Book Review: Getting Things Done (David Allen)

I’ve always been impressed by those people who have a sprawling, lifelong passion for a subject — be it venomous snakes, antique telephones, Celtic history, or blimps — and who are then able to communicate this passion in a way that makes the information approachable and that gets OTHER people excited about it.  David Allen has such a passion.  His chosen field of study is personal productivity, and in 2001, he wrote Getting Things Done to share everything he had loved and learned about how people can organize their workspace and work habits for maximum effectiveness.

Having had a number of people I trust recommend this book over the past few years, I finally picked up a copy to see what all the fuss was about.  And while I’ll confess, the organizational system I currently have in place tends to work pretty well for me, I was still impressed by the depth in which the author treats the subject — and how he not only teaches people a system for getting their affairs in order, but also explains the psychology behind his recommendations, which really brings the material to life.  This layer of underlying rationale is particularly useful in those cases when his suggestions are somewhat counterintuitive, like when he recommends against the use of hanging file folders or says that computer-printed file labels tend to become an obstacle, not an aid, in getting one’s office whipped into shape.

I also enjoyed the fact that this book included both high-level, strategic advice, such as a four-step process for deciding what projects to tackle first, along with very tactical tips such as not filling your file cabinets more than 2/3 full, lest you start resenting (and avoiding) the filing process.  This last point, in particular, rang especially true, since it exactly describes the love/hate relationship I have with my home filing cabinet!  Additionally, the author presents a “master plan” for getting organized that includes a step-by-step workflow chart and a set of seven final categories that ALL of your saved information should fall under.  Again, it’s pretty fascinating to watch somebody make a formal science out of an activity that most of us take for granted or tend to perform by the seat of our pants.

So at the end of the day, if any of you out there are struggling to tame your to-do list or to set your job search regimen up for optimal efficiency, Getting Things Done might be a worthwhile investment.  I can’t imagine there’s been a more thorough book on the subject that’s been written, to date, and I guarantee you’ll walk away looking at your daily task list in a whole new light!  And while we’re on the subject, those interested in getting more organized should also check out the highly-acclaimed 43 Folders website by Merlin Mann, or consider hiring local organizational expert Debbie Rosemont of Simply Placed (hi Debbie!) to come crack the whip and get your home and office workspaces running like clockwork.  Great resources, both!

Any organizational tips that any of you out there would care to share, especially that might relate to running a methodical, uber-productive job search?

Book Review: Working Identity (Herminia Ibarra)

Subtitled Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career, this important work first came out in 2003 and has been growing in acclaim both among career-changers (as well as career counseling professionals) ever since.  Having now read a copy, myself, I can add my own positive review to the bandwagon — and heartily recommend this book to anybody who feels unsatisfied by their current professional direction and that the time has come to reinvent themselves in a serious way.

At its core, what makes the book so noteworthy is that it pushes back — hard — against the common notion that the keys to making  a successful career change are careful planning, analysis, and self-reflection.  Ms. Ibarra argues that these introspective steps almost never generate enough inertia to break somebody out of their established professional routine.  Instead, she believes that the most effective route to realizing career change is to take direct action (often in the form of crafting small “career experiments”) that will deliberately expose one to a set of new individuals, environments, and experiences.  One relevant quote that she cites right up front from another author (Richard Pascale) summarizes this thinking quite elegantly: “adults are much more likely to act themselves into a new way of thinking than to think themselves into a new way of acting.”

Throughout the book, Ms. Ibarra explores the implications of this philosophy in depth, sharing the tales of 39 people along the way who have successfully pulled off a major career transition.  This combination of elements provides a stream of ample gems for any reader genuinely interested in the career-change subject.  In one chapter, for example, she discusses the intriguing notion that would-be career-changers should attempt to identify new paths to follow by concentrating on the “communities” of people that they get along with most comfortably and enjoyably.  In other words, if somebody finds themselves always looking forward to spending time in a school setting, with teachers and educators, this instinctive sense of belonging and attraction might be one to follow — and suggest a career related to the educational field.  Alternatively, somebody who finds themselves constantly hanging out at Fry’s (the big technology superstore) and “talking tech” with their friends at Microsoft might heed this clue, instead, and start investigating careers within the technology world.  This community-based exploration framework isn’t one that’s talked about much, but it makes a lot of sense, given that an enormous chunk of job satisfaction is derived not from one’s work tasks themselves, but from the surroundings in which one performs their work.

