Monday, March 31, 2014

Career Warfare - Book

I grabbed this book some time ago, trying to understand brand building a bit. At a presentation recently someone asked me if I had any books to read, and this was the only one that came to mind.

careerwarfare

The author is the CEO of John Hancock Financial Services, and he goes over a number of things that worked well for him in his career, and some things that didn't. Overall I think it is good advice, though perhaps conservative.

As an example, he mentions not drinking at social events with colleagues or your boss as you can only look bad. I somewhat agree that you can look bad, but having a drink or two, interspaced with water, nursed perhaps, can help you fit in. He also doesn't recommend bringing spouses to your events as they can make you look bad as well.

The book treats events more like war, and in large corporations, that might be true if you're climbing the ladder. However there isn't always such a kill or be killed mentality for most of us when we're trying to fit into a group.

I'd read the advice, take it with a grain of salty, but above all, remember to maintain your moral compass as you search for a job and look to get promotions.

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