Book Reviews

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Open book. Photo in old color image style.

Recommended reading, from Lois at Career Wisdom. There  are some great books and resources out there on careers / life direction / following your passion / job seeking and enterprise.  Here, I’ve added reviews of my favourite resources, to assist you with your literary purchasing (or borrowing) decisions.

“Zen and The Art of Making a Living”, Laurence Boldt. This isn’t a book, it’s a masterpiece. My most beloved of career books, it really is a collection of insights, philosophy, career strategies and introspective exercises and so much more. I just love this book and find myself delving into it often. Be warned, it is quite a tome – but you needn’t read it cover to cover. In fact, the author himself, suggests varying approaches to gleaning information from the book. As a fan of Boldt’s work, I also recommend his (much smaller) book called “How to Find the Work You Love”. Visit Laurence Boldt’s site at www.empoweryou.com

“What Should I Do With My Life?”– The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question” , Po Bronson. This book is a great read for those who are pondering this thought for themselves, or in the business of supporting and helping others. Po’s own story is quite illuminating and inspiring, as he trained as a lawyer, but ended up a writer, with some amusing entrepreneurial ventures along the way. The book is a compilation of stories of numerous real people – he interviewed and conducted research around the globe. Check out Po’s site at www.pobronson.com

“The Elephant and the Flea“, Charles Handy. Charles Handy, the management guru, is a favourite author of mine. He has written a number of books on the new world of work. This book, subtitled “New Thinking for a New World” relates how individuals (the fleas) relate to multi-national companies (the elephants). I just love this analogy, as it demonstrates how small individuals / “one-man-bands” can quickly manouevre and take advantage of niches in the marketplace. Charles Handy has long been a proponent of the portfolio career and follows this example himself, with a blend of teaching, writing, consulting and travelling with his wife who is a photographer. A very smart man with a voice of clarity, conviction and common sense. Thoroughly recommended for those who like to understand the bigger picture of the world of work, or who are considering “going out on their own.”

“Life’s a Pitch: How to Sell Yourself and Your Brilliant Ideas” by Roger Mavity, Stephen Bayley “Pitching”…not the baseball variety, but the “have I got a deal for you!” variety. LOVE this book, I recommend it a lot. Everyone going for a job interview or wanting to gain a new client can learn from this gem. There’s even a funny section on people from history including Machiavelli and Casanova and their influential ways (although some people don’t need any more encouragement!)”  This book should be on every job seeker’s booklist and is a must for new graduates and those in career transition.

“Rework”, by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson This book is a great read, as well as an easy read. Not only relevant for career consultants like me, it’s for anyone who wants to get more out of their work. Some gems include “Resumes are ridiculous” , “make a dent in the universe” and “You can’t install a culture. Like a fine scotch, you’ve got to give it time to develop” Aye!   This is one book I dip into again and again.

“Playing Big”, by Tara Mohr This book is by far the best I have read in the women’s personal and career development genre.  Tara Mohr has really dug into the reasons why women can find themselves “playing small” and how to learn to Play Big!  I absolutely love it and the exercises contained at the end of each chapter are meaningful and very useful. I recommend this book to many of my clients, both female and male who desire to unlock some of the mysteries as to why they may feel that they hold themselves back in work and life

2018-07-12T12:30:25+08:00December, 4th 2017|

About the Author:

Lois is a career counsellor, coach and facilitator with over 18 years' experience in leading groups and individuals through the process of career discovery. Consulting to leaders in sport, corporate and for-purpose organisations, she loves nothing more than helping you light a fire and have a passion for your work. Lois is Masters qualified (Career Development), Author of "Make Your Move" and a Churchill Fellowship recipient (2019) for career reinventions after cancer.