The Power Of Positive Thinking In Business

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 2 APR 2001

Ventrella, an adjunct professor at Fordham University's Graduate School of Business who works closely with the Norman Vincent Peale Center, adapts the principles of Peale's mega-bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking, to the workplace. In keeping with Peale's teachings, Ventrella argues that although people often focus on external factors, the only meaningful limitations they face at work are self-imposed. In a logical, plausible text, Ventrella guides readers beyond self-destructive feelings ("It's awful when I make a mistake") and behaviors, arguing, for example, that the people who are willing to make mistakes often make the best decisions. As Peale proposed and Ventrella reinforces, positive thinkers are focused, determined, patient, confident, calm, enthusiastic and optimistic. They trust themselves, others (and, possibly, a higher power), and they have integrity all of which Ventrella illuminates by presenting exercises, posing critical questions to the reader (e.g., "Would I like it if my actions were broadcast for all to hear?") and describing practical examples from the business world (e.g., Levi Strauss's decision not to do business with China because of its human rights violations). While it's doubtful that even the most earnest readers will be able to transform themselves into positive thinkers overnight, most people looking for a fresh perspective on work and life would benefit from reading this highly reassuring volume that makes Dr. Peale's mission ("showing people how to recapture their innate positiveness, especially when faced with adversity or challenge") surprisingly fresh.