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Paradoxical Thinking: How to Profit from Your Contradictions
 
 
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Paradoxical Thinking: How to Profit from Your Contradictions [Hardcover]

Jerry L Fletcher (Author), Kelle Olwyler (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Price: $34.95 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
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Book Description

January 1, 1997 188105280X 978-1881052807 1st
Taking advantage of contradictory elements in oneself and one's situation can lead to better performance all around
-- Presents a five-step process for using paradoxes to find solutions to a wide range of problems
-- Provides tools that enable people to improve actual performance when faced with seemingly contradictory goals
-- Includes case studies showing how real people have used paradoxical thinking to solve real problems

Everyone has, at one time or another, approached a daunting task and handled it with calm and focus. The successful resolution of difficult problems requires the ability to take advantage of the disparities inherent a troublesome situation. Only when one confronts and masters both sides of a contradiction can there be a "high performance" or successful outcome. Paradoxical Thinking addresses these considerations.

Fletcher and Olwyler have studied the way people succeed and found that those who understand their own paradoxical qualities are best able to deal with difficult and demanding situations. The authors' clear five-step process shows readers how to identify their own unique "core paradox" and then use it to deal with problems and opportunities in their lives.

Paradoxical Thinking empowers readers by showing when they can make more effective and positive choices in the face of negative possibilities. Readers can use this book -- filled with examples, solutions to actual paradoxical situations, and exercises -- to make satisfying and creative changes in their personal and professional lives.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

Based on years of real-world road testing with individuals and corporate leaders, Fletcher and Olwyler's five-steps in Paradoxial Thinking method helps the reader to consciously bring together the paradoxical sides of yourself to achieve outstanding results individually, on teams, and in organizations. Using an important problem or goal, Paradoxial Thinking will help to identify the core personal paradox, redefine the problem/goal so that it can be approached paradoxically, monitor how well things are going, and take positive action steps to overcome roadblocks and banish cycles of ineffectiveness. -- Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

Conflict management consultants and trainers, facilitators, executive coaches, business coaches, life coaches and managers will find the concepts and practical applications in Paradoxical Thinking: How to Profit from Your Contradictions will give all a major tool to add to their kit. This tool is unique in that is can be applied in many arenas with slight variations: conflict management, polarity management; executive coaching, self-coaching, self-help; shadow work, Ying yang; human paradox, paradox, paradoxical nature of life; high performance, group and team dynamics; success in business, conduct in life; problem definition, goal setting, maximizing potential, overcoming roadblocks.

The book provides a field for reflection, while giving practical tools for application and taking action. It includes: learning by example, 2 case histories that follow the books chapters almost to the end; applying paradoxical thinking to self, others and to groups. The processes offered can help to make, in an unthreatening manner, the whole person visible. It shines a light onto all aspects present in a person, including the shadow side.

The oxmoronic process is fun, light hearted while allowing for all truth to be present, even "the hard stuff."


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1st edition (January 1, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 188105280X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1881052807
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #507,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Managing your personal paradox, September 8, 2001
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This review is from: Paradoxical Thinking: How to Profit from Your Contradictions (Hardcover)
When I heard about this book, I did not quite know what to expect. Reading things like 'How to profit from your contradictions' and 'bringing together the paradoxical sides of yourself to achieve outstanding results', I feared it might turn out to be kind of vague and superficial. But I decided to give the book the benefit of the doubt, because I quite liked Jerry Fletcher's previous book "Patterns of High Performance".

How wrong can you be in your expectations...The book turned out to be a downright fascinating read! The book describes with great clarity a very specific step-by-step method by which you can identify seemingly contradictory characteristics of yourself (the authors call this your 'core paradox'). Both of these contradictory characteristics can be expressed either in a negative way or in a positive way.

When these contradictory characteristics are expressed in their most negative way, a nightmare-scenario can follow. When this happens, a person swings back and forth between the two (negative) sides of the paradox, leaving him or her hopeless, without energy and ineffective. However, when these contradictory characteristics are expressed in their most positive way, both (positive) sides of the paradox are simultaneously present.

Because of this, you can produce creative resolutions of dilemma's that previously seemed intractable. Using a tool called 'Fletcher's pendulum', you can figure out how to get from the negative expression of your core paradox to a positive expression. How this exactly works, you should of course read in the book. It has many examples and is packed with practical wisdom. I found it extremely valuable.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read!, November 8, 2001
This review is from: Paradoxical Thinking: How to Profit from Your Contradictions (Hardcover)
Jerry L. Fletcher and Kelley Olwyler examine how you use paradoxical thinking - contradictory ways of approaching a situation. Then, they discuss ways to use your paradoxes to your strategic advantage. You can use their "pendulum" to help you recognize the positive and negative ways you express these paradoxes - so you can apply the positive actions to difficult situations. They invite readers to analyze themselves and resolve a current problem. The book can help you devise more creative solutions to personal and work situations. However, while the system is fairly straightforward, elements do seem complicated and may be difficult to apply on your own. We [...] recommend this book as a novel approach to problem solving and a worthy way to regard goal setting without the nagging voice of consistency in your ear.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Paradoxical Thinking:How to Profit from Your Contradictions, April 18, 2000
By 
Jerry L Fletcher (San Anselmo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Paradoxical Thinking: How to Profit from Your Contradictions (Hardcover)
Paradoxical Thinking is a very effective step-by-step guide for really getting down to understanding the core aspects of our individual nature and how they can work together synergistically-- or cause a nightmare of inner conflict. Jerry and Kelle show us how to discover and reclaim our seemingly contradictory qualities and use them to get through apparent impasses. This book is great for self-help, for coaching, and for collaborative thinking. Recognizing my own oxymoronic nature is definitely helpful in making my way in the world. Discovering my "Nightmare Oxymoron" was a blast. I recommend it.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
You can probably remember times in your life when you faced a really daunting task and handled it with great focus, internal calm, and centeredness despite its difficulty. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
own paradoxical qualities, personal pendulum, flaw accurate, personal paradox, pendulum diagram, measurable goal statement, disliked side, floral design business, using oxymorons, core paradox, rated side, own pendulum, unsatisfactory choices, tiger side, list action steps, rating yourself, paradoxical sides, finance unit, paradoxical characteristics, flower business, contingency planner, preferred side, sentence stem
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Paradoxical Thinking, Fletcher's Pendulum, High Performance Oxymoron, Nightmare Oxymoron, Original Oxymoron, Paul Manufacturing, Choosing Action Steps, Describing How He Would Be Acting, Finding Your Core Personal Paradox, Mature Expressions, Bill Gates, New York, Improve Your Self-Ratings, Self-Doubting Hopeless
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