Economic-Life Books

Barbara Reinhold's latest books is required reading for graduate students in my Management courses. Many of my students are responsible for attracting and retaining employees to corporations and agencies. Free to Succeed provides hiring managers, leaders and organizations with Best Practices from the perspective of current and well as potential employees. It answers the question...what do we need to do to create the best possible environment in a highly competitive marketplace.

I run a mentoring services company, working with corporations to set up online mentoring programs. I recommend this book frequently to program participants. The book is designed to help people think about whether they want to leap into free agency but I think it's equally good as a career development guide for anyone who's feeling stuck or thinking about a change. There are some great exercises to help you assess your current life / career situation and figure out a next step - with free agency being one of many possibilities. I wish I had read this when I was thinking about leaving corporate life and starting a business. I wouldn't have done anything differently but it would have given me better perspective.

A rare combination of practical suggestions with out-of-the-box thinking. I particularly like her categorization of readers as
gamblers, philosophers, desperados, and more.
I also like her list of questions to ask yourself: who are the ghosts hovering over your decision? Nearly every client I work with (see my movinglady.com site) has ghosts and it's not always easy to identify them.

This is an excellent resource for making changes in one's life and work. I found the exercises in the book especially helpful in getting me to think out of the box. The book helped to clarify my own personal working style and what type of work situation would most ensure my success. I highly recommend this book for anyone thinking of making a work change.

Free to Succeed describes accurately the ever changing work force that is effecting career opportunities. It emphasizes individuals pursuing several rotating career opportunties as opposed to doing the corporate dance as layoffs are becomming more apparent in Big Blue(IBM) and other large corporations.

This book gives some good exercises to give the reader a clear idea of his or her free agent strenghts and weakenesses. Some people have strong imaginations but just lack the nerve. Others may be gamblers with the lack of a strong purpose. To sum it up, this book is a good tool for self evaluation.

The glossary is pretty good and some good resources for web surfers. Some pretty good case studies even if some of them are a bit too repetitive. Its certainly worth a read.

The most important piece of advice I took from this book was that you should always try to approach every situation(business or otherwise) in a positive manner. In the book, Nicholas Boothman discusses that when people like you they will think the best of you, and when people do not like you they are expecting you to fail. After the first couple of pages of this book I was hooked and could not put it down. This is definitley a must have for anyone looking for connecting and communicating in the business world as well as life in general.

I listened to both "how to make people like you" and "how to succeed in business" - the books are good, but in the audio format the author is really amazing. he reads himself, and sounds like a very animated conversationalist rather than a reader or author. he's a delight just to listen to.

Nicholas is a genius. This book is outstanding and the information is easy to follow. This is not mad science. His methods really work. I work in sales and I can tell you that I am now making more money and friends. This should be a required read for all politicians, salespeople, management and entrepreneurs. I have read and/or listened to hundreds of business and communication books. This is book defiantly is in the top 3. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Interesting and fascinating - very easy to follow - good examples and exercises. One of the best books on rapport building and the use of NLP. Lots of useful other goodies. Bravo!

Very smooth flowing. Very charming and informative. I've listened to it three times in a month. Definately a must have for wanting to network.

have to admit i have not yet read this book but i support the author. sure it is a good read

Lucy Gill's realistic strategies add a significant number of new tools to the communication toolkit. The problem-solutions presentation is like mental aikido: you can see how to use the situation to help correct the situation.

I'm a project management consultant and coach for Internet startups. My clients can usually handle the technical problems; it's the people that challenge them, especially in hectic "instant company, instant culture" environments.

Lucy Gill's examples really tap an individual's "response-ability" to change their role in a situation and create solutions. I give my clients a copy of the book to reinforce our discussions - so they can take with them answers to the question "What do I say when I get back to my office?"

I recommend this book highly. As an IT manager I can testify to its practical tips for getting to the heart of a difficult situation and resolving it effectively. It's insightful, clever, witty and useful. The techniques presented can provide relief when dealing with a difficult colleague, superior or subordinate. I was particularly impressed with the methodologies for determining what the real problem is, instead of just complaining and "horribleizing." The solutions may well make you laugh, but they work.

Lucy Gill presents a new approach to dealing with problem people at work that is simple, fresh and extremely useful. The bottom line? Stop using the same old methods that don't work for you. If you want to see new results, you've got to employ some of the new tricks put forth here. This book will help you, whether you are stumped on dealing with a boss or employee. If you have ever felt frustrated by a bully, nerd, lightweight, arrogant or some other problem-causing co-worker, then here is your book.

