"Running For Office" by Mary Anne Gale

In Short:I recommend this book for the ambitious professional that that intends to make a run for the top of the corporate ladder and is a good career gut-check for those in early to mid-career. It is an easy read and you can move through it in a single coffee shop sitting without getting booted for squatting (I read the entire book at the Ethereal Café in Grants Pass Oregon, downing one slightly scalded cappuccino and one large brownie). I picked out the most relevant pieces by identifying what I wanted to remember (which I added to my learning journal), and what actions I wanted to take. Both are outlined below.Why I selected this book:I heard Mary Anne Gale (the author) speak in Cincinnati in 2008 and her style resonated with me. She was a spoke plainly and skipped all the North American frilly corporate speak. This Drucker-esque style gets my attention, but it was her content that led me career-changing action steps.During the talk on career management, she gave a lot of great ideas for managing my career, but her Career Map was by far the best tool for developing a strategic long view of your career that I have seen. I have since spent many hours developing my own personal strategic career plan based off her model. In the past I had a series of goals in 5-10 year increments, but now I have developed details to achieve those goals.Was the book helpful?Absolutely. Like Mary Anne's' presentation style, this book cuts out all the corporate fluff and delivers to-the-point career changing elements. First is a way of thinking about your career as someone who plans to run for public office. By thinking in these terms, you begin to understand how to advocate for yourself and to build a pool of voters who will help you achieve your goals. Second, Mary Anne gives you the practical steps you can put into action on day-one to ensure you are on the path to identify and achieve your career goals.What will I change as a result of reading "Running for Office"Lots of good materials in this book, below I have captured the most relevant for me.Had I not already developed my own personal Career Map (at left), this would have been the trigger. In reading through her book, I will go back and emphasis the "relationship" segment of the career plan and make it more granular.
I will identify three things to learn from my boss, and learn how I can reapply.
I will schedule the question "what is your top priority" to my join-up with my manager once per quarter
I will identify what I want my own personal equity to include. Perhaps, strategic thinking, trustworthy, well connected? (Pierre suggested I should include conflict or large group facilitation to this list)
Identify what influential leaders around me "want to be known for" and create opportunities to learn from / help them.
Get serious about finding a couple mentors
Check to see if my one up manager would like to do a work plan review 1x or 2x per year.
What did I add to my learning journal after reading "Running for Office"
Trust is central to relationships & trust must be earned; don't ever forget this
You must trust your mentors with your whole story, selective sharing will not develop the relationship.
Voters: cultivate at least five but no more than ten deep-quality relationships (this will be a challenge for me)
Never turn down an opportunity to build a work relationship outside of work (dinner, event, etc.)
Five keys to relationship building: 1. Find the common interest 2. Identify the strengths they can coach you on 3. Identify how to make them more successful 4. Make sure they know the work you do and what you want to do 5. Constantly deliver outstanding results.
Always make sure you have something valuable to share
Deliberately widen the circle of people who know you and who know your work
Net: "Running for Office" is a quick read for anyone who feels their career is not quite where they want it to be, or it should be. dr seuss cat in hat book