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The Right-and Wrong-Stuff: How Brilliant Careers Are Made and Unmade
" Your career might be in danger of going off the rails. You probably have blind spots that are leaving you closer to the edge than you realize. Fortunately, Carter Cast has the solution. In this smart, engaging book he shows you how to avoid career derailment by becoming more self-aware, more agile, and more effective. This is the book you wish you had twenty years ago, which is why you should read it now." -- Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of Drive and To Sell Is HumanThe Right -- and Wrong -- Stuff is a candid, unvarnished guide to the bumpy road to success. The shocking truth is that 98 percent of us have at least one career-derailment risk factor, and half to two-thirds actually go off the rails. And the reason why people get fired, demoted, or plateau is because they let the wrong stuff act out, not because they lack talent, energy, experience, or credentials. Carter Cast himself had all the right stuff for a brilliant career, when he was called into his boss's office and berated for being obstinate, resistant, and insubordinate. That defining moment led to a years-long effort to understand why he came so close to getting fired, and what it takes to build a successful career. His wide range of experiences as a rising, falling, and then rising star again at PepsiCo, an entrepreneur, the CEO of Walmart.com, and now a professor and venture capitalist enables him to identify the five archetypes found in every workplace. You'll recognize people you work with (maybe even yourself) in Captain Fantastic, the Solo Flyer, Version 1.0, the One-Trick Pony, and the Whirling Dervish, and, thanks to Cast's insights, they won't be able to trip up your future.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2018
122 people are currently reading
1928 people want to read
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March 5, 2018
If you’re one of the many people looking for a mentor to help you succeed in your career, I highly recommend The Right and Wrong Stuff by Carter Cast. Reading this is like sitting down for a series of insightful conversations with an experienced, supportive leader. While today’s business world (and bookshelves) are leaning into “focusing on your strengths,” Cast wants to help people avoid the kinds of things that can derail or limit a career. As he puts it: “I want to shine a light on this buried topic of derailment in order to help talented people realize their potential.” And he’s not afraid to share his own mistakes and hard lessons to help you.
All too often, there are people with incredible strengths who are unaware of their personal blind spots and are frustrated about not achieving their career ambitions. I’ve seen this happen a few times. These are the people where you shake your head and say “She’s her own worst enemy.” While derailers are often confused by what happens to them, people around them are usually not surprised.
Cast’s own research revealed that “‘a lack of self-awareness’ and ‘difficulty working with others’ were the top two reasons that [derailed people] experienced a career derailment event.” He also shares that “research indicates that individuals who have an inflated sense of their skill level and understate their interpersonal issues are more than six times likelier to derail than those with accurate self-awareness.”
What Cast lays out are some working styles that really cause problems with your colleagues and therefore your performance. I like how he created archetypes to bring the problems to life, although the reality is that we all likely have characteristics from at least two of them. To help you learn more about your own working style, he provides two quizzes. One is a “Derailer Assessment” that Cast developed and tested with MBA and executive students at Kellogg School of Management to understand which traits and behaviors are holding you back. The other is about understanding what motivates you at work; the five fundamental factors are achievement, affiliation, power, autonomy, and purpose. I was pretty convinced I knew what motivated me, but ended up being surprised by my results, which led to an ‘a-ha’ moment for me.
Captured in the book are reminder after reminder of how to keep evolving and growing in your career from a range of business leaders. Taking my earlier analogy, it’s as if Cast has set you up with mentoring sessions with different people to help you work on specific problems. Some examples:
Cast also makes the point that you don’t have to be great at everything. “People with the right stuff, those who rise up to leadership positions in their businesses, are in the top quartile of their company at no more than 3 - 5 of the 10 - 12 competencies that their organizations track and use for performance development and management. But they focus their attention on becoming excellent at the right ones.” To find out if you are focusing on the right ones, Cast recommends asking yourself two questions: 1) Do I have the right strengths in my current position, relative to people doing similar work? and 2) Do I have the right strengths around which to build my career in order to succeed in the future?
At a more general level, Cast points out that research shows that people who succeed tend to have three key strengths:
* They act on their own initiative, in particular having a “learning orientation"
* They have emotional intelligence
* They have tremendous perseverance and drive for results
Cast clearly lives up to the first strength. He talks about how he captures knowledge along the way by journaling “and then periodically examining, synthesizing, and applying what I have written. My journals are full of observations, notes from books I’ve read, mistakes, and what I’ve learned from them, quotes and great ideas from other people, and idea fragments of areas I want to pursue in the future.” In his book, Principles, Ray Dalio also talks about having the practice of writing down what he has done and learned.
