Perhaps in graduate school or soon after you sought out seasoned and successful people in your field and took them to lunch. You told them candidly that you’d appreciate their advice regarding your career.

Do you fear the future? Is the future something that inspires your imagination and sparks your passion for innovation? Or is it perhaps something fraught with risk, dangers and outright threats to the good life you have now? If you’re a successful professional who’s willing to think ahead, you must ask yourself these questions and answer them with absolute candor. Your progress and hope for a better life for yourself and your family, employees and clients depend on it.

“Daddy, will you tell me a story?” Countless children ask this question daily. They want a tale that will captivate them, engage their psyches and spark their imaginations. Stories help children learn about themselves.

Martin shows readers how to think rather than telling them what to do. What would you do? Imagine you’re a successful hotel operator with two properties. One is a small, comfortable roadside spot that’s very popular with its loyal return clients and acceptably profitable. The other is a larger location with every amenity, higher volume and better profits but corporate in feel. You want to expand, and the industry consensus argues that your next lodging venue should replicate the larger facility. But that is a soulless option for you. Your heart needs to see the smiling faces who routinely visit the more personal travelers’ nest.