56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK, but not life changing, April 5, 2009
This review is from: Get Motivated!: Overcome Any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal, and Accelerate Your Success with Motivational DNA (Hardcover)
WHAT I LIKED
1) Honesty upfront. The author plainly states that there is no 1 size fits all and you're free to disagree with her framwork.
2) A variety of helpful best practices for getting you motivated, despite what your personality may be.
3) The author does try to shove in as much information as possible.
WHAT'S LACKING
1) The study needs to be included as an appendix to the book. I would gladly add a star to my review for this. On page 5, the author tells us that the ". . . system that I am about to unveil is based on an eight-year study that my team and I have conducted with more than 10,000 people. It is a research-based, systematic approach to achievement--and it works." If you're going to claim that an approach is backed up by scientific data, then you have to provide more details about the data and the science that you used.
2) The middle core chapters fail to actually help you "get motivated". There's inspirational stories, lots of quotes, bulleted and numbered listes, but little in the way of actionable steps that help one become motivated. Let me use chapter 9 to illustrate:
i) 1 page story on Mother Theresa
ii) 1 page describing the temperment of internals
iii) 2 1/2 pages on the personal story of Joshua Hanson
iv) 1 page on Pat Riley
v) 1 1/2 pages of quotes by internals
vi) 1/2 page description of the communication style of internals and a bulleted list of how to communicate with internals
vii) 1 page description on how internals look at the world
viii) a bulleted list of 6 strengths of internals, including "virtuous character"
ix) 1/2 page of the weaknesses of internals
x) 1 page of what internals want at work
xi) 7 bullets on how to work with internals, including "demonstrate interest in their family, concerns, and passions".
xii) short descriptive sections (1/3 page or less each) on "internals at play", "internals in relationships", "resolving conflict with internals", and "value to organization"
xiii) 1/3 page on what de-motivates internals
xiv) 10 point list on what motivates internals
xv) 1 page on what rewards to give internals to motivate them
xvi) 1/4 page of "Advice for Internals"
See the problem here? Out of 16 pages in the chapter, only 1.6% of chapter 9 contained information about what internals were supposed to do to become motivated. Wasn't that the point of the book?
The author does include, in chapter 15, 4 pages on how she, as a someone of "variety" motivated herself to get serious about workouts through variety. Then in the Appendix A, there are several (typically 4) questions for each category that are supposed to be used by people to ask themselves in order to get better motivated. Even so, that's not enough. This book should have included instructive lessons on how to get motivated in each of the core DNA chapters backed up by multiple case studies, instead of the descriptions, quotes and bullet points.
I want this to be a 5 star book and here's 3 things the author could make to achieve that:
1) Make it easier for an individual to identify which DNA categories that they fall into. Be much more detailed, such as a list of 50 questions, instead of just describing general characteristics of a group.
2) Re-do the core chapters. First, begin with the purpose that the chapters MUST teach an individual how to improve their own motivation. If I'm buying a book on motivation, it must mean that I want someone else's advice on better ways to become motivated. Telling me characteristics about myself or how a boss might motivate me with recognition, private praise, etc. isn't of much help. Second, the items from Appendix A should be worked into the chapters. If this book is to be truly useful, it must be organized in a way that it can act as a reference. The styles in 7 Habits and How to Meet Friends are good examples of how to organize the content so that it is straightforward and can be used as a reference.
3) Add an appendix with detailed explanation of the research.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get Motivated - Best Motivation Book I've Ever Read, February 12, 2009
This review is from: Get Motivated!: Overcome Any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal, and Accelerate Your Success with Motivational DNA (Hardcover)
When I saw the title of this book I thought, what a timely book for a day and age when motivation is needed more than ever. Of course, I did wonder, would it deliver? As I read the book I was surprised at how applicable it was to the many challenges that I'm facing as a leader of a national organization, a father and a husband. Rarely do you find a book that speaks to developing both your business skills and personal skills. However, the principles in this book had clear application to all facets of my life. I found myself stopping and taking notes about how I can implement some of the great lessons discovered in these pages. Tamara's writing style is very engaging and practical. I liked the way the book is laid out with assessments and studies of real life leaders and how their motivational styles influence their leadership. I ordered copies for all of my employees and have asked them to take the Motivation DNA survey in order to discover better how to relate together as a team. I'm also working on applying the principles at home and in my personal life. I've discovered that I tend to try and motivate my children through the things that motivate me which can often be ineffective and leave us both frustrated. As I've worked to motivate my kids in their unique style, I have seen better results. The only thing I wish were different about the book was I wish I had it 20 years ago. If you want to grow as a leader and unleash the power of motivation to help you achieve more, I would recommend you order this book today and choose express shipping.
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