The final chapter is called “You Can’t Count on ‘The Man’” where Cast lays out 8 DIY Career Action Steps. Particularly useful for anyone contemplating a career change or for graduates just starting out in their career, Cast emphasizes the importance of choosing the right industry. Similar to how Sheryl Sandberg talks about the upside of choosing to work in a company that’s a rocket ship, Cast advises Kellogg MBA students to look for an industry with attractive characteristics. In particular, he looks for industries that are expanding and have macro growth factors (demographic trends, consumer behavioral trends, technological shifts) that further boost growth, and industries that are undergoing technological disruption (though I’d guess the unsaid advice is to make sure you pick the right side of the disruption).
I’d recommend The Right—And Wrong—Stuff to anyone who’s interested in learning about themselves . For experienced, senior level managers, I’d see this as a good source of advice and feedback to give to reports who might be struggling.
Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to work with Carter Cast when he was at Blue Nile. He’s the kind of guy who gets huge satisfaction out of helping others, is not scared about making himself vulnerable by sharing what’s gone wrong for him, and this book is yet another example of him leading with generosity. I reached out to him when I heard that this book was coming out and he sent me a copy to read. Rating and review are my own opinions.
All too often, there are people with incredible strengths who are unaware of their personal blind spots and are frustrated about not achieving their career ambitions. I’ve seen this happen a few times. These are the people where you shake your head and say “She’s her own worst enemy.” While derailers are often confused by what happens to them, people around them are usually not surprised.
Cast’s own research revealed that “‘a lack of self-awareness’ and ‘difficulty working with others’ were the top two reasons that [derailed people] experienced a career derailment event.” He also shares that “research indicates that individuals who have an inflated sense of their skill level and understate their interpersonal issues are more than six times likelier to derail than those with accurate self-awareness.”
What Cast lays out are some working styles that really cause problems with your colleagues and therefore your performance. I like how he created archetypes to bring the problems to life, although the reality is that we all likely have characteristics from at least two of them. To help you learn more about your own working style, he provides two quizzes. One is a “Derailer Assessment” that Cast developed and tested with MBA and executive students at Kellogg School of Management to understand which traits and behaviors are holding you back. The other is about understanding what motivates you at work; the five fundamental factors are achievement, affiliation, power, autonomy, and purpose. I was pretty convinced I knew what motivated me, but ended up being surprised by my results, which led to an ‘a-ha’ moment for me.
Captured in the book are reminder after reminder of how to keep evolving and growing in your career from a range of business leaders. Taking my earlier analogy, it’s as if Cast has set you up with mentoring sessions with different people to help you work on specific problems. Some examples:
“As you progress [in your career], your relationship with others is more important than your knowledge of and relationship with data. This needs kicks in as you move into middle and upper management. It’s a mindset change. … You have to suppress your ego, let go of having the answer and embrace the relational world. It becomes less about having competencies and more about engendering trust.” (Stuart Kaplan, director of leadership recruiting at Google)
“I try to maintain a high level of intellectual curiosity about everything and everyone. Meet lots of people with divergent views who do interesting things—ask questions, listen well, and soak it all up. Read absolutely anything I can get my hands on. Who knows? The back two page of a research report read on a long plane flight (instead of a nap) might illuminate another thought I’ve had and connect two dots to a third idea—an idea that others in my industry might not see so clearly. Stay awake, keep moving, ask lots of questions others may be afraid to ask—and process it all quickly. Do it day in and day out. If I combine this with honed pattern recognition from my various career experiences, I’ll be able to play a pretty good hand in life.” (Dan Marriott, managing partner of Stripes Group, a growth equity firm)
Cast also makes the point that you don’t have to be great at everything. “People with the right stuff, those who rise up to leadership positions in their businesses, are in the top quartile of their company at no more than 3 - 5 of the 10 - 12 competencies that their organizations track and use for performance development and management. But they focus their attention on becoming excellent at the right ones.” To find out if you are focusing on the right ones, Cast recommends asking yourself two questions: 1) Do I have the right strengths in my current position, relative to people doing similar work? and 2) Do I have the right strengths around which to build my career in order to succeed in the future?
At a more general level, Cast points out that research shows that people who succeed tend to have three key strengths:
* They act on their own initiative, in particular having a “learning orientation"
* They have emotional intelligence
* They have tremendous perseverance and drive for results
Cast clearly lives up to the first strength. He talks about how he captures knowledge along the way by journaling “and then periodically examining, synthesizing, and applying what I have written. My journals are full of observations, notes from books I’ve read, mistakes, and what I’ve learned from them, quotes and great ideas from other people, and idea fragments of areas I want to pursue in the future.” In his book, Principles, Ray Dalio also talks about having the practice of writing down what he has done and learned.
