Live the Work You Love: Creating Your Business Legacy by Peter Hyson. Reviewed by Michael Lofthouse

When I first started to read this book I questioned was I the right person to undertake its review?  I have always felt secure in who and where I was in my life’s journey.  This self-generated certainty has served me well in over 40 years in senior management roles, but perhaps it was also a failing on my part?  I have rarely felt the need for external input to generate this certainty.

As the author makes clear in his introduction we all have moments in our personal and professional lives when we meet a crossroads, where decisions have to be formulated and acted upon. The book promises a personal journey with the intention of developing a vision of the next stage in the reader’s life.

This is not a bedtime read.  It is a carefully crafted heuristic that takes the reader on a progressive and cumulative journey of self-discovery.  The power of personal reflection is generated through an eclectic mix of illustrative stories, activities and commentary.  Throughout it is extensively academically referenced and you will recognise some of these references if you have attended a management course.  The book is clearly the sum total of the authors professional and academic experience.  There is depth to this book which requires the reader to exercise a high degree of disaggregation to maximise its potential.

A note of caution, as the author acknowledges, this book requires your undivided attention.  I found that by completing one chapter, which are thankfully crafted to minimise length, and then reflecting for a couple of days before returning to the next chapter worked for me. I repeat this is not a bedtime read, the books central intention if far too important for cursory engagement.

I am still not sure if I was the right reviewer, having had no experience with books with a similar intention, but what I can say that if you are at a crossroads in your life and need external stimulus, then this book provides that opportunity and the tools to allow you to step back and appraise your life; an opportunity to map out a future, an opportunity to create a degree of certainty.

Michael Lofthouse MSc MA Cert Ed FILT APMP has over 40 years senior management experience in the public and private sectors. He was an Adjunct Professor at City of New York University, and a Senior Lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University. Currently retired, he volunteers through the Cranfield Trust providing management consultancy to charities throughout the South East of England whilst supporting his local church and diocese in a range of roles.

This review is scheduled to appear in MODEM Matters Issue 34 in Spring 2017. The MODEM Matters newsletter keeps members up to date with newly published books in the fields of leadership, management and ministry: http://www.modemuk.org/modem-matters. To see other book reviews, visit http://www.modemuk.org/book-reviews