One of my favorite bloggers out there is Penelope Trunk. She's whip smart, no-nonsense, and always has great ideas to share. So I was delighted to get a copy of her new book, Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success.
To date, Penelope's career has taken her from professional beach volleyball to corporate marketing to serial entrepreneurship to her current gig as a widely read columnist. The book reflects her experience, and is aimed at helping people in Generation X and Generation Y navigate their careers. As Penelope describes it...
This book is for a generation that asks for more from their work than anyone has asked for in history - a generation that is making new roadmaps for new careers. This is a guide to getting the things that the current generation cares about from a generation that doesn't understand that. This book is about achieving success on new terms.
The book looks at topics ranging from landing a job to starting your own business. One of the things I love about Penelope's writing is the way she steers clear of being a feelgood cheerleader and focuses on the nuts and bolts. She's straightforward, with an irreverent tinge, as evidenced by some of the chapter titles.
A chapter on interviews, for example: "There Are Stupid Questions, So Don't Ask Them." Or one on being a first time manager: "First-time Managers Do Not Need to Suck."
I like what Penelope has to say in the book's conclusion. Talking about her own career path, she says:
I did not have a guidebook, which made for a lot of moments of feeling lost, doubting myself, and asking people who had never faced my situation to give me advice on my situation. It was not good. I hope this guidebook gives you more self-confidence to get to know yourself, trust your instincts, and align your work with your values. In this way, you can have a fulfilling career without pandering to outdated rules and conventions that undermine fun.
But the rules in this book cut two ways. You don't need to follow someone else's rules about climbing ladders and giving up your personal life. But you do need to follow the new rules of self-discovery. The new workplace is about fulfillment and flexibility, and if you want to get those things in your career, you need to be honest with yourself about who you are and what you want.
Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