The final chapter is called “You Can’t Count on ‘The Man’” where Cast lays out 8 DIY Career Action Steps. Particularly useful for anyone contemplating a career change or for graduates just starting out in their career, Cast emphasizes the importance of choosing the right industry. Similar to how Sheryl Sandberg talks about the upside of choosing to work in a company that’s a rocket ship, Cast advises Kellogg MBA students to look for an industry with attractive characteristics. In particular, he looks for industries that are expanding and have macro growth factors (demographic trends, consumer behavioral trends, technological shifts) that further boost growth, and industries that are undergoing technological disruption (though I’d guess the unsaid advice is to make sure you pick the right side of the disruption).
I’d recommend The Right—And Wrong—Stuff to anyone who’s interested in learning about themselves . For experienced, senior level managers, I’d see this as a good source of advice and feedback to give to reports who might be struggling.
Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to work with Carter Cast when he was at Blue Nile. He’s the kind of guy who gets huge satisfaction out of helping others, is not scared about making himself vulnerable by sharing what’s gone wrong for him, and this book is yet another example of him leading with generosity. I reached out to him when I heard that this book was coming out and he sent me a copy to read. Rating and review are my own opinions.
February 1, 2018
Even without being in the corporate world, I found the book very enlightening toward my own career in real estate. Challenges the reader to think about personal weaknesses or potential future career derailments ... regardless of the industry
July 12, 2018
Good book that takes a fairly different approach to talking about career development with a heavy focus on self-awareness. The pitfalls that the author emphasizes really resonate and feel like they can apply to individuals across varying points in the career journey. The tips and advice that are given on how to counteract them are fairly pragmatic and achievable as well. This is one of the better self-help like business/career books I've read in a long time.
July 23, 2020
It was alright, I'm having trouble with punchy takeaways, these are general management best practices mostly. In short, understand what is necessary is not often sufficient (e.g., technical knowhow from succeeding during the earlier career stages won't land you the exec. job without healthy levels of EQ).
I think the five types are interesting but could be explained more concisely. The quotes and stories were most notable, and I did enjoy Cast's bits of humor.
I think the five types are interesting but could be explained more concisely. The quotes and stories were most notable, and I did enjoy Cast's bits of humor.
March 19, 2019
Overall this book was helpful. It’s focus first is on behaviors that derail careers. Then the book shifts to helpful behaviors to prevent derailment. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone in leadership, whether you’re reading it for yourself or for the people/team you lead.
April 7, 2018
My boss was looking to start a book club in our team/department (I work at a business school), so, I excitedly took the reigns and ran with it. The intent is to be work/self-improvement focused, pulling from what is impacting our work, and our students. Our first go around we read Malika Chopra's "Living with Intent," as she was a keynote speaker for an event on campus. For the next book, I suggested this one as the author is a faculty member and I had the opportunity to watch a webinar where he talked about this book, and his findings regarding career development.
Overall, I found the content of the book to be insightful, interesting, and well-researched. I feel like I learned a lot, not only things that will be valuable to myself, but also a clearer understanding of MBA students. Most of the examples and career advice isn't directly translatable for me, as I am not aiming to be in the business world but rather the academic side of the house, but the insight into the pressures and trajectory of business executives was interesting.
In this book, Cast posits that there are 5 Career Derailers, personality traits and weaknesses that can derail careers. The book suffers a little structurally, as there are things grouped within the descriptions of the derailers that don't seem to relate directly to that specific derailer. It was almost as if there were these good nuggets of wisdom that he wasn't sure where to put. But, that aside, the content was clear and palatable. Each derailer has a snappy name and clear explanation, and the book has an assessment you can take to show where you lie on each of the five dimensions. Again, I'm not the target audience for the tool, but I still found it useful. The first half of the book details the "wrong stuff," i.e., the derailers, and the back half is where he talks about the "right stuff," skills and attributes that are critical for a successful career.
There was some great insight in the "right" section about some of the detractors unique to women, and how to combat them, and I also specifically appreciated that as a white man he didn't presume to give all the answers, or claim to be an expert in that area, but he importantly made note of some key career differences women will likely face.
I'm excited for our book club meeting next week, as he will be in attendance, so I'm hoping to have good conversation and do a little deeper dive into how I can utilize this as I work with students.
Edit: Book Club meeting was outstanding! Everyone in attendance had high praise for both the book, and the insights that Carter shared with us. I feel like I learned more in that hour about my own professional development than I have in day-long retreats. I recommend the book, and if you have the chance to speak to/with Carter, take it.
Overall, I found the content of the book to be insightful, interesting, and well-researched. I feel like I learned a lot, not only things that will be valuable to myself, but also a clearer understanding of MBA students. Most of the examples and career advice isn't directly translatable for me, as I am not aiming to be in the business world but rather the academic side of the house, but the insight into the pressures and trajectory of business executives was interesting.