This well-written book is a quick, enjoyable read that will give you more power in those moments when you feel powerless.

I read a great deal of personal growth/self help books. This one has some good ideas, but it's not as good as alot of ones I've read. I must admit that Gill is a good, clear writer, and that she obviously understands the underlying theory that her suggestions are based on. She uses alot of examples to illustrate her points. The book is well laid out and easy to follow. I particularly like that it contains a summary of the steps at the end. The author also provides a (too brief) bibliography to give readers a chance to get more information and support in using the techniques presented.

Despite the fact that the book does have good points, and some people will probably find it useful, I didn't find it particularly helpful for me overall (although I did agree with certain points -- notably, the idea that people have a tendency to repeat the same mistakes). It's too short, and I find that the techniques she suggests, which are based on the work of Brief Therapists such as Paul Wazlawick, are too cognitively based -- I have an admitted bias against cognitive behaviourism. In my experience, some of the techniques she suggests are superficial and they don't lead to long term change. They don't get to the root of the issues between people and really allow you to connect and improve the relationship. If you want to do that, this book won't help.

If you just want to get along well enough to achieve a task, and aren't really interested in the long term health of the relationship or achieving true communication, some of the ideas here might work. But this approach deals with the symptoms, it doesn't get to the root of problems. Some would go so far as to say it involves being manipulative -- I'm not sure.

If you have some familiarity with solution focused therapy/thinking, and you generally believe in the benefits of that orientation, you will find this book of value. If, like me, you prefer a more humanistic, person-centred theory, you likely won't get as much out of this book. I'm glad I read it, and I did take a few ideas from it, but I've already put it in my "to give away" bag.

The Inner Game of Work is the best book I've read yet on creating an environment in the workplace for optimal learning and productivity. Thanks to this book, I now see how the 8 hours each day I spend at work can be personally fufilling instead of a chore. He points out how I can actually integrate my experience at work to acheive my personal development goals. This book provided the tools I need to maintain my quality of life at work independent of the negative situations that inevitably occur in the workplace. I have shared this book with many people at work. Some have remarked that they are feeling the culture at work beginning to shift. People remarked that they are feeling more purposeful and less stressed. I highly recommend The Inner Game of Work.

The true achievement of Timothy Gallwey is his 'putting his finger on the exact, right spot'. Not only the spot where our barriers in achieving our full potentials lie, but also on how to evade and avoid these barriers. His book on Work (after his books on Tennis and Golf) is very well written. Through his natural flowing writing style he is able to establish a paradigm shift with the reader. Then, throughout the book, he keeps the reader firmly attentive to 'the inner game' paradigm and makes the subject come alive using theory and stories as building blocks. Once you have read this book, you will never look at achievement the same way. Not for yourself nor for anybody else. This book is an absolute must-read for all modern workers providing understanding of how true fun, learning and achievement works from-the-inside-out. Do not be surprised though when this book will also positively impact your view on, and handling of, many other aspects of life outside your work. Get it; you will not be disappointed.

This book deserves more than five stars, because it explains how you can be most effective in learning, gaining experience, and achieving higher performance. The principles are based on Mr. Gallwey's earlier successful coaching experiences and books about the inner games of tennis and golf. That may sound like an unlikely way to approach becoming more effective at work, but it is unusually effective for those who have ever played tennis or golf by providing a visceral point of reference.

I could immediately relate to the book's ideas, because both my tennis and golf performances are hindered by the critical stream of commentary that flows in my head as I play these sports. Occasionally, I quiet the criticism and I play much better.

To me, the explanation of how to help someone improve their tennis or golf games, or do their work better was a real eye opener. If you encourage someone to simply notice what is going on during the performance of the act (where they strike the ball relative to their feet in tennis, the lie of the ball in golf, or the important circumstances of the work environment), the person will quickly and easily find their own solutions to becoming more effective. That made sense to me because I have been operating without taking golf lessons for about a year and a half now, and many parts of the game have improved in major ways. I have taken charge of making my own diagnoses of what I need to do differently, and have learned a lot that I did not grasp from taking lessons. That experience validated the author's approach for me.

The other reason it made sense is that in my own coaching activities with business executives about their work, I always find that people know the answer to their own issues if you can give them a more helpful focus to open their minds and help them recall information that they have observed in other contexts. That is exactly the coaching method that Mr. Gallwey describes in this book.

