Managing Your Career

by Harvard Business Review, Daisy Dowling (Editor), Stewart D. Friedman

HAVE THE CAREER YOU WANT - WITHOUT PUTTING YOUR FAMILY LAST.

Setting and achieving professional goals are complicated when you're managing a career and a family. How do you get ahead when sometimes it's a struggle to get through the day?

'MANAGING YOUR CAREER' provides the expert advice and practical solutions you need to help you find a way forward, whether you're taking time off, staying steady, reentering the workforce, or looking to advance.

YOU'LL LEARN TO:
•
Define what a meaningful career means to you
•
Set individual and family goals - and make progress on them
•
Explore company benefits that support your career and your role as caregiver
•
Focus your limited time for professional development
•
Build support systems to get you through

THE HBR WORKING PARENTS SERIES provides support as you and anticipate challenges, learn how to advocate for yourself more effectively, juggle your impossible schedule, and find fulfillment at home and at work. Whether you're up with a newborn or planning the future with your teen, you'll find the practical tips, strategies, and research you need to make working parenthood work for you.

Genres: Business, Audiobook, Management

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of articles coupled together, and organized around themes. This allows the reader to pick and chose what they feel is important. However, like many self help business books the articles focus more on the glory parts of changings one career and less on the failure that often accompanies such efforts. In some ways books such as this perpetuate the myth that being passionate is enough to create a six figure income, and that drive and guts are all that one needs to successfully transition from one skill set to another. For example, one story highlights the fact that organizations that are undergoing rapid change are often quite open to non-traditional candidates. I concur with this completely and have seen it often in my professional work. However, the article fails to speak about the high rate of failure for those who are thrust into high stress, rapid change environments when the individuals lack the core skill set for the role. Such omissions are fairly common and are likely to leave an uninformed reader to believe that career change is simply a wish and a hope away.

With these exceptions the articles are well written, as one should expect from HBR, and they cover the gamet of issues and ideas. Personally this is a good book to check out of a library as I can not honestly say that it is worth the roughly $200.00 that Harvard has charged in the past.

[Mad · Rating 3 out of 5]

* be a 'class act' when you leave a role by smoothly mentoring a colleague that will take over your duties, and stating professionally that you are leaving for a role that better suits your family needs - do not focus on negative experiences from the role.
* leave a positive impression
* set clear goals
* communicate with your children and family about how your career/job is meaningful and gives your life purpose (e.g., helps others or the future of the environment/country etc.)
* taking a break on leave can help to reflect on what you want from your occupation
* keep trying to find the right role and organisation that balances your home/family and career goals/needs, e.g., flexibility to work remotely when kids are sick etc.
* ensure that you don't take on too much because you will under-deliver on parenting/home duties or relationship needs or career/job duties.
* be open with your boss about your needs, leave plans/goals, and ability to be flexible to meet both work and home needs.
* regularly communicate with family about work plans for the week, and when they will have time with you
* regularly communicate with work teams about your available time with them

[Greg’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things people consider before they become parents is how they will manage their careers once they have kids.

This book provides plenty of information on how to be a successful peofessional while juggling the equal if not more important role of being a parent. The insights also helps on dealing with situations involving your spouse or partner in raising your family and kids.

[Arun Narayanaswamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few hbr collections that works well together as a book. There are multiple articles that are combined to give a comprehensive view on how to deal with various situations in your career - for a promotion to a relocation to dealing with personal issues.
A very good read irrespective of which phase of career you are in.

[Alexander Antonov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book consisting of number of practical articles on what skills to develop, and how to develop a career strategy. Self-help to organise yourself and get structured approach to move your way.

[Bill Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Passions to goals to actions to learning. Then like a snake draft, go thru those in reverse order. Repeat for 40 years.

[surfurbian · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is good information for just about everybody to put into practice in "Managing Oneself", "Managing Your Boss", and "A Survival Guide for Leaders" are useful. The article on part-time work would also be useful to many people.

The other articles seem much more geared to upper/top management and not as easily put to good use by the common dude.

[Yuting · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is actually a collection of articles on managing your career. A good and simple read but its mainly targeted for professionals.

[Ks Pillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book to have (or Read) like anything else your career need management !!!

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on career management.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing mind-blowing, reads like a bunch of how-to articles from Forbes.