Author: Michael O'Malley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780471358978
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
Contrary to popular belief, most people truly desire to commit to the organizations for which they work. Just as most of us would prefer not to drift from one relationship to the next, the majority of workers would rather not live like corporate gypsies. So why, at a time when employee retention is so critical to success, do so many businesses find it hard to hold on to their best people? Why, despite the perks, bonuses, and all the other "goodies" with which companies attempt to create employee commitment, does turnover continue to be such a serious problem? In this groundbreaking book, Michael O'Malley-an acknowledged expert with more than two decades of experience helping the Fortune 500 attract and retain the brightest and best-provides answers to these questions. More importantly, he spells out proven strategies for fostering solid employee/employer relationships that last. Deftly interweaving personal insight, case histories, and the latest research in the field, O'Malley explores the nature of employee commitment. He shows how many of the same needs and passions that bind people to one another in their personal lives also bind employees to managers and organizations. O'Malley describes the roles played by factors such as compatibility, trust, predictability, dependability, sensitivity to individual needs, and a willingness to compromise. He explains why organizations invariably fail when they attempt to buy employee commitment. Conversely, while more money is the most commonly cited reason for employee defection, O'Malley reveals that the real reasons often have to do with neglect, distrust, burn-out, inconsiderateness, and other nonmonetary considerations. The lion's share of Creating Commitment is devoted to detailing a practical approach to building commitment in your organization. O'Malley describes specific attitudes and behaviors that either encourage or discourage commitment and provides guidelines for assessing your company's standing on commitment. He also outlines specific steps you can take to find and hire employees who are compatible with your corporate culture; to foster a sense of belonging among employees; to build trust and reciprocity; to promote economic interdependence; and much more. A complete guide to understanding and overcoming one of the greatest challenges to business success today, Creating Commitment is must reading for every manager. Advance Praise for Michael O'Malley's Creating Commitment "Michael O'Malley has found the key to employee retention-commitment! He has taken a rigorous, research-based approach to understanding employee commitment and its implications for organization health, while using examples and comparisons from everyday life to make his insights accessible to all. The result is a must-read book for any leader concerned about keeping the best employees."-Dr. Susan Gale, Vice President, Change Management and Human Resources, Howrey Simon Arnold & White "Michael O'Malley has created a work of great insight that all professionals charged with attracting, retaining, and developing the leaders of today and tomorrow will want to read."-Corey Seitz, Senior Vice President, Executive Development, Bank of America Corporation "The two most important human aspects of organizations today are trust and commitment. Creating Commitment covers both and is loaded with stories and examples that are both readable and timely. O'Malley's contribution to today's business leaders is truly a gift."-Dr. W. Warner Burke, Chair, Department of Organization and Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University "This is an important book for companies seeking a competitive advantage. Read Creating Commitment, and you'll know how to build lasting bonds with the employees you want most to keep."-Matt Broder, Communications Executive, Otis Elevator Company
Creating Commitment
Author: Michael O'Malley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780471358978
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
Contrary to popular belief, most people truly desire to commit to the organizations for which they work. Just as most of us would prefer not to drift from one relationship to the next, the majority of workers would rather not live like corporate gypsies. So why, at a time when employee retention is so critical to success, do so many businesses find it hard to hold on to their best people? Why, despite the perks, bonuses, and all the other "goodies" with which companies attempt to create employee commitment, does turnover continue to be such a serious problem? In this groundbreaking book, Michael O'Malley-an acknowledged expert with more than two decades of experience helping the Fortune 500 attract and retain the brightest and best-provides answers to these questions. More importantly, he spells out proven strategies for fostering solid employee/employer relationships that last. Deftly interweaving personal insight, case histories, and the latest research in the field, O'Malley explores the nature of employee commitment. He shows how many of the same needs and passions that bind people to one another in their personal lives also bind employees to managers and organizations. O'Malley describes the roles played by factors