Book Review: Staying Healthy in Sick Organizations: The Clover Practice

Wendy Soucie
June 30, 2009 | COMMENTS

Working in an emotionally healthy business environment is appropriate for both business owners and employees to consider. Business owners should strive to create a work environment that everyone can flourish in so their business will be successful (Law of Attraction). Workers need to take responsibility for their own choices and actions. We must recognize that our emotional, spiritual, and physical health is tied together.

Staying Healthy in Sick Organizations: The Clover Practice by Kathleen A. Paris is about living your own life. It's about making the necessary changes to how you view things, your reactions, and ultimately your actions to move forward. It's about being truthful to yourself and others. It provides a solid framework for your professional and personal life—one that you should embrace and use daily.

I easily identified with the concepts as they were presented and liked the interactivity and engaging style of the author. The book has a warm tone that allowed me to eagerly read it in one sitting, and then return for details and the homework. The three principles, which form the cornerstones of Dr. Paris' work, are:

• Tell the truth, always.
• Speak for yourself.
• Declare your interdependence.

Dr. Paris has written this book with several worksheet sections so that you can really use this book to self-assess and figure out your starting point. For some, this may be the point of not moving forward due to fear of admitting a few things. I urge you to continue. The Clover Principle is aptly named as Paris simplified the steps (in a three-leaf clover concept) to help people follow along, and it's easy to revisit sections to refresh a point.

With the recent investment frauds and past Enron scandals over the past years, I was not surprised to see some of the statistics about lying at work, college, or home used in the book. There was even a slam on the advertising and marketing realm (my profession) with the example of marketing products that “4 out of 5” professionals recommend. . . .” Ouch!

I really took to heart the chapter on “Speak for Yourself.” When problems occur at work, it's really easy to jump on someone else's mistake. After reading this part, I resolved to work harder in this area. Understanding your motives, and when you should speak up and the possible repercussions, are the key points to remember.

None of us go the journey alone. We can't work in a company without help. Paris states: “Recognizing how everything is connected can be a hard sell in a country that celebrates its in dependence every Fourth of July.” One of the most important points is “when something is consistently going wrong in a work relationship, we are part of the problem.” This statement caused me to go to a staff member and tell her I was angry about something. I admitted it happened every time so I likely was doing something to cause the problem. This person was truthful with me about what I was doing that didn't allow her to do her job correctly. It does work.

Dr. Paris also addresses when its time to leave a job. It is no fun working where you are dissatisfied or unfulfilled. It is even worse if the situation is compromising your health, as Dr. Paris showed in several case studies. She asks us, “Are you getting a good return in terms of satisfaction, self respect, and dollars?”

The resource section cites several good books for finding your passion, assessing your talents, and taking the next steps. Having read some of these books, I would agree they are right on for helping someone to the next step in a career-changing process.

Wendy Soucie is Madison, Wisconsin-based social media and marketing consultant. Contact her at wsoucie@wendysoucie.com, www.linkedin.com/in/wendysoucie, or 608-225-1985.