Additional elements of the book include a breakdown of the different types of experiments one might set up for themselves, to try out different working identities, as well as a nod to the “strength of weak ties” principle that suggests people often receive the most help and inspiration in their job hunt from brand-new acquaintances, as opposed to close friends and family members.  There’s even a great section right at the very end that discusses some specific differences that various demographic groups (e.g. men vs. women, individual consultants vs. managers, etc.) encounter when it comes to changing careers — which I was thrilled to see, since so many books preach a “one-size-fits-all” approach to this issue that completely ignores the fact that not every person approaches this challenge from a similar starting point.

So all in all, while no single book can be expected to offer a soup-to-nuts, utterly foolproof formula for career change, this book adds an extremely important and interesting dimension to the discussion — and is well worth a read for anybody who is in “transition” themselves!

Book Review: Outliers (Malcolm Gladwell)

While there are few authors in this world that I follow religiously, the quality of the two books that Malcolm Gladwell has written previously, The Tipping Point and Blink, compelled me a few months ago to get on the pre-order list for his newest book — Outliers. And since it arrived just in time for a relaxing read over the Thanksgiving holiday, now seems like a perfect time to review it!

Subtitled “The Story of Success”, Outliers weaves together a variety of fascinating anecdotes and social science findings to try and explain why some people go on to brilliant achievements — while others, even those with abundant natural talent and near-genius intelligence, live out their lives in relative obscurity and mediocrity. Examining an array of high achievers ranging from Bill Gates to The Beatles, the author uncovers a number of hidden cultural, social, and demographic factors that often get overlooked in the common belief that it is purely individual talent, or merit, that leads a person to rise to the top of his or her field. For example, in this book, you’ll learn why the vast majority of professional hockey and baseball players have birthdays in January, February, and March. You’ll learn why the person with the highest IQ in America was utterly unsuccessful in college. And you’ll learn why scientists from multiple countries have found “10,000 hours” to be the magic number that transforms a talented person from being merely “good” at something to truly great.

All in all, while critics have pointed out that the book is more disjointed than Gladwell’s previous works, and Outliers seems to be more of a collection of essays, as opposed to a unified publication, I promise you that you’ll still find the author’s insights mesmerizing — and great small talk for your networking and interviewing activities, if nothing else! Highly recommended…

Cheapest Price We Can Find: $16.79 on Amazon.com

Book Review: Claiming Your Place At The Fire (Richard J. Leider & David A. Shapiro)

“Two-thirds of all the people who have ever lived past 65 are alive today.  Never before in history have so many people entered into this later stage of life so vital, so healthy, and so free.  And never before have so many had such a hunger for direction in how to live this stage of life in a purposeful way.”

The above quote, taken from the the last chapter of the book, effectively sums up its entire mission — to explore the new frontiers of growing up, and growing old, and to tackle the changing meaning of the word “retirement” for the Baby Boom generation and beyond.  Containing dozens of inspirational stories about “new elders” who have continued to passionately pursue career avenues well into the second half of their lives, the book ranges wildly, at times, between sociology textbook and self-help publication.  At the end of each chapter, as well, the authors encourage the reader to hold a “fireside chat”with their spouse — and possibly other loved ones — to discuss the authentic issues, questions, and decisions that relate to achieving fulfillment during one’s senior years.

Sound a bit too “new agey” for your tastes?  Admittedly, much of this book has that feel to it, and some may find it a little too existential or idealistic for their liking.  I must also confess, as well, that a certain amount of the the content was likely lost on me, since I’m not yet a member of the age demographic this publication is aimed at addressing.  Despite these factors, however, the book was still a crisp and insightful reading experience, and given that I’ve had several clients recommend it to me over the years, I felt that it deserved recognition — and fills an important niche on the career management bookshelf.

Amongst the passages, there are also some great quotes and insights related to the aging process, in general.  One of many citations that caught my eye was the statement that “only 25% of what we call aging is rooted in the actual biology of being older.  The other 75% is ’sociogenic’ and caused by the stereotypes, myths, and misconceptions that society and culture impose on older adults.”  How accurate this claim might be, scientifically, I can’t say.   But it’s an awfully thought-provoking concept!