In this book, Cast posits that there are 5 Career Derailers, personality traits and weaknesses that can derail careers. The book suffers a little structurally, as there are things grouped within the descriptions of the derailers that don't seem to relate directly to that specific derailer. It was almost as if there were these good nuggets of wisdom that he wasn't sure where to put. But, that aside, the content was clear and palatable. Each derailer has a snappy name and clear explanation, and the book has an assessment you can take to show where you lie on each of the five dimensions. Again, I'm not the target audience for the tool, but I still found it useful. The first half of the book details the "wrong stuff," i.e., the derailers, and the back half is where he talks about the "right stuff," skills and attributes that are critical for a successful career.
There was some great insight in the "right" section about some of the detractors unique to women, and how to combat them, and I also specifically appreciated that as a white man he didn't presume to give all the answers, or claim to be an expert in that area, but he importantly made note of some key career differences women will likely face.
I'm excited for our book club meeting next week, as he will be in attendance, so I'm hoping to have good conversation and do a little deeper dive into how I can utilize this as I work with students.
Edit: Book Club meeting was outstanding! Everyone in attendance had high praise for both the book, and the insights that Carter shared with us. I feel like I learned more in that hour about my own professional development than I have in day-long retreats. I recommend the book, and if you have the chance to speak to/with Carter, take it.
September 26, 2018
Carter Cast was one who seemed to have it all together: he had a first-class education, an all-American athletic career, and was a very bright and energetic rising star on the fast track at a Fortune 100 company, PepsiCo. But Cast was completely unaware of how negative perceptions were shaped, he was stunned when called into his boss's office, and told he was "unpromotable" because he was "obstinate," "resistant," and "insubordinate."
This defining moment left Cast baffled, scared, and even embarrassed. Carter Cast's invested time to understand why and how this happened. During this discovery time, he found this type of experience was actually a widespread experience for many. Carters discovery led to understand that the source of most career problems boils down to personal blind spots. The current system and overreliance on “focusing on our strengths” can mask a critical skill gap or a personal blind spot that can stop a talented person’s career in its tracks. Derailment research shows that careers stall more from having the “wrong stuff” (e.g., being insensitive to others) than lacking the “right stuff” (e.g., not having strong analytical skills). Competency assessments are widely used to gauge positive personal traits such as mental horsepower, emotional intelligence, and decisiveness as well as job skills, such as technical knowledge.
The problem is, these assessments gauge the “right stuff” but do not examine the “wrong stuff,” areas where people are vulnerable to the derailment that Carter and many experience. The reason boils down to a preference for focusing on the positive—competency development—and not addressing the weaknesses and fixing issues that may lead to derailment. But without having these necessary hard conversations, people suffer because they’re left unaware of a blind spot or area of vulnerability instead of being able to develop a plan to resolve it. As a result, people are not receiving the personal feedback they need to improve, and their careers are suffering.
Carter identified five archetypes that embody common, and mistaken, mind-sets.
He named them:
1. Captain Fantastic
2. Solo Flier
3. Version 1.0
4. One-Trick Pony
5. Whirling Dervish
Cast provides detailed descriptions of each. He shows how these archetypes fail and succeed, and how to recognize blind spots that can lead to a downfall. He provides ways to improve self-understanding, digging into topics like values, needs, and motives and provides the reader with new ways to take charge of their career.
This defining moment left Cast baffled, scared, and even embarrassed. Carter Cast's invested time to understand why and how this happened. During this discovery time, he found this type of experience was actually a widespread experience for many. Carters discovery led to understand that the source of most career problems boils down to personal blind spots. The current system and overreliance on “focusing on our strengths” can mask a critical skill gap or a personal blind spot that can stop a talented person’s career in its tracks. Derailment research shows that careers stall more from having the “wrong stuff” (e.g., being insensitive to others) than lacking the “right stuff” (e.g., not having strong analytical skills). Competency assessments are widely used to gauge positive personal traits such as mental horsepower, emotional intelligence, and decisiveness as well as job skills, such as technical knowledge.
The problem is, these assessments gauge the “right stuff” but do not examine the “wrong stuff,” areas where people are vulnerable to the derailment that Carter and many experience. The reason boils down to a preference for focusing on the positive—competency development—and not addressing the weaknesses and fixing issues that may lead to derailment. But without having these necessary hard conversations, people suffer because they’re left unaware of a blind spot or area of vulnerability instead of being able to develop a plan to resolve it. As a result, people are not receiving the personal feedback they need to improve, and their careers are suffering.
Carter identified five archetypes that embody common, and mistaken, mind-sets.
