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Feb 09, 2013
The book does have a lot of interesting information in it but it is not an engaging read. It reads like a lecture series given by a tenured professor who knows a lot about a lot but his job security does not rest upon him having to make it interesting The author does not keep a consistent style. He skips from personal experiences to personal opinions to quoting highly technical studies to anecdotal, constantly blurring the lines between each category. Making reference to the measured IQ difference between Asian and non Asian students he throws in his own concept of how they “ behave as if their IQ’s were much higher” because of the professions they end up in. Since when is the profession you are in an indication of your IQ? He also connects emotional intelligence to performance based results. If you perform at a high degree of excellence in any profession then de facto you have a high level of emotional intelligence Using the Asian example of how Asian parents obsessively push their children to excel in school “produces a child with higher motivation, zeal, and persistence “ - he calls “an emotional edge.” And how the Chinese who start training their athletes from the age of four create “the emotional traits of enthusiasm and persistence in the face of setbacks - above all else” It is well documented that if you have zeal and enthusiasm for anything nobody has to push you. Zeal and enthusiasm are internal sources of energy they cannot be “ created “ by adults pushing their agenda onto their children. You can teach persistence and you can motivate children to please the wishes of their parents and create a successful professional but you cannot implant enthusiasm and zeal for the profession you chose for them.