Book Review: Blue Ocean Strategy (W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne)

While not a career management or job hunting book by any stretch of the imagination, Blue Ocean Strategy does relate to employment in a fairly significant way — it gives you a great sense of how to identify the employers most likely to “win the game” and be able to offer steady, rewarding work to you and other employees for a number of years to come.

Simply put, this book is about a quasi-revolutionary (depends who you talk to) concept in marketing that involves those companies that get tired of “playing by the rules” and seek instead to completely redefine their customer base and create a totally unique “blue ocean” market niche that enjoys little or no competition — instead of competing on the same old tired factors (e.g. price, quality, customer service) that lead to constant battles and eroding margins in the “red ocean” markets that are already saturated with tough competitors.  In this sense, the book is probably most appropriate for those senior executives and marketing specialists who will be directly responsible for identifying a company’s market strategy and charting its destiny.  And yet, even to a layperson such as myself, the concepts presented in this book are extremely intriguing and are brought to life in a very satisfying way through the presentation of dozens of specific examples like Cirque De Soleil, Yellowtail Wines, and Southwest Airlines — all of which represent companies that have pulled off highly profitable “blue ocean” transformations.

Again, an odd selection for our career book of the month, to be sure.  As the best business book we’ve  read in quite some time, however, we felt it would be appropriate to recommend this inspiring publication as a nod both to the marketing executives among our candidate base, as well as all the rest of us whose paychecks rely on the ability of our employers to innovate, adapt, and be profitable!

Book Review: Achieving Success Through Social Capital (Wayne Baker)

Perhaps we’re simply addicted to books about networking and the emerging “science” of social relationship theory, but we can’t help but recommend yet another publication that provides a fresh slate of insights into the many surprising ways in which we’re all connected — and the importance of these dynamics in achieving success in life, love, and work.

In this detailed treatise on the subject, author Wayne Baker, a management professor at the University of Michigan Business School, shares his extensive insights into the fundamental power of personal relationships and how individual professionals — and job hunters — can apply these dynamics to manage their “social capital” more effectively.  While a few chapters are admittedly a bit dry, as Mr. Baker discusses networking theory from an academic standpoint, the overall book is still eminently readable and of tremendous relevance to the average career-minded professional.

We particularly enjoyed the author’s description of some of the common mistakes people make when it comes to networking, such as engaging in “coin-operated networking, the mechanical view of human relationships where a deposit of a few minutes is expected to get immediate results every time, as the drop of a coin in a gumball machine always produces a gumball.”  As we’ve written about extensively, this “instant gratification” approach to relationships almost always backfires and ends up burning bridges, so we were pleased to read that Mr. Baker is in full agreement with us on this issue!

Book Review: The Art of Possibility (Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander)

Feeling cynical, depressed, or stuck in a rut?  If so, there may be no book on Earth that can cure you of these feelings, but if there is, we’d designate this particular publication as the most likely front-runner!

Authored by the husband/wife team of Roz Zander, an acclaimed family systems therapist, and Ben Zander, longstanding conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, this book takes you on a captivating journey of how to recapture the lost “art of possibility” and transcend the cynicism and self-limitation that so commonly holds individuals back in their personal and professional lives.  Unlike many other titles in the motivational genre, however, this book never gets preachy, abstract, or redundant.  It’s not pushing a simple “quick fix” formula or taking a one-paragraph idea and adding 200 pages just to flesh it out into a best-selling book.  Instead, it systematically expounds on the power of 12 practical principles for pushing your personal growth boundaries — and then supports these principles beautifully with dozens of entertaining, real-life stories that have been collected from the authors’ vast experience.

Viewed from a career-related framework, this book is a definite departure from the typical publications we review in this newsletter, which often focus more around tactical job market issues.  And yet, we still believe the The Art of Possibility deserves a place of merit on the bookshelf of any serious professional, since there’s no denying the intense emotional and motivational components that underpin any discussion of career success, growth, and satisfaction.  We all need a little fresh thinking and inspiration from time to time to “shake up” our daily routines and expand our professional horizons!