He named them:
1. Captain Fantastic
2. Solo Flier
3. Version 1.0
4. One-Trick Pony
5. Whirling Dervish
Cast provides detailed descriptions of each. He shows how these archetypes fail and succeed, and how to recognize blind spots that can lead to a downfall. He provides ways to improve self-understanding, digging into topics like values, needs, and motives and provides the reader with new ways to take charge of their career.
May 26, 2018
more a mismatch of reader and book than anything particularly wrong with the book. he takes the interesting tack of examining range of ways in which your career can "derail" after a promising start, and what you might do about it, leaning heavily on his own experience at several companies.
it was boring and a slog for me, however, b/c so heavily focused on the sorts of business (restaurants, packaged foods, video games) in which i'm not involved. The one I am involved in (academics) he mentions in passing in one sentence based on his teaching at a business school, making the unremarkable observation that the tenured faculty get more airtime at key meetings than do contingent faculty.
in principle, one could translate everything i guess, but anecdote after anecdote about supply chains, focus on sales, etc. just doesn't speak to me that much, and the stories themselves were not sufficiently fascinating to make it fun to consider as an outsider.
it was boring and a slog for me, however, b/c so heavily focused on the sorts of business (restaurants, packaged foods, video games) in which i'm not involved. The one I am involved in (academics) he mentions in passing in one sentence based on his teaching at a business school, making the unremarkable observation that the tenured faculty get more airtime at key meetings than do contingent faculty.
in principle, one could translate everything i guess, but anecdote after anecdote about supply chains, focus on sales, etc. just doesn't speak to me that much, and the stories themselves were not sufficiently fascinating to make it fun to consider as an outsider.
December 25, 2017
In the RIGHT AND WRONG STUFF, author Carter Cast discusses reasons that your career gets sidetracked, or "derailed." The first part of the book discusses different career archetypes. The author lists five archetypes: Captain Fantastic, the Solo Flier, Version 1.0, the One-trick pony, and the Whirling Dervish.
I thought it interesting to try to figure out which of the archetypes I fit into best. For me, I was clearly the one called the solo flyer. For each of the archetypes the author discusses the weaknesses of this personality type, and what you can do to overcome your weaknesses.
Part 2 of the book is called "Accelerating your career." In this section, the author explains career strategies to overcome your weaknesses and get to the top!
Perhaps the most important chapter was Chapter 8, "You Can't Count on the Man." A young professional might think that your company is looking out to train you; however that is completely untrue. You will have to look out for yourself: "You have to be the agent of your own change. No one else will play that role. Most managers and organizations handle management and leader development very poorly." I thought this one piece of information was the most valuable aspect of the entire book.
Another part of the book that I really liked was the chapter called, "The Right Stuff." People with the right stuff are not experts on everything; rather they focus their attention on "becoming excellent at the right things" In your particular company and position you need to figure out which competency areas are the most important and concentrate on those.
So all in all, I found THE RIGHT AND WRONG STUFF to be an interesting read, especially for the personality archetypes that matched me! It was helpful helpful to hear the author's perspective on what the weaknesses of each archetype are, and his suggestions for overcoming those weaknesses.
Advanced review copy courtesy of the publisher
I thought it interesting to try to figure out which of the archetypes I fit into best. For me, I was clearly the one called the solo flyer. For each of the archetypes the author discusses the weaknesses of this personality type, and what you can do to overcome your weaknesses.
Part 2 of the book is called "Accelerating your career." In this section, the author explains career strategies to overcome your weaknesses and get to the top!
Perhaps the most important chapter was Chapter 8, "You Can't Count on the Man." A young professional might think that your company is looking out to train you; however that is completely untrue. You will have to look out for yourself: "You have to be the agent of your own change. No one else will play that role. Most managers and organizations handle management and leader development very poorly." I thought this one piece of information was the most valuable aspect of the entire book.
Another part of the book that I really liked was the chapter called, "The Right Stuff." People with the right stuff are not experts on everything; rather they focus their attention on "becoming excellent at the right things" In your particular company and position you need to figure out which competency areas are the most important and concentrate on those.
So all in all, I found THE RIGHT AND WRONG STUFF to be an interesting read, especially for the personality archetypes that matched me! It was helpful helpful to hear the author's perspective on what the weaknesses of each archetype are, and his suggestions for overcoming those weaknesses.
Advanced review copy courtesy of the publisher
March 21, 2018
Instead of focusing on the right stuff, which is a ubiquitous topic, Carter Cast's book looks at the five derailers that trip up professionals as they climb the corporate ladder. They are (1) interpersonal behavior, (2) struggles managing and leading teams, (3) trouble adapting to change, (4) lack of a strategic orientation, and (5) failure to deliver on promises. Cast comes up with five archetypes to demonstrate these derailers and spends the latter half of the book summarizing latest research on success factors when it comes to career progression.
