The first public review of my next book, Work-Life Bloom: How to Nurture a Team That Flourishes, has now been released.
I'd say it's pretty good!
My thanks to Diane Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review, for the following book review of Work-Life Bloom:
Work-Life Bloom: How to Nurture a Team That Flourishes is a study in career moves, nurturing talent, and moving from individual to group achievement. It hones its examples through a combination of real-life case histories and surveys of how teams succeed and fail, offering a series of lessons no business reader should be without.
The first strength to note in Work-Life Bloom is that its contentions rise above the usual 'blueprint for leadership' to address many of the underlying reasons of why teams often begin with great ideals, but fail to live up to their promise.
Dan Pontefract speaks of many influencers to this process; not the least of which is attitude and the perception of team member potential:
"It’s critical to remember that many great ideas are not necessarily great at first glance but, like Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, could be impactful over time. Your team members might not create something as noteworthy as a bestselling album, but if you value them, you appreciate and recognize their contributions and ideas. You value their input, extra effort, and desire for open conversations. No matter what people do at your organization, you must believe that they have something to contribute, and therefore they must be valued."
Another big 'plus' that sets this book apart from the usual team-building title is its attention to linking individual psyches and experiences with group and business intention. In this environment, leadership can take a stand and make a difference not just in business but in personal life outcomes:
"It is clear that social community has declined over the past several years. With that decline comes both concern and opportunity. You ought to be concerned, because a lonely person in life is likely to be a lonely worker. And, as we’ve discovered, loneliness is a costly expense. However, on the glass-half-full front, you can create the conditions at work that allow a team member to feel part of something."
Pontefract connects important dots between life influence, personal experience, and business and team leadership challenges. The result is more multifaceted than most team-building business titles, offering solutions and observations that stem from acknowledging the interconnected opportunities and pitfalls that lie between individual members, leaders, and group efforts:
"Agency arrives through autonomy when people are permitted to ideate and act, bolstered by their ability to make informed, uncoerced decisions. That’s why I’ve made it a life-factor. If we can apply agency in our lives—as we should—how do we use those same constructs of agency at work?"
Business libraries and readers that choose Work-Life Bloom: How to Nurture a Team That Flourishes should look at its bigger picture promise; for it offers not just another treatise on team-building, but revised approaches for interacting with and supporting people through life.
This earns the book not just high recommendation, but should propel it off library shelves and into the hands of readers and book clubs interested in vivid examples worthy of debate and discussion.
Visit the Work-Life Bloom site.
