The first book I read this year was “Be Useful” by Arnold Schwarzenegger. From my perspective, someone who doesn’t need an introduction. (And if you do, Arnold is an Austrian body-builder, actor, philanthropist and businessman who served as the 38^th governor of California.)

His book “Be Useful” offers insight into Arnold’s tool kit for a meaningful life. With inspirational stories of himself and others, he demonstrates how to put those tools to work, in service of whatever future we envision for ourselves. His toolkit is focused on 7 themes:

1. Have a clear vision
2. Never think small
3. Work your ass off
4. Sell, sell, sell
5. Shift gears
6. Shut your mouth, open your mind
7. Break your mirrors

What did I appreciate most?

I thoroughly enjoy the inspiration that Arnold delivers in this book – and many other forms of communication that he has distributed over the past years, such as his Netflix serie ‘Arnold’.

Two things which I find remarkable about Arnold and his book:

First of all, this book is for me a testament to his character. He could have focused on himself, and everything that he has experienced during his impressive career. Yet he chooses to focus on stories that go beyond himself, by sharing examples of others. For example, he uses the story of Sir Edmund Hillary a few times, to explain his point of having a clear vision and never thinking small. These (and other) anecdotes are both insightful and entertaining for me.

Secondly, his vision and his persistence to that vision are contagious to me, also again in this book. After achieving all the goals that he set for himself, or maybe beyond these goals, his vision is about being of service; he puts strong emphasis of serving the community, regardless of how big (or small) that community is. From my personal experience, I can understand how significant any form of service is.

What is my tip?

Typically when I work with leaders, I use Lumina Spark to understand behavioral preferences and patterns. This helps to strengthen the connection and enables me to know what perspective serves that leader most. Speaking in Lumina terms, Arnold is more a big picture thinker, he is someone who looks beyond ‘what is’ and looks towards ‘what could be’. Typically, these kind of leaders are not focused on making projects manageable or with large attention to detail.

The same holds true for this book; Arnold uses inspirational stories to bring his point across. He doesn’t use any practical models to explain and underpin those stories, nor does he hand you a few tools to make it work. Hence, for those of you, who prefer down-to-earth thinking, this book is less appealing to you.

What is my take-away?

For me, there is nothing new in what Arnold has shared in his book, ‘Be Useful’. The added value in this book lies in how he has framed his toolkit and how he has applied this in his own life. His vision and his persistence to that vision are my main take-away and a true inspiration for me. The 3 different careers (in body-building, acting and politics) that Arnold has had, are the hallmark for his success.

These type of books (and leaders) inspire to never think small, to always find new perspectives and to continuously expand your exploration.

In the words of Arnold himself, inspired by a German saying:

“Wenn Schon, Denn Schon”

‘If you’re going to do something, then do it properly’