The one-sentence summary

Nobody cares about your career as much as you do so take control, make sure you stand out and make yourself indispensable.

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WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

  • This book aims to strip away the jargon, clickbait and bullshit to reveal what really works when it comes to career success. In a world where job security is shaky, competition is fierce and the cost of living keeps rising, standing out is essential rather than optional.
  • Success isn’t luck. Whether you are at the start of your career, an ambitious young leader, an entrepreneur or on the brink of the boardroom, the fundamentals that make career success don’t change.
  • Depending on your stage, you need to get hired and get ahead, become an indispensable member of the team, manage your boss (instead of being micro-managed), network like a pro but without feeling fake, negotiate the pay rises you deserve, maximize your productivity, and work hard without burning out.
  • Career potential = Attitude x Aptitude. Score low on either and, irrespective of how good you are at the other, it will significantly constrain your progress. High aptitude is a prerequisite, but attitude also matters. High-status, senior individuals are often unwilling to take suggestions and advice from those they consider beneath them. In airplane cockpits and operating theatres, this can have fatal consequences.
  • Here are the 8 characteristics of the most successful people:
  1. Be the person who gets shit done. Ideas and strategy are easy. Getting them done is hard. “Let me take care of that” is the statement you should use.
  2. Bring solutions not problems. Pointing out everything that is wrong doesn’t get you or the company anywhere.
  3. Work hard. Don’t confuse hard work with being busy. They are not the same.
  4. Don’t let fear of failure stop you from trying. Self-doubt and action can coexist.
  5. Learn fast. Be comfortable making mistakes so as to be better next time.
  6. Love the process, not just the results. Make the journey as important as the goal.
  7. Focus. Be clear where you want to get to. Devote time and energy to get there.
  8. Be great for the careers of others. The most successful people are surrounded by talented people.
  • What makes a great team? Clarity of objective, clarity of individual objectives, great communication, and a culture that elevates.
  • What makes a great leader? Look out for others, be world class at the things that require no talent, do what you say you’ll do, be respectful, be a radiator not a drain, be accountable and seek feedback. A leader is anybody who has people they are responsible for.
  • Leadership is a doing word, and Leadership Impact = Clarity x Action. Success is based on 3 pillars. Clarity (why the action is needed), Action (because without it there is no impact) and Culture (the environment a leader creates to encourage great performance). Culture relies on discipline, support, trust, consistency, communication, understanding and prioritizing.

WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT

  • Professor Daniel Chambliss of Hamilton College produced a study called The Mundanity of Excellence, in which he describes talent as the consistent repetition of multiple mundane actions. Much of what makes excellent careers can be considered in a similar way – the development of skills and experience through the repetition of relatively uncomplicated tasks.
  • In the All Blacks rugby team, even the senior players sweep the sheds. When everyone is about to leave the dressing room, that’s what they do. They do it properly so no-one else has to, because no-one looks after the All Blacks – they look after themselves.
  • Views on productivity are often misunderstood. You need to be clear about the way you spend your time. Consider some of these provocations:
    If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re never going to get there
  1. Make the organization’s priorities your priorities
  2. Every month, zero-base your diary
  3. Every week, triage
  4. Every day, one task, one cut
  5. Every day of the week isn’t the same
  6. Don’t forget everybody else
  • When you are stuck in the middle, with bosses and subordinates, consider these points:
  1. Understanding is the prelude to solving
  2. Is it you or is it them? Or is it money?
  3. Don’t assume your boss knows what you’re thinking
  4. Consider your Return On Investment. What’s in it for you?
  5. Have the difficult conversations.
  6. Invest in the relationship.

WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH

  • The degree to which parts of the book resonate with the reader will very much depend on what career stage they are at, because it covers the full range of advice from getting a job to arriving as a leader.