Back to School - Books Every Lawyer Thinking about Change Should Read
September 2005
Every September I find myself wandering into the notebook section of my local business store. I look somewhat longingly at spiral notebooks and rollerball pens. Similarly, I think about wandering off to a university bookstore to find out what the outrageous price might be for this year’s freshman Psychology textbook. Fortunately I keep myself from going that far. If you’re putting a son or daughter through college you may not be that lucky. Nonetheless, after a summer of reading novels of suspect literary value, when fall rolls around it seems like a time to get serious about books again. Thankfully, I can now do my shopping on line at Amazon or Left Bank Books. Hence, this column.
The books on this arbitrary list fall primarily into the areas of career development and career management. Even if you aren’t looking for a new position, there is something here for you. Although the books may not be in the ‘fluff’ section at the bookstore, they are all readable, interesting, and engaging.
What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles. You have undoubtedly heard of this book, and it is likely that there is an ‘old’ version on your bookshelf. It is truly the seminal career publication. Initially self published in 1970 to assist campus ministers who were likely to lose their jobs, (Bolles is an ordained Episcopal minister), the book has gone on to great success, and is updated annually. In 1991, the Library of Congress surveyed more than 2,000 readers and crafted a list that it grandly called "25 books that have shaped readers' lives." The list included many of the usual suspects: The Bible, of course. Don Quixote, The Catcher in the Rye. But there at the bottom, between War and Peace and The Wizard of Oz, was a business book -- the only such book on the list, It would be worth reading for that reason alone. The key to the value of the book – and to most career related books is that you must complete the exercises and activities listed in the book to really get the value of the publication. Many a copy of Parachute has been read, fewer readers do the real hands-on “work” of the book. Even if you don’t ‘do’ the book yourself – it is a great gift for a college junior or senior who is puzzled about what they intend to do with the very pricey education that you are helping provide for them. The book is updated annually, and this process is a year round activity for Mr. Bolles, who keeps current on all things career related. The book is also appreciated for its humor, and the compassion of the author for those in the job search.
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career
by Herminia Ibarra. Ibarra's book challenges the traditional belief that a meticulous assessment of one's skills and interests will automatically lead one to discover the right job. In reality, she argues, "doing comes first, knowing second." Although this offers a sharp contrast to books such as Parachute, there is certainly wisdom in her methods. The book is basically a compilation of case studies of job changers (primarily in the professional ranks) who have made significant shifts in their areas of work. She gives a detailed account of how the person started on the road to a new field of work, and shows how this process is not usually a straight path on a clearly marked road. It also helps illustrate that finding a new career entails a lot of hard work and persistence.
Transitions by William Bridges. This book discusses in detail the individual impacts of being in transition and how one can deal with them to make the transition less disruptive and more productive. Meant for people going through career change, divorce, relocation, retirement, bereavement, or any other major personal change, Transitions can speak to almost anyone at some point in their lives. This is a book that I almost always recommend to clients who are thinking about making a career change. What Bridges helps to point out is that any kind of major life event, be it a positive change (marriage, having a child, changing jobs) is likely to cause us just as much stress as a change we perceive as negative. (loss of a job, illness, divorce for example) Each major life change is accompanied by a sense of loss, as we let go of our former view of ourselves, experience a period time when we are in a neutral zone – neither attached to our old life, or totally involved in our new one, and then our immersion into a our new identity. It only takes a few hours to read, and I suggest revisiting this book at least every five years. Although Bridges has written several other books about this topic – the original – with the ugly orange cover is the best.
One of the newest entries to the marketplace, focused specifically on attorneys, is the book, Navigating Detours on the Road to Success: A Lawyer’s Guide to Career Management by Kathleen Brady. Brady is a consultant in New York, who works with law firms and attorneys, some of whom have been let go by their employers. Previously she worked in attorney training and recruitment at two large New York law firms and as the Assistant Dean at Fordham Law School. Having watched a large group of law students go through their legal education, and having worked with a wide variety of lawyers both within their roles in a firm, and in situations where they are leaving their positions involuntarily, she offers an in-depth perspective on lawyer career management. Brady’s book is a down to earth, practical, step-by-step process to prepare yourself for a career or job change, and to think strategically on the job you have now. Once again, exercises are key. Brady makes them highly accessible, straightforward and part of the flow of her text. Almost all attorneys make one or more career or job changes in their professional life. This book can help you make that transition more thoughtfully and strategically. It is a book that I will recommend to all my clients who are considering a job or career change. Newly published this month, I highly recommend it. Find it here.
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. The authors of this book have created a program to help readers identify their talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy consistent, high performance. At the heart of the book is the Internet-based Clifton StrengthsFinder Profile, the product of a 25-year, multi-million dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths. The program introduces 34 dominant themes with thousands of possible combinations, and reveals how they can best be translated into personal and career success. In developing this program, Gallup has conducted psychological profiles with more than two million individuals to help you learn how to focus and perfect these themes. Each book comes with a code that allows you access to the StrengthsFinder Profile which you can take on line. The book follows with descriptions of the 34 themes that express strengths. In a self-improvement culture and in workplaces that constantly recommend improving our “weaknesses” this well researched book instead encourages us to grow our natural strengths and talents. Buckingham continues his research today, and has found that we have yet to embrace a “strengths” mentality. If you want to know more about yourself, and if you supervise other people – you may want to consider the radical notion of looking for the gifts and talents that people bring to the work place.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell is not a career book; it’s not really even a business book. Despite that, it was on the Business Week’s best seller list for over two years. According to Gladwell, “it's a book about change. In particular, it's a book that presents a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and as unexpectedly as it does. For example, why did crime drop so dramatically in New York City in the mid-90s? How does a novel written by an unknown author end up as national bestseller? Why do teens smoke in greater and greater numbers, when every single person in the country knows that cigarettes kill? Why is word-of-mouth so powerful? What makes TV shows like Sesame Street so good at teaching kids how to read? I think the answer to all those questions is the same. It's that ideas and behavior and messages and products sometimes behave just like outbreaks of infectious disease.” The Tipping Point is a book about the origins and impact of social epidemics, subtitled, “how little things make a big difference”. It is likely that if you read the book the concepts presented will be part of your vocabulary, and you will learn to think differently about many of the phenomena and people that you interact with on a daily basis. Part of the success of the book in business communities has been its perspectives on marketing. If you are trying to better understand how you can market a services oriented business, this book can be invaluable. In addition, Gladwell is a terrific story teller.
Well, there you have it. Some good reads to curl up with as we move into autumn, and a chance to do some homework of your own. You may even find they provide you with inspiration to make some big changes.
Wendy L. Werner is the owner and principal of Werner Associates, a career coaching and law practice management firm. She can be reached at wendy@wendywerner.com, To learn more about her business visit her Web site, www.wendywerner.com/associates.