Evergreen: Playing a Continuous Comeback Game

About this book

This is a book about doing business in the Evergreen, where change is continuous.It explains the rules for handing “thrownness” in today’s surprise-a-minute world. Is your mind oriented toward staying power or toward disintegration? Read the book!In today's high-speed-change world, surprise is a permanent growth industry. The authors of Evergreen: Playing a Continuous Comeback Business Game call it "thrownness"—as in "being tossed in the middle of, without warning or preparation."With all the thrownness, probably everyone realizes they need to act, think and feel differently because the world is different. But different how? And how do you keep growing, changing—becoming? How do you develop all-important "staying power," personally and organizationally, in the face of constant business chaos, disequilibrium and change?The authors of this book, Brain Technologies’ Dudley Lynch, and David Neenan, are two of the Indiana Joneses of this new era, this new domain. And Evergreen is their scouting report on how to handle the ever-growing thrownness of the new century and new millennium.It is the desire of these authors that their reader become "more probable" in the face of change. More probable than opposing forces, opposing odds, opposing processes of confusion and resistance. They believe cutting-edge business players are more effective as "enzymes" (promoting change by fully and strategically participating in it) than "catalysts" (promoting change without bothering to change much themselves). The strategies they describe for improving both "the odds of thrownness" and enzymatic leadership abilities stress a Responsible Adventurer's approach: be smart, be bold, be fair.The Evergreen forest is their "new science" metaphor for "the edge of chaos," where Responsible Adventurers are most effective. Where disequilibrium and stability do their paradoxically innovative business dance. The "staying power" principles of Evergreen are designed to help the reader safeguard original gains and yet constantly change and revitalize, just like the namesake forest itself. In the Evergreen: If you know your personal purpose ("what you are alive to do"), you make it possible for the future to influence your present.—You quickly learn that the Universe favors abundance-based ideas and actions over scarcity-based ones, even in business, in the long run.—You lead best if you always "make yourself the project"—whatever the assignment.—You "grow" yourself most reliably by making potent requests—the most powerful single act available to businesspeople.—You understand that nothing is independent of you and thus everything can be influenced to a certain degree by how you observe it.Here are the 15 Evergreen principles (and chapters) for dealing with today's unrelenting conditions of thrownness from a staying-power perspective:—If your passion (for being in business) hasn't ignited, explore new ways to be (in life).—Determine your life purpose, so you can receive assistance directly from the future.—Make a habit of exploring "small niches."—Benefit from nature's own energy patterns by doing more, not less; more with less. —Think abundance, not scarcity.—To lead, make yourself the project—whatever the assignment.—Protect your ability to trust.—The Language of Business (1): To build personal power, declare your uncertainty in no uncertain terms, then act on it.—The Language of Business (2): To make your requests more effective, put more "body" into your "language."—The Language of Business (3): Explain your actions with significant stories.—The Language of Business (4) View your client as a partner—and a friend.—The Language of Business (5): Expect "some things against your nature."—Showcase your strengths, not your weaknesses.—Boost morale and productivity by modifying people's moods.—Use continuous learning to move out when life breaks free.—Invent worlds where your troubles don't reappear.This reader of Evergreen says: "Lynch is a genius . . . . My brain loves to be challenged and stretched, and he has done just that with this book. I highly recommend it."—Dr. David W. Cox, Department Chair, Educational Administration and Secondary Education, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR