Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future - Hardcover

Perseus

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1593157061 ISBN 13: 9781593157067

Publisher: Vanguard Press, 2012

Synopsis

Politics, manners, humor, sexuality, wealth, even our definitions of success are periodically renegotiated based in the new values society chooses to use as a lens to judge what is acceptable. Are these new values randomly chosen or is there a pattern? Pendulum chronicles the stuttering history of western society; that endless back-and-forth swing between one excess and another, always reminded of what we left behind. There is a pattern and it is 40 years: 2003 was a fulcrum year, as was 1963, its opposite. Pendulum explains where we’ve been as a society, how we got here, and where we’re headed. If you would benefit from a peek into the future, you would do well to read this book. Read Pendulum and you’ll know exactly why current events are happening and what will happen next.

About this title

About the Author:

Nicknamed “the Wizard of Ads” by an early client, Roy H. Williams and his staff have often been the unseen, pivotal force in amazing come-frombehind
victories in the worlds of business, politics, and finance. A lifelong student of humanity, Roy has spent a quartercentury asking, “What makes people do the things they do?” With over forty branch offices in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and Guatemala, Wizard of Ads, Inc. serves the advertising and marketing needs of business owners around the globe. Roy’s books and Monday Morning Memos are a constant source of fascination and entertainment for his students and friends. His previous books, The Wizard of Ads, Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, Magical Worlds of the Wizard of Ads all reached bestseller status. Roy teaches creative thinking, strategic planning, and human persuasion in a three-day Wizard Academy that, since its launch in May of 2000, has attracted a roster of students that includes many of the world’s most forward-thinking and successful CEOs, educators, journalists, inventors, and consultants.

Since the age of nineteen, Michael R. Drew has become a leading book marketer in the publishing industry, propelling nearly 75 books onto national
bestseller lists, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The New York Times, and garnering over 1,000 #1 rankings for books on Amazon.com through his Promote A Book services. Michael heads a marketing agency that strives to build strong and real relationships with his clients and their audiences, increasing sales in a natural manner, and maximizing the depth and longevityof that relationship through its Persona Architecture and Platform Building programs. Michael has presented the Pendulum theory on stage with and for the Dali Lama, Sir Richard Branson, and Steven R. Covey, and privately for the Executive Committee at Franklin Covey. Michael lives in Austin, Texas.
 

Review:

“Pendulum offers fascinating insights into the surprises and revelations of shifting social trends throughout history.  Roy H. Williams and Michael Drew answer the age-old question:  What makes us tick?”
—Harvey Mackay, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
 
“If you're trying to get a grip on why we do what we do, there's a way forward: It's  Pendulum. Roy Williams and Michael Drew have explored the profound shifts in society from ancient times to now and created a blueprint to civilization. To understand your clients, to understand the market, to understand your own motivations – read  Pendulum.”
—T. Harv Eker, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
 
“How do you predict what kind of society we're in?  How do you know when's the right time to make a difference? In Pendulum, Roy H. Williams and Michael R. Drew have combed through history's ups and downs and the cultural shifts that ripple through every generation. They've written a unique guidebook that has an interesting perspective for marketers, entrepreneurs, and anyone is thinking about how to live in the now—and in the future.”
—Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos and New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness

“In today's business environment you need to anticipate and understand consumers as never before. You need to drive change and create step-and-repeat processes. Roy H. Williams and Michael R. Drew nail it in Pendulum. They've looked in the mirror of history, and found a reflective pattern. And while every businessperson is running the gauntlet of business, they can use the book to become more competitive, nimble and ready to drive change and grow! Every generation thinks a bit differently than the previous one – and Pendulum tells you why. Saddle up for an insightful read, and an essential tool.”
—Jeffrey Hayzlett, Former CMO Kodak, Global Business & Marketing Authority and bestselling author of The Mirror Test and Running the Gauntlet

“If you want to better understand the world we live in, then read Pendulum. Roy H. Williams and Michael Drew have uncovered the secrets to how society shifts from generation to generation—and why that matters to all of us.”
—Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason

“If you've ever wondered why people did what they did, why cultural change happened and even what led to some of mankind's greatest discoveries, then Pendulum has the answers. Roy H. Williams and Michael Drew take you through three millennia on an astounding roller-coaster ride of shifts in society to get at the heart of why we do what we do—and how we can understand not only where we are, but where we're going.”
—Greg S. Reid, co-author of Think and Grow Rich: Three Feet from Gold
 
“Pendulum is a profoundly powerful read. This revelatory new book provides insight to social trends that will emerge in the years to come. Pendulum impacted how I approach business and it will change how you view the world.”
—Rich Christiansen, entrepreneur and USA Today bestselling author of The Zig Zag Principle

“If you want to know where the future is headed and prepare for what is to come, then you have to read this book. Pendulum will help you better understand society and social behavior like it has never before been explained. This book is a true gem and a must-read.”
—Randy Garn, CRO of Prosper Inc., and co-author of the New York Times bestseller Prosper: Create the Life You Really Want

"Pendulum may be the most important book you read all year. This is not a book about business but one about how culture has changed, which will dramatically alter the way you must do business. It will open your eyes to exactly what is happening in the world today and how your business must respond. "
—Eric Rhoads, Publisher, Radio Ink

“We've all heard how history repeats. Now we know why. We humans swing from selfish to social every generation or so, and civilization swings with us. In their surprising, insightful and witty new book, Pendulum, Roy H. Williams and Michael Drew explain us to us. They explore the real reasons behind some of civilization's greatest advances—and retreats. They show us why we repeat ourselves—but they also give us the tools that might prevent future catastrophes.”
—Robert J. Hughes, former Wall Street Journal reporter and author of Late and Soon
 
"Times change, but some things remain consistent: People either think of themselves or of others. The question is, how do you know when (and what does it mean) Roy H. Williams and Michael R. Drew have figured that out in Pendulum, their razor-sharp look at cultural shifts over the last 3,000 years (and the next ones too). Whether you try to come up with a new dish at KFC, a special pie at Pizza Hut or a menu change at Taco Bell, you need to know your customer. Pendulum gives you that knowledge.
— Jonathan Blum, SVP and Chief Public Affairs and Global Nutrition Officer of YUM brands

About this edition

• Publisher: Vanguard Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1593157061
• ISBN 13: 9781593157067
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272