such as compatibility, trust, predictability, dependability, sensitivity to individual needs, and a willingness to compromise. He explains why organizations invariably fail when they attempt to buy employee commitment. Conversely, while more money is the most commonly cited reason for employee defection, O'Malley reveals that the real reasons often have to do with neglect, distrust, burn-out, inconsiderateness, and other nonmonetary considerations. The lion's share of Creating Commitment is devoted to detailing a practical approach to building commitment in your organization. O'Malley describes specific attitudes and behaviors that either encourage or discourage commitment and provides guidelines for assessing your company's standing on commitment. He also outlines specific steps you can take to find and hire employees who are compatible with your corporate culture; to foster a sense of belonging among employees; to build trust and reciprocity; to promote economic interdependence; and much more. A complete guide to understanding and overcoming one of the greatest challenges to business success today, Creating Commitment is must reading for every manager. Advance Praise for Michael O'Malley's Creating Commitment "Michael O'Malley has found the key to employee retention-commitment! He has taken a rigorous, research-based approach to understanding employee commitment and its implications for organization health, while using examples and comparisons from everyday life to make his insights accessible to all. The result is a must-read book for any leader concerned about keeping the best employees."-Dr. Susan Gale, Vice President, Change Management and Human Resources, Howrey Simon Arnold & White "Michael O'Malley has created a work of great insight that all professionals charged with attracting, retaining, and developing the leaders of today and tomorrow will want to read."-Corey Seitz, Senior Vice President, Executive Development, Bank of America Corporation "The two most important human aspects of organizations today are trust and commitment. Creating Commitment covers both and is loaded with stories and examples that are both readable and timely. O'Malley's contribution to today's business leaders is truly a gift."-Dr. W. Warner Burke, Chair, Department of Organization and Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University "This is an important book for companies seeking a competitive advantage. Read Creating Commitment, and you'll know how to build lasting bonds with the employees you want most to keep."-Matt Broder, Communications Executive, Otis Elevator Company
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9780471358978
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
Contrary to popular belief, most people truly desire to commit to the organizations for which they work. Just as most of us would prefer not to drift from one relationship to the next, the majority of workers would rather not live like corporate gypsies. So why, at a time when employee retention is so critical to success, do so many businesses find it hard to hold on to their best people? Why, despite the perks, bonuses, and all the other "goodies" with which companies attempt to create employee commitment, does turnover continue to be such a serious problem? In this groundbreaking book, Michael O'Malley-an acknowledged expert with more than two decades of experience helping the Fortune 500 attract and retain the brightest and best-provides answers to these questions. More importantly, he spells out proven strategies for fostering solid employee/employer relationships that last. Deftly interweaving personal insight, case histories, and the latest research in the field, O'Malley explores the nature of employee commitment. He shows how many of the same needs and passions that bind people to one another in their personal lives also bind employees to managers and organizations. O'Malley describes the roles played by factors such as compatibility, trust, predictability, dependability, sensitivity to individual needs, and a willingness to compromise. He explains why organizations invariably fail when they attempt to buy employee commitment. Conversely, while more money is the most commonly cited reason for employee defection, O'Malley reveals that the real reasons often have to do with neglect, distrust, burn-out, inconsiderateness, and other nonmonetary considerations. The lion's share of Creating Commitment is devoted to detailing a practical approach to building commitment in your organization. O'Malley describes specific attitudes and behaviors that either encourage or discourage commitment and provides guidelines for assessing your company's standing on commitment. He also outlines specific steps you can take to find and hire employees who are compatible with your corporate culture; to foster a sense of belonging among employees; to build trust and reciprocity; to promote economic interdependence; and much more. A complete guide to understanding and overcoming one of the greatest challenges to business success today, Creating Commitment is must reading for every manager. Advance Praise for Michael O'Malley's Creating Commitment "Michael O'Malley has found the key to employee retention-commitment! He has taken a rigorous, research-based approach to understanding employee commitment and its implications for organization health, while using examples and comparisons from everyday life to make his insights accessible to all. The result is a must-read book for any leader concerned about keeping the best employees."