I just read Flip Flippen’s book over the weekend. Titled “The Flip Side: Break Free of the Behaviors that hold You Back,” it’s a great read and has some insight into why some of our behavior patterns keep us from being as successful as we could be, even when we’re skilled and talented.
Flippen has organized these behavioral sets into what he calls “Personal Constraints” and has identified 10 of them. They are Bulletproof (Overconfident), Ostriches (Low Self-Confidence), Marshmallows (Overly Nurturing), Critics (Too demanding, nitpicky or harsh), Icebergs (Low Nurturing), Flatliners (Low passion, vision or drive), Bulldozers (Overly Dominant), Turtles (Resistant to Change), Volcanoes (Aggressive, Angry), and Quick Draw (Low Self-Control, Impulsive).
Flippen’s theory is that our success quotient isn’t based so much on our strengths and good points, as it is based on the things that hold us back. In other words we could be really talented at our work, but our Personal Constraint of being a Bulldozer, for example, could keep us from being a good teamplayer and a successful employer.
Flippen tells many stories that illustrate his points well and I found the book to be very helpful in identifying some of the constraints that I need to work on. I would recommend Flippen’s book for its easy read, its solid content and its helpfulness in professional and personal development.