The model here is that our conscious minds tend to focus on harmful criticism that provides limited useful information about what we should be doing. On the other hand, our subconscious minds are very good at directing us when we let loose of the chatter from our conscious minds.

Mr. Gallway takes that observation and builds methods to help you set inspiring, authentic, and meaningful goals for learning, gaining experience, and becoming more productive. He gives you tools to shift you focus away from the concerns of the conscious mind, and how to coach others to do the same in their learning. He then links all of this to creating conscious choices to change your direction and behavior in ways that serve you better. To make this last step easier, he provides several alternative perceptual analogies to encourage you. The book has a series of effective exercises you can do to pursue those analogies. The book also provides many examples drawn from the author's consulting experiences to help bring the points home. I am sure that many of these will strike a familiar bell with you.

I plan to cite this book in my future writing, because it is an important contribution to how we can reestablish the wonderful learning capability we all had as children, in a way that is appropriate for adults.

Be sure to share this book with others you care about so you can learn to coach each other, as a way to reinforce your progress toward nonjudgmental learning. That will be a 2,000 percent solution for you both!

I also suggest that you reread this book from time to time . . . especially if you find that you are not accomplishing things as easily and as joyfully as you would like.

This book is unique from the many others on how to succeed at work, management, leadership, even life. All of the rest either give you great "principles" and urge you to pursue a higher purpose at work, or they are "packed with great ideas" for doing it better. This book is different because it is not preaching a principle or trying to sell you on the newest work fad.

This book gave me the insight, in simple terms, to learn my way of living up to any principle I choose, and then to determine if it really is a good principle for my work or the kind of leader I want to be.

The book teaches you how to work with your own best inherent desires and abilities in order to develop all the ideas, successful habits and best practices you will need. Not someone else's that they self-righteously prescribe for you, but your own genuine best.

So this is not about trying to implement the latest fad in how to be a highly successful professional and leader. This book is about a simple, elegant way of discovering and learning to be your best.

This book presents a fundamentally different view on working and learning. This other view leads to more pleasure, better performance and more effective learning in work. The ideas in this book are so powerful and relevant and Gallwey describes them so clearly that it seems virtually impossible nót to apply them. Gallwey's core message is: the traditional way in which we try to improve ourselves and our performance -through (self-)instruction and supervision- blocks what we try to achieve. To be more specific: an instructive, controlling approach to performance improvement does not lead to better but to worse performance!

After Gallwey finished his English study at Harvard University in the nineteen seventies, he went to work as a tennis coach. Doing that, he discovered that nearly all his pupils tried very hard to improve one aspect of there play that they did not like, for instance their backhand. They expected Gallwey to give them the remedy for their problem. First, this was exactly what he did: "hold your racket like this, stand there, hit the ball then", etc. He instructed pupils but noticed that they showed resistance to his instructions and that their learning did not go well. Then he noticed, to his surprise, that the performance suddenly was better when pupils stopped trying so hard to correct their mistakes but instead just played tennis for fun. Based on this observation that the 'forced mode' of learning was less effective than the `natural' mode Gallwey built his approach. His book `The Inner Game of Tennis' became a bestseller.

Gallwey proposed that the ineffective, instructive dialogue between coach and pupil also existed within the head of the pupil. While playing, the pupil continuously gave himself instructions and comments: "that was really bad, hold your racket like this, do this, don't do that" etc. Gallwey called the coach inside the pupils head SELF-1. In Gallwey's words: SELF-1 is the collection of internalised voices from the outside world. To whom then did this internal coach speak? According to Gallwey it spoke to the person him or herself. He called this spoken-to self the SELF-2. The best learning took place when SELF-1 was turned off. How is this possible? Gallwey's answer: While SELF-1 is busy giving vague and (too) simple instructions, SELF-2 is doing something infinitely more complex and precise: computing the curve of the ball, instructing muscle groups, taking into account the wind speed, the speed of the ball, etc.

Gallwey concluded that SELF-1 was a from of interference that led to nothing else than an underutilization of the person's potential. In other words: Performance = Potential - Interference. In still other words: don't let SELF-1 distract you from your task and goal!

Gallwey formulated a different, more effective and more elegant way of coaching aimed at achieving three things: 1) Awareness: by letting SELF-2 do its work the pupil can focus on collecting information on the critical variables in the task (where is the ball landing? How fast is it going? How is it influenced by the wind? etc) which leads to a greater awareness of the task; 2) Choice: it is essential that the pupil determines what he or she wants to achieve. Without this choice there is no direction and focused attention is impossible; 3) Trust: trust yourself. This goes for both the coach and the pupil. This refers to the confidence that SELF-2 will be capable of fulfilling the task.

