Initiative: A Proven Method to Bring Your Passions to Life (and Work)
Our culture is in a crisis of initiative.
People everywhere in all walks of life feel stuck in their work, hobbies, and social lives, but they see the alternatives as too big and challenging, so they endure just bearable limits. We celebrate entrepreneurship in top-rated television shows, magazines, movies, and biographies, but fewer and fewer people are actually starting companies. What has gone wrong, and how can we break free and take the lead in our own lives?
Joshua Spodek, PhD, MBA, author of Leadership Step by Step, shows us the startling truth: The TV shows, movies, books, and courses that celebrate entrepreneurship have turned it into an artificial performance competition, not only subverting it to serve their promoters' interests but undermining real initiative with myths and unattainable ideals. Worse still, our education system, far from helping us break free, leaves us with fewer options and less self-direction. Courses in business often skip over the hard part or leave students stuck in theory without any practice.
In Initiative, Spodek presents a practice-based method, not ideas or abstract principles but a sequence of concrete exercises that will lead you to discover and develop passions and take initiative--even if you don't yet know what you want to take initiative on.
Spodek's Method Initiative exercises have been tested and refined over years in his popular course at New York University. Spodek illustrates the problem and the solution with stories of students in his course who have started with only a vague idea--or not even that--and have taken initiatives that have transformed their lives and the lives of others.
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"Whether leading or following, you need to read Initiative. I have long yearned for such a book--the most clear and persuasive on personal development and leadership I've found in 60 years of adulthood. Spodek's focus on initiative and reflection matches what I found effective serving in and leading organizations from a few people to over 15,000 Marines and Sailors. He illustrates key ideas with meaningful examples and helpful practical exercises. It's lucid, succinct, easy to read, and deeply profound. It has earned a prominent place in my library."
- Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
"Many congratulations to Josh Spodek for Initiative! I loved his comparison of Shark Tank to the dog show. The common 'wisdom' of expecting passion to automatically lead to action only works if you're amazingly lucky. Initiative gives you a powerful tool kit to explore your interests and passions and create what makes you excited to work--how to make your own luck. No more Monday morning blues. If you work through the exercises here, you'll stop saying 'somebody should fix that' and become the one who does, to the world's benefit, and especially your own."
- Alan Iny, global leader, creativity and scenarios, Boston Consulting Group and coauthor of Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity
"The disease is helplessness and inaction, and Joshua Spodek has the cure: Initiative. By taking initiative, we can connect with our passions and with people who can nurture those passions into actionable ideas that make money, create happiness, or maybe even change the world. Spodek starts off with some hard truths about today's business environment, then follows up with Method Initiative, a series of exercises that will help you identify your interests and create those connections that lead to success."
- Daniel H. Pink, author of When and Drive
"If you've ever wanted to start a project but weren't sure how, Initiative is the missing piece. With effective, step-by-step exercises and engaging real-life stories, this book will show you how to become someone who can start projects you love from scratch."
- Dorie Clark, professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and bestselling author of Entrepreneurial You and Stand Out
"Joshua found what was missing from entrepreneurship! Initiative shows why most entrepreneurial resources are counterproductive for people outside Silicon Valley. Then it shows actionable steps based on real-life results, illustrated with real-life stories from Joshua's decade-plus of research, teaching, and coaching. You will discover skills, confidence, and passions you always knew you had."
- Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 in leadership and world's #1 executive coach
"Joshua Spodek restores the humanity, soul, and passion to the entrepreneurial spirit that built our nation. With simple steps and diverse stories, Initiative walks you through finding your passion and bringing it to life with confidence."
- Frances Hesselbein, Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree and president and CEO of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute
