Reading Room
Here are some relevant reads related to career reinvention. Please email zena@second-careers.co.uk about any books that have influenced you. If you are interested in purchasing a title at Amazon, click on the book's image. We don't make commission on this, but if we do, it will all be given to the RNLI.
Working Identity — Herminia Ibarra
If you feel your work life is not fulfilling and that you need a change of direction (which is probably why most people visit Second Careers) this book is full of case studies of how others have done just that. Based on sound academic research (Ibarra is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD), successful transitions are shown to occur one step at a time, over a surprisingly long period. Career transitions are rarely a linear, deeply planned path — often our clients take a crooked path that gradually helps them to redefine their working identities. Ibarra encourages a "first-act-then-think" sequence to career change, contrary to the "plan-then-implement" sequence in most career change literature. We have seen many of our clients create new working identities through incremental steps: pursuing extracurricular passions or voluntary experiences, rather than take one huge leap into the unknown.
The Social Animal — David Brooks
If you are noticing that academic performance and intelligence don't always correlate with success and fulfillment and wondering which traits matter most, you will find this a fascinating read. The core finding of Brook's writing is that our decisions and views are shaped as much by unconscious processes as by the power of reason. The conscious mind gives us one way of sensing and controlling our environment and many professionals are schooled in development of these career and life skills. Yet how we make our biggest decisions - who to marry or befriend, which path to take in life, what to love - is poorly understood and often ignored. Using new scientific research to describe what makes for success and happiness in life, he uses the narratives of fictional characters to discuss the relative importance of emotion over reason, social connections over individual choice and perceptiveness over IQ. Connections built on trust and reciprocity are as important as wealth or prestige to our wellbeing. Christakis and Fowler, scroll down, describe these connections in more detail.
Developing Resilience — Michael Neenan
Career-paths don't always run smoothly and many obstacles we encounter seem beyond our control. We work with our clients to help them understand how they interpret these obstacles (such as job loss, lack of promotion, early retirement, failure, difficult workplace relationships, demanding workloads, poor work/life balance). Once they have understood the meaning they attach to these obstacles, they can change their behavioural and emotional response to them and cope more effectively. This cognitive-behavioural approach is the core of Neenan's work. He starts by explaining differing attitudes to redundancy and how some of us are more resilient to stressful events than others. This book is helpful to supplement coaching (and the vital support of family, friends or colleagues), particularly for clients who are struggling to find constructive ways forward.
Strictly English — Simon Heffer
A book on writing correct English may seem a strange choice for a careers website. Far too many CVs are rejected at the first cut because the candidate can't spell or express themselves on paper. This book explains the rules to spelling and grammar to enable us to communicate precisely and effectively. This is helpful at any career stage. Simon Heffer is more widely known for his robust views in the Daily Telegraph but it seems that he does a self-confessed sideline in pedantry also. A must to help us be better writers — or should that be, to write better?
Connected — Nicholas Christakis & James Fowler
Many of our clients say they need to work less on their actual job and more on building the networks that help to shape their career. In this book Christakis and Fowler explain the pervasive and often bizarre qualities of social networks, which seem to have a life of their own and a scarily strong influence on our working and private lives. Most of what we do, even the way we feel, is significantly influenced by those around us and those around them, and around them. If you are thinking about the dynamics of your own networks then this will be a compelling read.
Outliers — Malcolm Gladwell
What does Bill Gates have in common with the Beatles and John Rockefeller? In his new book Malcolm Gladwell examines their stories and reveals what they have in common. He looks behind the myths to show what really explains exceptionally successful people – the culture they grow up in and the way they spend their time. Includes interesting research on the relationship between IQ and success. Also shows how parents can encourage their children to have a positive sense of entitlement and become self-sufficient. Shows that no-one – rock stars, software billionaires, geniuses or athletes, ever makes it alone.
How To Get A Job You'll Love — John Lees
This popular book is written to help people who have a strong sense that they want to do something purposeful in life, but don't know what. It's a good deck-chair read and has some useful tips on career planning. We use some of John's exercises with our clients but you might want to read the book as well to help you discover what he calls your "hot buttons".
The First 90 Days — Michael D. Watkins
We coach employees in their first six months with the objective of settling them in as quickly as possible to start achieving results. This is a critical "career transition" for most people and the niggling issues in their first few months can escalate into bigger problems later on, if not resolved properly. This book is a road map for taking charge in this vulnerable period, aiming to reduce "break-even" points, ie where the new starter begins to add value, not consume it. We've all read it, so you don't have to, but here are the details if you are interested in this area of leadership development.
Reinventing Your Life — Jeffrey E. Young and Janet Klosko
We are only going to put one "self-help" book on our site, so here it is. The authors use cognitive therapy techniques to help us recognize and change negative thought patterns without the aid of long-term traditional therapies. The book looks at self-defeating behaviour patterns called "lifetraps" which cause problems like anxiety, irrational lack of self-esteem and feelings of being unfulfilled. It offers practical step by step suggestions to help us change the messages we have internalised. It's a useful tool to supplement your one-to-one coaching work.
Time To Think — Nancy Kline
Zena first trained with Nancy Kline in 2001. Her Thinking Environment model of human interaction encourages us to think for ourselves and construct a more positive perspective. We find her techniques particularly useful when we are called in to resolve group problems - creating more productive meetings and easier communication. The best component of a Thinking Environment is the killer "incisive question" which removes limiting assumptions we form about ourselves and others.
Rebuilding Your Life After Redundancy — Janet Davies
The Newlife Network is a free interactive resource providing up to date information and support for those "suffering the aftershock of redundancy." It is rich in content and regularly updated. The list of relevant job sites for different professions is particularly handy, as well as the diary of careers fairs. This is the paper version, to complement the site. It is written with a canny, pragmatic approach and is refreshingly free of the usual self-help "one door opens" redundancy clichés.