Career Opportunities

1. Open Thread: What are your Top Career Questions?


2. The Right Way to Resign


3. Weekly Career-Op Open Discussion Thread


4. My first post from an iPhone


5. The difference between your job, your work and your career


6. The New Career Danger Zone


7. Archive: Traits of a Good Leader – October 14, 2005


8. Look to the fringe for the next step in your career


9. Expand Your Horizons


10. Video: Career Compass: Finding Your Career North with Douglas E. Welch


11. Career-Op Gift Guide # 3: Drive by Daniel Pink


12. Do you remember how unique you once were?


13. Someone has to do that job…or not


14. Everything you do MUST have value to others


15. What I’m Reading…How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell

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A Christmas Gift from Career Opportunities!

Sunday marked our 5th Annual LIVE Reading of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. We had some new voices this year and had a great time as usual. You can listen to the entire show using the link below.

Consider having your own reading of A Christmas Carol, or other favorite story, as a way to gather friends together and share a unique experience. You don’t have to broadcast it like we do, but why not share it with the world!

This year’s show was sponsored by WelchWrite.com, Eclipse-1 Media and New Media Interchange.

Listen to 5th Annual Live Reading of A Christmas Carol

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Enjoy more Christmas Carol in your own home!

Free download of “A Christmas Carol” – Text/ePub/HTML/Kindle versions available

Free download of our reading script of “A Christmas Carol” – PDF format

The audio CD of Patrick Stewart’s one man version of A Christmas Carol is absolutely amazing. We saw the show several times here in LA and met Patrick one evening. His version of “A Christmas Carol” was the driving factor in starting our own yearly reading of the story.

More “A Christmas Carol” on Amazon.com

# 15 The No Asshole Rule by Robert I. Sutton, PhD

Let me start by addressing the mild curse word in the title of this book. I find it a totally appropriate use of the word and truly brings home the extremity and importance of the issue. If the word offends you, please skip this post, although I do highly recommend this book. — Douglas

A world without assholes (the author has a precise definition for them) — what a dream it would be. Working in a company where you weren’t constantly demeaned, threatened or abused. A company where everyone had the ability to succeed to their highest levels without suffereing the outbursts, rage and attacks of the assholes around them. While nearly everyone can agree this would create a much better workplace, too often we support assholes and allow them, even encourage them, to continue their behavior no matter what the cost to the company or those around them.

Sutton clearly explains what we already know in our hearts — excluding assholes from out lives makes everyone happier and more productive. He suggests that every company have no assholes rule clearly stated on paper and embraced by everyone in the company and I highly agree. It is the only way to insure that you, your fellow workers and your company can reach your highest productivty.

There is so much in this book that rings true with my own experience “in the trenches” of corporate life. This is especially true of the times I watched, from the outside, the extremely disfunctional entertainment business where my wife worked. The entertainment industry seems a haven for assholes of all sorts and I have seen some of the worst in action.

Too sum up the book in a few lines — don’t hire assholes in the first place, get rid of them if you have them and use some of the coping mechanisms in the book to survive them, if you cannot escape them. These might be the most important steps you can take to protect and extend your own career.

You can hear Moira Gunn’s Tech Nation interview with the author over at IT Conversations – Listen Here

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #14 Books by Malcolm Gladwell
• #13 Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large
• #12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

# 14 Books by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcom Gladwell’s books always generate a lot of thoughts as I read through them, and I consider this to be one of the hallmarks of a good book. From The Tipping Point to Outliers, I have made a point of reading each of his books, often twice.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #13 Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large
• #12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

# 13 Moleskine Ruled Notebook Large

Even in this digital age (and while also carrying an iPhone) I still carry a paper notebook everywhere I go. There are times when writing on paper is the only way to break through to new thoughts. It also facilitates the easy capture of every great idea that shows up in your life. Booting up a computer or even unlocking your phone can get in the way of capturing your thoughts and cause you to miss it.

