Book Review: Subject - Personal Development

Title: Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life
Author: Tony Jeary
Publisher Vanguard Press
ISBN: 978-159315-501-8

Seven. Seven is the number of times that the word “strategic” is mentioned on the inside jacket cover alone of Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life by author and executive coach Tony Jeary. There is a rule of thumb that suggests that when you are delivering a speech or making a presentation, you should mention your key points at least three times. First, tell your audience what you are going to tell them. Then, tell them. And then, tell them what you told them as you wrap up and finish with your call to action. (Your call to action is telling your audience what you want them to do with the information you just gave them.) I know that establishing your brand will separate you from your competition, but how many times can you hear something before your brain automatically shuts down and you stop listening? I found myself nodding off, tuning out, or skipping the page every time I read the word “strategic”.

Overkill aside, Strategic Acceleration is helpful for personal time management, goal setting, and planning to ensure that you accomplish those things in your life that are important to you. Jeary’s “strategic acceleration” approach is based on three pivotal concepts: clarity (being clear about your goals), focus (concentrating on them), and execution (accomplishing them). Jeary goes to great lengths to walk you through each one, step by step.

It’s no secret that if you want to succeed in any undertaking, you must have a plan, and then you must work your plan. All good plans start with the end in mind: You must have a clear picture of what it is that you are trying to accomplish and what the end result will look like. If you want to end up in Windsor but all the road signs suggest that you are going to end up in Quebec City, then you have the wrong plan.

The key difference between people who reach their full potential and those who don’t is that the people who do have a clear understanding of what they want to accomplish – put a plan together to accomplish that goal - and are committed to working their plan and staying the course. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, understood this more then most when he said “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have discovered 10,000 ways that do not work.” (I love that quote!)

If you’ve reached a plateau and you’re not sure how to get to the next level, or if you need help in putting your life plan together, then I recommend that you go through some of the exercises Jeary provides in Appendices A and B. There are 19 exercises in all so you’ll need to pick and choose which ones apply to you. You may find exercises such as Unlock Your Internal Keys to Success, Outline What You Need to Do to Get What You Want, and Describe Your Hope and Great Goal for the Future all worthwhile.

On a scale of 1 to 10 ? 1 being “save your money” and 10 being “this is a must have” ? I’d rate Strategic Acceleration: Succeed at the Speed of Life an 8.5 out of 10. There are no silver bullets here, but, to be fair to Jeary, there are no silver bullets anywhere. Any system is a good system as long as it works for you. If you haven’t started using one, then I recommend that you try Jeary’s.