-Dr. Susan Gale, Vice President, Change Management and Human Resources, Howrey Simon Arnold & White "Michael O'Malley has created a work of great insight that all professionals charged with attracting, retaining, and developing the leaders of today and tomorrow will want to read."-Corey Seitz, Senior Vice President, Executive Development, Bank of America Corporation "The two most important human aspects of organizations today are trust and commitment. Creating Commitment covers both and is loaded with stories and examples that are both readable and timely. O'Malley's contribution to today's business leaders is truly a gift."-Dr. W. Warner Burke, Chair, Department of Organization and Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University "This is an important book for companies seeking a competitive advantage. Read Creating Commitment, and you'll know how to build lasting bonds with the employees you want most to keep."-Matt Broder, Communications Executive, Otis Elevator Company
Creating Contagious Commitment, 2nd Edition
Author: Andrea Shapiro
Publisher: Strategy Perspective
ISBN: 0974102814
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Too often, necessary and technically appropriate change initiatives fall short of expected gains because leaders fail to involve employees and leverage their perspectives. This deprives leaders of valuable input, and causes the very people who are expected to modify the way they work to feel discounted and disconnected. Creating Contagious Commitment: Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change presents a proven approach to turn this all too common situation around. It goes to the heart of effective change implementation and shows how to move employees from being apathetic or resistant to becoming committed advocates of a change. Creating Contagious Commitment demonstrates why many of the traditional approaches to change implementation (such as focusing on the easily measurable technical aspects or relying on mass awareness campaigns) don't work very well especially on their own. It explains the dynamics that contribute to successful change initiatives and how to use them, right now, in your own initiatives. The accessibility of the concepts and the practical strategies they provide make Creating Contagious Commitment a unique and powerful guide for change agents in any organization. Andrea Shapiro s clear and skillful blending of theory with useful examples brings these concepts to life in a way that appeals to anyone who is involved in change. Solidly grounded in organizational theory, systems thinking and real-world experience, Creating Contagious Commitment can be used as a stand-alone resource or in combination with the companion Change, Dialogue, and Action workshop with its interactive computer simulation, called the Tipping Point. It has been applied by hundreds of change leaders around the world in a wide range of organizations, from banks and hospitals to high-tech corporations, to make organizational change both contagious and sustainable. It is packed with diagrams, illustrations, and stories from the field many of them first-person accounts of applying its lessons. Visit CreatingContagiousCommitment.com to learn more. Praise for Creating Contagious Commitment It is very easy to have good intentions, and even easier to get advice from someone who has good intentions. What is hard is to recognize the landmines on the path to successful change. Creating Contagious Commitment helps identify and think about such obstacles before we encounter them, making the path to change more thoughtful and ultimately more successful. Dan Ariely, Ph.D., James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics, author Predictably Irrational It is only by effectively influencing people's beliefs, values and changing social norms that we can change behaviors that get us all to yes. Andrea understands this and clearly maps out how new cultural norms can be systematically embedded into any organization. This book is a must have in any change agent's toolbox. Peter Faill, M.Sc., Corporate Procurement Manager, Durham County Council, UK The Tipping Point is a brilliant computer model of change initiatives as they unfold in large, complex organizations. Change agents need to be informal, keenly aware of the different needs of different types of people, and committed to their purpose. This book shows what to do and what happens along the way, both in the model and in real life. Art Kleiner, author, Who Really Matters and The Age of Heretics
Publisher: Strategy Perspective
ISBN: 0974102814
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
