By MCPHILIPS NWACHUKWU
Writing in his best seller book, Power Shift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence in the Edge of the 21st Century, Alvin Toffler argues that the 21st century economy, power and wealth creation, against that  of  the preceding 20th century  will be  driven by the power of knowledge. He re-emphasized  this  stand by quoting Winston Churchill, who argues that “ empires of the future are empires of the mind.”

As strange as these thesis may have sounded, these great prophetic pronouncements are being seen fulfilled in today’s world going by indications in  the world of business, politics, science  and culture.

To fit into this emerging power climate, there is  now a radical  yearning in all fronts to acquire  desirable know ledges to help individuals and nation’s confront challenges of modern age.

It is against the background of the acquisition of this new  knowledge power to help manage modern challenges deriving from the new  empire of the mind that one finds very useful Barbara Lawrence’s life changing booklet titled, Nuggets of Self Development.

Roadmap to greatness

Published in the United States of America by Authorhouse Publishers, the 78 page book as the title implies, is a bit by bit road map about how to develop one’s desired intellectual and managerial power, capable of withstanding the century’s more demanding organizational pressure.

Written in 12 short chapters with a detailed bibliography, the book, drawn from the rich experiences of the  author’s  twenty one years meritorious services in  Shell Development Company as both an Environmentalist and Organisation Development and Change Manager, addresses in succinct manner how self development can go long way in changing the fortune of an organization.

In his foreword to the book, Rev. Father Paschal Aggrey writes that:

There are varied reasons why man is unable more often than not to control or master himself.

A man could command an army of soldiers and yet not have the iota of mastery over his own life.

But the amazing thing that some people are able to complete their absolute mastery by developing                             themselves for the challenges within them.

Talking about self development, the book addresses such topics as ; Self Development: from A to Z, a Step, A day makes the journey, coping with Change, Dos and Don’t of New Manager, Is  Attitude Everything and  Motivation  starts from Within.

Other topics addressed are : motivation starts from within, How leaders Motivate Employees, Path to Personal  Accountability and the Time of  your Life.

This is one book that serves the needs of both the  employer and the employee. It addresses those needs that enhance organizational harmony by showing the ways that one can bring out the best from both the manager in the board room of an organization as well as from Customer Services officer that sits at the reception.

This is  a book that should be read by every person that  works for an organization as much as persons that work for themselves. It does not only teach how to improve oneself, but goes further to revealing the secrets of attaining good mangership and management. This is an important contribution to management and Human resources development literature.