Take Command:  Find Your Inner Strength, Build Enduring Relationships, and Live the Life You Want, by Joe Hart and Michael Crom, Simon and Schuster 2023

            The young generations of the modern era face unique struggles.  Living in a world that is ever more technologically connected and yet socially disconnected is not easy, and some of the seemingly basic concepts about how to live a good life have been lost. Joe Hart.

When we realize that we've had about a hundred years of successful, positive Dale Carnegie books, we know that something is working right, and for this crazy Covid time that continues to wrench businesses through recovery and backsteps, we see the true long-term value of these books.  We aren't talking about quick fixes or lean manufacturing or a nebulous culture improvement campaign - this is hard work for any individual,  but fortunately the authors of Take Command, Joe Hart and Michael Crom, break it down.   There are three parts to the book that readers might want to focus in on their own specific problem area:

Part I:  Taking Command of Your Thoughts and Emotions

Part II:  Taking Command of Your Relationships

Part III:  Taking Command of Your Future

Take Command is written to help users get into a good frame of mind because change is intimidating.  And we have so many areas that need work! hah.  All chapters are presented in an easy, approachable style with which we can identify.  For example, look at the section on boundaries.  The authors urge us not only to establish and communicate boundaries - but they also advise that we know when to walk away.  How, we might ask, do we know when its time?  Question, say the authors, what would it feel like to be respected in this relationship?  Be certain you understand when you feel disrespected because that will allow you to define what you will and won't put up with in the relationship.  This exercise is of course very tough but necessary preparation for constructive change.  The authors note that if you have not done this before, it could be scary!

Here's another Dale Carnegie Take Command principle: -- cultivate your purpose by thinking about the kind of person you want to be.  There are so many times in our long journeys when we get stuck in The Big Question of purpose, but David Crosby (of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) practiced this and took his life in surprising directions - music, protest, relationships.  By starting with the question what do you want people to say about you at the end of your life, readers will be able to understand what they hope to accomplish.  The answers may revolve around ideal relationships, or service to humanity, and, surprisingly the list may be not all that far from some of your current interests.

Finally, the authors demand that followers define their values by thinking about real-time actions.  Write down the top three and put them, a la Ted Lasso and "BELIEVE," in a very visible place!  For reinforcement, think about when some action has given you a sense of meaning and fulfillment.  Might be donating a pint of red blood that gets sent to three patients in need, or contributing a baby car seat to the newly resettled Afghani family up the street.  These moments feel so good, so joyful and positive, the authors note, that our new life assignment is to figure out how to bring more of the same compassionate joy to daily life. And, they reveal, this becomes your Mission Statement.

Patricia E. Moody

FORTUNE magazine  "Pioneering Woman in Mfg" 

IndustryWeek IdeaXchange Xpert

A Mill Girl at Blue Heron Journal, on-line resource for business thought-leaders and decision-makers,  patriciaemoody@gmail.com