Galwey gradually started to apply his approach to others field that tennis: golf, skiing, music and ...work. He noticed that the effects were the same. For instance: a salesman who stopped instructing and commenting himself became more effective. In seminars Gallwey draws a triangle with on the corners the words: performance, learning en enjoyment. Gallwey claims that each of these are of great importance in work and that they are dependent on each other. When you neglect enjoyment, this will eventually also lead to performance problems. What Gallwey says about the relationship between performance and learning is interesting. Performance leads to an observable change in the external world. Learning, however, establishes a change within the person who learns. It is precisely because of this that learning results are hard to measure. Enjoymentis important according to Gallwey because it refers to the relationship the person has to him or herself. If you appreciate yourself, you won't deny yourself enjoyment for a prolongued period.

Since his discovery Gallwey's most important ambition has been to let himself and others enjoy the freedom to express in their work who they really are and what they really want. He says that human freedom is nowhere more constrained than in the world of work. Nowadays, the most prevailing experience of work even seems to be: someting I'd rather not be doing if I had a choice. Gallwey says that striving for freedom at work is not the same as wanting to avoid responsibility or bosses. It is about choosing a way of working which shows responsibility to oneself. A way which is aligned with your choices and values. Gallwey uses the word 'conformity' to describe the situation when an individual gives priority to extranl demands above his internal fire. Doing this brings the security of doing and being like others but it puts out our internal fire and it diminishes our chance of satisfaction. If life decisions are based on external demands instead of internal demands, someting of the greatest value can be lost. The conflict between external and internal voices seems unfair. There is constant pressure from the outside world to conform. Sanctions, corrections, instructions, rewards, etc. are everywhere. The external world is so large and the internal so small. But the internal has one advantage: it is always there. An important step would be to understand why conformity is so attractive to us and how it affects our way of working. As an alternative to conformity Gallwey names its opposite 'mobility': the freedom to move in any direction without self-restriction.

The central idea in this book is that there is a better way of thinking about working and learning that comes down to giving more priority to our inner capacities and whishes and less to external expectations, norms and instructions. I think this is a valuable book. The author gives good and convincing examples of the inner game, for instance applied to the field of sales. In this time of extreme change good and new ideas about how people can learn and perform are wellcome. Gallwey delivers this.

Jeffrey's written an entertaining and insightful book that shows you how to become a trusted sales advisor. You just can't sell without trust and Jeffrey explains what you need to know to establish and capitalize on it. He even shows you how to re-establish trust if it's lost - no mean feat!

Every salesperson should keenly understand the tenants of trustworthiness as set forth by Jeffrey in this remarkable little book. Buy it, absorb it, and live it - you'll sell more.

All relationships -- whether business or personal -- start with trust. This book challenges you to reevaluate your ability to trust and to be trusted. The content is so relevant in business today. Everyone should read this book!

Over the years I've watched the deteriation of the relationship between the business community and the technology community. I've noticed that the base of the communication barrier between the groups is the biggest obstacle to building quality software. The key to the obsticle is the lack of trust. Business not trusting IT to deliver. IT not trusting business to tell them everything they need to hear.

Jeffrey Gitomer takes a sledge hammar and breaks the barriers of trust by explaining it in so many ways it is impossible to ignore. This book is in line to every other book that he has written. Blunt and to the point. He holds up a mirror for you to see where you are today and provides an easy to understand roadmap to get you to higher ground.

Every technologist should buy and read this book (along with the YES!Attitude book). Read the two books...TWICE. It will change your career for the better. It will open channels so you build better software. The key to your success is building better individual relationships. These two books are the primer.

As most small business owners and independent professionals know, trust can make things easier... and lack of trust can definitely make things much harder. Jeffrey tells you how to check out where you need to change in order to create more beneficial trust. This book can help anyone who needs quick tips, sharp insights, and actionable ideas to build trust in every area of your life - both personal and business. Bravo - another winner from the Gitomer "rainbow" of little books!

This is an important and excellent book. (You will maybe appreciate my tongue-in-cheek headline after reading the first Chapter.)

Like so many others, I am a huge fan of Jeff Gitomers' sage, straightforward advice on selling and subjects tangentially related to his core expertise in the sales process. But, Gitomer has outdone himself with this absolute gem.

In a world where (some) businesses and politicians are almost daily demonstrating why they can't be trusted, the subject of "trust" needs to be written about. And, this well timed book is a great primer on the subject.

