find-the-fire-ignite-your-inspiration-and-make-work-exciting-againAuthor: Scott Mautz
Publisher: AMACOM (American Management Association) – 246 pages
Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram

This book is refreshingly different from others. It is written by someone who has experience working in a company environment as well as learning from and motivating employees as a speaker, to perform at their peak levels.

Books written by others including coaches provide advice that is not based on actual experience working at companies. One then wonders if what they say has worked, or will work when put into practice.

The author Scott Mautz, a former Proctor & Gamble executive and currently a professor and motivational speaker, provides solid pointers on how to get rid of the factors that de-motivate company team members. These are: lowered of inspiration, fear, boredom, inundation, loss of control, shrinking self-belief, disconnectedness, diminished creativity, insignificance, and a lack of evocation.

For each of these issues, one chapter has been allocated, as shown below in an overview that kind of puts the contents of this book in a sort of nutshell:

  1. Part I. The Anti-Muse
  2. The Forces that Drain Inspiration
  3. Part II. The Antidote
  4. Fear (Relinquished)
  5. Settling and Boredom (Rejected)
  6. Inundation (Relieved)
  7. Loss of Control (Reverted)
  8. Dwindling Self-Belief (Revitalized)
  9. Disconnectedness (Reversed)
  10. Dearth of Creating (Reconstituted)
  11. Insignificance (Reformulated)
  12. Lack of Evocation (Rediscovered)
  13. The Bonfire

In this highly useful resource for anyone that is part of a company, Mautz show you how to:

  • Overcome the common fears of failure, change, and criticism
  • Adopt an open mind and seek out new experiences
  • Embolden yourself to take more risks
  • Build upon progress and create momentum
  • Unleash creativity and produce work you’re proud of
  • Kick-start learning and growth
  • Banish perfectionism
  • Make choices and prioritize
  • Reclaim a sense of control and power
  • Bolster your inner strength and persevere through challenges
  • Lift your self-confidence and earn respect
  • Cultivate camaraderie with coworkers
  • Dispel feelings that nothing really matters and make an impact with your work

This is an easy-to and must-read book for anyone aspiring to higher levels of productivity and satisfaction at work. It is useful for both employees and managers.

 

Author:

Scott Mautz is CEO of Profound Performance and a popular speaker on workplace motivation and engagement. A veteran former executive at Dow 30 component Proctor & Gamble and currently an adjunct professor at Indiana University, he is the author of Make It Matter and a weekly contributor to Inc. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. Connect with Scott at www.ScottMautz.com