Alan Downs

This groundbreaking and empowering book examines the impact of growing up and surviving as a gay man in a society still learning to accept all identities.In The Velvet Rage , psychologist Alan Downs draws on his own struggle with shame and anger, contemporary research, and stories from his patients to passionately describe the stages of a gay man's journey out of shame and offers practical and inspired strategies to stop the cycle of avoidance and self-defeating behavior. The Velvet Rage is an empowering book that has already changed the public discourse on gay culture and helped shape the identity of an entire generation of gay men.

Finally, help for the millions of people suffering from low-grade depression, also known as dysthymia or chronic discontent.Frustrated. Irritable. Discouraged. Fed up. These are among the feelings experienced by millions of people suffering from low-grade depression. Often erroneaously attributed to a negative attitude or laziness, this common condition saps feelings of happiness, contentment, and passion, and frequently goes undiagnosed.The Half-Empty Heart is a powerful and practical book that explains how the condition takes hold--and presents simple yet profound ways to overcome it for good. Using anecdotes from his private practice as well as quizzes, checklists, exercises, and a complete five-week plan for achieving lasting results, clinical psychologist Alan Downs, Ph.D., shines light into the dark corners of this isolating and debilitating condition.You can feel good again. The Half-Empty Heart shows the way.

The Barnes & Noble ReviewEver stop and wonder why the same old stuff keeps coming up in your life? Do your romantic relationships keep ending up in the recycle bin? Are you always broke or living from paycheck to paycheck? Are you constantly battling your weight? Feeling dissatisfied with your job? If any of these usual suspects sounds familiar to you, then author Alan Downs, Ph.D., is here to help. In Why Does This Keep Happening to Me?, he'll tell you why your patterns keep repeating and what you can do to finally break the cycle. According to Downs, those fun spin cycles we find ourselves in over and over all go back to a crisis. "A crisis happens when you experience a painful void in your life. You've done everything you know, and still, you wind up at the same place, with the same results you swore you wouldn't repeat again." And if you're like most people, you probably prefer to keep those crises in your life swept under the rug or hidden in a pile at the bottom of your closet. And that is just how these little monsters become the Godzillas of our lives. Downs reveals that at one point or another, everyone experiences seven basic crises: The Crisis of Passion (feeling inspired) The Crisis of Contact (sharing your life with others) The Crisis of Self-Confidence (believing in yourself and your gifts) The Crisis of Individuation (being who you really are) The Crisis of Fear (feeling in control of your life) The Crisis of Spiritual Meaning (connecting with the big picture of it all) The Crisis of Broken Dreams (dealing with the truth and the state of your life) A brief quiz offered in the beginning of the book will enable you to see what crises are behind the curtains in your own life. You may find yourself surprised. Anecdotal and instructional, each following chapter breaks down each crisis into manageable bites. Downs expounds on the beliefs that shape each crisis, how they have affected the lives of others, and the four stages to resolving them. "Facing your crisis is the answer to resolving it. The choice is yours: Stay locked into the same self-defeating cycle, or free yourself to live life to the fullest. What will you choose?" (Jennifer Forman)

It's not just faulty products and poor fiscal results that can throw an executive into crisis. The more prevalent and pernicious problems are personal in nature. A manipulative or hierarchical boss may be suffering a crisis of confidence; a stressed-out or uninterested colleague may struggle with a crisis of passion. According to experienced psychologist and executive coach Alan Downs, these often dormant interior conflicts flare up when the crushing demands of the business world collide with the inner needs of the individual. His new book offers a fresh, eye-opening perspective on how to steer executives back to a successful career path. Secrets of an Executive Coach uncovers six crises that cause people to fail. And unlike the prevailing corporate model, which advocates suppressing crises, Downs explains how to confront and resolve them using 11 essential coaching techniques, including role playing, self-imitation, metaphor map, and devil's advocate. These classic methods gain new relevance in this breakthrough approach that puts crisis management at the heart of effective