Now writing about "trust" is not easy. Who is a "trust" expert? Well the subject is a perfect one for Gitomer who manages to plead for us to do things better in a style that doesn't come over as unduly "preachy." And, he does so with his usual well organized, logical explanations. He does a great job of succinctly explaining the context of trust, it's benefits and ultimately its value, more than 20 characteristics of trust, and how to recover from a breach of trust (which can happen among us humans).

Best of all, his thoughts on becoming a trusted business advisor make this a book that every professional should read, study, implement and then re-read. As an advisor to leading professional service firms, I have already started giving the book to clients.

Regretfully, I expect that some who need this book most will never buy it as they see themselves as already fully trustworthy. Respectfully, I would suggest that few among us would not benefit from a tune-up in this area. Including the many whom start off conversations, as I did this review, with the commonly used phrase "trust me."

As an voracious reader of business and self-help books (and a reviewer here on Amazon of the best of that which I read), I consider this one of the most important books, in those two categories, in the last ten years. It really is that good! And that important!!

I found A Journey of Work - Life Renewal to be a real-life story of adventure, courage and discovery. For me it was also a beautiful love story.
We get to travel around the world with two people and be with them as they experience different cultures, make new friends, and discover more and more about themselves and each other.
It is written with an eye to the practical issues of day-to-day life even on such a magical journey. It is a story told with great humor and much love.

A Journey Of Work-Life Renewal is the story of Bonnie Michaels, an internationally recognized work/life expert who, with her husband Michael Seef, took time off to escape "burn-out" and recharge, by traveling around the world on a simple budget. Exciting adventure, reaching out to a fresh look on life, and the absorbing personal stories and memorable figures make A Journey Of Work-Life Renewal a rewarding reading experience and recommended for personal self-help/self-improvement, travelogue, and career/lifestyle reading lists.

Excellent book for motivating people to change the pattern of their lives. No matter your age, it can be done. We're only on this planet a very short time and this book tells you to maximize the experience. They are not suggesting you do exactly what they did, but to accept the concept of taking a different slant and tack away from the everyday hum-drum and angle off for an adventure. It can be done for little or no money. All it takes is a bit of time and a willingness. It does not have to be on the scale that Bonnie and Michael did. The book is reader friendly and is written in a conversational tone. No preaching. The authors are passionate in their message for all of us to take a turn from the normal course of our lives and experience the new and different. It is a matter-of-fact message that gets one thinking...Why not?! It's a quick read and it is sure to please. Who knows, it could change your attitude towards life. Anything is possible and Michael and Bonnie proved it. Enjoy.

Ever wish you could just take some time off? I mean, real time off. Like a year. Just travel with your spouse, another loved one, a friend...or even by yourself? A year-long sabbatical could be a fascinating, rewarding, and renewing experience. If we were honest with each other, we'd probably all admit that we'd love to live this way. It's possible-and practical for the right kinds of people.

To learn if this is right for you, it's wise to do some exploring-into what others have done. Bonnie and Michael, husband and wife, took the Big Leap. Most of the year they spent together, but they did separate for a while to pursue their own needs, their own dreams. Their time was spent volunteering, sightseeing, learning, and renewing. This book tells their story-the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's a captivating read that draws you in and makes you want to read more...while you dream about what you might do.
Your imagination will be stimulated, your curiosity piqued.

A lot of your questions will be answered as you read the story of Bonnie and Michael's adventures. The rest of your questions, about resources and all the specifics, will be answered in the comprehensive resource listing in the back of the book. Everything you ever wanted to know...detailed information about what was referred to in the book, and even more.

There are all sorts of things to consider if you want to take off for a year, a few months, a month, a couple of weeks, or even two years. The authors will take you through the process, even providing a planning guide for your convenience. Anticipate challenges...the unexpected. You'll learn about the kind of things that could happen in the frank discussion in the text. Upon completion of this reading, you'll be much more ready than you were before...especially for international travel.

Added bonus: throughout the book there are quotes from other writings in the field of life-work balance and sabbaticals. These references are enlightening, thought-provoking, and stimulating-to read the other books, too.

Ready to take some time off, to renew? Prepare well; start with this book.

In this well-written memoir, the authors take us on their year-long journey of travel to foreign lands. But it is much more than a travelogue. Their story illustrates the power of personal transformation that can accompany the experience of foreign cultures. They share the highs and lows of having to learn new ways of communicating and living. They test themselves on levels and in ways they could not do at home. Their inner journeys are as deep and fruitful as the outer journeys. They return home renewed and forever changed by the experience.

