Chapter 1 opens with the statement that being positive “doesn’t just make you better; it makes everyone around you better” (1). Noting that people teach what they need to learn, Gordon says that he isn’t a positive person by nature; he has to work at it. His parents had negative attitudes that he absorbed, and at age 31, Gordon was a “fearful, negative, stressed-out, and miserable” husband and father of two (2). His wife demanded that he change or end the marriage.

Positive psychology was an emerging field at the time, and Gordon began to read about and practice positivity, mentored by Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and The New One Minute Manager. Through his emotional and spiritual work, Gordon came up with the idea for his 2007 book The Energy Bus, a parable in which a negative man named George takes a bus ride during which he learns the 10 rules for the “ride of his life” (4), transforming his personal and business experiences.

Subsequently, Gordon has worked with many companies, sports teams, schools, and other organizations that used The Energy Bus and experienced positive changes after adopting his model of leadership.