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The Heart of Success

The business?

THE HEART OF SUCCESS
By Rob Parsons
Hodder & Stoughton
223 pages. £6.99
ISBN 0 340 78623 X

In The Heart of Success, Rob Parsons considers Business School Professor Tom Murray's Seven Laws of Success in Business. Over a number of weeks the professor shares these laws with MBA student Jack, whose father had been a hugely successful entrepreneur building a company from nothing into a multimillion-pound operation with 15,000 employees. His father had died a lonely man having neglected his family and friends and this had left Jack asking: 'What does it mean to be successful - can you make it in business and still have a life?'

There are seven laws and seven chapters each following the same format. They begin with a summary of the meetings between Jack and the Professor, a description of the law of success, Rob Parsons' anecdotal explanation / application of the law, and are concluded by an Executive Briefing. The seven laws include 'Don't settle for Being Money Rich - Time Poor', 'Play to Your Strengths - Find the Factor X', and 'Put Your Family Before Your Career'. The book is principally aimed at senior managers and executives, although would be relevant to anyone currently in employment.

Is it any good? Sadly, any meaningful reference to God or the Bible is only memorable by its absence. At the very end we at last get a quote from the Bible: 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose his own soul?' but even at this point the author seems unable to bring himself to say that these are the words of Jesus and instead simply addresses him as 'the carpenter'.

However, the book is easy to read but still very thought-provoking. It addresses some really serious work/life issues that many Christians, in both secular and full time Christian work, neglect. The book is endorsed by many leading lights from the world of industry and academia and I am sure it will be a best seller. I would certainly recommend it.

Phil Doye