In addition to sharing their stories, they offer the reader practical advice on how to turn the dream of extended travel into reality. This is a great book for anyone who ever dreamed of an extended trip abroad.

When you are young everyone tells you that you can become whoever you want, but after a few short years that ideology seems to become nothing but a myth. This book not only proves that your dreams to change the world are possible; it illustrates that they can be a reality.

Are you ready to make your life extraordinary? As someone who is looking for a change in my life, Life Entrepreneurs is helping me strive above the status quo by inspiring me to look deeper for my true passions. I know that my dreams will not sit in a box waiting for a better time to be realized. Gregen and Vanourek's work proves that you wont find happiness by settling for something that is not your true passion. It is high time to realize that being successful does not provide you fulfillment in the same way or to the same level as doing something you love.

I know that I am grateful to Gregen and Vanourek for their inspiration, influence, and guidance. Thank you for Life Entrepreneurs.

This book will inspire you to make this world a better place by following your heart and living your passions. Buy This Book!

I felt like I was reading my life story when I read Life Entrepreneurs. Sometimes as an entrepreneur you feel a little, well more than a little, crazy. It was great to read all of these stories of other entrepreneurs who are ,well, crazy like me. I couldn't suggest this book more for anyone interested in becoming a Life Entrepreneur or learning about the life of one.
The book is well researched and filled with practical suggestions, buy it!

Really love this book for the fact that it is applicable and useful to everyone - whether you are just graduating from college deciding "what now?" or mid-life like myself deciding "what's next?". Inspirational and practical so not only will you decide to get moving, you will know exactly what you need to do to get started!

This book challenges you to live the life you want to live, even if you don't know it yet. A life without regrets. It instills confidence, inspires and guides you to make a seemingly daunting task very real, within reach. It does not presume to define an extraordinary life, but rather helps us in our efforts to define it for ourselves. The examples within of ordinary people discovering and living their own extraordinary lives are diverse in nature, and bring the book very much down to earth. Gregg and Chris show true understanding of the pressures we all face that influence our life decisions. So most importantly, this book dares and inspires us to reflect on our current life paths, take some chances and live a life that ,above all, is true to ourselves. While never claiming this to be easy, it is certainly possible and so, so very worthwhile. I recommend this book to anyone that needs reminding of that, or simply some motivation and guidance to make it happen.

Everyone I know is looking for more balance in their lives: balance between work and home; between adventure and serenity; between individual growth and community connection.

In this inspiring yet down-to-Earth book, Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek introduce us to dozens of people who have struck the right balance in their own lives. What they offer is not a formula but a foundation for our own quests.

These are people defined not so much by their jobs (though they tend to have pretty cool jobs, for sure), but by their unique approaches to life. Simply put, they make their lives extraordinary. And now, the rest of us can too.

Exercises are easy to do relevant and productive. Worth the investment. I can get over the offensiveness of the title though.

Despite the title, this book is a positive book for change. The author Andrea Kay provides the reader with the motivation and encouragement necessary for those who dare to make a major life change in careers. She does this by not only helping the reader think about all of the ins and outs of career change, but also asking questions to help you probe the depths of what your true passion is. She provides plenty of real life examples of people who have dared to change course, some early in life and some late. Like most career books, this book has plenty of reflective questions and worksheet style spacing for your own personal answers. But what sticks out in this book, is the emphasis on personal passion. She also provides great insights into preparing yourself for future jobs trends and exploring job niches you might not have thought of before reading this book. This book helped me think through my desire to change careers and I really appreciate the help.

The LIFE'S A BITCH AND THEN YOU CHANGE CAREERS book is pretty informative for people who hate their jobs and want to make a change. But be prepared to do some work.

The first eight chapters/steps in the book are writing assignments! You answer many questions about what you enjoy, what type of environment you'd like to work in and with who, what skills you've picked up along the way etc., etc. and you don't define a job title at the beginning. The questions are easy enough to answer but really take some soul-searching and introspection.

At first, I thought the exercises were amusing but after doing them every chapter it got frustrating. Many of the questions would repeat and I didn't get why the author was doing this...other than to fill pages. Well, in the end I did see why. The exercises help you understand that you are more than just a job title and that you can switch to something else if you aren't happy. Answering the questions, in a way, also answers the nagging fears and self-doubt that keep popping up in your head when you do decide to change careers.

