People Tools: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity

Fox imparts business advice and general wisdom based on his years of experience as a successful real estate mogul, father, husband, and writer. Each chapter presents a distinct "people tool," which he defines as "a behavioral technique you can use to change your outlook." These tools include: "The Belt Buckle" for perceiving potentially unstated intentions of others, and "Target Practice" for making goals more achievable. He reframes the business concepts, such as of sunk cost and leverage as broader life lessons, making his insights dynamic and relatable. He provides examples from his life, family, and friends to inspire readers to take risks and consider failure to be "the foundation for a potential success." Chapters begin with sage quotations from sources like James Joyce, Benjamin Franklin, Anais Nin, and Martin Luther King Jr., and Fox draws from many popular parables and proverbs. Overall his positive outlook and substantial business acumen lend themselves to a wealth of insights on life, work, and interpersonal relationships. The author's conversational style of prose and wide ranging examples makes for easy reading and dynamic advice. (Jan.)