Focus like a Laser Beam

When I started this weblog, I intended to be critical. To point out articles or entire sites that I got value from, so that you, dear reader, might benefit too. To highlight topics and articles of interest, in which I too had an opinion. I have fulfilled that intention on a few occasions thus far.

And here's another.

Read Lisa Haneberg's Management Craft blog and you quickly get the picture of someone with some strong ideas. She is a management consultant with many years experience, certainly more than I have. She has written books on the subject. Books that I might consider reading. Well, maybe not any longer.

Ms Haneberg has been kind enough to shamelessly plug, er... I mean publish on her blog an exerpt from one of her books, entitled Focus Like a Laser Beam. Interested, I clicked through and read the few paragraphs provided. It starts well:

"How is it that a black belt can put her hand through hard wooden boards? How does a team of Olympic athletes come together to create a world-class upset and break all known records for performance? How does a professional golfer apply the most delicate and precise touch to sink a long putt while surrounded by thousands of staring eyes?"

Okay, now we know what she's talking about. That frame of mind that can seemingly overcome any problem, master any situation. And then she gets all poetic and ruins it all:

"Laser beams are beautiful. Each bit jazzes to the max in harmony. Its complicated inner soul creates an outer appearance that is elegantly simple and straightforward: literally straight-forward. Forward an inch wide and mile long. Strong, intense, and determined to reach the target with precision. The beam persists of one mind, one purpose, and one direction."

Huh? Jazzes to the max? Inner soul? The beam persists (sic) of one mind....? What was she smoking when she wrote that. And was her editor having some, too?

Great subject. It's just a shame that the quality of the writing lets it down. Consider that one crossed off my Amazon short-list.