Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work
The late Viktor Frankl's hopefulMan's Search for Meaningemerged from his experience in a Nazi concentration camp. With Frankl's blessing, Pattakos, a cofounder of the Innovation Group consultancy and a former professor of public and business administration, applies Frankl's lessons to corporate America's workplaces. Logotherapy, Frankl's therapeutic approach, says we are free to respond to all aspects of our destiny; Pattakos argues that if we all have a will to meaning, then even if we work for unenlightened companies, we can still "connect meaningfully with others" within the workplace. Finding your sense of humor, giving to others and forgiving, and "de-reflecting" (or shifting your focus of attention) are all strategies for connection; one should consider "ten positive things" when losing a job or taking a pay cut. Pattakos ends each chapter with a "Meaning Moment" and a "Meaning Question," which can seem contrived (how exactly isyourwork like a "mission"?) and a lot of the advice will feel like familiar workplace etiquette that has been rebranded. Still, Pattakos's is a humane approach that allows for purpose in even the most purposeless-seeming environments, which is surely palliative care—if not a cure—for work ruts. The foreword is byThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleauthor Stephen R. Covey.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.