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Twelve
352 pages
Product Description
<div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div> <div><b>It's a Dog Eat Dog World. Don't Be on the Menu.</b><br><br>What are the differences between a winning and losing performance? Why are we able to rise to the challenge one day, but wilt from it the next? Can we in fact become better competitors? In <b>TOP DOG</b>, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman use cutting edge science to tease out the hidden factors at the core of every great triumph - and every tragic failure. By enabling you to identify your own competitive style, <b>TOP DOG </b>will help you tip the odds of success in your favor. Integrating wisdom from politics, finance, genetics, neuroscience, psychology, military training, sports, economics, education and more, <b>TOP DOG</b> offers counterintuitive, game-changing insights into the nature of competition, such as:</div> <div> <ul> <li>Why the home field advantage in sports is just as relevant in diplomacy and deal-making <li>That women are better at judging risk, while men are better at ignoring it - and how this plays out on K Street and Wall Street <li>Why younger siblings are more competitive than first-borns, and how early-childhood influences shape competitive styles forever <li>That the shape of entrepreneurs' hands can be just as revealing as their business plans <li>How a single biochemical can predict a winner before an event has even begun <li>Why discord can be better than harmony, and why stars on a team do deserve special treatment. </li></ul></div> <div>As President Dwight Eisenhower said, "What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight-it's the size of the fight in the dog." In <b>TOP DOG</b>, Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman reveal the size of the fight in all of us.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
Twelve
352 pages
Amazon.com Review
<div class="aplus"> <h4>Q&A with Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman</h4> <div class="rightImage" style="width: 250px;"><img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/Hachette-Image/BronsonPoMerrymanAshley._V375960737_.jpg" alt="Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman" width="300" height="215" /></div> <p><strong>Q. Are you refuting the concept that it takes ten years of practice to get great at anything?</strong></p> <p><strong>Po Bronson:</strong> Not at all, we feel our book is additive to that story. Nobody is judged on how they practice. They're judged on how they perform when it counts. Practicing is not the same as competing. You can pitch a million baseballs to your son until he perfects his swing--but wait until he faces a pitcher who wants him to miss. You might have ten years of experience in the advertising industry, but how do you handle the day your biggest client tells you they're leaving for a rival agency?</p> <p><strong>Ashley Merryman:</strong> The truth is, nobody puts in ten years before they start competing. The world doesn't work that way. We are all thrown into competitive situations, long before we've had enough practice. Our results are still judged; our fate is still determined by how we do. To survive these trials, we need more than practice. We need competitive fire.</p> <p><strong>Q. Did researching this book change how you each compete?</strong></p> <p><strong>Ashley Merryman:</strong> I'm a girl. All my life, I've been told to "play nice." I heard it on the playground and then the grown-up version they say in boardrooms: women are better at coalition-building, not competing. The science says that's wrong. And it's not just about toughening up. Women are prone to weigh risks more carefully than men; when women are confident they have a good chance to succeed, they'll compete. Sometimes this is an asset (in certain domains), but sometimes it's a hindrance. I've learned to recognize when to tap into my gender's knack for risk-analysis, and when to ignore it.</p> <p><strong>Po Bronson:</strong> I didn't let many people know it, but before working on this book, I'd had a full-hip replacement and a few unsuccessful surgeries on my leg. I had many setbacks during rehab; I could barely walk at times. This affected every dimension of my life--it sapped my energy for my writing work and my volunteer projects. I was just losing my edge and my will to fight. Researching the book inspired me; it reminded me who I am. It restored my zeal for attacking big challenges. I hope the book does that for readers, first and foremost: gets them eager to surmount the challenges in their lives.</p> <p><strong>Q. Everyone says that companies must innovate to remain competitive--but does it work the other way around? Doesn't competition destroy creativity?</strong></p> <p><strong>Po Bronson:</strong> There is a belief that creative genius is fragile and needs to be shielded from competition and comparison. But the research says that's a myth. Leonardo da Vinci loved to have his art put side by side with the work of others for debate over whose was best; Bach, too, liked to compete against other musicians in public concerts. Chemical fire extinguishers, food canning, transcontinental air travel--each began as the prize winner of a competition. Competition doesn't kill creativity: it facilitates creative output by supplying motivational drive.</p> <p><strong>Ashley Merryman:</strong> Whether professional musicians or school children, studies have shown competition fuels creativity and even improves the quality of the work produced. More than that, the skills that make you a great competitor--such as a willingness to push boundaries, trust one's instincts, problem-solve--those are the same skills needed for innovation.</p> </div>