Triumph from Failure

Lessons from Life for Business Success
By Sir Robert Alistair McAlpine and Kate Dixey
Reviewed by Kellie Fowler

"We may stop ourselves from going up, but never coming down.”
- Napoleon Bonaparte

In working to craft a clear, concise summary of this eye-opening book, I found myself going back to the above quote (which serves as the opening of Chapter 6), for it summarizes the book well.

“Triumph From Failure, Lessons from Life for Business Success” is the clever, insightful work of authors Alistair McAlpine and Kate Dixey. In it, this dynamic duo takes a look at the essential dimensions of balance in life to achieve happiness and success.

McAlpine and Dixey lay the groundwork for what it takes to reach that elusive goal – to be successful in business, at home, and with people in general.

As appropriately pointed out in the book’s foreword, industry loses billions of dollars every year through negativity displayed by both employers and employees, with negativity starting in the mail room and ending in the boardroom (or, for that matter, the other way around).

McAlpine and Dixey say that negativity, once lit, runs like wildfire through any business. More contagious than the flu, they determine that negativity in today’s workforce is more deadly to a business than adverse financial conditions.

“Triumph from Failure” explores essential human themes, such as success, eating, sleeping, understanding, beauty, kindness and failure, in an effort to make life happier, defeat negativity and make both work and home more successful through achieving balance (while holding your hand and providing practical advice every step of the way).

Admittedly, my favorite chapters in this great read are Chapters 1 and 7 (Kindness and The Need for Understanding, respectively). For it seems that these fundamentals have long since been missing from most of our boardrooms.

In summary, the book looks at the importance of discovering your own unique rhythm, and takes you all the way to sure-fire success – a journey you are happy traveling on the entire way.

“Triumph from Failure: Lessons from Life for Business Success,” is available at www.amazon.com.

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