Sociology - General & Miscellaneous, Confucianism, Career Development, Leadership, Self-Improvement

How would Confucius ask for a raise?

Name: How would Confucius ask for a raise?
Author: Carol Orsborn
ISBN: 9780688130749

by Carol Orsborn

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Overview

Taking the 100 most frequently asked questions from audience members at her corporate lectures, business executive Carol Orsborn offers solutions that are refreshingly original yet are based on the I Ching, the three-thousand-year-old work of wisdom that inspired Confucius. In her book, Carol Orsborn reveals how these ancient principles can be remarkably relevant for handling the situations we all face in today's challenging workplace. Covering the corporate ladder from bottom to top, Orsborn's advice will take readers from the day they land that first job through decisions related to when and how to retire. Tough Business Problems include #5 "I was the best qualified for the promotion - but the offer went to someone else. Should I fight it?"; #10 "I love my job but I hate my boss. What can I do?"; #30 "My secretary is hopeless - and he's the boss's nephew. I can't trust myself to hold my tongue any longer; what should I do?"; #87 "I've got a report due tomorrow. To finish it on time, I'll have to miss my child's third-grade play. What should I do?" and, of course #1 "How would Confucius ask for a raise?" Orsborn's easy-to-read, humorous, and uplifting style touches every reader personally, whether you're an overworked executive who can't slow down or a frustrated entry-level worker who can't seem to jump-start your career. Tackling the range of problems from the mundane to the morally trying, How Would Confucius Ask for a Raise? will transform your approach to your career - and your life - with its honesty, its freshness, and its hope.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Corporate PR exec Orsborn ( Enough Is Enough ) could have written this imaginative Q & A career guide without its pretentious and cumbersome link to the ancient Chinese I Ching --a fortune-telling collection of nature-oriented aphorisms--though at the loss of much earthy good humor. Part one presents ``ten notions'' (e.g., humility, vigilance) that the author extrapolated from I Ching as ``particularly useful'' to her as a business executive. Part two consists of Orsborn's replies to the 100 most frequent questions from audience members at corporate lectures. The author at times espouses unharmonious concepts, renouncing ``paradigms'' of male hierarchy, for example, while accepting as a formula for progress ``an enlightened ruler and an obedient servant.'' There is much food for thought and action here, but the presentation is random, rambling and occasionally startling, as when Orsborn observes, on risk taking, that safety equipment may be the thing that sinks the raft. Fortune Book Club main selection; BOMC, QPB and Executive Book Club alternates; author tour. (May)

Library Journal

Public relations consultant Orsborn applies concepts from Eastern philosophy as expressed in the I Ching to common problems in the workplace. Typical problems addressed include getting along with co-workers, dealing with disrespectful subordinates, and being passed over for promotion. Orsborn encourages substantial reflection on personal feelings surrounding these issues. Also included are a number of prayers and invocations. This book is not going to be of much interest to business students and scholars, but it will interest those members of the general public who seek guidance in achieving at the workplace the same sort of spiritual harmony they seek in their private lives. For public libraries.-Andrea C. Dragon, Coll. of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J.

David Rouse

Orsborn heads her own corporate public relations firm and conducts seminars and workshops on spirituality and the workplace. Hers is an amalgam of New Age philosophy, Eastern religion, Indian mysticism, 12-step principles, and her own Judeo-Christian heritage. She is author of "Enough Is Enough: Exploding the Myth of Having It All" (1986), a book that led her to found Overachievers Anonymous, which subsequently evolved into Orsborn's network of business people, the Society for Inner Excellence. Since 1970 she has followed the precepts of the "I Ching" and here applies her interpretations of its moral wisdoms to a miscellany of 100 practical workplace situations, from handling success and failure to inappropriately taking $10 from petty cash. Given the current popularity of this particular brand of self-help, libraries should consider this title.