Too often, necessary and technically appropriate change initiatives fall short of expected gains because leaders fail to involve employees and leverage their perspectives. This deprives leaders of valuable input, and causes the very people who are expected to modify the way they work to feel discounted and disconnected. Creating Contagious Commitment: Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change presents a proven approach to turn this all too common situation around. It goes to the heart of effective change implementation and shows how to move employees from being apathetic or resistant to becoming committed advocates of a change. Creating Contagious Commitment demonstrates why many of the traditional approaches to change implementation (such as focusing on the easily measurable technical aspects or relying on mass awareness campaigns) don't work very well especially on their own. It explains the dynamics that contribute to successful change initiatives and how to use them, right now, in your own initiatives. The accessibility of the concepts and the practical strategies they provide make Creating Contagious Commitment a unique and powerful guide for change agents in any organization. Andrea Shapiro s clear and skillful blending of theory with useful examples brings these concepts to life in a way that appeals to anyone who is involved in change. Solidly grounded in organizational theory, systems thinking and real-world experience, Creating Contagious Commitment can be used as a stand-alone resource or in combination with the companion Change, Dialogue, and Action workshop with its interactive computer simulation, called the Tipping Point. It has been applied by hundreds of change leaders around the world in a wide range of organizations, from banks and hospitals to high-tech corporations, to make organizational change both contagious and sustainable. It is packed with diagrams, illustrations, and stories from the field many of them first-person accounts of applying its lessons. Visit CreatingContagiousCommitment.com to learn more. Praise for Creating Contagious Commitment It is very easy to have good intentions, and even easier to get advice from someone who has good intentions. What is hard is to recognize the landmines on the path to successful change. Creating Contagious Commitment helps identify and think about such obstacles before we encounter them, making the path to change more thoughtful and ultimately more successful. Dan Ariely, Ph.D., James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics, author Predictably Irrational It is only by effectively influencing people's beliefs, values and changing social norms that we can change behaviors that get us all to yes. Andrea understands this and clearly maps out how new cultural norms can be systematically embedded into any organization. This book is a must have in any change agent's toolbox. Peter Faill, M.Sc., Corporate Procurement Manager, Durham County Council, UK The Tipping Point is a brilliant computer model of change initiatives as they unfold in large, complex organizations. Change agents need to be informal, keenly aware of the different needs of different types of people, and committed to their purpose. This book shows what to do and what happens along the way, both in the model and in real life. Art Kleiner, author, Who Really Matters and The Age of Heretics
Created for Commitment
Author: A. Wetherell Johnson
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 9780842304436
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
This fascinating acount portrays God's power in the lfe and ministry of A. Wetherell Johnson, from her overseas mission work to the founding and remarkable growth of Bible Study Fellowship.
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
ISBN: 9780842304436
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 404
Book Description
This fascinating acount portrays God's power in the lfe and ministry of A. Wetherell Johnson, from her overseas mission work to the founding and remarkable growth of Bible Study Fellowship.
High Commitment High Performance
Author: Michael Beer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470486880
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 501
Book Description
How to create the high-performance, high-commitment organization Integrating knowledge from strategic management, performance management, and organization design, strategic human resource expert and Harvard Business School Professor Michael Beer outlines what the high-commitment, high-performance organization looks like and provides practitioners with the transformation process to help them get there. Starting with leaders who have the right values, Beer shows how to weave together a complete system that includes top-to-bottom communication, organization design, HR policies, and leadership transformation process, and outlines what practitioners must do in HR, structure, systems, goals, culture, and strategy to create high-performance organizations.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470486880
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 501
Book Description
How to create the high-performance, high-commitment organization Integrating knowledge from strategic management, performance management, and organization design, strategic human resource expert and Harvard Business School Professor Michael Beer outlines what the high-commitment, high-performance organization looks like and provides practitioners with the transformation process to help them get there. Starting with leaders who have the right values, Beer shows how to weave together a complete system that includes top-to-bottom communication, organization design, HR policies, and leadership transformation process, and outlines what practitioners must do in HR, structure, systems, goals, culture, and strategy to create high-performance organizations.