The book is designed to help people figure out what they want to do next, as well as help those who already know what they want to do, make sure they've made the best choice. That's why you do all the damn exercises! But there's also another plus to answering all those questions; you'll then have the answers to what goes into your updated resume, what you should say in a cover letter, and what you'll say when you get an interview. So it's not a waste of time.

The ninth and final step/chapter is what's really helpful because the author, Andrea Kay, goes into what to expect such as fear, self-doubt, what to do when you encounter resistance, and how to gain experience in a field you've never worked in before. Very helpful, although the suggestions on getting an internship were odd because Kay writes that you can get internships outside of Universities etc., you just have to be willing to work for free. The problem with that is that companies are not allowed to hire anyone and make them work for "free," even if it's an internship. Interns, who don't receive pay(stipend), must be getting credit which means you have to go through a college. And I'm not saying it's not possible to work for free and no credit blah-blah-blah, but then this is how people get taken advantage of. So beware if that's the road you choose to take.

But aside from that, the book is really helpful. And I was surprised to find that I've been doing many of the things in the book already. I gave four stars because I think some people will be turned off by all the Q&As!

Ever since I entered college, I have struggled with understanding the place where I need to be. As a result, I switched college majors 3 times before my junior year. Although a 4.00 student, I had no sincere interest for the subjects and had no vision over my future. I decided that temp work would help me discover my "thing." I was sad to find that nothing seemed to interest me.

However, I would not give up. In order to find that stability, I joined the US Air Force. Although an extremely fulfilling experience, I still had that feeling of emptiness inside. How could I fight this? Four years later, I separated from the military and sought out a career in the corporate world. It would not be long before those empty feelings got a hold of me.

I found Andrea's book by accident at a local Borders store. The title caught my attention. Yes, life was a bitch!!! There was no denying that! I did not think about it twice and acquired the book right away. It took me around 47 days to finish the book along with each one of the exercises. I was stunned to learn so much about myself. I took the lessons Andrea outlined seriously, as if I had a career coach sitting right next to me. I did not lie to myself, or "cheat." It was now or never.

Well, 6 months later I was stunned to find out that all the work had paid off. Now, I work for a very successful firm in the city, got the job for 15K more than I had been making, and have started a Masters degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. My life has never felt so balanced before. I find myself enjoying my children more, speaking more to my husband, and just simply enjoying where I am today. I truly feel that this had to be said. Andrea Kay has a gift, and we are lucky enough to be able to share those with her.

I wish you success!
Dorana

Being at a stage in my life where I felt I needed to do something different, I searched for just the right book to help me with that decision. I loved Andrea Kay's title, and admit that's what drew me to reading about her book. It has some very thought-provoking exercises, as well as many real-life examples...real people, going through the same things as me. I already had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with the next 25 years of my working life, and this book just helped me finalize my decision.

"Love the Work You're With" is about what you can do to improve your current work situation...no matter who you are or what your job is. It makes a strong case that virtually anyone who works can find more fulfillment in their current job situation than they are currently experiencing. The message isn't about not changing jobs. Rather it is about auditing your situation and finding out what you can do to improve it before you take such a step. The book has self-assessment diagnostics to help the reader determine where he/she stands on vital issues and also offers many exercises that support him/her in creating a strategy for change. The last chapter is specifically written for managers and leaders to help them create the kind of work environment the will help people who work for them to love their work.

Your job can be a prison or a palace. For most of us, work probably falls somewhere in between, but we usually don't acknowledge - or even realize - how much control we have in the matter. If you've ever wondered what you can do to improve the satisfaction and pleasure you get from work - without making a wrenching career change - this book is a wonderful place to start. I read a lot of self-help books (and occasionally even write them). This one is chock full of practical wisdom. Buy it.

The dot-gone economy has taught millions that changing jobs is not the solution to success in work or life. Love The Work Your're With provides a road-map and tools to find personal and professional fulfillment at work. Each of the six steps in Whiteley's approach provide specific assessments, tools, and strategies to increase your level of engagement and energy at work. This book is highly readable, entertaining, inspiring, and filled with great examples. It is a must have self-help tool-kit for workers in today's complex work world. As a professional coach, I find this book to be essential for both my clients and their managers. If you've ever struggled with committment at work, read this book!

An excellent addition to my growing Richard Whiteley collection, this book does not disappoint! I have used Mr. Whiteley?s strategies/thinking from his previous works to effectively shape my company?s customer experience model. While the principles in this new book have certainly helped me personally become more motivated/productive, I have begun to use the principles in LTWYW to shape a more positive internal employee culture, thus extending our productivity and enhancing our customer service experience. An excellent book with a clear purpose and applicability!

