Friday, August 16, 2013

Book Review: Sticking Points by Haydn Shaw

Sticking Points:  How to Get 4 Generations Working Together in the 12 Places They Come Apart by Haydn Shaw is not the typical book I review on this blog.  But after swearing off leadership books for a while, I reluctantly decided to give this one a chance.  I am so glad that I did.

The gist of this book is that there are four generations working in the work place right now:  the Traditionalists, the Baby Boomers, the Gen Xers and the Millennials.  His premise is that this broad age range is causing some major "sticking points" in work culture that would easily be resolved with some understanding and adjusted expectations.  I've never read a book like this in all the leadership books I've ever read and this book was incredibly interesting.  Shaw has studied the different generations and regularly give presentations to companies about how to navigate these generation waters.  The author has obviously grasped the differences clearly and in a non-judgemental form.  No one generation is presented as better or worse than the other and all are called to understand one another.  Each generation is described in detail and the author explores why they are the way they are and how that translates to the work place and other areas of life.

From a strictly sociological perspective, this book was beyond fascinating.  As a leader, though, I have gained so much insight into different relational issues I've encountered and saw the role that generational differences have played.  This has truly broadened my understanding of group dynamics and why different age group respond the way they do.

I highly recommend this book, both for church leaders and secular leaders.  While there is no Christian or Bible content, the overall message of accepting and understanding one another and our differences is huge in the life of a Christian and this book gives information that can help us do that.

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale House Publishing in return for my honest review.

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