There is a growing trend for individuals to expand beyond one career. The old model of “one job, one company” for life is out the door. Today we are giving away 5 copies of Marci Alboher’s new book “One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success“. She introduces us to the individuals who define themselves as ’slashes’. What are ’slashes’? It is a person who expands beyond one career, one job.

Whether they are a policeman/landscape designer, lawyer/chef, actor/web-designer these individuals do not limit themselves to one career. This allows them to live a more fulfilling life by pursing their passions, and not allowing one career/job wear them out. It’s not surprising that this population of the workforce is growing because in reality is anyone truly one dimensional? I find it hard to believe so.

Marci has adopted the “slash” as well - a former lawyer and now a author/speaker/coach. This book is a must read for those who aren’t happy with their current situation in life and want to pursue multiple careers.

From Publishers Weekly

For those already slashing through multifaceted professional lives, Alboher’s collection of profiles of people juggling multiple roles may offer the comfort of knowing others are doing the same. For those recently separated from a job or seeking greater fulfillment from life, Alboher’s fascination with people working through dual existences may reveal an alternate path to success. Like the psychotherapist/violin maker she interviews, Alboher has abandoned an easily described career as an attorney to become a journalist, author, speaker and writing coach. Her book is less about making career changes than changing how one defines a career and making adjustments for a more satisfying life. After focusing a bit too intently on how multilayered careers get their start, she segues into more action-oriented advice, including experimenting with different identities before making career-altering changes; how to keep income flowing; and how to market oneself once one adds a slash or two to one’s job description. When the disparate threads of one’s life are woven together in this way, she argues in this creative and satisfying guide, “the whole of you comes out.”

To be entered into today’s book giveaway, “One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success” (5 copies available) answer this:

What “slashes” would you ideally like to be known for? In a perfect world what would you pursue in multiple fields? Or if you already are leading a multiple career life, what is it?

Comment by 9pm CST on Friday March 30th and be entered to win! 5 winners will be randomly selected.

Unfortunately we aren’t running a giveaway this week. We’ll return next week with our typical Friday giveaways!

No one likes working with or for an asshole.

Does your work have a No Asshole Rule? If not they should consider it says Bob Sutton, a professor at Stanford and author of “The No Asshole Rule”. Why you ask? Here are some of the facts:

• Negative interactions have 5 times stronger impact on individuals than positive interactions. An asshole around the office can be detrimental to employee’s productivity.
• Assholes drive people out of organizations and suck the life and effectiveness out of those who stay.
• Can cost your company in the regions of hundreds of thousands of dollars (from time spent by HR professionals, outside employment counsel, recruiting and training new employees, ect).

Inspired by his popular article from the January 2004 issue of Harvard Business Review (Harvard subsequently snubbed a request from Bob from publishing this book due to its title), “The No Asshole Rule” drops the facts and relentless truths about assholes. It comes down to this: they need to be shown the door. It doesn’t matter if the individual is your ‘best’ worker – if they are an asshole they have to go. As you read in the bullet points above there are no benefits from keeping an asshole around.

One section that is extra helpful is the advice on how to cope and survive nasty people and workplaces. The truth is at times you can’t escape assholes. Circumstances may force to stay at a job or be placed on a temporary project which involves working with assholes. Therefore, you have to arm yourself with the knowledge of how to deal with them. One of Bob’s tips: develop indifference and emotional detachment. Yes, that’s right. It’s totally against what most business books promote (i.e. passion and vivacity towards work) but it’s the truth. Sometimes that is the only way to self-preserve in a crappy situation.

“We are all given only so many hours here on earth. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could travel through our lives without encountering people who bring us down with their demeaning remarks and actions?” - Robert Sutton

Are you living by the No Asshole Rule?

To be entered into today’s book giveaway, “The No Asshole Rule” (5 copies available) answer this:

Provide an example where you have had to deal with an asshole. What was the experience like? How did you deal with them?

Comment by 9pm CST on Sunday March 18th and be entered to win! 5 winners will be randomly selected.

Update: Winners have been selected! Thanks for all the great comments and a special thanks to Renee from Hachette Book Group USA for participating in this weeks giveaway.

Alpha Dogs is an easy read on various small companies and the lessons their owners have learned over the years as entrepreneurs. Written by a former contributing writer for Inc. magazine, Donna Fenn, the stories and lessons are diverse and eclectic. Ranging from an ice cream shop chain in Austin, Texas to Harley dealership in New England, each owner unabashedly reveals the mistakes and successful thinking that has elevated them to their current position.

These are not cutting edge industries but rather cutting edge companies in un-sexy niche areas like grocery stores in Ohio. The book does a good job demonstrating how creativity and passion can empower small businesses to carve out a niche and stand-up to Big Box competitors like Wal-Mart.

A key criterion for each company inclusion was the author’s insistence that each owner have a few skinned knees throughout their history. This was a smart move on Fenn’s part, as the text can be a bit monotonous at times. If it was all a Cinderella theme it could be tough to stomach. Reading these stories after digesting Good to Great, you start to see a company hitting its hedge-hog concept (Zane’s Cycle) or a leader realizing he is not Level 5 after a near-fatal stroke (THOR-LO socks).

Fenn summarizes the “key points” at the conclusion of each chapter and pulls in small anecdotes of other companies that attacked the same problem and their solution. Consistent themes emerge that exist at many larger successful enterprises, namely openness to innovation, early adoption of technology, and providing superior customer service.

There is nothing revolutionary in this text and that’s okay. It’s a good dispatch from the front lines of successful small businesses around the country. The biggest takeaway being that the fundamentals do still apply at any size and when executed properly can have impressive results.

Stay tuned for an upcoming review of Small Giants by Inc.’s Bo Burlingham, which covers similar ideas in a nice mashed up story line.

Jeffrey Gitomer is a familiar name in the business book world. He is the author of the top selling book on sales “The Little Red Book of Selling” and the follow up, “The Little Red Book of Sales Answers”. He is back with a new addition to his “Little Book” series with a guide for attitude. In his new book, “Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS”, Jeffrey hits us with a step-by-step guide for building and mastering an positive attitude. Today we are giving away 10 copies!

Everyone will benefit from a positive attitude in their life. For one, life is too short to keep a negative attitude about things. Thinking positively will help you enjoy life to its fullest. Second, having a positive attitude is contagious to those around you. You’ll find that people will want to spend more time with you if you keep a positive demeanor. There are no downfalls of maintaining a positive attitude.

To be entered into today’s book giveaway, “Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS” (10 copies available) answer this two questions:

Comment by 9pm CST on Friday March 9th and be entered to win! 10 winners will be randomly selected.

Update: Winners have been selected! Thanks for all the great comments and a special thanks to Rebecca from BuyGitomer, Inc. for participating in this weeks giveaway.

Check in for tomorrow’s giveaway of “Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS” by Jeffrey Gitomer.

Summary:
Jeffrey Gitomer’s latest book, Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, provides readers with the basic building blocks for developing a lifelong positive attitude. Although one cannot always control the events that happen, one can still control one’s outlook and attitude. This book deals with learning how to deal with people and external events in a consistently positive manner. Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude covers:

• attitude awareness
• actions that result in positive attitude changes
• attitude achievement
• how to continuously maintain a positive attitude

Pros: Effective, easy-to-use tips for readers to begin developing a lifelong positive attitude. Good examples for turning negative events into positive outcomes.

Cons: The book uses a creative variety of font styles and font sizes, including page inserts, which made it difficult for me to discern where one section ends and the next section begins.

Recommendation: Overall, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude is a good motivational work for putting readers on the path to achieving a positive attitude.