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The Science of Success: What Researchers Know that You Should Know
In this book you will learn what you need to do to achieve the success in life that you desire and deserve. The author, University of Michigan Business School professor Paula J. Caproni, Ph.D., provides you with a practical framework that will help you get better results at work, be successful in your career, and enjoy a fulfilling life outside of work.
This may seem like a tall order for one book, but it isn’t. Hundreds of researchers have spent more than three decades studying what the most successful and happiest people do differently than others. Based on this research, this book will help you find answers to the following (1) Why do some people achieve their life goals while others muddle through and never reach the success they hope for? (2) Why do some people who excel in school (and seem destined for success) stall early in their careers, while some who don’t perform as well in school end up enjoying meaningful and productive careers, often exceeding the expectations of others? (3) Why do some people thrive in their jobs while others simply go through the motions? (4) Why do some people bounce back from failure while others become immobilized? (5) Why are some people able to have successful careers as well as a fulfilling life outside of work, while others get consumed by their work? (6) What are the most important lessons that children should learn early in life to help them lead happy, fulfilling, and productive lives?
In short, this book answers these three main
(1) What do the most successful people do differently than other people?
(2) How can those characteristics and behaviors be learned?
(3) How can you apply these lessons to your own life?
The author presents this book in a way that is both engaging and immediately practical. Throughout the book, the author exposes myths about success that hold people back from achieving their goals, and then replaces those myths with research-based strategies for success. Her credibility comes not only from how she expertly describes the research and the real-life examples she provides, but also from her inspiring description of her own journey to success. She navigated her way from being a waitress in her family’s luncheonette through community college to a Ph.D. from Yale University and a faculty position with the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
The author has written this book using practical language so that you can read it quickly and apply what you learn to your own life immediately. In addition, this book includes self assessments, end-of-chapter questions to help readers clarify their goals and steps they will take to achieve those goals, and a template for creating a personalized action plan to help you begin applying what you’ve learned about achieving success to your own life. The author has also included references at the end of the book in case you want to read more about the original research that inspired this book.
Some people will read this book because they are just starting to think about their careers and the kind of lives they want to lead. Others will want to learn how to advance their careers, either to take their careers to the next level or to get back on track after setbacks. Counselors and mentors will read this book because they want to help others achieve their goals. And parents will want to help their children make choices that will lead to happy, healthy, and productive lives. No matter who you are, if you’re interested in achieving the success in life that you desire and deserve, or are interested in helping others do so, then this book is designed for you.
This may seem like a tall order for one book, but it isn’t. Hundreds of researchers have spent more than three decades studying what the most successful and happiest people do differently than others. Based on this research, this book will help you find answers to the following (1) Why do some people achieve their life goals while others muddle through and never reach the success they hope for? (2) Why do some people who excel in school (and seem destined for success) stall early in their careers, while some who don’t perform as well in school end up enjoying meaningful and productive careers, often exceeding the expectations of others? (3) Why do some people thrive in their jobs while others simply go through the motions? (4) Why do some people bounce back from failure while others become immobilized? (5) Why are some people able to have successful careers as well as a fulfilling life outside of work, while others get consumed by their work? (6) What are the most important lessons that children should learn early in life to help them lead happy, fulfilling, and productive lives?
In short, this book answers these three main
(1) What do the most successful people do differently than other people?
(2) How can those characteristics and behaviors be learned?
(3) How can you apply these lessons to your own life?
The author presents this book in a way that is both engaging and immediately practical. Throughout the book, the author exposes myths about success that hold people back from achieving their goals, and then replaces those myths with research-based strategies for success. Her credibility comes not only from how she expertly describes the research and the real-life examples she provides, but also from her inspiring description of her own journey to success. She navigated her way from being a waitress in her family’s luncheonette through community college to a Ph.D. from Yale University and a faculty position with the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
The author has written this book using practical language so that you can read it quickly and apply what you learn to your own life immediately. In addition, this book includes self assessments, end-of-chapter questions to help readers clarify their goals and steps they will take to achieve those goals, and a template for creating a personalized action plan to help you begin applying what you’ve learned about achieving success to your own life. The author has also included references at the end of the book in case you want to read more about the original research that inspired this book.
