The Way of the Ronin: Riding the Waves of Change at Work [Paperback]

Beverly Potter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1988

In ancient Japan, ronin were samurai who left the service of their feudal lords for independence, thus learning how to thrive on change. This updated edition shows how today's professionals can become modern-day ronin living outside corporate feudalism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: Ronin Pub (November 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914171267
• ISBN-13: 978-0914171263
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,988,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Way of the Ronin : Riding the Waves of Change at Work, June 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way of the Ronin: Riding the Waves of Change at Work (Paperback)

I found this book to be very helpful. It articulated an approach to life that I have used for many years, but have not had a term for before now; it is great to learn that all the various pieces of one's way of doing things all fit together. Also, I thought the comparison she draws with ancient Japanese culture is very interesting. I felt a part of a larger group of people, sharing their struggles and their path, as I can very much relate to the difficulty of carving out a non-pre-fabricated career path. She has good suggestions for how to apply her ideas in a practical manner in the workplace, and lots of anecdotal examples, which nicely bridge the gap between theory and practice. I only wish I had encountered this book sooner, as it would have provided needed encouragement.--I now know that my approach to the workplace did end up standing me in good stead, but struggled with an initial period of many years when it looked like my approach wasn't paying off and there was something wrong with me because I couldn't find the right "ladder" to start climbing. I have only one critical comment: While the CONTENT of the drawings is very well-conceived and relevant, I don't like the fact that all the women are drawn as if they were sticking their chests and behinds out, and with shadowing that makes them look like they are wearing excessively tight skirts; This is inappropriate in a book that is supposed to get away from conventional workplace patterns. (I don't want my name mentioned over the web, but the author may have it and my e-mail address if she is interested.)

5.0 out of 5 stars What Beverly Potter teaches, February 2, 2011

By 

A Motalygo (Cupertino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way of the Ronin 3 Ed: Riding the Waves (Paperback)

What Beverly Potter teaches, February 2, 2011

By A Motalygo (Cupertino, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is for: The Way of the Ronin 3 Ed: Riding the Waves (Paperback)

My brother, Valo Motalygo, took a course from Dr. Beverly Potter at De Anza college in Cupertino around the time this book was published. The title of the course was How to Survive in the Corporate World. My brother found the course fascinating, the professor brilliant and the experience lasting. He has a paragraph in his own book devoted to Beverly Potter. Here is what he writes:

"She talked about life and work, communication and conflict resolution, meditation and Oriental philosophy. She made a remarkable pronouncement, 'I believe in magic as much as I believe in science. It works!' She told a couple of stories that I liked.

One such story went like this: There was a wise man who lived all alone in the mountains. There was a small village down the hill. One day a young woman from the village came to talk to the wise man and seek his advice. A few (nine) months later the woman gave birth to a boy. She came back up the mountain and said, "This is your son! I cannot raise him in shame! You can have him!" She left. The only words out of the man's mouth were, "Is that so?" Ten years later the same woman, mother of the child returned. This time she said,"Give me my son back! I cannot live without him!" She took the boy and left. The only words out of the wise man's mouth were, "Is that so?"

The point of this charming story is that you don't have to defend your point of view. To argue is to waste time and energy because arguing is at most a sequence of moderately successful attempts at correcting misunderstandings of a previous conversation."

This is not a review of the book, it is my brother's personal experience with Dr. Beverly Potter. What he has to say about her and her teaching might be helpful to people who are deciding whether or not they want to buy a book by this author. I haven't read the book but really want to. (I requested it for my iPad). My brother was a seeker, just like the person who wrote the only other review for this book to date (February 2011). I think this book is for those who think deeply about life, and who feel that they do not quite fit into the standard mold. Dr. Beverly Potter offers something very profound, spacious, spiritually generous and wise to those who think much.

Speaking for my brother Valo Motalygo,

Anya Motalygo