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Book Review of Our Children Are Watching

Our Children Are Watching
reviewed on + 1019 more book reviews


This is a book that every parent should read. As a success and leadership researcher, Collins studdied people for many years to decipher their secrets. She discovered they were all using the same set of skill rather they knew it or not.


From pg 3 in the book:
Actions speak louder than words What messages are we sending?

Yes, our children are watching us at home and at work. We are the ones who are teaching them about success. We are the ones responsible for building their confidence and enthusiasm, their hope and tenacity. We can teach them to succeed in two ways-we can tell them how to do it or we can do it ourselves.

My grandmother always said, "Actions speak louder than words, my dear." And she was right. Researchers studying the components of communication-words, voice and body-concluded words are only 7 percent of our communication. What we do with our voice is 38 percent. What we do with our bodies, the energy we project is 55 percent.1 So 38 plus 55, means 93 percent of our communication is not the words we use. We can tell someone we're thrilled, but if they hear our voice sounding flat, if they sense our bodies are rigid, our words will be contradicted. We may tell our children they can have what they want in life, but the way we live our lives may shout it's not true.

From the dust jacket flap:

In today's world of stresses and demands both at home and at work, it is more difficult to be a parent than ever before. We can no longer rely on what we learned from our parents. We must begin to develop the skills necessary to lead our children to success.

Our children are watching us at home and at work, frightened by our fears, limited by our limits, or inspired by our accomplishments. It's not what we say that's most important. It's what we do. According to Susan Collins, "The greatest gift we can give our children is to lead happy successful lives ourselves."

As a success and leadership researcher, Collins studied successful people for many years to decipher their secrets. She discovered they were all using the same set of skills whether they knew it or not.

In this essential manual, Collins lays out "the technology of success," teaching us how to use these success skills ourselves and how to lead others to use them as well.

In Part One, Collins redefines "leader" to include parents, teachers, managers and those government, and tells the story of her own journey to success as a single mother raising two daughters. She shares the winding path she took to become a nationally-known speaker, a consultant to corporations, schools and governments.

In Part Two, she presents the set of skills we need to use as leaders as our children grow and move out into society. Providing us with a glimpse at the Big Picture, Collins shows us how success moves through three phases and how leadership must move through three phases too, and why what works in one phase won't work in another.

In Part Three, she highlights the most fulfilling success of all-the success of leadership. "Our own success multiplies each time we lead someone else to success, taking us beyond mere personal satisfaction all the way to fulfillment."

This is a textbook and a storybook all-in-one. Collins punctuates each skill with warm and poignant stories. The stories are indexed in back so you can savor them or share them with friends. There is also a unique glossary that provides a speedy review of the skills.

"This is our time in history," says Collins. "We are the leaders now and together we face our greatest challenge and opportunity. It is no longer selfish of us to pursue our own dreams. In fact, it turns out to be the greatest contribution we can make."

Susan Collins is a nationally-known motivator and speaker. For years Collins has enthralled audiences with her storytelling and her fresh and inspiring vision of a new kind of success. Our Children Are Watching is the answer to countless queries of "When are you going to put these skills in a book?

A Renaissance-style woman, she draws upon her wide spectrum of life experience as a consultant to major corporations, small businesses, schools and governments, psychology researcher, teacher of the gifted, concert pianist, gallery owner, artist and mother.

From the Back Cover

This book is an essential handbook for -Parents who are overwhelmed by demands at work and home. -Teachers who are exasperated by loss of vision and purpose. -Employees who are exhausted by the more-better-faster objectives of today's workplace. -Everyone who wants to learn how to teach the next generation to be successful.

Praise From Readers: "This book has made sense of parenting for me. Now my children are more cooperative, enthusiastic and happy-and so am I." Sheila Clark, business owner and mother of three

"Finally we have a major-league success book written by a woman!" Karin Klenke, Ph.D., author of Women and Leadership Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond

"I learned more from this book in a matter of hours than from all the management, leadership and team-building trainings I've taken in eighteen years. And it works in my personal life too." Carl J. Flood, Vice President, Worldwide Management, American Express.

"Our Children Are Watching is a book full of hope- a very valuable item." Michael Fitzsimmons, Producer, Weekend Today Show.