Some people will read this book because they are just starting to think about their careers and the kind of lives they want to lead. Others will want to learn how to advance their careers, either to take their careers to the next level or to get back on track after setbacks. Counselors and mentors will read this book because they want to help others achieve their goals. And parents will want to help their children make choices that will lead to happy, healthy, and productive lives. No matter who you are, if you’re interested in achieving the success in life that you desire and deserve, or are interested in helping others do so, then this book is designed for you.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 28, 2020
A short and effective book to increase your productivity. One can find key behavioral researches which increase one's success rate. Main concepts are as follows:
1. The power of beliefs - Be on "Growth Mindset" mode.
2. The power of expertise - Be the best in your field
3. The power of self-motivation : Keep up your resilience staff
4. The power of relationships: Don't waste time in Goodreads, better be on Linkedin.
Author teaches this as a free course material in Course Era.
1. The power of beliefs - Be on "Growth Mindset" mode.
2. The power of expertise - Be the best in your field
3. The power of self-motivation : Keep up your resilience staff
4. The power of relationships: Don't waste time in Goodreads, better be on Linkedin.
Author teaches this as a free course material in Course Era.
July 15, 2017
'The science of success: What researchers know that you should know' has a tantalising subtitle that drew me straight in. What did these researchers find and not tell us?
Paula is a Professor but does not indicate that immediately but her success is 'self-made' resulting in a tremendously impressive resume.
She poses various questions like 'why do some some people achieve their life goals?' etc and I used to think the answer was 'because they had smart, wealthy parents and married well' but I realise after reading this great book it is not that simple.
Paula shows us how individuals can rise if they are bright, strong, ambitious and so prosper and seize opportunities with prepared minds and the right attitudes.
I loved the Wiseman 'pick a colour to speak to' story, along with lots of tips for building skills, networking, conscientiousness etc all connected to her online Coursera course.
Paula like many successful individuals might never 'retire at 50' but work on because it is her 'passion' not 'work'.
She ends this concise book with an extensive & fascinating reading/reference list that could consume a short lifetime.
Paula is a Professor but does not indicate that immediately but her success is 'self-made' resulting in a tremendously impressive resume.
She poses various questions like 'why do some some people achieve their life goals?' etc and I used to think the answer was 'because they had smart, wealthy parents and married well' but I realise after reading this great book it is not that simple.
Paula shows us how individuals can rise if they are bright, strong, ambitious and so prosper and seize opportunities with prepared minds and the right attitudes.
I loved the Wiseman 'pick a colour to speak to' story, along with lots of tips for building skills, networking, conscientiousness etc all connected to her online Coursera course.
Paula like many successful individuals might never 'retire at 50' but work on because it is her 'passion' not 'work'.
She ends this concise book with an extensive & fascinating reading/reference list that could consume a short lifetime.
September 2, 2017
At its foundation, this book is looking at the scientific studies that have been done that pertain to being successful and based on that explains the steps you or anyone could take to become more successful, whatever that word means to you. In other words, Ms. Caproni has provided the data.
As I was reading I found myself providing anecdote in support of the theories. For example, there were multiple times the author mentioned joining and participating in a Toastmasters Club as something to help in a particular area, and I compared her suggestion to my own Toastmasters experiences, and they agreed. I found myself looking at successful people I know or situations I’ve been in and saw that they fit the patterns she describes.
One big takeaway that some people would benefit from learning is that a big part of success is believing you can achieve your goals and then taking the actions to get there, one step at a time. This is a book I wish I’d read years ago, but think even those getting a bit old like me could still profit from what it teaches.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
As I was reading I found myself providing anecdote in support of the theories. For example, there were multiple times the author mentioned joining and participating in a Toastmasters Club as something to help in a particular area, and I compared her suggestion to my own Toastmasters experiences, and they agreed. I found myself looking at successful people I know or situations I’ve been in and saw that they fit the patterns she describes.
One big takeaway that some people would benefit from learning is that a big part of success is believing you can achieve your goals and then taking the actions to get there, one step at a time. This is a book I wish I’d read years ago, but think even those getting a bit old like me could still profit from what it teaches.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
May 23, 2018
What does it mean to be successful? Why are some more successful than others? What can we change about our lives in order to achieve the same level of success as, say, someone born with opportunity?
I can’t really call this a self-help book, but it kinda is. It’s more like a textbook on success, with some self-reflection at the end. It’s an easy read, well-organized, and full of useful information. The author has pulled many studies on the subject to support their words, and all works are cited. Multiple angles of success are used in examples, as well as more than one way of achieving it.