The Power of Strategic Commitment
Author: Josh LEIBNER
Publisher: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn
ISBN: 0814413765
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
Even the most well thought out initiatives will fail without true employee ownership, accountability, and engagement. Yet most managers and executives don’t have a clear system for ensuring the support they need from those around them. The Power of Strategic Commitment helps readers improve their strategic processes by enlisting the support of managers, employees, boards, suppliers, investors, and others. The book outlines the key factors that determine commitment, providing powerful ways to build buy-in that cost nothing. Readers will discover how to: • continuously measure buy-in • involve everyone in creating their own piece of a larger organizational future • tailor commitment strategies for individual employees • keep everyone on the road to achieving stated goals • create a commitment-inspiring rewards system • hire fully-engaged talent This book provides practical methods for getting everyone behind the kind of important organizational actions that drive results.
Publisher: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn
ISBN: 0814413765
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
Even the most well thought out initiatives will fail without true employee ownership, accountability, and engagement. Yet most managers and executives don’t have a clear system for ensuring the support they need from those around them. The Power of Strategic Commitment helps readers improve their strategic processes by enlisting the support of managers, employees, boards, suppliers, investors, and others. The book outlines the key factors that determine commitment, providing powerful ways to build buy-in that cost nothing. Readers will discover how to: • continuously measure buy-in • involve everyone in creating their own piece of a larger organizational future • tailor commitment strategies for individual employees • keep everyone on the road to achieving stated goals • create a commitment-inspiring rewards system • hire fully-engaged talent This book provides practical methods for getting everyone behind the kind of important organizational actions that drive results.
180 Ways to Build Commitment and Positive Attitudes
Author: Paul Sims
Publisher: The Walk The Talk Company
ISBN: 9781885228789
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 60
Book Description
The 8 shares stories and lessons about what it takes to be fit, fulfilled and get your highest priorities achieved every day. The book is inspired by the real-life experiences of some enlightened individuals and organizations that have shifted their energy and attention towards what matters most to them.
Publisher: The Walk The Talk Company
ISBN: 9781885228789
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 60
Book Description
The 8 shares stories and lessons about what it takes to be fit, fulfilled and get your highest priorities achieved every day. The book is inspired by the real-life experiences of some enlightened individuals and organizations that have shifted their energy and attention towards what matters most to them.
Stepping Forward Together
Author: Mac McIntire
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456602160
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
This book provides a step-by-step guide for motivating individuals in your organization to work together as a team and fully commit to achieving common goals. It shows you how to use the Ladder of Commitment to effectively move people out of their comfort zones to the point where they readily accept change. It walks you step by step through the seven "things that matter most" in a relationship - both professionally and personally - in order to develop mutual and reciprocal trust, respect, and confidence. In the end, you will have the tools for creating a highly supportive environment where management and employees believe so strongly in one another they enthusiastically step forward together, going in the same direction at the same time, all doing the right things for the right reasons!
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456602160
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
This book provides a step-by-step guide for motivating individuals in your organization to work together as a team and fully commit to achieving common goals. It shows you how to use the Ladder of Commitment to effectively move people out of their comfort zones to the point where they readily accept change. It walks you step by step through the seven "things that matter most" in a relationship - both professionally and personally - in order to develop mutual and reciprocal trust, respect, and confidence. In the end, you will have the tools for creating a highly supportive environment where management and employees believe so strongly in one another they enthusiastically step forward together, going in the same direction at the same time, all doing the right things for the right reasons!
Leading Change in Your School
Author: Douglas B. Reeves
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416608923
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Guide for becoming a leader in making changes in the educational field.
Publisher: ASCD
ISBN: 1416608923
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 194
Book Description
Guide for becoming a leader in making changes in the educational field.
