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Amazon Reviews

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5 of 6 people found the following review to be helpful:

Great Resource for Diversity Training,  April 22, 2002

By Beth A. Hinsdale

I am an attorney practicing labor and employment law and have used this book in diversity training. It is the best I have read, and believe it conveys the benefits of diversity in a simple and easy to understand way. All levels of employees, from rank and file to top executives, can (and in my experience do)relate to its message.

2 of 2 people found the following review to be helpful:

Catchy Title But...,  July 31, 2009

By Michael Gooch

I did not buy this book. It was given to me by an associate as an `idea' for a corporate-wide human resources conference.

As a corporate director, I was flabbergasted by the simpleton tone of this book. Some pages only contained 6 to 10 words while others may contain more words but made little sense. The theory behind this book is that people are different and we should allow diversity to flourish in order to make the company and the employee happy. This is an idea that any thinking manager caught up with a couple of generations ago.

It is no wonder that our creativity and abilities to sustain long term profitability - not to mention our adaptability and flexibility - is going down the drain. It is not only this book but others I have seen that are very similar. They start by developing a catchy theme and then building a one-trick pony system around the theme. It is a cartoonish way to manage but I suppose in this twitter world anything with heft is dealt out of the deck. It is so sad to see people traveling down this path.

I did find value in the book by giving it to my grandchildren to read. They enjoyed it.

If you wish to really explore this topic, I would highly recommend Don't Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR

0 of 0 people found the following review to be helpful:

A book that should be read by the peacocks and the penguins,  May 6, 2010

By Charles Ashbacher

The best thing about a fable is that they can be used to deliver harsh messages in soft tones. In this story the penguins are bureaucratic bound managers that are unwilling to tolerate any change, even if it is the mere mention of change. The peacock is a hotshot (in the good sense) new hire that is full of energy, new ideas, creativity and purpose. Similar dynamic individuals added to the organizations are an eagle, hawk, mockingbird, and a swan. All started jobs in an organization run by penguins where the penguins professed a desire to execute some changes. At first the penguins were happy to see the infusion of "new blood."
However, over time the penguins grew insecure over the prospects of change and together they forced out all of the "unusual" birds. Although the nonconformists suffered a bit, they managed to gather together and form a dynamic and creative group that they called the "Land of Opportunity."
As the material in the afterword demonstrates, this is an excellent book for diversity and creativity training. In the modern business world, every employee needs to be operating on all creative cylinders and must be heard. For it is impossible to predict where the next great idea will arise so it could very well be suicidal to discount or suppress any new idea that is raised.

0 of 0 people found the following review to be helpful:

Great Book,  April 25, 2010

By David Williams

I was asked to read this book for work and since reading it I have shared it with many others including my 8 year old daughter. Its an easy read and really gets the point across.

1 of 2 people found the following review to be helpful:

Great reverse psychology,  October 20, 2006

By Marina

This book helped me greatly to determine what was happening in my life at a particular time in my office and its personnel structure. It takes you trhought the characters on a journey of office environments and the typical personalities found therein. I do not have anything but praise for this title. A great read, jovial, and humorous it is a definite buy.