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16th out of 38 books
—
6 voters
Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward
by
Henry Cloud
End Pain.
Foster Personal and Professional Growth.
Live Better.
While endings are a natural part of business and life, we often experience them with a sense of hesitation, sadness, resignation, or regret. But consultant, psychologist, and bestselling author Dr. Henry Cloud sees endings differently. He argues that our personal and professional lives can only improve to the deg...more
Foster Personal and Professional Growth.
Live Better.
While endings are a natural part of business and life, we often experience them with a sense of hesitation, sadness, resignation, or regret. But consultant, psychologist, and bestselling author Dr. Henry Cloud sees endings differently. He argues that our personal and professional lives can only improve to the deg...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
January 18th 2011
by HarperBusiness
(first published January 1st 2011)
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This book is about ending relationships between people. Saying that brings to mind romantic relationships, but this book applies equally to business relationships as romantic ones.
Should you quit that job? Should you leave that church? Should you break up with that girl? Should you fire that employee? Should you excommunicate that parishioner? Should you divorce that spouse?
These questions are answered in the affirmative when it is a "necessary ending" to the relationship. Thus it's important to...more
Should you quit that job? Should you leave that church? Should you break up with that girl? Should you fire that employee? Should you excommunicate that parishioner? Should you divorce that spouse?
These questions are answered in the affirmative when it is a "necessary ending" to the relationship. Thus it's important to...more
Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud, Harper Business, 2011, 256 Pages, ISBN-13: 978-0061777127, $25.99
"Toxic, hurtful or problematic" describes many personal or business relationships that should end, writes Dr. Henry Cloud in his new release, Necessary Endings. Whether from fear, regret, anticipated consequences or conflict that might arise from life-altering decisions, unhealthy relationships continue.
Dr. Cloud, clinical psychologist, leadership coach, and best-selling author of Boundaries,...more
"Toxic, hurtful or problematic" describes many personal or business relationships that should end, writes Dr. Henry Cloud in his new release, Necessary Endings. Whether from fear, regret, anticipated consequences or conflict that might arise from life-altering decisions, unhealthy relationships continue.
Dr. Cloud, clinical psychologist, leadership coach, and best-selling author of Boundaries,...more
Apr 21, 2012
Mikejencostanzo
marked it as to-read
I have not yet read this book, but I've read with interest the book description, and would love to read the book itself very soon. One question I'd like to explore in my reading: How does Necessary Endings apply to a situation like that of historic figure Charles Simeon (following taken from a sermon by John Piper):
"The vicar of Trinity Church died in October, 1782, just as Charles Simeon was about to leave the university to live in his father's home. Simeon had often walked by the church, he te...more
"The vicar of Trinity Church died in October, 1782, just as Charles Simeon was about to leave the university to live in his father's home. Simeon had often walked by the church, he te...more
Perhaps the best book I've read thus far this year. I highly recommend this book.
A few insights:
"Getting to the next level always requires something, leaving it behind and moving on. Growth itself demands that we move on. Without the ability to end things, people stay stuck, never becoming who they are meant to be, never accomplishing all that their talents and abilities should afford them."
"Good cannot begin until bad ends." Endings are not only part of life, they are a requirement for livin...more
A few insights:
"Getting to the next level always requires something, leaving it behind and moving on. Growth itself demands that we move on. Without the ability to end things, people stay stuck, never becoming who they are meant to be, never accomplishing all that their talents and abilities should afford them."
"Good cannot begin until bad ends." Endings are not only part of life, they are a requirement for livin...more
This is a must read! A truly excellent book full of wisdom. True, endings are necessary and they do take courage and faith, and this book is one to help you through it. Take courage, endings are not all bad and they are indeed very, very necessary. This book will remain on my shelf for the rest of my days. I will read it again and refer to it often.
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Great read - lots of great advice and is helpful in helping you think about all the [un]-necessary "stuff" in your life that you should end or get rid of, which is causing you all kinds of problems. Deals mostly with business-related endings but also touches on personal relationships. In the end, it's about sustainability and and the overall trajectory of our lives - how overwhelmed and/or stressed out are we, over decisions we know we need to make (or perhaps don't know) but for whatever reason...more
I should just buy this book, and highlight.
I find it sometimes hard to read books by Henry Cloud, and this one seemed mostly applicable to business, but the more I read, the more helpful it was. Following are the most helpful (to me) excerpts:
page 49: "I have watched well-meaning people literally waste years and millions of dollars trying to bring someone along who is not coming. And often the person may have lots of other talent that the leader doesn't want to lose, or he likes the person so mu...more
I find it sometimes hard to read books by Henry Cloud, and this one seemed mostly applicable to business, but the more I read, the more helpful it was. Following are the most helpful (to me) excerpts:
page 49: "I have watched well-meaning people literally waste years and millions of dollars trying to bring someone along who is not coming. And often the person may have lots of other talent that the leader doesn't want to lose, or he likes the person so mu...more
Helpful coverage of the internal and external aspects of bringing closure to life's passing experiences. With eternity set in the human heart by our Creator, we naturally find it difficult to bring an end to things that have out lived their useful life.
