The Reading Perusals of Rose Summers

Quick review for a quick read. Michelle Tillis Lederman's "The 11 Laws of Likability" was a valuable read for me on a collective note, with some caveats. I really like reading business and productivity oriented literature, so this book was right up my alley when I requested it as a galley back in 2011. I recently came back to it as I was perusing books in the category and I really enjoyed the fact that not only the concepts of each "law" were spelled out, but accompanied by practical issues that she observed with her clientele. There were parts of it I didn't like as much for the side commentary - as it proved distracting and sometimes judgmental (could've done without the judgmental comment about the "70s disco queen" style of the woman she observed and the odd statement about her "belly rolls", but I knew it was supposed to be an example of loving yourself no matter what you look like. I just wish that could've been better presented.)

Nonetheless, I found myself making positive associations that I could use in my own productivity and self-efficacy in the workplace. It's inspiring and thorough, yet remains a quick read to pick up.

For the 11 Laws themselves, they are as follows:

1. The Law of Authenticity (being and acting true to one's self in interactions with others).

2. The Law of Self-Image (maintaining a positive view of one's self through one's own perceptions and self-dialogue, not simply being dependent on other's perceptions/views of you. Love yourself.)

3. The Law of Perception (Shape how people perceive you through the image you want to project).

4. The Law of Energy (having the drive and motivations to do what you want, giving what you want to receive)

5. The Law of Curiosity (willingness to learn, explore, do)

6. The Law of Listening (being attentive to others' needs, in order to understand)

7. The Law of Similarity (Finding shared values with others)

8. The Law of Mood Memory (People will remember more how you make them feel more than what you say)

9. The Law of Familiarity (Building trust by establishing a base - allowing people to know you. Really focuses on social media networking in this section.)

10. The Law of Giving (Doing things for others, giving what you are able because people value it)

11. The Law of Patience (Good things come to those who wait and stick with things)

I do think, in retrospect, that some of these laws could've been further condensed to make the text even more concise, but I did like how each concept was broken down and expanded out for consideration. I'd return to the text for complimentary reference/resource, though it wouldn't be my go-to/primary resource on the subject matter.

Overall score: 3/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.