"Layoffs are good for business." That's the myth that many of us have accepted as a grim business necessity. But Corporate Executions exposes, for the first time, the disturbing facts about this widespread and destructive practice. It demonstrates that in the long run, layoffs are not "good for business," measured by any means: company profitability, employee productivity, or national economic stability. In fact, most layoffs have proven to he ineffective for companies, not to mention disastrous for victims. In chilling detail Alan Downs explains how a new "culture of corporate narcissism" supports the downsizing fad and undermines responsible planning and sound management. He reveals how greed, in many forms, is behind most layoff decisions. Bonus-hungry executives, Wall Street analysts, and investors all cry out for quick profit at any cost, craving the personal rewards that come when layoff announcements drive up stock prices. It's a vicious cycle that ultimately collapses because no company can function without a sufficient number of productive, motivated employees. But Corporate Executions is not all bad news. It supplies positive strategies for avoiding layoffs or for carrying them out with minimal trauma, when absolutely necessary. It urges companies to seek "controlled growth," rather than short-term cost reduction, as the true road to competitive advantage. The book also proposes a "new social contract" between companies and employees. This enlightened approach takes into account today's realities - in business economics and in employee expectations. Finally, the book provides techniques (personal layoff protection) for individuals to use if they sense a layoff is imminent.

Successful leaders share one (and only one) common They discover their own unique blend of talents and trust it completely. Executive success is really just that simple, according to Alan Downs, author of the incisive Corporate Executions. So what stops businesspeople from trusting and maximizing their talents? The enemy is fear--the kind of crippling fear that insists we must be something more than what we are and persuades us to abandon our core strengths. This masterful book explains how to conquer such fear in all its guises, see reality clearly, and free untapped potential. THE FEARLESS EXECUTIVE explores seven universal fears that choke off * Rejection ("What if I don't make it to the inner circle?") * Inadequacy ("What if I fail?") * Scarcity ("What if someone steals my piece of the action?") * Reality ("Isn't there a quick fix?") * The Unknown ("What is lurking out there?") * Aging ("What if I'm obsolete?") * Authority ("What if I break the rules?") Rich in real-life vignettes and on-the-job management applications, this is a practical and compassionate guide. It will inspire readers to face their daily demons and live the fearless life--on the job and beyond. Praise for the author's previous "An important and insightful work." --Library Journal (on Beyond the Looking Glass) "Should be required reading for CEOs across the land." --Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Corporate Executions)

How can you cure a sickness when you don't know its cause? Many of today's corporations are exhibiting the disturbing symptoms of a hard-to-define illness. You see signs of the malady in numerous irrational decision-making, massive downsizings, excessive executive pay, low morale, and a sense of isolation among employee. At some companies there's an even odder workaholic managers who seem indifferent to what they're working so hard at. What's going on here?Alan Downs, a noted author and organizational psychologist, has identified a root cause of this baffling and destructive ailment and given it a name. He calls it corporate narcissism. In Beyond the Looking Glass, he diagnoses this syndrome and explores ways to cure it.With dozens of vivid, real-life examples, Beyond the Looking Glass uncovers destructive cases of corporate narcissism and describes healthy companies that have resisted this negative force. Downs points the way to some powerful solutions for overcoming narcissism. If you are at a high level in your company, the book shows you how to create an organizational environment that doesn't tolerate extreme narcissistic behavior. If you work for or with a corporate narcissist, Beyond the Looking Glass shows you numerous self-defense techniques for survival.Ultimately, Beyond the Looking Glass poses the central What is the purpose of an organization? For companies like Levi Strauss, Starbuck's, Nordstrom's, and others cited in this book, the purpose goes far beyond profits. Making money is important, certainly - but equally critical are producing excellent products and services as well as providing a satisfying and rewarding place to work. In such a place, employees reward the company with their creativity, loyalty, and energy. That's profitable for all.

Seven timeless truths, applied to business management, introduces humanity back into today's workplace and helps managers realize and achieve the full potential of their employees without reengineering or downsizing. 25,000 first printing.

Neste instigante trabalho, Alan Downs apresenta um novo modelo o sucesso empresarial, cuja base é o "potencial milagroso" que todos possuímos, para restituir ao ambiente de trabalho de sua alma e espiritualidade. O Autor mostra que resultados extraordinários são conseguidos quando os administradores aproveitam todo o potencial de seus funcionários. Neste livro, Downs prova que a liderança pautada na honestidade, no entusiasmo e na integridade incentiva a confiança, o aprendizado e relacionamentos mutuamente compensadores. Esses são os indicadores que mostram o caminho para uma era em que as empresas serão mais humanitárias e tolerantes. Downs nos ensina como conseguir melhores resultados para nós e para todos os que nos cercam.