In a previous book review, I talked about a book that was meant to help people find jobs. But what if you find yourself on the opposite side of the spectrum?
Picture this: You've got the perfect job, a managerial or perhaps even a high-ranking executive position. You've had this job for about fifteen years and you're at the top of your game. Life is good.
Then without warning, the other shoe drops. Your company is bought out - the CEO retired and the new guy wants to shake things up. Or your rival got promoted instead of you. Suddenly, you're not the Golden Child anymore. You've become expendable and before you know it, they're showing you the door.
This very thing has happened to the three authors of the book I Didn't See it Coming: The Only Book You'll Ever Need to Avoid Being Blindsided in Business. Nancy C. Widmann, Dr. Elaine J. Eisenman, and Amy Dorn Kopelan were successful execs in their respective fields, but were caught unawares by changes in their companies. They banded together to write this book to help others avoid the same fate.
What's really great about this book is that although it's relatively short (only nine chapters), it's jam-packed with a lot of information and advice. Each chapter flows nicely, written in a casual (i.e., no stiff business jargon) but straightforward manner. The chapters are peppered with real-life stories of people who either succeeded or failed to avoid the land mines in their business. Some of the stories are straight from the authors' personal experiences. At the end of every chapter is a quick recap of the take home points, which is a nice touch.
The authors had an odd way of arranging the chapters in I Didn't See it Coming, but they discussed their reasoning during the Introduction. Specifically, the first chapter immediately thrusts the reader into emergency preparation mode by focusing on how to create an exit strategy in case the worst happens. Some of the steps include creating an exit fund and increasing your professional marketability. The authors consider the exit strategy a "corporate pre-nup," and explained that this step is crucial because once it's in place, people will feel more secure in managing their career and moving up the corporate ladder.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net , which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States, and to Boston.com. Nice work!
2 - Kaonashi
Hooray! Thank you! :)
3 - Pat K
Nicely done. It is an interesting book, though somewhat weak in revealing the real world. Global business is becoming borderless. Business and finance strategies face great uncertainties. Two sharp books reveal the great trends in a borderless business environment: 1. China's global reach: markets, multinationals, and globalization; 2. China and the new world order. Both books offer huge insights on changing global politics and business trends, especially the impacts of emerging markets like China and India upon the developed world. Strongly recommended.
4 - Kaonashi
Pat- Thanks very much. As for the book, I think it wasn't intended to discuss global business, but a simple guide to help people prepare for the event that they lose their jobs due to changes in their company. But thanks for the book suggestions.