Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Florence Prescription


The Florence Prescription; From Accountability to Ownership
By Joe Tye

Date Review Posted:  April 10, 2013
Authors:  Joe Tye with Dick Schwab
Release Date:  2009

FIVE THUMBS UP!  (A case could be made that I would only review the best of the best because if while reading a book it does not hold my interest, I would not finish it and therefore would not review it.)

Format:  Inspirational Novel with a great message; enjoy and educational

Reason For Reading THIS book:  Joe Tye has become my personal mentor (via the Internet) and I read literally everything he writes (more than once as in this case).  This work did not change my opinion that his works are very much worth reading!

Number Of Times I Have Read This Book:  Three times.  It is a very easy to read book.  Less than 200 pages but full of very valuable information in regards to creating a culture of ownership within your company, any company, not just the medical industry.

Brief Summary of Content:   What would Florence Nightingale say or do if she were to return to the Medical industry today?  The book is written from the perspective of a hospital business consultant.  But in this case, Florence Nightingale appears and reappears throughout the book but only to certain individuals and provides extremely valuable insights to how and why a business can only change by developing a culture of ownership by everyone involved – administration, employees, volunteers and patients.  While this book is written with the Medical Industry as the primary business involved, the principles of this book apply to every business from the one person LLC to the mega companies around the world.  It tells a story. It introduces you to multiple types of attitudes that you can find in any business and hopefully you can relate to one or more of them in a favorable way as compared to having an attitude that subverts creating a place of employment where no one would ever feel a need to leave.

And from the book:  “Bingo!  That is the essence of effective leadership, and it is the heart of The Florence Prescription.  Florence is best remembered for her work during the Crimean War, but some of her most enduring accomplishments – the reform of the British military health system, the use of quantitative epidemiological methods for hospital quality assessment, the Nightingale school of nursing, the first hospital that was specifically designed to be a hospital – all came about because she influenced other people to take ownership for the endeavors.  She knew that the real role of a leader is to inspire other leaders.  Followers are accountable, leaders take ownership.  And, as I often say, in today’s complex, turbulent and hypercompetitive world we need leaders in every corner, not just in the corner office.  We need to move from accountability to ownership.”

Who Should Read the Book?    Everyone in business no matter what industry or how large or how small.

Final Test:  Would I read the book again?  ABSOLUTELY AND I AM!  Would I give it as a gift?  ABSOLUTELY!

HERE IS THE BEST PART.  You can purchase the book for only $5.00 a copy from http://www.sparkstore.com/motivational-book-florence.html.  It makes a great gift to anyone in business.  I purchased copies to give to the various doctors that I visit such as my Primary Care Physician, Dentist, Eye Physican, etc.  If you happen to be affiliated with Keller Williams Realty, there is no better description of what an Agent Leadership Council (ALC) is all about or should be about. 

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