Seeing David in the Stone (Hardcover)

by James B. Swartz (Author), Joseph E. Swartz (Author)
Key Phrases: powerful learning processes, find common meaning, opportunity finders, Bill Gates, Sam Walton, Leonardo da Vinci (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...masterfully helps individuals and organizations find high-leverage opportunities. -- Bryan Vrblik, President, The Presidents Forum, Inc.

"...masterfully helps individuals and organizations find high-leverage opportunities. --Bryan Vrblik, President, The Presidents Forum, Inc.

"A leadership book with teeth...a rare read that explains the theory, the action, and results." -- William J. Kohley, Ph.D, Vice President, Spraying Systems Company

"A leadership book with teeth...a rare read that explains the theory, the action, and results." --William J. Kohley, Ph.D, Vice President, Spraying Systems Company

"This book distills the wisdom of the ages and presents it as a life-changing potion." -- John Mariotti, Past President, Rubbermaid Office Products, CEO, The Enterprise Group

"This book distills the wisdom of the ages and presents it as a life-changing potion." --John Mariotti, Past President, Rubbermaid Office Products, CEO, The Enterprise Group

Product Description
For the last twenty years, we have searched for answers to three timeless questions: How did some people find and seize the great opportunities of their times? What can we learn from them to help us find and seize great opportunities? How did great leaders help others (and organizations) to find and seize great opportunities? In this search, we studied the lives the works, the writings of, and the past research on many successful people, including Michelangelo Buonarroti, Winston Churchill, Marie Curie, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Galileo Galilei, Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, Fred Smith, Leonardo da Vinci, Sam Walton, Oprah Winfrey, and Frank Lloyd Wright. We discovered that these and other great innovators and achievers all took the same actions to find and seize the great opportunities of their times. It was these actions -- rather than heredity, traits, intelligence, environment, or work habits -- that made them more successful than others.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 189 pages
• Publisher: Leading Books Press (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977945650
• ISBN-13: 978-0977945658
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #817,892 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We can create our own future, October 18, 2006

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (10/06)

For twenty years, the authors, Swartz and Swartz, had sought out answers to three timeless questions. "How did some people find and seize the great opportunities of their time?" "What can we learn from them to help us find and seize great opportunities?" The third question was "How did great leaders help others (and organizations) to find and seize great opportunities?" To find the answers to these questions, they studied the successes and failures of seventy great leaders. Their lives, works, and writings were well-researched. They all had something in common. It was the action that they took to grab the great opportunities when presented that helped them to succeed. This action had more influence on their successes than heredity, traits, intelligence, environment, or their work habits.

This book was written to share the knowledge created from these findings so that we can achieve success. For success to occur, there are twelve actions that need to be taken. The first part is covered in "Four Actions to find Great Opportunities." The second part is addressed in "Four Actions to Mobilize Support." The third part is discussed in "Four Actions to Seize Great Opportunities."

This book could easily be used as a college textbook, however, it is written in a manner that makes the information easy to absorb and is incredibly interesting. There are graphs and charts that help to further illustrate their points. I did learn about some of these great leaders that are discussed in college. But I don't recall finding the information presented on them as interesting as it is in "Seeing David in the Stone."

I plan on rereading this book in the future because I think that there is more knowledge that I will need at other points in my life. I would recommend "Seeing David in the Stone" as a gift to a graduating college student or someone that is getting ready to get launched into the real world. The wisdom that can be gained from studying how these seventy great leaders succeeded is invaluable.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! This was a surprise..., August 21, 2006

By	Cynthia Brigham - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I generally don't read this kind of book but this time, because I was intrigued by the title and loved the cover, I did. It's a wonderful book--- motivating and inspirational--- thought provoking yet fun to read. For those who have opted for a change in direction and others blindsided by it, this book is an almost magical gift. Read it and you'll discover that the "steps" taken by others have left footprints into which you can place your own feet --- one size fits all! I find myself opening it at random, often, just to get a "Yes, I can!" fix. My enthusiasm for SEEING DAVID... prompted me to also read the senior Swartz' THE HUNTERS AND THE HUNTED and it certainly lives up to its best seller status. Thank you, Messrs. Swartz! ---Cynthia Brigham

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A few good ideas, May 12, 2007

By	Elaine Walsh (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I heard an interview with the author and thought there would be more to the book than what I found in its pages. The "mentor conversation" construction of the book and some of the language is awkward and a bit dated. I felt like I had fallen into something written in 1971. That said...there are a few good ideas in this book and ones that I have definitely used in my business. I'm just not sure it's worth buying the book and getting through the way it's written to get to those few gems.