I have been
reading self-help books for a long time now, and rarely did I come across a
book or two that can help me instantly. I mean, so far, I have read many books
on improving my life and career development. Like many others, I, too, always
wished for success in my career and jobs, but I think I did not get through.
The biggest reason was lack of mentorship and guidance from any source. In an
attempt to improve my stances in the corporate world, I had read quite a number
of self-help books from famous authors, listened to TED talks, and read
articles; surprisingly nothing helped me in the long term. How and why? I will
tell you. No book or person or video taught me how to identify people and act
accordingly. These self-help stuff always told about time management, learn to
say ‘NO’ or wake up at 5 in the morning and so on. Probably, these things help,
but the core of the success lies in recognizing the people you are surrounded
with.
Luckily, a few
weeks ago, I got the chance to read Rock,
Paper, Scissors. As the tagline says, ‘The Instant Leadership Solution’, I think
I found something that is instant; however, I am not a leader material. But still
the book is useful to all who want to understand people, who want to grow while
working in a competitive environment, who want to lead or want to understand
their leaders and managers, and much more.
Yes, you got
it right. The book is such a powerful tool, as a matter of fact, that you will
begin recognizing personality types instantly. It means you can deal with them
easily and cunningly. As per the book, the authors have segmented people,
especially working ones, into three broad categories i.e. Rock, Paper, and Scissors.
Who are they and how do they matter? Let me give you some briefing about all
three.
- Rocks are solid one. They do not care much for others. They want their work done and results out in their favour.
- Papers are good at building relationships, chatting, flattering, and opportunistic, but overall they lack the power to make decisions.
- Scissors are open-minded, critical of everything, loves backing their decisions and theories on data. They are kind of who believe in analytics because of data. Perfection is something that they always seek.
Hence by
knowing the type of person spot on, is like winning the half battle. Be it any
work or job, if you lag behind in understanding the people, you are going to
suffer both personally and professionally. After reading the book, I got to
know myself that I am a Scissors and often shuttles between Rocks and Scissors.
I can’t help.
The book doesn’t
stop at identifying the personalities, rather it’s full of combinations of
these types, such as Rock vs. Paper, Scissors vs. Paper, Rock vs. Rock, and so
on. The outcome of all possibilities is really fascinating and seemed full of
insights.
Right since
the starting, the authors have given a plenty of anecdotes from their work
experience, and personal lives. These personal stories make the book captivating
and a touch of fiction morph the book from self-help category to something
riveting, yet pragmatic. The book is segmented into two parts, theory and
practice, with the help of nine chapters and one conclusion. The cartoon images
and the short summary at the end of every chapter was much needed relief. This way
I was able to revise as well as move ahead for new learning. Another credible
aspect about the book is that it always remained a real-like and the experience
of both the authors was evident in the issues identified and later solutions
provided.
If you check
online, you will find that Rock, Paper, Scissors is a popular game, but I wonder
if many people across the world also know that it’s an effective framework as
well, which seems highly effective for managers, leaders, freshers, mid-level
working people. The author has put in psychological aspects to make the frame
claims gullible. Overall, a nice book with a gamut of anecdotes and inspiring
stories, and of course insights.
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