Member Book Review: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

By Lisa Berquist, Founder and President, Embrace the Leader Within and CWCC Member

The book, The Art Of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, talks about a concept called “giving an A” which suggests that we simply choose the perspective of seeing everyone, including ourselves as having great potential.

People rise (or fall) to our level of expectation.  Imagine what would happen if you gave an A to anyone and everyone–your spouse, children, employer, co-workers–even strangers.

It is easy to fall into the habit of judging others for not living up to what we think they are capable of or how they should act.  We then end up labeling them as C’s, D’s or even F’s.  But what if we viewed them through the eyes of the potential they do have?  What if we gave them an A right from the beginning and treated them accordingly?  What sorts of relationships would you have, and what types of results would you get?

It’s really a matter of perspective.  What grade do you want to live?

Lisa Berquist is a leadership development coach who specializes in working with business leaders to deliver on the triple bottom line – purpose, people and profits.  She is the founder and president of Embrace The Leader Within, LLC., a leadership company dedicated to guiding technical managers to become inspired leaders who lead from the inside out.  Lisa believes that impactful leaders are those who know themselves well and understand their purpose for their work, while recognizing that people are the bridge between individual impact and company profits.