Life at the human resources salt mines has been transformed since reading Richard Whiteley's excellent motivational guide. He found new zest and enthusiasm in his career and so did I and his personal testimony is genuinely moving. "Watching the contestants actually getting excited being on my show used to give me a kick, but it soon palled. Slopping up this pre-primetime pap day-in-day-out was quite frankly doing my nut in and, though it may not have seemed that way, my ability to engage in on-screen anodyne banter was affected. I was in a rut. Career worries spilled out into my private life, and I wince when I think of all the drunken I-could-have-been-a-contender speeches I made to all those anonymous barflies. I'll be honest with you - I wanted Call My Bluff, and yes, I did once say that I wanted Robertson whacked." But Whiteley pulled himself back and the rest is history.

If you already have Goldberg's excellent "Getting Your Boss's Number" you probably don't need this volume. This volume however makes Goldberg's perceptive analysis and effective writing available in paperback (earlier title is out of print).

Goldberg's work is not quite as casual in style as Renee Baron's delightful works ("Enneagram Made Easy" and "Am I Your Type"), but it will appeal much more to the no-nonsense business world. His examples of people at different points on the Enneagram are drawn from his business experience and effectively highlight the types of challenges and opportunities that work presents differently to individuals, depending on their Enneagram dynamics.

I cannot imagine anyone not being fascinated and empowered by looking at themselves, their coworkers, and their family through Goldberg's careful presentation. He is respectful of all and does not approach Enneagram as a "pigeon-holing" or "typing" process. Rather it's an appreciation of strengths and challenges. From a background in psychology, I especially appreciate his discussion of the underlying dynamics and likely sources of how family experience helps us slide into certain Enneagram-number ways of operating.

So much more readable and better-organized that most of the "classics" in Enneagram. If you enjoy processing and sharing insights about how humans function, you may also want to explore Baron's titles. The latter are excellent for a casual chat around the family room - then those who like to really APPLY the principles to their work and life will want to move into Goldberg.

Goldberg's book is written in language that business people can quickly understand, and full of examples they can relate to. It's a superb presentation of the nine leadership styles--accessible and practical. I've used it very effectively in team sessions and in individual coaching ... My business clients especially gravitate to the "Cardinal Rules" at the end of each chapter (how to work with each type and how to work on yourself if it's your type).

This book was my intro to the Enneagram and it is excellent.
It has very good descriptions of the 9 types and how to find out where you fit.
Its real distinguishing feature is a breakdown on how each group relates to the others in practical everyday situations. Like what to do if you work for a 7 or what if you are a 7.
I wasn't sure which type I was ( I'm a nine) and I read all the rest first. I kept trying to fit myself into a 7 or a 5 but, when I read the 9 chapter it sounded like he reached into my heart and pulled out the things no one else knows about me. I can still feel it today.
Then they go on with more, practical info and advise about what to do with your new found knowlege.
I've since read "Wisdom of the Enneagram" and "Personality Types." They are also very good but I wouldn't recommend them as your first Enneagram book.

Certainly this is one of the most practical, real-world approaches ever taken to the Enneagram. It's short on 'spiritual' hooey [which is strictly okay with me] and long on realistic application of the Enneagram to your professional and personal daily life. But that does not mean it is in any way shallow -- it is as specific, insightful and dead-on acurate as any book on the market. His descriptions of the types is thourough, well-organized and articulate. [BE AWARE, however, that it is largely a re-hash - if a superior re-hash -- of his earlier "Boss's Number."] If you are less interested in the new-agey, spiritual aspects of the Enneagram, and looking for a clear articulation of how the principles work in your dialy life, this might be the best of the bunch.

I had studied the Enneagram for several years and knew it was useful in business, so I was pleased to see this book come out as the first I'd seen applying the Enneagram to the business environment. I was not disappointed in what it delivered. While the author has developed some unique Enneagram terminology (i.e. the "ally point") that I don't necessarily agree with, his understanding and descriptions of each Enneagram Type and how they manifests their unconscious agendas in the workplace, as well as how to respond to them in the most productive way, was excellent. For example, his description of what makes a Type 6 tick, and how to best work with a 6, so helped me in understanding better one of my own work colleagues, that single insight alone made the book worthwhile for me. I highly recommend this book, and I also recommend reading "Discovering Your Personality Type", by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, for a good introduction to Enneagram basics.