January 23, 2003

Jack Covert Selects - What Should I Do With My Life?

http://800ceoread.com/products/?ISBN=0375507493What Should I Do with My Life? The True Stories of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question by Po Bronson, Random House, 350 Pages, $24.95 Hardcover, January 2003, ISBN 0375507493

Po Bronson wrote three successful books centered on technology and the Internet. Based on those three books, I believe that Bronson is one of the best young writers producing business narratives. However, with this book, Bronson changes direction and, in turn, may possibly be his generation’s Studs Terkel, writing like Tom Wolfe.

Why was Bronson compelled to step outside his genre and tackle this universal question? He explains in his introduction:

“This book is about urge, that need. I began this project because I hit that point in my life. The television show I’d been writing for was canceled. The magazines I wrote for had thinned their pages. My longtime book editor had quit to pursue theater and film. I was out of work, and though I could have hustled up more, I wasn’t sure I should. I felt like the kinds of stories I’d been telling no longer worked. They no longer mapped the depth and drama of human life as I experienced it. I found I was intrigued by people who had unearthed their true calling, or at least those willing to try.”

This book contains the stories of 55 people whose search for greater meaning in their lives caused them to change their careers, and subsequently, change their lives. Within the stories, Bronson is both observer and character, which adds depth and empathy to the narratives. While this book is not a traditional “business book”, and will probably be shelved in the “self help/popular psychology” section in a bookstore, I wanted to include it as a JCS because so many of us in the business world struggle with these questions.

Though I don’t make a habit of quoting other reviews, Publishers Weekly really nailed the book is this sentence: “Brimming with stories of sacrifice, courage, commitment and, sometimes, failure, the book will support anyone pondering a major life choice or risk without force-feeding them pat solutions." Plus, it's a ball to read and is chock-full of serious inspiration -- something we all could use more of.

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January 4, 2003

Jack Covert Selects - Intuition at Work

Intuition at Work: Why Developing Your Gut Instincts will make you Better at What You Do by Gary Klein, Ph.D., Currency/Doubleday, 320 Pages, $26.00 Hardcover, January 2003, ISBN 0385502885

Over the years, I have learned that, often when making decisions, my “gut/intuition” always plays a major role. Even when I am deliberately noting the pros and cons of a situation, even when doing all the research, still I’ve a tendency to go with my gut. And, my gut tends to be right. (Of course, I always thought that it was because I was brilliant). Seriously, I thought it was a combination of luck and experience, but Gary Klein tells us it is more than that.

Klein, Ph.D., chairman and chief scientist of Klein Associates says that, yes, intuition is a function of experience, but it is learnable, or like an unused muscle that can be strengthened with exercises that he supplies. Klein has studied and worked with both the US Marines and firefighters, concluding that these people do not have the time to study a situation, come up with the correct decision, and then act. Instead, firefighters and Marines must trust their intuition.

Dr. Klein, much like our mothers about piano lessons, tells us that the key to maximizing our intuitive talents is practice, practice, practice. To assist, the author provides the reader with three-tiered course called Intuition Skills Training.

The book is designed with three sections: Intuition: Ways to Build It; Intuition: Ways to Apply It; and Intuition: Ways to Safeguard It. I found the last section just fascinating. He also discusses how you can communicate your intuitive decisions more effectively and how to develop metrics—quantitative data— to support them, which he says will teach you “how to recognize and defend yourself against the negative effects of information technologies.”

Finally, Klein’s illustrative stories are some of the best I have read. They are real, understandable, readable and make complete sense. This is the book that will help you make that next big decision a little more effortlessly.

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