The are many types of Moleskine notebook including lined, sketch, square-ruled, reporters notebooks and even a storyboard notebook. You can find a complete collection using the link below.

Complete list of Moleskine Notbeooks

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

#12 Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive

While some might read a book like this for tips on manipulating others to do what they want, I found some great insight into what drives people to make the choices they do. As an organizer of events like CareerCampLA and others, finding ways to persuade people to sponsor and attend these events is critical. Yes! has many great ideas on how to use people’s own desire to be persuaded to work in your favor, and hopefully their favor as well.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

#11 Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

With interests in both art and business, it seems only natural to combine them in my mind. “Art & Fear” addresses the all-to-common issues with creating art and I believe there are a lot of parallels to any career. Most art is about overcoming fear and it is the same with your career. You need to work through the fear in order to create something wonderful, not matter what you do.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• #10 Tribes by Seth Godin
• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

#10 Tribes by Seth Godin

Seth Godin’s newest book, Tribes, touches a concept near and dear to me…organizing groups, or Tribes, and helping them get things done. This is not to say I have been terribly successful at this activity, but I love helping people achieve things and doing it any way I can.

I was interested in Tribes for exactly this reason. I wanted to see what Godin had to say about organizing people and creating “movement” to see if there was anything I could be doing better. Of course, there is always something more you can be doing, so I took away a few good ideas from the book. He does admit, though, that there aren’t any hard and fast rubrics for he can give you for working with Tribes. You need passion and a vision and an ability to understand and care about people, but you can’t break it down into 5 easy steps that anyone can do.

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• # 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting
• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

# 9 The Craft and Business of Songwriting

While it might be considered a niche career, many thousands of people pursue their musical dreams every year. In such a competitive industry, you need a reliable and knowledgeable guide. John Braheny provides just such a guide.

This highly successful music industry book, The Craft and Business of Songwriting, by my good friend, John Braheny, is now in its 3rd edition. This edition contains a substantial amount of new content, including a podcasting sidebar written by yours truly.

I was honored when he asked me to write the podcasting sidebar for his book. As he prepared this latest edition, podcasting was just starting to enter the public psyche and, even then, I sensed its effects on songwriters and the music industry as a whole were sure to be profound. Since I was an experienced computer consultant, there at the very beginning, (and not a bad amateur guitarist) I was in excellent position to help his readers understand this new technology.

For more information on John and the book, visit JohnBraheny.com

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

• # 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• # 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin

# 8 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

Here is a review of the book I wrote back in 2003.

I just finished this book tonight (I have been on a reading binge lately) and was very impressed. Dysfunctions is structured more like a short story or novelette than a traditional business book. This allowed me to get very involved in the story. Indeed, I believe a good story is always the best way to approach life and business. Whether you are writing a resume or trying to solve difficult business problems, a good story can illuminate the issue better than any combination of charts and reports.

The end of the book contains a more “business-like” restatement of the lessons, for those who want a more traditional review.

More importantly, I saw many aspects of my past business dealings echoed in the book. I think that anyone who is involved in business, in any form, has faced many of these same problems and issues. I requested this book from the library after seeing a short mention, possibly just the title in some magazine I was reading. I had no preconceptions about what I might find within, and I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and importance of Dysfunctions.

While telling a good story helped to clearly explain the concepts, there were a few times when the characters came around too quickly to the lesson.The main character, a newly minuted CEO brought in to build a better executive team, seems a bit too assured with her process, but yet exhibits some moments of fear and regret.

Overall, this is a great book and I would highly suggest that it be recommended to your employees and your peers as a way of explaining how teamwork can and will develop if everyone is committed to making it happen.

More Books from Patrick Lencioni

All Gift Guide Recommendations:

# 7 The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
• # 6 The Little Big Things by Tom Peters
• # 5 The Creative Habit and The Collaborative Habit
• # 4 Thinking for a Change by John C. Maxwell
• # 3 Drive by Daniel Pink
• # 2 Getting Things Done by David Allen
• # 1 Linchpin by Seth Godin