Saturday, August 31, 2013

6 Rules Should Be Guiding Your Career - From the Blog "Barking Up The Wrong Tree" by Eric Barker


At a fascinating dinner gathering a few nights ago, I had the privilege of meeting uber-Blogger Eric Barker.  I learned that evening (not from him, for he seems quite humble and self-effacing) that his Blog, "Barking Up The Wrong Tree" is one of the most widely read Blogs in the world.  

So, I have now subscribed to his newsletter and have been reading some of the back issues of his Blog.  The one linked below is based on a book by Daniel Pink entitled, "The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need."  This wisdom contained therein is so succinct and so on target that I knew I wanted to share it with readers of The White Rhino Report.

The basic outline of Pink's book, and of Barker's post is contained in these 6 principles:


"Daniel Pink’s The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need conveys a number of principles about the world of work that everyone should take note of.

Why? Though Pink doesn’t bog the story down with academic research, all of his core ideas are backed up by plenty of studies, many of which I’ve posted about in the past.

So what does he have to say? Six simply-stated concepts:

  1. There is no plan.
  2. Think strengths, not weaknesses.
  3. It’s not about you.
  4. Persistence trumps talent.
  5. Make excellent mistakes.
  6. Leave an imprint.

So let’s break these down and explore what they mean and why they’re so effective. . . ."

I encourage you to click on the link below to read Barker's wise exegesis of these 6 principles.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree Blog - 6 Rules Should Be Guiding Your Career

To order Pink's book, click on this Amazon link:

Amazon.com: The Adventures of Johnny Bunko

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I especially agree with Number 2.

I believe in stepping outside my strengths or comfort zones in order to learn; however, I do have some regrets that I did not go with my strengths in school. I have always loved language arts. Well-meaning guidance counselors (meaning friends, relatives, associates, blog-writers, journalists, and the resident butt-insky) told me that a PhD in English would do me very little financial good down the road, so I studied Business Administration.

While studying Business Administration, I deliberately took hard quant classes just to give myself challenges. Have those self-inflicted headaches translated to joy? Not exactly...

Here's how I compromise: I continue my love of language arts by writing songs, poems, and essays. If a quant concept ever stumped me, I try to include it in a song!