Identifying and Managing Project Risk
Author: Tom Kendrick
Publisher: AMACOM
ISBN: 0814413412
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
Winner of the Project Management Institute’s David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award 2010 It’s no wonder that project managers spend so much time focusing their attention on risk identification. Important projects tend to be time constrained, pose huge technical challenges, and suffer from a lack of adequate resources. Identifying and Managing Project Risk, now updated and consistent with the very latest Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)® Guide, takes readers through every phase of a project, showing them how to consider the possible risks involved at every point in the process. Drawing on real-world situations and hundreds of examples, the book outlines proven methods, demonstrating key ideas for project risk planning and showing how to use high-level risk assessment tools. Analyzing aspects such as available resources, project scope, and scheduling, this new edition also explores the growing area of Enterprise Risk Management. Comprehensive and completely up-to-date, this book helps readers determine risk factors thoroughly and decisively...before a project gets derailed.
Publisher: AMACOM
ISBN: 0814413412
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 370
Book Description
Winner of the Project Management Institute’s David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award 2010 It’s no wonder that project managers spend so much time focusing their attention on risk identification. Important projects tend to be time constrained, pose huge technical challenges, and suffer from a lack of adequate resources. Identifying and Managing Project Risk, now updated and consistent with the very latest Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)® Guide, takes readers through every phase of a project, showing them how to consider the possible risks involved at every point in the process. Drawing on real-world situations and hundreds of examples, the book outlines proven methods, demonstrating key ideas for project risk planning and showing how to use high-level risk assessment tools. Analyzing aspects such as available resources, project scope, and scheduling, this new edition also explores the growing area of Enterprise Risk Management. Comprehensive and completely up-to-date, this book helps readers determine risk factors thoroughly and decisively...before a project gets derailed.
The Second Mountain
Author: David Brooks
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679645047
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world. “Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive.”—The Washington Post Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy—who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape. They get out of school, they start a career, and they begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view . . . unsatisfying. They realize: This wasn’t my mountain after all. There’s another, bigger mountain out there that is actually my mountain. And so they embark on a new journey. On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment. In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose. In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it’s also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme—and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679645047
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Everybody tells you to live for a cause larger than yourself, but how exactly do you do it? The author of The Road to Character explores what it takes to lead a meaningful life in a self-centered world. “Deeply moving, frequently eloquent and extraordinarily incisive.”—The Washington Post Every so often, you meet people who radiate joy—who seem to know why they were put on this earth, who glow with a kind of inner light. Life, for these people, has often followed what we might think of as a two-mountain shape. They get out of school, they start a career, and they begin climbing the mountain they thought they were meant to climb. Their goals on this first mountain are the ones our culture endorses: to be a success, to make your mark, to experience personal happiness. But when they get to the top of that mountain, something happens. They look around and find the view . . . unsatisfying. They realize: This wasn’t my mountain after all. There’s another, bigger mountain out there that is actually my mountain. And so they embark on a new journey. On the second mountain, life moves from self-centered to other-centered. They want the things that are truly worth wanting, not the things other people tell them to want. They embrace a life of interdependence, not independence. They surrender to a life of commitment. In The Second Mountain, David Brooks explores the four commitments that define a life of meaning and purpose: to a spouse and family, to a vocation, to a philosophy or faith, and to a community. Our personal fulfillment depends on how well we choose and execute these commitments. Brooks looks at a range of people who have lived joyous, committed lives, and who have embraced the necessity and beauty of dependence. He gathers their wisdom on how to choose a partner, how to pick a vocation, how to live out a philosophy, and how we can begin to integrate our commitments into one overriding purpose. In short, this book is meant to help us all lead more meaningful lives. But it’s also a provocative social commentary. We live in a society, Brooks argues, that celebrates freedom, that tells us to be true to ourselves, at the expense of surrendering to a cause, rooting ourselves in a neighborhood, binding ourselves to others by social solidarity and love. We have taken individualism to the extreme—and in the process we have torn the social fabric in a thousand different ways. The path to repair is through making deeper commitments. In The Second Mountain, Brooks shows what can happen when we put commitment-making at the center of our lives.