The Flip Side

Book excerpt: Flip Flippen is a personable Texan whose philosophy has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people--from business leaders like Jack Welch and Mark McCormack (founder of IMG), to sports figures like Terry Bradshaw and NASCAR drivers, to the 150,000 people who trained with his company, The Flippen Group, in 2005. His approach is deceptively simple: What if, instead of focusing on the things you already do well, you knew how to honestly identify your weaknesses...those habitual behaviors that continually get in your way and prevent you from ever really succeeding in the way you know you could. It's these weaknesses, your "personal constraints," that are really holding you back from success. If you could correct these behaviors, you'd see a dramatic surge in productivity and a real improvement in all aspects of your life. That's the key to Flip Flippen's program: he teaches hundreds of thousands of people each year how to identify their personal obstacles and take the necessary steps to overcome them. The vast majority of Flip's trainees are in midlife. These are people who find themselves asking, "How can I accomplish more in my life, both personally and professionally?" and "How can I get better/go further/be happier in the time I have left?" His Personal Constraint Theory helps them zero in on their primary self-sabotaging behavior and actually turn it into their greatest asset.