Howard's Gift
Uncommon Wisdom to Inspire Your Life's Work
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4.3 • 10 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
This work offers wonderful wisdom for navigating the inflection points in our lives." -- Mehmet Oz, MD
An iconic teacher. A warm friend. A generous mentor.
For more than 40 years, Howard Stevenson has been a towering figure at Harvard Business School: the man who literally defined entrepreneurship and taught thousands of the world's most successful professionals.
Now - spurred by Stevenson's heart-stopping brush with death - his student, colleague, and dear friend Eric Sinoway shares the man's wisdom and inspiration. Through warm and engaging conversations, we hear Howard's timeless and practical lessons on pursuing both success and fulfillment, beginning with:
- Create a vision of your own legacy through a process called "business planning for life."
- Be entrepreneurial in driving your career ahead (even if you're not an entrepreneur).
- Exploit the inflection points in your life - whether "friend," "foe," or "silent."
- Cut risk in tough career and life decisions by shining the "light of predictability" on them.
- Plan for the ripples, not just the splash from your actions and choices.
Reading Howard's Gift is like having a wise, caring friend sit down and say, "Let's figure all this out together."
And the deeply personal perspectives from guest contributors - such as CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien, Teach for America Founder Wendy Kopp, two-time Super Bowl Champion Carl Banks, and legendary MTV Founder Bob Pittman - reinforce the practical lessons in this clear-sighted book that will help readers "define success in their own terms," and "live a life with no regrets.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sinoway's book shares the considerable business acumen of Harvard Business School professor Howard Stevenson, the author's teacher, mentor, and friend. But this is not simply advice handed down from the ivory tower. Sinoway presents much of it via casual conversations with Stevenson, often over a meal, mixing in personal notes about Stevenson, and how the professor shaped his former student's business life around personal priorities. Indeed, juggling the many facets of life is a recurring theme, as is creating a "holistic vision." The book is encouraging about changing one's life path and offers tips on how to make important decisions. It's also a cautionary tale: don't let an organization set limits on how you use your skills. The conversational tone is so casual that only after readers put the book down will they realize they just received a bucketload of valuable information and advice from a man with the "business acumen of Warren Buffett" and the "warmth and spirit of Morrie Schwartz, Mitch Albom's professor."
Customer Reviews
Howard' Gift
I really enjoyed this book. It was written so that I felt like I could have been sitting in the same room listening in on their conversations. Will recommend to my friends.
Howard's Gift is just that... A book worth sharing
Imagine sitting down for coffee with two extremely eloquent (and slightly mischievous) friends who happen to be successful leaders in business and fantastic teachers, and discussing your path to career and life fulfillment. That is the experience that I had reading Howard's Gift.
This is not just a business book...it is a book about life perspective, career and personal growth, balance, decision-making, and recognizing the forest for the trees. The mutual love and respect (complete with the occasional affectionate ribbing) between the author and his Yoda-like mentor, Howard Stevenson, gives the book an emotional center that makes it highly relatable and engaging read. The real-life success stories are particularly inspiring and informative, bringing context to the concepts discussed in each chapter and providing concrete examples of these theories in practice.
Thoughtful and insightful, Howard's Gift is filled with great advice and useful tips, whether at an existential career crossroads, or just craving some much-needed wisdom and perspective. A book to share with those you love. Highly recommended!