Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical and actionable... recommended read., September 11, 2007
Talking about capitalizing on a name... :) The Flip Side: Break Free of the Behaviors That Hold You Back by Flip Flippen. This was a book I picked up on in one of the personal productivity blogs I follow, and it is one of the most practical, easy-to-understand books on personal change that I've read recently. Even better, he goes into how *you* can react and respond more effectively to each personality type. And trust me, you'll find your problem coworker/friend/acquaintance in here with no problem. :)
Part 1 - Understanding Personal Constraints: Something Is Holding You Back; The Foundations of OPC (Overcoming Personal Constraints); The Five Laws of Personal Constraints; Overview - The Top 10 Killer Constraints
Part 2 - Identifying Personal Constraints: #1 - Bulletproof (Overconfident); #2 - Ostriches (Low Self-Confidence); #3 - Marshmallows (Overly Nurturing); #4 - Critics (Too Demanding, Nitpicky, or Harsh); #5 - Icebergs (Low Nurturing); #6 - Flatliners (Low Passion, Vision, or Drive); #7 - Bulldozers (Overly Dominant); #8 - Turtles (Resistant to Change); #9 - Volcanoes (Aggressive, Angry); #10 - Quick Draw (Low Self-Control, Impulsive)
Part 3 - Overcoming Personal Constraints: Building Your TrAction Plan; Constraints Are Personal - My Story; Personal-Constraint Combinations; OPC Starts at Home; OPC in the Workplace; Personal Constraints and Culture; Listening to What Others Say - The Power of Honest Feedback
Conclusion - Raised in Captivity; Next Steps; Acknowledgments; Index
I'm sure glad I don't have any of these... NOT! :)
Each of the constraint chapters uses a couple of examples (some historical, some personal from the author's work) to show how a particular trait can play out and limit one's effectiveness. This is followed by the "Are You ..." checklist, which has 10 questions you can ask yourself to see where you fall in terms of that constraint. If you're on the high end of the scale, you'll be interested in the "So I'm ... Help Me!" section that follows. That's where Flippen lays out specific actions you can take to change this part of your behavior. Even better, that section is followed by a "How Can I Deal With A ... Person?". That's where you get to find out what types of communication and actions you can take to make your interactions with that personality type go better. The goal isn't to change them (although that would be nice), but it's more like survival skills so you don't get caught in the debris and aftermath of their limitations.
And in case you're wondering, I have marshmellow-y tendencies with a little flatliner and turtle thrown in...
I think that any book that helps you categorize or examine your behaviors can have a positive influence. The Flip Side seems to work better than most in that you don't have to struggle to see yourself or others in the scenarios, and the advice and actions are concrete and do-able. If you're looking to kick things up another level in your life (or avoid kicking someone else in frustration), I'd recommend this book...
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
About working on your strengths, May 10, 2007
From the moment you open this book, you'll know why the flip theme fit its message perfectly. Most self-help books teach us to look to our strengths to achieve success. The Flip Side shows us we need to overcome our personal constraints if we expect to reach our full potential.
Many of us look around and see others living lives we only dream of. According to Flippen, the only thing holding us back is something he calls our personal constraints. Once we understand that, then identify what our constraints are, we can go to work to overcome them.
He offers ten types of personal constraints, ranging from low self-control to overconfidence and variations in between. Each of the ten types has its own chapter to help the reader determine, through stories and examples and checklists, which personal constraint best fits the reader.
Believing we need feedback from others in order to get a clear image of self, Flippen recommends finding a "feedback partner."
According to Flippen, behavior change makes a bigger impact quicker than thinking change does. He devotes a chapter to building a TrAction Plan(tm) for determining personal constraints, then creating steps to overcome those constraints.
The book is a bit heavy on stories, including Flippen's own. His company is the largest educational trainer in North America. With his thirty years' experience and impressive client list that includes Nolan Ryan and the executive director of Joel Osteen Ministries and Lakewood Church, one might expect more how-to, however.
Armchair Interviews says: If you want to flip to the other side and work on your constraints rather than your strengths, this book is a good place to start.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A readily accessible guide to improving one's strengths through recognizing and turning around one's weaknesses., August 6, 2007
Written by head of The Flippin Group and expert motivational coach Flip Flippen, The Flip Side: Break Free of the Behaviors That Hold You Back is a no-nonsense self-help guide to identifying how personal constraints and often unconscious restrictions can hold one back from one's full potential. Breaking free of those restraints and learning to "flip" negative thoughts and behaviors into positive ones form the core of The Flip Side. Negative personality-driven trait types are listed and range from "bulldozers" (too dominant, ignoring all dissenting options) to "marshmallows" (too nurturing, avoiding conflict at the expense of their happiness) and "quick draws" (too impulsive, with poor self-control). A readily accessible guide to improving one's strengths through recognizing and turning around one's weaknesses.
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