The book is an easy read, but has a tendency to repeat the same ideas over and over. Cast's framework does not focus on talent, which allows some people to be employed regardless of the derailing behaviors they bring to the office. As a result, this is a manual about bad habits to be aware of for average people climbing the career ladder. Cast's personal anecdotes are great, but not everybody works in best-in-class, innovative companies. His advice to MBA grads: stay away from industries in decline. But then who is going to work in those industries, which still employ more Americans than companies regarded as cutting-edge and innovative?
Cast spends just a few pages discussing the extra issues faced by women in climbing the corporate ladder and ignores racial and age biases that working professionals face. For the next edition he needs to expand his tent to reflect the reality of today's corporate cultures.
The book is an easy read, but has a tendency to repeat the same ideas over and over. Cast's framework does not focus on talent, which allows some people to be employed regardless of the derailing behaviors they bring to the office. As a result, this is a manual about bad habits to be aware of for average people climbing the career ladder. Cast's personal anecdotes are great, but not everybody works in best-in-class, innovative companies. His advice to MBA grads: stay away from industries in decline. But then who is going to work in those industries, which still employ more Americans than companies regarded as cutting-edge and innovative?
Cast spends just a few pages discussing the extra issues faced by women in climbing the corporate ladder and ignores racial and age biases that working professionals face. For the next edition he needs to expand his tent to reflect the reality of today's corporate cultures.
December 23, 2018
I like how this book looks at various ways we get in way of ourselves and our success. It provides different archetypes that describe different attributes of our personality and behavior which make us stumble. I like how the introduction starts with an apt Peter Drucker quote: "Most people think they know what they're good at. They are usually wrong." How true.
I really like the second half the book which focuses on development. Mr. Cast presents several lists backed up with many examples. These include lists of "components of the right stuff" - "five fundamentals of motivation" - "DIY Career Action Steps".
I agree with his premise that we all in charge of our personal and professional development.
I recommend this book.
V
I really like the second half the book which focuses on development. Mr. Cast presents several lists backed up with many examples. These include lists of "components of the right stuff" - "five fundamentals of motivation" - "DIY Career Action Steps".
I agree with his premise that we all in charge of our personal and professional development.
I recommend this book.
V
May 15, 2018
Lots of great things to think about and apply to myself. I like the overall framework and focus on both leveraging your strengths and working on your weaknesses. However, found it to be repetitive at times.
May 16, 2018
~ Great book with ideas and quizzes for career progression ~
January 29, 2018
If you work in a corporate environment and want to move up the ladder this book is a must read.
March 1, 2018
This was quite a good book. Had some good pointers / guidelines. I took notes and that’s saying a lot.!
March 27, 2018
Lots of generic job satisfaction advice.
April 26, 2018
Should Be Required Reading
Fantastic book! I will be reading the book every single year. From page 1, I've taken away so much and put it into action.
Fantastic book! I will be reading the book every single year. From page 1, I've taken away so much and put it into action.
May 17, 2020
Builds on Daniel Kahneman's research with practical examples of how to critically think in the world of business.
One interesting concept is that positive thinking is extremely desirable when analysing events in which you have any control. Not just in business even when playing sports, think positively for example imagine a basket or hole you are aiming at is larger. Don't however be over optimistic with events such as stocks and shares that are out of your control, instead think carefully and critically about these investments.
Puts can control belief versus actual control on a 2x2 grid then develops definitions of error types. Type 1 error (false positive) is overestimating our control in situations - do research to avoid these and we should try to be aware of what is within and without our control. Type 2 errors (false negative) are failing to take action when our action could alter an outcome, make every effort to influence what is in your control. Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer sums this up: "To know the difference between what we can change and what we cannot is a profound kind of wisdom." Book stresses overall, we’re often better acting as if we can
effect change, rather than accepting that we can't - particularly as many decisions a out processes occur over time.
Strategic thinking is required when you are competing with people, particularly if winner takes all. You're competing against people who are also trying to beat you therefore your tactics must change accordingly. Even small improvements in absolute performance could have a large impact on relative performance.
With your own personal savings take note - this is not a competition or a zero sum game therefore take less risks with this.
Know the game you are playing aspirational versus survival. Aspiration point: What’s the best I can do? Can I make a bold move that, if successful, will place me at the top of the pack, at least for a while? Is it worth making a risky bet that could bring great
benefits?
Survival point: What’s the least I need to do in order to stay alive?
Select your aim depending on the type of business you are in and how the rewards are shared.
Has quite a lot on statistical models
Such as bayesian models and mentions how a prediction can often influence outcome therefore models should ideally be updated swiftly. Containd an analysis from an old Harvard study which found good academic performance can predicted by a history of if students have participated in or set up their own study group.
