stem from beliefs that you 'have' things rather than from beliefs that you 'want' things. Reaching nirvana is all about believing you already have it. This book helped me figure out how to spend about 12 hours total over a few days in a heightened state of contented 'having'. It's only fair; the lessons do take commitment from the reader to achieve extended periods of contentedness. Mileage may vary. ;-) I know I can go back to the book and get there again; it's a pretty good roadmap.

Vince Poscente has written a winner. The Ant and the Elephant is solid and is sure to have a major positive impact. Vital life and business concepts made simple in a practical and entertaining parable. The five step action plan is a true find. The workplace will never be the same - thank goodness. A must read for leaders. This book should come with a highlighter.

I love parables and alagories. I don't know what it is exactely, maybe it is a return to the cartoon parables we watched in the 50's and 60's, but parables seem to be a great way of illustrating complex issues simply. THE ANT AND THE ELEPHANT is a great little story by Vince Poscente that represents the struggles between our conscious mind (the ant) and our subconscious mind (the elephant).

Late in the book (in the afterword), Poscente explains that in one second of time the conscious mind uses some 2 thousand neurons, but the subconscious mind in the same second of time uses 4 billion neurons. Is it any wonder why we want to do one thing (stop smoking, eat less, exercise more, get to bed earlier, etc) but we end up doing just the opposite? We make decisions with our conscious mind, but let our subconscious mind control our actions.

This story is about Adir, the ant. Adir lives on the back of Elgo the elephant, although at first he doesn't even realize he lives there. Adir and Elgo both want to reach the oasis, representative of our personal goals, but Elgo (the subconscious) keeps leading them astray. Adir, with the help of a very wise mentor and coach, Brio the owl, begins to learn how to control Elgo's actions.

This is a fun little story and is a quick and easy read. I really liked Poscente's writing style. He interjects tidbits of humor into the story and at the end of each chapter, he reviews the action item that needs to be taken. Follow these steps and you will find your oasis.

This book is a great analogy to how one can accomplish their goals and dreams if they would just "get it together." Remember 2 Billion neurons run your subconcious, it never shuts off. Only 4 thousand neurons run your consious. Which one do you think will listen more????

This book is ideal to give to your consultants to read as they are starting on the path to become successful.

This book is a great parable about the power of & how to harness our subconscious mind. It's an easy read but the points are very powerful. Enjoy!

This book is brilliantly written, even a child could understand it. Actually i bought two copies so that i could lend one out to friends. I think you will enjoy it and perhaps re-read it just so that you can get the full benefit of it. It will not only challenge you but will give you encouragement too.