I think this is a good read for anyone in management, anyone who works with people on a regular basis, or just anyone who needs a little extra encouragement that hope for success isn’t lost.
I can’t really call this a self-help book, but it kinda is. It’s more like a textbook on success, with some self-reflection at the end. It’s an easy read, well-organized, and full of useful information. The author has pulled many studies on the subject to support their words, and all works are cited. Multiple angles of success are used in examples, as well as more than one way of achieving it.
I think this is a good read for anyone in management, anyone who works with people on a regular basis, or just anyone who needs a little extra encouragement that hope for success isn’t lost.
August 5, 2021
In the Science of Success, Dr. Caproni does an excellent job of explaining WHAT you can do to increase your possibility of being successful, HOW to actually do it, and supports everything with clear explanations of the research behind everything. If you're looking for a step-by-step approach to improving your chances of success in whatever field you're in, this is an excellent how-to handbook - and it's one that I keep referencing for my own career. (Note: Dr. Caproni also has an online course based on the book, which you can take for free on Coursera.)
March 15, 2020
Social Capital Lessons
Wow, this book is amazing. I am excited about figuring out how to strengthen my social capital by identifying where there is redundancy to foster more open networks. The are many jewels of wisdom throughout the book about the benefits of self-awareness and being conscientious. It is a must read you won’t regret it.
Wow, this book is amazing. I am excited about figuring out how to strengthen my social capital by identifying where there is redundancy to foster more open networks. The are many jewels of wisdom throughout the book about the benefits of self-awareness and being conscientious. It is a must read you won’t regret it.
March 23, 2021
An easy read full of useful tips and advices
I love how the author wrote the book and brought down all the science into one place and in the language anyone can understand. It is well structured full of information and there is no single purposeless sentence in the book.
Also enjoyed the course along with the book that author offers online. Very well done! Much appreciated!
I love how the author wrote the book and brought down all the science into one place and in the language anyone can understand. It is well structured full of information and there is no single purposeless sentence in the book.
Also enjoyed the course along with the book that author offers online. Very well done! Much appreciated!
October 11, 2018
This is the companion book for the Coursera course of the same name. This is a terrific book and the course is a great augmentation to the material, fleshing out most of the studies and other material in the book. I highly recommend both!
May 22, 2023
Rating: 3.5
I’m familiar with most of the concepts contained in this book but got to learn new ones as well, specifically the principle of conscientiousness. I also liked the action plan templates at the end of the book
I’m familiar with most of the concepts contained in this book but got to learn new ones as well, specifically the principle of conscientiousness. I also liked the action plan templates at the end of the book
Read
September 5, 2019Will review after reading
September 18, 2019
Amazing work
Very useful book
The author describes how to plan your success and what you need to make it real
I completed paula coursera course and it was amazing
Very useful book
The author describes how to plan your success and what you need to make it real
I completed paula coursera course and it was amazing
April 27, 2020
Power of mental representation and chunking my key takeaway.
May 1, 2020
Easy read
Easy read during quarantine. Read it in about two sittings. Very motivating and has real time applications. Her Coursera course is good too!
Easy read during quarantine. Read it in about two sittings. Very motivating and has real time applications. Her Coursera course is good too!
July 22, 2020
Great!!!
October 16, 2020
A book that summarizes very well a lot of scientific literature.
March 10, 2021
Even though this book does not provide any more or any better tips than many books about success and goal-setting, it is backed up by statistics and research.
January 24, 2020
The book was a life-changer for me. It is just around one month that I have done the course from Yale University and this was an accompanying book. I read the book and it was an eye-opener. Why this book will be a life-changing one for me is for a variety of reasons. It showed me the things that I was not aware of. The first is a paradigm shift for me as I am in the education department. I thought that intelligence alone was enough. However, I realized that it is just part of a bigger picture. Conscientiousness is the word the quality of which I wish to embody in my life. The second one is grit and resilience which will help me not only achieve my goals but also to realize my true potential and help me make a difference in this world. The other things are energy producer or energy drainer, similar to positive thinking but this is positive action. The last one was networking as we can achieve a lot if we are in groups and also the need for a definite action plan to change the things I can change. After reading this book my new mantra is Calm Confident Consistent and Conscientious.
August 2, 2023
The topic is interesting and one may reflect his/her blind spots after reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews