Book Reviews

By Jonathan Fields

OK, who needs another personality assessment? I do! I do!

Well, actually I don’t, but I sure like this one. You can take the free assessment to learn more about what makes you tick (see website).

What I love about this one is that he really gets to the motivation behind the person and reveals the patterns in your past that demonstrate that motivation.

If you know what motivated you in the past, then you know what will motivate you in the future. So why not discover this now and find ways to get MORE of what gives you energy.

My primary sparktype is The Advisor and my motto is “I guide to grow.” I agree as the things that bring me joy are helping others discover ways to improve their work and/or lives. I think about my career coaching, my online seminars, the FCD class, my book, and my blogs and realize that it is about being interactive with people and based upon the relation. It really is about helping others grow in their own way.

It is not about giving “advice” but really listening to what people are saying and being aware of their own needs and then “nudging” them to move forward. My tag line for my Field Guide for Career Practitioners is “Helping Clients Create Their Next Move” which fits the Advisor well.

My “shadow” sparktype is The Sage. “I awaken insight”, illumination is my calling. A shadow type is a big part of who I am but it is secondary to my primary sparktype of Advisor. The shadow tends to be how people do things and the primary is the real motivation.

The Sage is all about the process of sharing and transferring insights and can take many different forms. For me, I do it in workshops, writing my book, delivering online seminars, and more.

I am still exploring this book and the concepts and plan to give it to more clients and friends to see the results.

His Expression Inventory still needs work. I’ve started it but want to let it simmer a bit more before I return to it.

The author has you create an inventory of tasks, tools, and topics that you have done which fall into these four categories:
1) Paid Work
2) Leisure
3) Roles (parents, volunteers, etc…)
4) Classes

It is his way of visually showing you what you have done in the past for your sparktype so that you can then build on that in the future.

I needed an escape book for my flight to California and I had this small paperback book- perfect. Gotta love Sidney Sheldon for taking me on an underground spy trip that had more twists and turns than the “going to the sun highway” in Glacier National Park.

The ending was a “holy crap” kind of ending but I said it out loud and slightly differently. And then he gives all kinds of real data on UFO’s from a number of different governments and authorities…now this is all I can think about three days after finishing.

Loved the book and found myself reading “one more page” all the time.

People need to know this Dr. Farmer and his work.

He is Dr. Paul Farmer is close to Mother Teresa in his work to help the poor across the world, but mostly in Haiti. He not only is a doctor but he also specialized in anthropology so he has an unique view of the world and a special place in his heart for the poor.

Because of this and his work in one of the poorest regions of Haiti (which qualifies as one of the poorest places in the world) he helped create cures for TB and many other diseases.

He worked locally in Haiti and in Boston as a doctor, flying back and forth. PLUS, the would speak all over the world about ways to improve the health care system for the poor. He was the “go to” guy for the World Health Organization (WHO) on many topics but also for many other global organizations.

He created clinics in Peru, worked with the Russian prison system, and so much more.

This is a piece of history more people should know about. Loved this book.

Highly recommend this one.