Explains a concept called the Common Auction Value in which if you're buying something at an auction or a share the item has the same value to everybody. This differs from a private value auction in which sentimental value is taken into account. If you perceive a
Product is being sold at much less than its common auction value you're probably wrong - the value is lower than you perceive.
Regarding achievement; if you are competitive and compare yourself to others you may achieve more, as this comparison may motivate you, however you are less likely to be satisfied with your achievements.
Overconfidence is often blamed as the reason for somebody's downfall, dont simply look at a failed outcome and attribute this to overconfidence. If you examine a situation closer and think about what they knew about the competition's performance at that time they may be underconfident at not performing a different action.
Switch to the implemental mindset after taking deliberate decisions, during this you are focused on executing a task. Golf seemingly uses both mindsets. Deliberate practice is good but best when you're getting an immediate feedback from your actions. Complex decisions in which the outcome is not known a out until the far future deliberate practice is not really as useful. Suggests Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers simply cherry picking examples of how good deliberate practice is and ignores others who have undertaken deliberate practice and not had success.
Suggests that authenticity is not really a sensitive way of detecting leadership. Simply because if you look at any leader it is easy to say that they're authentic, but many other people who are authentic and not in positions of power. For leaders, at times when they know the facts but need to motivate a team toward a particular action really acting and deception is what is needed!
One interesting concept is that positive thinking is extremely desirable when analysing events in which you have any control. Not just in business even when playing sports, think positively for example imagine a basket or hole you are aiming at is larger. Don't however be over optimistic with events such as stocks and shares that are out of your control, instead think carefully and critically about these investments.
Puts can control belief versus actual control on a 2x2 grid then develops definitions of error types. Type 1 error (false positive) is overestimating our control in situations - do research to avoid these and we should try to be aware of what is within and without our control. Type 2 errors (false negative) are failing to take action when our action could alter an outcome, make every effort to influence what is in your control. Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer sums this up: "To know the difference between what we can change and what we cannot is a profound kind of wisdom." Book stresses overall, we’re often better acting as if we can
effect change, rather than accepting that we can't - particularly as many decisions a out processes occur over time.
Strategic thinking is required when you are competing with people, particularly if winner takes all. You're competing against people who are also trying to beat you therefore your tactics must change accordingly. Even small improvements in absolute performance could have a large impact on relative performance.
With your own personal savings take note - this is not a competition or a zero sum game therefore take less risks with this.
Know the game you are playing aspirational versus survival. Aspiration point: What’s the best I can do? Can I make a bold move that, if successful, will place me at the top of the pack, at least for a while? Is it worth making a risky bet that could bring great
benefits?
Survival point: What’s the least I need to do in order to stay alive?
Select your aim depending on the type of business you are in and how the rewards are shared.
Has quite a lot on statistical models
Such as bayesian models and mentions how a prediction can often influence outcome therefore models should ideally be updated swiftly. Containd an analysis from an old Harvard study which found good academic performance can predicted by a history of if students have participated in or set up their own study group.
Explains a concept called the Common Auction Value in which if you're buying something at an auction or a share the item has the same value to everybody. This differs from a private value auction in which sentimental value is taken into account. If you perceive a
Product is being sold at much less than its common auction value you're probably wrong - the value is lower than you perceive.
Regarding achievement; if you are competitive and compare yourself to others you may achieve more, as this comparison may motivate you, however you are less likely to be satisfied with your achievements.
Overconfidence is often blamed as the reason for somebody's downfall, dont simply look at a failed outcome and attribute this to overconfidence. If you examine a situation closer and think about what they knew about the competition's performance at that time they may be underconfident at not performing a different action.
Switch to the implemental mindset after taking deliberate decisions, during this you are focused on executing a task. Golf seemingly uses both mindsets. Deliberate practice is good but best when you're getting an immediate feedback from your actions. Complex decisions in which the outcome is not known a out until the far future deliberate practice is not really as useful. Suggests Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers simply cherry picking examples of how good deliberate practice is and ignores others who have undertaken deliberate practice and not had success.
Suggests that authenticity is not really a sensitive way of detecting leadership. Simply because if you look at any leader it is easy to say that they're authentic, but many other people who are authentic and not in positions of power. For leaders, at times when they know the facts but need to motivate a team toward a particular action really acting and deception is what is needed!
October 28, 2020
Everyone reading this could benefit from this book. I know that is a bold statement, but you have a career. Whether you are just getting started, are mid-career, or are later in your professional life, could you be more effective and successful? This book will help you see, as the title suggests, the right stuff and the wrong stuff.
Even the most successful professional has had at least one career-derailing moment. The author of this book had one. After a glowing start to his career, he was blindsided by his weaknesses that were keeping him from moving forward.
