The Four Elements of Success

by Laurie Beth Jones

Laurie Beth Jones, management expert and business consultant extraordinaire, noticed that none of the personality/temperament profiles in the market today, none of them provided a tool that was simple, visual, intuitive, and powerful enough to create a shift in thinking as well as relating. So she developed The Path Elements Profile (PEP), which can be used in recruitment, placement, retention, team building, and customer relations as businesses transform many individuals into a harmonizing, humming force for good. Within the framework of the book will be scriptural examples as well as modern day business stories. Based upon the elements of Earth, Water, Wind and Fire, the Path Elements Profile helps determine both individual and team behavioral tendencies that affect everything from career choice to daily "to do" lists. We choose to act on what we value, and each element type values very different things: PART I of this book provides an overview of the elements themselves as individual personality types. Jones will explain each element's strengths and challenges and will have the readers identify their own as well as those of their team members. Then in PART II, readers will assess their teams. There are 28 one-day principles, that, if followed will take readers on a simple yet radical journey to a transformed workplace. INCLUDES an Assessment Test for Your Team's Elemental Strengths and Weaknesses

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2005

Reviews

[Kandace Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I would have read this book sooner. It definitely provides some strong tools for communicating, and it even provides guidance on how to frame conversations with coworkers and supervisors of other elemental types. This would have been helpful when I was in corporate.

My only complaint is that the book can feel a little unorganized at times. I think some content could have been trimmed, but that’s just my opinion.

[Rachel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The positive of this book is the help it can give in a team oriented workplace. The ideas and imagery are perfect for understanding the work styles of someone and how to build a better team. I have been using it in my current work situation and have even gleamed some ideas that my husband feels can apply to his team. The ideas presented are simple in nature, but very visual, and therefore sticky. I find that I talk about myself as if I really were that element that needs to be still like water or stir up some dust like wind.

All of my complaints on the book could have been resolved by hiring a stronger editor. The structure of this book is often unorganized and sometimes just makes no sense. Chapter two is the most glaring offender of my sense of structure when reading a "self-help" book. Also, I've found numerous typos (younth for youth) and it often seems that her stories and examples lean a little heavily toward fire or wind, and not as much about earth and water. I understand that some of this is because the author herself claims to be a combination of fire and wind, but being a water/wind, I was hoping for more stories and practical examples that I could relate to. Lastly, while I may share her faith, I often feel her connections to scripture are a little bit of a stretch and maybe should have been left out altogether. Although, I guess that is what you would expect from a book published by Nelson.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful paradigm to give fresh insights into my own and others' personality traits. The 4 classic elements (plus blends) represent the basic personality categories. Easier to remember than the MBTI categories. Challenges us to see both the positive and negative aspects of all the elements, and recognize the need for all the varying tendencies in any team or organization.

[ARC · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read to understand a simple personality profile that (in my opinion) runs along similar lines to DISC. I'm not entirely convinced of its academic integrity but the fundamental principles do make sense and the associations to the 4 elements is easier to comprehend than the technical definitions of DISC (which is one of the objectives of the author).

[Nancy Burchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book on the four basic personality styles and how they affect your ability to understand, work with, and transform your team!

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on leadership and team building I have ever read. Definitely on the top of my leadership stack!

[Ankit Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone trying to understand the personality traits of people around you. Helps in resolving conflicts when you know the person type and what works/doesn't work with them.