Quotes from “The Power of the Other” by Dr. Henry Cloud
Quotes from “The Power of the Other” by Dr. Henry Cloud

Quotes from “The Power of the Other” by Dr. Henry Cloud

I don’t have a whole lot to say abou this book in the form of a review. It was basically common sense with a few decent analogies. There was one paragraph in the book that made me wonder if this is how others see me:

It could be a boss, a board member, a customer, a friend, a family member, or a direct report. They come in all sizes and shapes and affiliations. But the one common ingredient is that they have the power to make you feel bad. High expectations, perfectionism, unreasonable demands, a critical spirit, withholding of praise, shame, guilt, put-downs, silence – these are just a few of the many ways that a person like this can hook someone into feeling the Corner Number Two bad connection.

I did grab a few more decent quotes along the way:

  • You don’t have a choice about whether or not others have power in your life. They do. But you do have a choice as to what kind of power others are going to have.
  • Regarding many high performers – For whatever reasons, life has taught you that you have to do things on your own. In very practical ways, you do not allow yourself to need anyone. And although you care about others and give to them, you are disconnected from your own needs. You are giving – sometimes a lot – but you are not taking much in. It’s easy for you to help others but difficult for you to allow them to help you, especially emotionally.
  • The problem is that painkillers do not really cure the disease. They just ease the pain…
  • freedom = responsibility = love
  • High performers… are fueled by the possibility of better instead of defeated by it.
  • Ideas have no rank or position.
  • Have a healthy disregard for the impossible.
  • What is the one-sentence summary of how you change the world? Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting – Larry Page
  • Give the brain a specific, but BIG problem to solve, and it will surprise you.
  • Structure allows us to invest in the things that are important to us but don’t exist inside of us yet.
  • You don’t understand your people or your customers when you understand them. You understand them when they understand that you understand. That’s when you know that you have trust.