Cloud helps navigate the complicated landscape of what I heard Peter Drucker call "Systematic Abandonment." Drucker said, "For every new thing I pick up, I must ask myself, "What will I set down?""
Necessary Endings shatters the "no one has ever be...more
Cloud helps navigate the complicated landscape of what I heard Peter Drucker call "Systematic Abandonment." Drucker said, "For every new thing I pick up, I must ask myself, "What will I set down?""
Necessary Endings shatters the "no one has ever be...more
This is a book to read slowly....very slowly. Read Chapter One and then spend a week thinking about it. Do that for each chapter - meditate on it. There is so much good advice dripping from every page. So many times, change = loss in life. Many times the change is necessary, whether it be moving to a new place, taking a new job or cutting ties with someone in your life. We mourn the loss created by the change, whether the change was good or not. This book provides insight into our feelings and m...more
A thought provoking book that opens up the reality of people around you and helps you place them in categories: Wise, Foolish and Evil. Learning who falls in these categories teaches you how to and when to make necessary endings with them. Written with a heavy business perspective in mind the book is also useful for everyday relationships.
We all need a little friend pruning in our lives and this book is an easy read that teaches you how to make those endings. I found this book to be very applic...more
We all need a little friend pruning in our lives and this book is an easy read that teaches you how to make those endings. I found this book to be very applic...more
Like most of Cloud's books, he has a basic premise that is outstanding. In this case, the basic idea is that some things need to be completed, brought to a close. This may apply to everything from firing someone to throwing out old tuna salad in the fridge.
But, as with all Cloud's books, he takes something that is essentially as complicated as a few articles rather than enough content for a book. However, Cloud does make it interesting enough to help a reader get all the way through. It is a sl...more
But, as with all Cloud's books, he takes something that is essentially as complicated as a few articles rather than enough content for a book. However, Cloud does make it interesting enough to help a reader get all the way through. It is a sl...more
It's about ending any relationship. Particularly the professional. I wish I would have found a book like this in my late teens early twenties. It took most of my early twenties to come to the conclusions on my own that are so simply written by Dr Cloud.
The book was recommended to me by my executive business coach to help me end a relationship with an employee that was much overdue. Couldn't have been more perfect for getting my mind around taking continued ownership of the my business and the v...more
To get to the new beginning you need to make the necessary ending first.
I wish I had read the book 20 years ago. He makes the point that in the day-to-day, it isn't too hard to put up with something that is no longer right for us. We make it through one day, then another, and the days turn into years. We have an incredible tolerance for pain, especially if we think it will "get better." So, we tell ourselves little lies like "It will turn around" or "it's not always like this." We numb ourselve...more
I wish I had read the book 20 years ago. He makes the point that in the day-to-day, it isn't too hard to put up with something that is no longer right for us. We make it through one day, then another, and the days turn into years. We have an incredible tolerance for pain, especially if we think it will "get better." So, we tell ourselves little lies like "It will turn around" or "it's not always like this." We numb ourselve...more
I think this is a great book. Since I am no longer in the workforce, I wanted to skip through some of the business related illustrations, but the personal material was fantastic. I especially liked chapter 7 on. I would love it if Henry Cloud would modify the book so that those of us not dealing with the work sector would be able to benefit as well. I would recommend this book to some people, but I think it is difficult to wade through the business examples. Don't miss the last chapter. It is gr...more
Probably one of the most practical of Dr. Cloud's book, in my view. While I found the first few chapters were generally background for the ending process outlined in the rest of the book, I feel that reviewing these concepts is very helpful to keep me mindful of timeless principles.
The middle and last parts of the book were great! Why? Because it's difficult to smoothly and wisely end relationships, jobs, professional connections, vendor contracts, etc. etc.! Sure, I can do most without being of...more
The middle and last parts of the book were great! Why? Because it's difficult to smoothly and wisely end relationships, jobs, professional connections, vendor contracts, etc. etc.! Sure, I can do most without being of...more
This book was given to me as gift by a man I truly admire and respect. I found it hard to settle my mid on at first. Once into it, I found this insightful book gratifying and fabulous! It aided my food for thought but really made me see the mistakes I have made on and off on a continual basis and how to change my own behavior, thoughts and reasoning. If you find yourself needing to become 'unstuck' I highly recommend this read!
The tag line is "the employees, businesses, and relationships that all of us have to give up in order to move forward." Given this phase of my life (as I have resigned from my job), the reason I wanted to read this is self evident. Three takeaways:
1. Pruning is necessary for growth
2. The importance of normalizing endings
3. Metabolize necessary endings -- embrace the grief
1. Pruning is necessary for growth
2. The importance of normalizing endings
3. Metabolize necessary endings -- embrace the grief
This book was a decent read. It had a lot of helpful thoughts. My two complaints, though, were that a) it tended to repeat itself a lot and b) the author was very focused on necessary endings in the business section. That's fine, but I hoping to be able to apply more of this to my every day life. If you're a corporate exec looking to make some hard decisions then this book is for you. If not, well then you'll probably give it 3 or less stars like I did. And it repeated itself a lot too.
Okay...this book was recommended to me because it is showing up on some "church reading" lists for leaders.
Interesting call, to say the least.
It is a great book, well thought out in its ideas of presenting a way of looking at endings in a positive and natural way. However, I have a feeling that most church folks will have a really, really hard time making the connection between the writers ideas and what really needs to be on the change block in churches.
Now, even with that said, I highly recomm...more
Interesting call, to say the least.
It is a great book, well thought out in its ideas of presenting a way of looking at endings in a positive and natural way. However, I have a feeling that most church folks will have a really, really hard time making the connection between the writers ideas and what really needs to be on the change block in churches.
Now, even with that said, I highly recomm...more
Although the main focus is on employees and businesses, Cloud does address personal relationships too. His honesty is convicting and made me assess and think hard about some situations that were dead and needed to be pruned. He also wrote "Boundaries," another good book about relationships. He says to get where you want to be, you have to sacrifice something that is holding you back. Thought-provoking.
Aug 21, 2012
David Reavis
added it
Good book. The author describes how to end projects, relationships, and commitments that must end before the next good thing will be able to start. It provides some excellent insight into identifying what needs to end, and how to end things that are hard to end.
Jul 31, 2011
Kara
added it
Though I wasn't expecting the book to be mostly about business relationships, this was a very helpful book that I've used with three counseling clients already. The concept of necessary endings seems fresh and a way to reframe why we often get stuck. Great book!
I have always found Cloud's books helpful. However, this one in particular came at a time that was desperately needed. I had wasted three years of my life investing untold amounts of loyalty and time into a professional ministry relationship that was pointless. Cloud's review and definition of a fool allowed me to finally make the break from toxic disloyalty, arrogance and foolishness that had inflicted untold pain into my life and family, severely damaged my spiritual life, and almost ended my...more
Jun 16, 2011
Brandon Halvorsen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
relationship-books-worth-reading,
growth-books
Good book! It's what I'd consider a "Wisdom book." It deals with knowing when to end an unproductive career, employee, or toxic relationship and when to hold onto your hope that things can get better. It also addresses what keeps people from calling it quits and the difference between a wise person, a fool, and an evil person and how to deal with each.
On the downside,Dr. Cloud was a bit repetitive at times and a bit "wordy" which is characteristic of his material but the book is definitely worth...more
On the downside,Dr. Cloud was a bit repetitive at times and a bit "wordy" which is characteristic of his material but the book is definitely worth...more
I found this book so helpful as I was looking for a new job and considering a move out of state. I highly recommend it for anyone who feels "stuck" in their current situation, whatever that may be.
It's a beautiful bold book addressing all relationships. Personal and professional. Henry cloud is a great speaker and writer. Read boundaries by Cloud and Townsend first and then read this. Great!
I loved his descriptions of what we must give up in order to get what we want most. He's a business consultant providing advice to business leaders, but the advice applies in many contexts.
I loved this book and I'm planning to re-read it. It's so relevant to anyone in business or for your personal life. I love the allegory that Dr. Cloud uses about pruning a rose bush, because it makes the concepts that he discusses that much more easy to understand. It's kind of like reading an excerpt from an updated version of the book of Proverbs. There's quite a bit of wisdom packed into the book.
This is a must-read for anyone who sometimes struggles with knowing "when to say when" in busines...more
This is a must-read for anyone who sometimes struggles with knowing "when to say when" in busines...more
Really wish I had read this book a few years ago. It is chock of full of very useful and practical information. Though a lot of it is business focused, it is really applicable to personal relationships. I liked that the emphasis was not just on ending relationships, but steps to end cycles and patterns in relationships that are destructive. I'm pretty sure that I could read this again in a year and take as much away the second time, but notice different things that fit where I am at. If you are...more
Awesome ah-ha moments. Great insignt into why I hang on to things too long and how to move forward. This will be a book I read again
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Dr. Cloud has written or co-written twenty-five books, including the million-seller Boundaries. His most recent books are Necessary Endings and The Law of Happiness. He has earned three Gold Medallion awards, and was awarded the distinguished Retailers Choice award for God Will Make A Way.
As president of Cloud-Townsend Resources, Dr. Cloud has produced and conducted hundreds of public seminars aro...more
More about Henry Cloud...
As president of Cloud-Townsend Resources, Dr. Cloud has produced and conducted hundreds of public seminars aro...more
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