Book Reviews - Career Books

The Dip, A Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
by Seth Godin, published by Portfolio, Reviewed by Anne Hull, Hull Strategies, LLC, March 2010

In this mini-book, Godin uses his direct and engaging writing style to help us think about “success” and how we define it for ourselves. He admits in the beginning that there is nothing earth-shaking about this wisdom, but it can shake your world if the timing is right for you. The subtitle is about strategic quitting. Often our failures are in how we defined the boundaries of our goal – too small or too large. The “Dip” is that time and place between initial excitement of an endeavor and the real accomplishment of it – however you define that success. It’s generally a not-so-great feeling. Godin shows us eight types of dips that we need not only to survive, but be able to make the challenges work for us in the long run. I could easily see myself in one or more of the seven reasons we quit rather than struggle through the Dips to our goals. Understanding why it is hard to quit things that aren’t right is more than just being comfortable in our misery. If we can step back to see the bigger picture, we need to quit the right things or not start them to begin with. Focus. There is a powerful list of the ‘right’ questions to ponder at any stage of a Dip. Thanks, Seth, for sharing this wisdom.

How Much is Enough? Harness the Power of Your Money Story – and Change Your Life,
by Pamela York Klainer, Perseus Publishing, 2002 Reviewed by Anne Hull, Hull Strategies, LLC, March, 2007

When I read the headline, "I No Longer Want to Work for Money" about Whole Foods Markets CEO John Mackey giving up his salary because he has more than he needs, it was like a breath of fresh air. (See the February 2007 Issue) Klainer’s book shows us how to finally get honest with ourselves Many of our life’s decisions are driven by the need for “more.” She guides our exploration of our deepest values and beliefs about money. If I’m so professionally and financially successful, why am I not happier? What is my money for? Though some of her executive level clients’ stories and her series of question, Klainer guides us through a powerful reflection on the power of money on our lives.

Vital Friends, The People You Can’t Afford to Live Without,
by Tom Rath, Gallup Press, 2006. Reviewed by Anne Hull, Hull Strategies, LLC, March, 2007

How dependent are we on our relationships with other people? Most of the research and studies on relationships have been on the individual, work teams and social networks. But little, until now, looks at the single relationship between two people. “During our teenage years, we spend nearly one-third of our time with friends. For the rest of our lives, the average time spent with friends is less than 10%.” Rath delves into the Gallup Q12 research findings in which people said they would rather have a best friend at work than a 10% pay raise. This book includes a pass code to an online survey to help us determine which of eight vital roles the people in our lives play. Through this understanding we can adjust our expectations of the important people in our lives as well as how to build and extend these connections. We usually give different things than we receive from our friends. Some may balk, as I did, at cataloging my friends, yet the flip side is that I can see how I can strengthen that relationship and be a better friend to them. I finished the book thinking about the haunting question he begins it with, “Who expects you to be somebody?”

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