Thrive: Standing on Your Own Two Feet in a Borderless World (ISBN 097676315X)

A must read for every working American:
I am a workforce professional, employed at a local level to oversee DOL employment and training programs. I wish I could buy this book for every working American; and I recommend it whenever I get a chance, especially to young people entrying the workforce. The globalization of our economy is little understood by the most Americans. Mr. Cook makes a strong argument that these changes are here to stay but there are ways to more fully engage oneself in this global market. Is there a magic bullet? No, but Mr. Cook gives one the roadmap to participation. He writes with humor and humanity that I found very engaging.

This is what Mike taught me:
I had the pleasure of seeing Mike in action when I had my last "real job". I brought him in to work with our Executive team and the whole process "XLR8ed" me to become a member of the "free agent nation", the popular term at the time. The recognition that I had many very positive interdependencies was the ultimate catalyst to overcoming my fear of staring my own Executive Coaching practice. That was over 10 years ago and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Mike basically taught me what he has now put in print, and I am carrying that message along with many steps of the process to my clients. As a matter of fact, since Thrive goes way beyond the concepts articulated in Rich Dad, Poor Dad I've sent it as a follow-up must read to my children.

This book makes a difference!:
From the moment I opened THRIVE I was completely engaged. Mike Cook's writing style is warm and conversational, easy to read, and thought provoking. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to personally and professionally flourish and take a leadership role in their own life.

How to become indispensable at work:
The business world has drastically changed in the last few years. This book shows how to develop the inner strength and abilities to survive in the new global marketplace. For many years, a central component of American business involved the concepts of Commitment and Loyalty. It was a time when a person could expect to spend their entire working career at one company. As long as the employee was willing to give the company the best years of their life, and not even think about going to another company that may be a better fit for the employee (keep dissenting opinions to yourself), the company will be there to take care of the employee. If you haven't already learned, the hard way, that such a way of thinking no longer exists, you will. The most important thing, in today's world, is to learn to be adaptable, which involves several things. First of all, take personal responsibility for your own financial welfare; no one else will do it for you. Come up with your own personal vision; something more than simply "employment at my previous salary level." Technical competence and reputation are pretty self-explanatory. The last is collaborative competence. It doesn't just involve how well you get along with others at work, but how well you bring value to the workplace. In the myriad of small and large interactions that make up the workplace, how willing are people to interact with you? If you can become something like the "go to" person, upper management will think long and hard before giving you a pink slip. This book doesn't try to lay blame for globalization, or look at "hot" industries in the coming years, but tries to show a new way of thinking so that a person in any industry can make themselves indispensable at work. It succeeds really well, and is very much worth reading.

Entertaining & Insightful Book:
I loved this book. It provides some great concepts that will stick with me. It does an especially good job of supporting some instincts I have about the world of business, and portraying them in a way that I am able to understand and adopt as guiding principals. Standing on your own two feet is an obvious one, but "The meek shall inherit the earth", appreciating interdependence and being coachable are also obvious principals to leading a good life. Mike makes those principles easy to relate to my work life.