Breaking the Rules: A Self-Help Book That Doesn't Get The Credit It Deserves

As a bibliophile, I live to find truly great books to read.  Before purchasing books, usually on Amazon, I read several of the top reviews along with the bad ones.  I know people have tastes that are obviously different than my own so what I look for in the reviews is information about the book's content not already presented by the book's author as part of their description.  If the reviewer provides insight into concepts I've yet to read about, i.e., novelty ideas, then I commit to buying the book.  Nobody likes to read something they've already read somewhere else, right?

I recently discovered Kurt Wright's,  Breaking the Rules, Removing the Obstacles to Effortless High Performance.  When I say, "discovered," I mean it.  This book came out in 1998, and as far as I can remember, I had never heard about it.  If you recall, Jim Collins', Good to Great, came out in 2001 and basically wrapped up all of the book hype for the early part of the new century.  I'm going out on a limb here and say that Wright's, Breaking the Rules, is just as innovative for both individual and organizational improvement.  It may have been ahead of its time and not truly appreciated for the genius that is in these pages.

I mean, c'mon, who would think to say that no human being has inherent weaknesses?  That we all possess strengths, except that some of our strengths are tiny compared to our most notable positives.  That we should focus on building upon our big strengths first, before working on our smaller ones if we are to become high performers.  Mr. Wright doesn't operate whatsoever within the deficiency camp, and when he worked with companies as a consultant as well as with individuals as a mentor, he'd challenge himself to find "what's right" questions, instead of "what's wrong" ones.

What we have here in Breaking Rules...is a paradigm shift and a manual in a single package.  With writing that is more like speaking, the reader feels like the author is coaching him/her throughout the book!  Ever since reading this book, I've learned to find the strengths in my students.  I used to see weaknesses in them, but now I find nothing but strengths.  I've also learned to praise people more often, because what you see in someone works to strengthen what you have within you as well.

There is so much to this book, and I don't want to spoil it.  If you're into looking for ways to improve your life, this is without a shadow of a doubt one book you need to read and have in your library.  The value of this book, now almost 20 years old, is just as much (if not more) as anything coming out the "success" camp these days.  What's sad is that Mr. Wright didn't make the teachings of this book into a brand.  I typed, www.breakingtherules.com, on my web browser, and found a music guy wearing a suit, no socks, and stepping on the keys of a piano.  Definitely not a site about the book.  I also typed, www.kurtwright.com, and landed on Kurt Wright's page alright, just not the Kurt Wright I was looking for.


This book needs to be brought back to life because it's life giving when read.  If this blog post should get to the author, I'd want him to know that he should consider doing a second edition or maybe even seeking the services of Steve Harrison, the man who helped Jack Canfield with the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.  It's all about the right type of marketing.  I end this post with my score on this book: A perfect 10.  Thanks for reading!  If you liked this post and want more like them in your inbox, please subscribe to this blog by entering your email below:

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