Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What is your entrepreneurial quotient?, September 28, 2005
In addition to learning a great deal about what Harrison refers to as "entrepreneurial DNA" and "the DNA of success," I also thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because the material is so well-organized and presented with a clarity and eloquence I seldom encounter in books which respond to questions such as these:
1. "What prevents one person from evolving and adapting to change [while there are others who get ahead] regardless of the obstacles that stand in [their] way?"
2. "Are some people [in italics] naturally [end italics] endowed from birth with characteristics that invariably lead to success?"
3. "And if so, what about those of us who may not be so genetically gifted?"
4. "Are we doomed to a lifetime of repeated failure if those qualities don't come naturally?"
5. "Is success the product of something in our DNA or something we learn?"
6. "Or is it some combination -- a genetic, instinctive predisposition that we can enhance at crucial moments in our lives by using learned skills and abilities?"
Harrison offers his own responses to these important questions, and explains the reasons for the conclusions he has reached. Those responses are best revealed within his narrative. I'm not giving away the plot, however, when adding that Harrison explains how highly successful people have leveraged certain inherited traits and learned how to compensate for those that they lack. He thereby suggests how those who read his book can do the same.
This is not an easy read but well worth the effort to absorb and digest the material. Obviously, following Harrison's suggestions is much easier said than done. He has carefully studied the works of Charles Darwin and believes in the concept of natural selection. At one point, he asserts that evolution "is what it's all about -- in business, careers, and life....Evolution has refined our genetic instructions over centuries to help us survive as a species. The DNA that has been passed on is the DNA that worked." To his credit, Harrison focuses most of his attention on 22 exemplary entrepreneurs and business leaders who agreed to share their personal stories. (A complete list of them is provided on pages 227-228.) The process of self-inquiry which Harrison recommends begins with completing a comprehensive "Entrepreneurial Personality Quiz" which consists of five sections. After each, Harrison suggests what response patterns may (just may) indicate. This is by no means a definitive exercise. Its purpose, rather, is to give to each respondent at least a sense of her or his entrepreneurial quotient.
Please go back and re-read the six questions listed earlier in this brief commentary. If you are as interested now as I was then in learning what Harrison's responses are, I urge you to purchase this book and then read it one chapter at a time, then re-read the chapter before proceeding to the next. The journey he invites you to begin should proceed at your own pace. Enjoy each moment while keeping in mind that there is both "good news" and "bad news": that journey never ends.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful...but a Bit Stuffy., December 24, 2005
I am a voracious business book reader, and the one quality I value above all else in this genre is its "easy-to-read" factor. I don't like having to read something more than once, as I feel that I should be able to absorb it the first time I read it.
Instinct does not have the easy flow that I usually look for in a book, however, I do have to keep in mind Mr. Harrison is a trained biologist. The information is highly insightful, and incredibly on point. I do recommend this book as a valuable addition to anyones leadership library. However, I do forewarn that it's not the kind of book you "can't put down".
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Science Meets Business, November 12, 2005
This book is a must read - from those interested in a start-up venture to corporate managers wanting to maximize their success and leadership skills. With the right mix of scientific evidence and real life examples, Tom Harrison's Instinct reveals not only how to act on your entrepreneurial DNA, but also how to compensate if you do not have perfect instinctive genes.
This book is sure to find its way into business schools serious about their entrepreneurial programs.
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