Honoring
8 years ago
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Read the book review of Leap: How 3 simple changes can propel your career from good to great by Rick Smith on Amazon
There are tons of these books out there…how to find the career you want and love your life. Some are full of nonsense. This one makes sense. The book starts out telling us to find our “primary color” or best fit. Good advice, but I kept reading wondering if there is an easy way to do this. Rick Smith provides a free online test that helps with this part. So I went online and found my color. Now what?
The book then moves into what makes changes work, and here is where things do get interesting. Smith suggests that break-away ideas, career leaps incorporate three elements: they are big, selfless and simple. The book is full of believable examples, though I have to admit I was still not sold. What idea am I supposed to come up with, and where do I get it?
The last part of the book holds the unique message. Smith tracks the path of career-leaps with an interesting twist. Success does not come from leaping blindly into the night, but from use a spark sequence to get them going. This might mean working half-time at an old job for stability and half-time at a new one to try it out, or perhaps volunteering to test a job for a fit. The sequence means we educate ourselves, experiment with a new situation, and then turn our experience into a new life. This makes sense, and is actually something that makes me think differently about life change. Not just a toe in the water, but also not a dive from the high board.
Finally, Smith takes some time to talk about happiness and life changes. I love this quote “Winning is trying and failing. Winning is finding your own lily pad, your own definition of success, your own rules of happiness. Wining, in a word, is variance, not conformity.”
I recommend this book to anyone feeling stuck in a career or job. I also recommend this to people just starting to look for jobs, as well as to career counselors.
Elisa Robyn, author of Pirate Wisdom
There are tons of these books out there…how to find the career you want and love your life. Some are full of nonsense. This one makes sense. The book starts out telling us to find our “primary color” or best fit. Good advice, but I kept reading wondering if there is an easy way to do this. Rick Smith provides a free online test that helps with this part. So I went online and found my color. Now what?
The book then moves into what makes changes work, and here is where things do get interesting. Smith suggests that break-away ideas, career leaps incorporate three elements: they are big, selfless and simple. The book is full of believable examples, though I have to admit I was still not sold. What idea am I supposed to come up with, and where do I get it?
The last part of the book holds the unique message. Smith tracks the path of career-leaps with an interesting twist. Success does not come from leaping blindly into the night, but from use a spark sequence to get them going. This might mean working half-time at an old job for stability and half-time at a new one to try it out, or perhaps volunteering to test a job for a fit. The sequence means we educate ourselves, experiment with a new situation, and then turn our experience into a new life. This makes sense, and is actually something that makes me think differently about life change. Not just a toe in the water, but also not a dive from the high board.
Finally, Smith takes some time to talk about happiness and life changes. I love this quote “Winning is trying and failing. Winning is finding your own lily pad, your own definition of success, your own rules of happiness. Wining, in a word, is variance, not conformity.”
I recommend this book to anyone feeling stuck in a career or job. I also recommend this to people just starting to look for jobs, as well as to career counselors.
Elisa Robyn, author of Pirate Wisdom
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Read my review of Reframing change on Amazon. Make sure you vote if it is helpful! I read a great number of leadership and organizational change books, so I thought this would be one more of the same. I am happy to report that this is a step above many of the books that I have read. There are three elements that set it apart: a focus on the human elements without blame, case study type of presentation based on research, and inserts detailing the research with references.
The overall focus of the book is on changing the way individuals perceive situations and others in the organization. The premise of the book is that if people act with integrity and learn to develop positive workplace relationships, there will be a ripple effect that engenders changes in the organization as a whole. This occurs when people are aware of personal biases and behaviors.
To achieve this end the book reports on conversations that occur in a workshop, with the leaders applying currently social science research. It is more than a book on communication; rather it is a how-to manual for communicating with anyone in an organization. The use of conversations is very effective and direct. The book demonstrates specific skills in a format that is easily applied.
My favorite elements in the book are the regular inserts that reference the research being applied. There is a short statement with a clear citation to primary research, usually in a juried academic journal. This brings a great bit of strength to the case studies and advice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone needing to clarify relationships within their corporation or institution. It is an excellent book for a class in organizational change and leadership. It is an easy read and would also be helpful to teachers or other individuals involved in training. I give if five stars.
The overall focus of the book is on changing the way individuals perceive situations and others in the organization. The premise of the book is that if people act with integrity and learn to develop positive workplace relationships, there will be a ripple effect that engenders changes in the organization as a whole. This occurs when people are aware of personal biases and behaviors.
To achieve this end the book reports on conversations that occur in a workshop, with the leaders applying currently social science research. It is more than a book on communication; rather it is a how-to manual for communicating with anyone in an organization. The use of conversations is very effective and direct. The book demonstrates specific skills in a format that is easily applied.
My favorite elements in the book are the regular inserts that reference the research being applied. There is a short statement with a clear citation to primary research, usually in a juried academic journal. This brings a great bit of strength to the case studies and advice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone needing to clarify relationships within their corporation or institution. It is an excellent book for a class in organizational change and leadership. It is an easy read and would also be helpful to teachers or other individuals involved in training. I give if five stars.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
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