Stepping Up
How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything
By: John Izzo, Ph.D.
Published: January 2, 2012
Format: Paperback, 192 pages
ISBN-10: 1609940571
ISBN-13: 978-1609940577
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
"Responsibility changes everything. The moment we decide that we are the ones who are capable of and responsible for changing things everything shifts", writes speaker, workplace consultant and personal change agent John Izzo, Ph.D., in his inspirational and life transforming book Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything. The author describes how through the taking of responsibility for all areas of our lives, we can be the catalyst for change on our own terms, rather than waiting for someone else to make changes on their terms.
John Izzo understands that taking responsibility ourselves is crucial for facilitating change in our workplaces and in our personal lives. The author refers to this taking of responsibility as stepping up. Through the act of stepping up, people can become the agents of change, rather than passively awaiting change to be made by other people. John Izzo points out that making real change within a corporate workplace requires people to step and take responsibility. In today's difficult economic climate, stepping up is a necessity, as imposed change can be very harmful to those who fail to take responsibility. Acting as a victim will not achieve positive results; and more likely end with an even worse situation. For John Izzo, taking responsibility is within the power of everyone, and making real and beneficial change through stepping up matters.
John Izzo (photo left) presents two main points in the book. The first thrust of the book is about the value and importance of taking responsibility and of stepping up. The author demonstrates why stepping up matters, and how it empowers the individual to create change that works. The second aspect of the book offers the keys to stepping up and having more influence in our workplaces ad in our personal lives. John Izzo shows the reader that anyone can learn how to step and and be a real change agent.
The author provides how people can step up, through a focus on what he calls the five rows of responsibility. The concept is based on the sphere of influence that a person can impact positively or negatively through their actions. For the author, people talk about how others should do something to solve the problem. He expands that principle to include every problem faced in the workplace, in one's personal life, or in society as a whole. To make real and lasting change, John Izzo challenges people to step up and take responsibility for changing the immediate five rows of their own lives, and act as if everyone else were changing their five rows of influence as well. It's all about claiming one's own personal power, and stepping up to act upon it as a leader of change.
For me, the power of the book is how John Izzo combines the reasons for taking personal responsibility for change with some practical attitude changes to step up and make those changes a reality. The author presents a compelling case for stepping up and becoming empowered in life. He also makes a powerful case for rejecting the all too frequent choice of playing the victim and placing oneself into to the control of other people.
John Izzo offers practical and readily applicable techniques for stepping up in the workplace and becoming a catalyst for change. The concepts are easy to understand, and the author makes clear that stepping up isn't a choice reserved for only the select few. John Izzo demonstrates clearly that stepping up is a choice that anyone can make to create change in every aspect of life. The author underlines his concepts with real world examples of the principle of stepping up in action. Overall, the book is an excellent guide to taking responsibility, personal empowerment, and taking control of one's own life.
I highly recommend the empowering and change creating book Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything by John Izzo, Ph.D., to anyone seeking a well grounded and hands on book for facilitating real change in every area of a person's life. The author guides you toward taking responsibility and stepping up to be the agent of change. This book is about the real power that individuals possess. All they have to do is step up and take control of it.
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