Customer Reviews

Everything's An Offer: How to do more with less

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

 

 

Everything's An Offer: How to do more with less

Wow.

Ok, truth in lending. I know Rob Poyington. We met at Oxford about ten years ago. He showed up on a Sunday night wearing a quiet demeanor and a Gary Hirsh tee shirt. Two hours later we had a group of senior executives from all walks of life, from all over the world, in a very different place - open to possibility, engaged, curious, and more relaxed. As I went to sleep that night I said, "Wow." I could see that there was something here, but I did not quite understand it.

In the years since, I have tried to live it and to spread the gospel to my own leadership development clients; everything is an offer, attend, create flow, let go. Wow. Not a bad way to run your business or your life.

What Rob has done is make sense of all that. There was no bibliography for Improv. Now there is.

And this is it.

And it is well written, usable, thought-provoking, and life-changing.

Thanks, Rob.

I'm really appreciating the book and the insidious way it is all becoming a part of my working attitude towards life with all its surprises. The stories bring the author's concepts into view in a most delightful and instructive way. I've read up to and through the blocking chapter and looking forward to the rest. I think it will be a great resource for a long time to come. I'm a yoga teacher and this enhances what I can offer to my students.

To situate this review in context, I'm an executive coach and consultant in the middle of a PhD program trying to figure out how cultural change happens in organizations. Everything's an Offer has become my favourite book. It offers the best exploration so far of what happens at the intersection of improvisation, organizational life, and relationships.

Provocative and stimulating (with a delightful sense of playfulness) Rob and Gary welcome us and challenge us to reflect on the way we show up in day-to-day encounters with each other. Referencing (very accurately and respectfully I might add) great writers like Wheatley, Hillman, Jaworski, Capra, and Abrashoff -amongst others - as in "holy smokes Rob Poynton is well read and super smart" - and weaving in vivid stories of real life experiences, this book teaches, inspires, tickles and delights. I keep going back to it - and will continue to do so.

What I especially love is the delicious blend of ideas/concepts/theory with pragmatic "here's how you can actually start practicing this now" suggestions. I must say, my vacation at Christmas with my feisty and fabulous teenage kids was definitely more fun because of reading this book while the holiday unfolded - I was practicing noticing more, using everything, and letting go. It worked!

A few of my favourite excerpts:

"The plan should be a springboard, not a leash."

"Remember, everything you do is an offer."

"In relationships, giving too much priority to control, regularity, and predictability is counterproductive. You can't sustain the interest (let alone the affection) of a colleague, customer, audience, or lover through control."

Citing James Hillman, "Ideas we have and do not know we have, have us."

The book is brilliant. Buy it. Buy it for your friends and colleagues & anyone who cares about living a joyful, creative, connected and human life.

I love this book. It's provided me with the motivation to be a better parent and consultant...funny how valuable I've found it to be with my 4-year-old, even though I bought it for tips on being better in my business.

As I dove into it, I was struck with what a nontraditional business read it is. It's dense material...and there's a lot of it. So, I'm using my time reading it as a chance to be present and really chew on the material. The format might not be for everyone, as it's not filled with bullet points. But if you give it the time and immerse yourself in the content, you will be greatly rewarded.

I just finished 'Everything's an Offer' -- read the whole thing cover to cover in one sitting -- an indication of how well written, easy to read and follow, and inspirational this book is. This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ on your list of books for Life -- it has valuable lessons, tools, lanugage and examples from the techniques of Improv that you can use immediately in anything you do for work or in life. This book will be the gift I 'offer' many people this year!