Each quarter I post a review of a leadership/motivational book I recommend to colleagues and friends. Some may be old favorites, others are hot off the press. I am always open to suggestions for books to review. If you have a favorite you'd like to share with others, please contact me.

A Coach’s (re)View Spring Edition Brings Two For The Price of One
The PeaceFinder and Radical Attraction

Sometimes a concept comes at you from a couple different angles, as if it’s saying, “pay attention, pay attention, this is important!” Two books came across my desk this past month both offering different takes on the same theory. I had to pay attention. The theory? It is one we have heard before; that between our ears, we hold an immense power. Power not only to change our perception of the world and our experience in it, but the power to actually change what is happening in the world.

The two books were relatively quick reads, and reading them one after the other, made them both more intriguing. Consequently, this quarter, A Coach’s (re)View offers a look into them both. The books are: The PeaceFinder by Joan McWilliams and Radical Attraction by local author and speaker, Patrick McWard.

Both The PeaceFinder and Radical Attraction focus on intention and vision as ways to create a better life. The PeaceFinder proposes that the power of our intention for peace focused outward and combined with others of like-mind worldwide could bring about an end to world strife and war. Radical Attraction suggests using the power of our intention on a smaller scale, focusing on visioning individual success and thus attracting it.

The PeaceFinder
by Joan McWilliams

The PeaceFinder took me totally by surprise. McWilliams presents her case for the power of intention in a unique and captivating book divided into three parts. The first section tells the story of Riley McPhee and his quest for world peace. It is told in verse. Do not get discouraged or turned off by this! It was a wonderful piece…this from a woman (me) who has not read a poem in who knows how long. McWilliams suggests reading Riley McPhee’s story aloud, which I did. The vocabulary she uses is a delight for the tongue as well as for the ear. The pen and ink illustrations are simple, so as not to distract from the pace and rhythm of the story. The story is succor for the heart. While not by any means a children’s book, the story of Riley McPhee would be terrific to read to or with a child.

Part II explains the ideas and principles on which the story is based. Each one of us is a peace finder, says McWilliams; we simply need to shift our paradigm. To help us do that, she offers eight steps to world peace. Here are two:

• Open your heart and mind to the idea that world peace is possible.
• Be a peace participant. Take actions that support your desire for peace.

She then goes on to expand on each step, offering ideas, research, true stories and actions to help the reader understand and begin to integrate the changes in thought and action the book propose into his/her own life.

Part III is a Resource Guide, a listing of peace organizations to which the reader might connect. This is not, the author notes, intended as a political statement or an endorsement (McWilliams is an attorney by profession), but rather a resource for readers who desire more involvement. There is also a glossary. A glossary? Yep. The story of Riley McPhee is not written for middle-school vocabularies, and so McWilliams offers a glossary to be sure her words are fully understood. I had fun seeing how many definitions I actually knew when seeing them out of context.

I loved this book. It was different in approach, positive in its message, and is still “with me” even as I write this review weeks after I have read it. It is more than a one-time read.

Radical Attraction
by Patrick McWard

Radical Attraction is more in line with your typical business success book. It examines the power of our minds for business planning and success. For me, most intriguing were the citations of research studies out of University of Wisconsin and Harvard that indicated our brains do not differentiate between visualizing an event and experiencing the event. World-class athletes have long used visualization to give themselves the edge in competition, but who knew their brains were reacting as if they had already had the successful experience.

At its foundation, Radical Attraction is a philosophy that believes we already have the answers to our business issues and obstacles…we simply must learn how to access those solutions. As this is my coaching philosophy (the client best knows the problem and also has the answers, just cannot access them on their own) Radical Attraction was right up my alley.

McWard says we spend far too much time looking outside ourselves for solutions to career and life issues. Yes, there is the reality of the marketplace and there is also the uniqueness of you. Bottom line: what you focus on you attract.

Business, like golf, is largely a head game. What are you saying to yourself? Not sure? McWard offers readers a self-talk inventory to start the journey to awareness. If success comes from focusing on what you want, knowing what you want is the crucial first step. Too often, we focus on what we don’t want because somehow that is easier to picture. Remember…we attract what we focus on, so figure out what you want and put your attention and intention there.

In these times of job loss and economic hardship, Radical Attraction is a book that can help the reader get his/her head in the right place. A person who has a vision of what they want in a new job and arrives at the interview with visions of success permeating their mind will come across far better in the interview than a person who “will take anything” or fears they are not good enough.

The key, says McWard, is to believe we have a part in the creation of our life. By visualizing, you get a clearer picture of how you need to spend you time and money to move most effectively toward your goal. Don’t think it is just visualization and intention involved in success. Action is required as well. However with intention and visualization, your actions will be come more focused.

As with all books that call us to action, the ideas within are simple and doable. Some readers will do and get results. Others will read and not do and nothing will change.

Whether it is world peace or business success, the journey begins with each of us knowing what we want and taking that first step. Reading these two books can be a start.

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