Book Review: The Rise of the Creative Class (Richard Florida)

Despite a publication date that’s nearly four years old, I’ve recently discovered this important work and have decided to showcase it as the “career book of the month” for those of you out there who may be interested in the changing nature of work at a societal level — and how these trends might affect your own career choices, attitudes, and fortunes.

Simply stated, the author of the book, Richard Florida, believes an entirely new class of worker has emerged over the past few decades.  A class that is not so much distinguished by its physical talents, or intellectual horsepower, as much as by its one defining characteristic: creativity.  What’s more, he argues that over 30% of U.S. employees now fall into this category, and that this “creative class” will remain the most dominant asset our country has to offer within the global workforce as long as we recognize this new breed of idea-driven career professionals — and take the steps necessary to nurture them.

Agree or disagree with its premise, The Rise of the Creative Class is a provocative read for anybody concerned about remaining a step ahead in the converging global talent pool.  In an age where we have seen much of physical labor get roboticized, and a great deal of our intellectual capital and knowledge get digitized, could our one unassailable “point of differentiation” truly be our ideas — and imagination?

Book Review: The Brand-You 50 (Tom Peters)

Amazingly, in all the years I’ve been writing this newsletter, I haven’t yet reviewed a book by famed management guru Tom Peters.  I’ve discovered that this is probably for the best, however, because if one reads too many of Tom’s books in a single year, he or she might have an epileptic seizure — since the information Mr. Peters presents, while excellent, is formatted in such a frenzied, exclamation-point-studded manner that it’s downright exhausting to take in, at times!

This issue aside, I’m pleased to say that this particular book did have an awful lot of insight to offer to white-collar professionals interested in the “personal branding” phenomenon.   The author not only makes the case for why all of us need to better understand our key points of differentiation, in order to stay competitive in the increasingly hyper-specialized marketplace, but also offers some very useful ideas on how the average person without marketing/branding experience can isolate the elements of their own career that really matter.  What’s more, in a refreshing moment of realism, Mr. Peters acknowledges the importance of substance and confesses that “You can’t, by and large, brand crap.” Amen.

(on that note, however, the language in the book does get a bit salty at times, so be warned!)

In conclusion, while this is the first of several self-branding books that I’m intending to plow through in the next few weeks, I feel like I’ve struck a “winner” right out of the gate and that “The Brand-You 50″ is a good primer and pep talk for anybody seeking to learn more about this emerging subject.  It’s short, it’s punchy, and since it was one of the first entries ever published in this now-crowded niche, I think it deserves special recognition for providing insights that were years ahead of their time.

Book Review: Love is the Killer App (Tim Sanders)

What a book, what a book.  Amongst the sea of titles available today concerning networking and business success, we’re not sure what exactly made this particular publication stand out from the crowd, but it was our favorite read over the holidays and we found the author, Tim Sanders, to be one of the most engaging business writers to emerge on the scene in quite some time.

Simply put, Love Is The Killer App talks about how both companies and career professionals need to embrace three core concepts — Knowledge, Networking, and Compassion — in order to get ahead in the modern workplace.  Rather than belaboring each subject, however, or churning out a series of shopworn platitudes about each of these topics, Mr. Sanders gets right to the point and outlines a concise set of instructions people can use, backed up with extremely relevant examples of how he’s put these principles successfully into play throughout his own career at Broadcast.com and Yahoo! Corporation.

In terms of the third subject he tackles, the role of compassion and emotional attachment in the workplace, Mr. Sanders provides us with rich passages such as the following:

“We are squeezing out of business that inefficient, no-ROI thing called humanity.  We no longer stop to ask people how they are, we seldom celebrate personal success, we fear touching people in a world of sexual-harassment litigation.  We are wringing all that is human out of the workplace like we squeeze water from a sponge, and we do it in the name of business.  Then it seems that bosses and consultants go out and read more books on how to depersonalize the workplace even further.”

The author doesn’t just dump this depressing insight on us and then walk away, of course.  He goes on to discuss how each one of us, individually, can start to change our perspective and help turn this tide, both to improve our own career prospects as well as make a dent in the increasingly dehumanizing conditions of the business world at large.  Without question, Love is the Killer App is a great kick-start for 2006 and a terrific read for both job hunters and employed professionals alike!