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Jones Loflin is an internationally recognized speaker and corporate trainer. He has created and conducted training programs for numerous international corporations, trade associations, governmental agencies and educational institutions including Westinghouse, Microsoft, Bayer Health Care, US mostra'n més Airways, Siemens International, and the Air Force. His is the author of Prime Rib or Potted Meat? and the co-author of Juggling Elephants. (Bowker Author Biography) mostra'n menys

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I picked up Juggling Elephants: An Easier Way to Get Your Most Important Things Done--Now! at an Association for Talent Development conference a couple of years ago. As luck would have it, I never got around to reading it. Other book purchases seemed to keep pushing these once needed to read books down my list. This year, I have made it a goal to clear off my to-read shelf. As a result, Jones Loflin and Todd Musig’s book, Juggling Elephants made it to the top of my February list. Juggling Elephants is a fictional story that shares a lesson about setting priorities. It is written in the same style as “The One Minute” series that Ken Blanchard has written. If you like these types of books, you will like this book. Read more… (més)
 
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skrabut | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Sep 2, 2020 |
Juggling Elephants by Jones Loflin and Todd Musig
An Easier Way to Get your Most Important Things Done -Now!

Told in the format of a story from within the three rings of a Circus, this business self-help book may have an impact if time is spent on introspective tasks. Some good questions to ask yourself when going through your own priority list.
Includes a couple of good examples in the first half but got a little vague in the last third, specifically about reviewing the “act”.

My mentoring Circle will discuss this book using the Ring tools we found online as well as a list of discussion questions that were forwarded by the author.
I expect practice will help prioritize tasks but the concept of separation of work, relationships and self is a good way to juggle it all.
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Madison_Fairbanks | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Feb 18, 2018 |
Ah, business training parables. I have read too many of them. I guess I am more than a little cynical when I pick one up anymore. Most are contrived stories, about 100 pages of large font type, teaching some simple concept with the care and tenderness of a treasured faberge egg. While they teach the principle in an format that is easily digested, they don't delve into the topic enough to provide much knowledge, background or depth. They tend to be like a quick sugar hit, the Krispy Kreme of the self improvement world.

Juggling Elephants follows this same format. We are told the story of a man who takes his daughter to the circus even though he is overwhelmed with everything in his life pressing down on him. He has so much to do, he feels guilt for taking time to take his daughter out for the evening, but knows he should be spending more time with her. As "luck" would have it, he ends up sitting next to a ringmaster from another circus, there to check out how a friend's troupe is doing. The ringmaster instantly reads him and suggests that he needs to stop "juggling elephants" and get his "circus" in order. Naturally, the ringmaster invites the man back the next day to teach him the secret of being a ringmaster.

The rest of the story lays out how a ringmaster controls the show and how it applies to managing personal lives. The man quickly adopts the practices and becomes a master of controlling everything around him, becoming hyper-productive and accomplishing all his wildest dreams. He even loses all the weight he has always wanted and improves his marriage. Amazing.

The book is filled with little "pearls" of wisdom, each on its own page with a nice picture of an elephant. Some of these include:

The result of juggling elephants is that no one, including you, is thrilled with the performance.
The ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at once.
The key to the success of the circus is having quality acts in all three rings.
Every act must have a purpose.
Intermission is an essential part of creating a better circus performance.

So why did I give this short book four stars? I usually won't give this type of parable more than two at best. Well, to my surprise, I learned a concept I find useful. I can only concentrate on one thing at a time. In order to have good performance, I should have a prioritized list of acts (multiple meanings to this word... get it?) for each ring of my life and be able to move between them with speed and ease. A ring represents an area of focus, such as career, relationships and self. GTD teaches this as well, using the weekly review as a mechanism to plan and prioritize the task lists. I like the concept of grouping the many areas of focus into three rings, though. That is a number I can keep in my head easier. Lining things up by priority puts the most important things on stage first. That is good thing to remember.

Juggling Elephants is a short read, a couple hours or so long. I think this one may be worth it.
… (més)
 
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DanStratton | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Jan 27, 2012 |
This book is similar to the Spenser Johnson series of books where it's based on a story. In this instance the story is told based on a trip to the circus. The emphasis is a comparison of lifes problems too much work and not enough time for family and important things to a 3 ring circus. The story is told by the ringmaster who explains how you fit your life into acts that fall into one of the 3 rings. It's a simple story, nothing earth shattering. What it's really telling you is how to better prioritize your life so you can have time for the more important things. It's a very quick read so it's worth giving it a read.… (més)
 
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realbigcat | Hi ha 4 ressenyes més | Nov 26, 2010 |

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Obres
5
Membres
126
Popularitat
#159,216
Valoració
4.0
Ressenyes
5
ISBN
16
Llengües
2

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