Labeled as obstinate, resistant, and insubordinate, he embarked on a career-long journey to figure out why he almost got fired, and help others on the bumpy road to success.
Read more...
Even the most successful professional has had at least one career-derailing moment. The author of this book had one. After a glowing start to his career, he was blindsided by his weaknesses that were keeping him from moving forward.
Labeled as obstinate, resistant, and insubordinate, he embarked on a career-long journey to figure out why he almost got fired, and help others on the bumpy road to success.
Read more...
September 16, 2018
There is an exercise towards the end of the book which is quite useful. My first instinct was to think if it made sense to have this exercise done first before reading the book - to know where we were in our self-evaluation and then retake the quiz at the end to see where the differences are and how our perceptions have changed - anyway, the book was a decent read. The idea of giving us some stereotypes to consider and see how we match up has been done before but Mr.Cast brings his real-life experience into the mix and makes this book more engaging than others. To be honest, his career fascinates me more than the contents of the book. :)
December 11, 2018
It was OK, but it was much more focused on high level leadership than I was expecting. I was hoping for more concrete examples of how to succeed in any area of a career. But his perspective is skewed by being a young executive in very large companies. Definitely had some good ideas and I'm not unhappy that I read it. But I kept feeling like a lot didn't really apply to me as much as an individual contributor or middle manager. I don't really have the desire to run a large company, but I would like to move up in my area of IT into leadership. While this gave some things to look out for, it wasn't as directly applicable as I was hoping.
July 24, 2023
Every professional who aims to understand that career is a journey that needs to be carefully articulated, planned, and continuously refined should read this book.
I am so lucky to read this at a time when I had a feeling that my career was not going as planned and might be on a path to derailment. It helped me understand that a successful career has more elements to it than just luck and talent. It requires vigorous planning and taking charge of your own track and how you can seek and achieve what you aim for by taking a journey within yourself!
I am so lucky to read this at a time when I had a feeling that my career was not going as planned and might be on a path to derailment. It helped me understand that a successful career has more elements to it than just luck and talent. It requires vigorous planning and taking charge of your own track and how you can seek and achieve what you aim for by taking a journey within yourself!
June 12, 2022
As a member of the Career Management Center at Kellogg, I am quite grateful for all of Casts' insights. He remains a student favorite and provides such generous wisdom and insight to our students. I appreciate his humility and self awareness in sharing his own story--and well as the research (and willingness of others to share) stories of other derailments.
I'm glad to have read it and be able to reference in my work with students too.
I'm glad to have read it and be able to reference in my work with students too.
September 12, 2018
Mr. Cast points out the importance of self-awareness throughout the text which is a good point because we all could use a little reminder now and again. The text was an easy and enjoyable read, I feel like some of it was stating the obvious and identifying how hindsight is 20/20 but.it is still worth the read and the assessments in the appendix are something worth revisiting.
October 13, 2018
A helpful categorization of five ways in which career advancement is impeded by the self: one can be a “Captain Fantastic,” “The Solo Flier,” a “One-Trick Pony,” “Whirling Dervish,” or continuing as a “Version 1.0.” This framework then suggests how to recognize and overcome these tendencies for derailment. The author’s personal experience makes it easy to trust in what he is saying.
December 10, 2018
The right and the wrong stuff: how brilliant careers are made and unmade is an interesting book to read. It is a guide for everyone who wants to know how to be successful in their career. This book gives insight on how sometimes your weaknesses can also be your greatest strengths. It's the ultimate guide for successful careers that people never knew they needed.
January 8, 2019
I do think this book is helpful...but for me it read like a textbook and took me way too long to get through it. Was read for a journal club at work. I think I learned from it but also didn’t really enjoy reading. As a physician it was tough to find overlap in the examples. That said, the derailers of leadership are likely relevant across the board.
March 7, 2019
Incredibly insightful and practical. I've unfortunately fallen prey to several of these career derailers early on, but have been able to counteract these with a lot of self reflection while implementing many of the suggestions for improvement. It's wonderful to have all of these life lessons bound in a single book.
May 19, 2019
One of the best I have ever read on career development. It is a rich book with lots of practical advices and stories, with a conversation-like writing skill that really makes me listen to the author. While reading it I kept thinking “yes this is me, and I can do better with suggestion in the book”. I learned a lot by reading the wisdoms in the book and reflecting on myself after reading.
December 22, 2019
Carter spells out what to look out for when one's career advances to new territories. In a nutshell, it is about the ability and openness to learning. It is nice to have somebody point outing what are the common pitfalls at certain stages. This leads to more effective and concentrated learning.
Highly recommend for a critical self-reflection on a career path.
Highly recommend for a critical self-reflection on a career path.
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