Inspiration and revolution may go hand in hand in certain cases, while in others, they don?t. Self-help guru and author Stephen R Covey?s latest offering, Great Work, Great Career, co-authored with Jennifer Colosimo, is an example of the latter. Like so many motivational and self-help books dealing with career, this one too doesn?t bring anything revolutionary or novel to the table, notwithstanding that it is indeed quite an effective piece of work. Maybe that?s the nature of literature of this kind, which picks on things common, usual, and right there in front of our eyes, and employs these to create a highly motivational and inspirational book.
One might have heard the same things from tens of different people in the form of the ever so easily available career advice, but this book still packs a punch, a sweet one at that. So those who have read Covey?s best-seller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, know exactly what to expect in terms of the literary merit of this new book.
Written in the Covey?s trademark style? engaging, calm, insightful and, of course, motivational, the book is a breezy read, and seems to revitalise the reader?s appetite to be motivated. If Covey?s last book, Predictable Results in Unpredictable Times, was more about organisations and how to beat the tough terrain of the financial crisis, Great Work, Great Career focuses on the individual, ?The singular, irreplaceable You?. It connects to the very basics of human nature like conscience, passion, and active contribution (not passive work), and defines career in similar terms, focusing on simple emotions like satisfaction and happiness. After all, one is not a ?job description with legs?. The book anchors on the two ideas of the older and passive ?Industrial Age Paradigm? and the contemporary and activated ?Knowledge Age Paradigm?. Contrasting the two, it seeks to explain what an individual can do to get the work he wants and to build the career he wants. Job titles are pass?, as ?every person should be able to respond to the question ?What do you do?? not with a job title, but with a statement of personal responsibility? and one should become a volunteer and work as ?Where an employee has a job description, a volunteer has a cause?.
And, of course, this one, too, contains all the paraphernalia that in some ways seems essential of self-help guides. It is packed with interesting and brief success stories to drive home the point, and with other practical tools that individuals can really utilise, like writing a ?contribution statement?, apart from sample CVs and covering letters. While such components are common to most books in this segment, one feels that it is only the writing and presentation of these very familiar concepts that can make all the difference, as much for the author as for the reader. And while there seems nothing wrong really with the book, its impact on the reader can?t possibly be judged in tangible terms. Maybe because the lacunae don?t really lie in such writings, but in those who are reading and interpreting them, and their willingness to be inspired and more importantly, the will to act upon the inspiration. This book certainly requires the reader to apply himself to the principles and ideas it presents, with vigour, and with as much courage. And at the risk of making generalisations, a very few people are able to break free in that sense. Those who do, either end up as case studies in such books, or become Stephen Coveys of the world by writing such books, while lesser mortals continue to present a great market for motivational literature.
All of it just for a little inspiration. But that doesn?t disqualify this book of its merit. Good self-help and motivational books are always a welcome and a positive read. However, their efficacy and impact depend as much on the reader as on the author, if not more. The ball is now in the reader?s court. Whether he takes a shot or not, one can?t be certain. Even the book sums it up aptly in its last lines: ?It doesn?t matter if you?re the CEO or the office cleaner or a police officer or a teacher or a lawyer or a waiter or a homemaker or a movie star. It doesn?t matter what you do. Your career will be great if you make it great?. This book is a great read, at least.