E-Book Overview
The audience who loves the Chicken Soup series, Life Strategies, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People will love how Barry Maher translates the lessons of highly successful salesmanship into success in business. For many of us, there is a disconnection between what we believe we should be doing in our careers and our lives, and what we actually find ourselves doing. In Filling the Glass: The Skeptic's Guide to Positive Thinking in Business, author Barry Maher provides ten strategies to overcome that disconnect, turning the job (and life) you have into the job (and life) you want, so that you never have to settle for half full or half empty again.
E-Book Content
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Senior Acquisitions Editor: Jean Iversen Cook Senior Managing Editor: Jack Kiburz Interior Design: Lucy Jenkins Cover Design: Design Alliance, Inc. Typesetting: Elizabeth Pitts
2001 by Barry Maher Published by Dearborn Trade, a Kaplan Professional Company All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America 01 02 03 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Maher, Barry. Filling the glass : the skeptic’s guide to positive thinking in business / Barry Maher. p. cm. ISBN 0-7931-3865-5 1. Success in business. I. Title. HF5386 .M246 2001 650.1—dc21 00-011147
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D e d i c a t i o n
To Jeanne Maher, who always fills my glass— though I stay away from her coffee.
C o n t e n t s
Acknowledgments
vi
1. To Build a Better Buzzword
1
2. Reality and the Manoogian Death Spiral
12
3. Pixie Dust, Pollyanna, and Making Peace with the Negatives 17 4. Filling the Glass
35
5. Fill Their Glass First
46
6. Self-Esteem: a Tirade
62
7. Filling and Filling and Filling—More Tactics 8. Become Your Own Guru
80
9. Thinking Outside the Cliché 10. Add Water
67
99
105
11. Bring Out the Prospect in Yourself 12. Become an Expert Witness 13. Fail toward Success
118
140
159
14. Making the Skeleton Dance—Bragging about the Negatives 175 15. Change the Scale to Make the Sale 16. Never Settle for Success 17. Enjoy
187
204
215
18. Odd and Appropriate
233 v
A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s
More people have helped create this book than I can possibly thank. But let me start with those who have shared their observations and their stories with me over the years, sometimes even at risk to their careers. I’d also have to thank Andrew Stuart and Frank Weimann of the Literary Group International. I wasn’t planning on doing another book when Frank first contacted me. (So if you hate Filling the Glass, he was the first mover.) And Andrew was not only instrumental in developing the concept and the proposal, but also fought for the book far above and beyond the call of duty. If you’re a best-selling author looking for a skilled, dedicated, loyal, and