First let me say: There is nothing I found in the content of Joe Calloway's "Work Like You're Showing Off!" that is original. Those readers who have read as many self-help motivational books as I have over the past five decades will be familiar with the themes presented and discussed. Those who have read such iconic works as Robert Collier's "The Secret of the Ages," Napoleon Hill's "Think and Get Rich," or Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking" will recognize and be acquainted with much of what Calloway offers in his book. So, why bother with "Work Like You're Showing Off"?
A number of reasons come immediately to mind. First, Calloway's approach to the subject is somewhat different. He uses as a basis for his recommendations the concept of "showing off," an idea which is not explicitly promoted in the works by Collier, Hill, and Peale, nor do I recall any other author using such a concept as the starting point for a motivational book. Oh, I imagine one could argue that books such as those by Dr. Wayne Dyer or Robert Ringer or Willard and Marguerite Beecher use some "showing off" principles as a motivational and personal-growth device, but I don't think they're even remotely similar to the suggestions put forth by Calloway.
Second, Calloway is to the point. That is, in a mere 109 pages and twenty-seven brief chapters he summarizes the major principles he is promoting. His book is more like a handbook of advice via aphorisms than a long, drawn-out psychological explanation and philosophical justification for what he is suggesting the reader do in his or her life for personal betterment. In fact, this book is so small, one can carry it around to consult as the need arises.
Third, Calloway offers some very interesting twists to the usual presentation of motivational principles. And he does this with prose that is both easy to read and digest and often entertaining, although he doesn't pull any punches and can be rough and tough with the reader when appropriate. But then, he has more than twenty years of field work from which to draw.
Fourth and finally, we all need a "kick-start" now and then, as well as a reminder about how we might want to act in order to achieve those goals we find so desirable. Calloway provides much advice that certainly ought to be considered. We often forget those most simple principles which can contribute to enhancing our career not only in the workplace, but in ordinary life as well.
"Showing off," at least in the way defined and described by Calloway, is a good and positive affair. So, if you need to put some "zing" in your life, whether at the office or elsewhere, this just might be the book you want to read to help you out.
