Customer Reviews

The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was laid off from my corporate marketing position during this economic meltdown and have been reading every business/motivational book I could get my hands on. I heard about The Leap and read it cover to cover in two days. Three days later I picked it up and read it again.

Rick Smith has a wonderful writing style that is easy to follow and understand. He writes about his background and how he made the leap to an extraordinary career as well as profiled others who did the same. I love that all the amazing people he profiled had a big idea that was simple and selfless. After reading through the book and then opening my eyes up to the world around me I realized how right on he was when he wrote that. Most of us try to make "the leap" a lot more difficult than it needs to be and oftentimes get too comfortable, expect to keep climbing the career ladder even though we don't like where we might end up of think money is the answer to all our problems. Rick's book will give you great insight about how to make your strenths and passions work for you. You may just end up happier than you ever have been before!

I highly recommen this book to anyone who is in a rut with their current job, those who are looking for a job or career transition and those who want to branch off as an entrepreneur. The Primary Colors Assessment test is really cool as well. I took the leap this year and now own my own business. Rick's book was instrumental in helping me accomplish this goal.

This book gives anyone who is either moderately unsatisfied or deeply unhappy with their career a tangible course of action to take so that you may discover the career that you've always hoped you might find; one that makes you fulfilled and satisfied.

It gives you the tools to find out how to create a job so satisfying that you will jump out of your bed in the morning excited to do it! Rick Smith's clear and accessible exercises and assessment show you a strategy to find the path that fits your natural gifts/talents.

In spite of the title The Leap shows us that the majority of those we think of as very successful weren't crazy dare devils that leaped head first without thinking, in fact quite the opposite. The book also provides a link to a free assessment test that is 27 questions long yet very revealing.

My primary color is Blue Velvet, which means Incredible Inspiration. I'm right at the top of the Leadership line but with a 0% enjoyment of execution; yep that's me. My passion is to inspire others to execute. And after reading this I will finally accept that I will never enjoy the more left brain tasks and try to outsource them even more than I do. The books exercises along with your primary color move you right along at getting clear on how to determine the next step which will be using this measuring stick; Is it "Big, Selfless & Simple?"

Now that is where it gets really juicy. Taking your primary color to create something "Big, Selfless and Simple" - well that is where it gets exciting. My mind is racing right now on what I can create that will satisfy these 3 requirements. I'm very excited to see what I will come up with! Not to mention what everyone else who reads this will come up with! I still am in awe of what Rick Smith came up with for himself. But you have to read it for yourself but boy oh boy -is it REMARKABLE!

To re-cap my biggest take-away is that those that are very successful are not reckless but either by need or default have discovered their natural gift/passion met the needs of the world/market in a way that was/is Big, Selfless & Simple. And the inspiring part is that that is a doable for everyone.

Buy this book and take the Leap you've been dying to take!

I had very high hopes for this book, as I read and enjoyed The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers, and recognized it as important work. There has been a movement in these kinds of books instead of focusing on 100 things, to focus on one or two, but have those two be the ones that make a difference. To a degree, that's what this book is, but by reducing the message down so low, it become trite and meaningless.

The message is essentially, do something you really care about, have your idea be simple to understand, and follow it passionately. (You can get this from reading the book flap, it's not exactly a spoiler.) But nor is it all that interesting. If there are people out there who are helped by being told that they should care about what they are doing, then perhaps this book is helpful. Unfortunately, I found nothing new to learn here.

That would make this book four-stars or so, as the book is fine, his examples are good and different enough that you can see the patterns, much like his first book. Unfortunately, the author places his own idea, creating a forum for Marketing professionals, alongside Running the Girl Scouts, Live Aid, and Running Unilever's global brands. Actually, he mentions his own idea as much as all of them combined. I'm sure his thing was wonderful, but I didn't really want to read a commercial for how great the author is, he should have really stuck to the truly great ideas of others.

The combination of bland (though helpful) advice, and his own self-commercialism made this book hard to get through. I'd recommend it only to someone very stuck in their position, and looking for examples of people who got out.

The title of the book is a bit misleading. Right from the get-go the author explains that a grand leap is not necessary to propel one's career. He provides many examples of wildly successful people (to include Bill Gates) that took measured, conservative steps on their career journeys as opposed to risky, cavernous leaps.

What's the 3 step formula?

1) Find your Primary Color - the intersection of your skills and passions. This is critical, because if the major activities of occupations in your career track are not aligned with your primary color you will never be totally fulfilled. The author provides an online tool to help you find your Primary Color.

2) Bring your Primary Color to bear on an idea - It can't be just any idea though. It needs to be Big, Selfless, and Simple. All these characteristics must be present for others to latch on and propel your idea forward.

3) Let the Spark Sequence happen - Experiment. Seek out ways to try out your idea(s) and use your skills on a smaller scale. This will allow you to gain confidence. It will give you a taste of what lies ahead, and before you know it, incredible things will start to happen.

The book is well written, easy to understand, and the advice is actionable. It's full of valuable tidbits for the many that are not pleased with their current career trajectories - a very large target audience, indeed.

Nick McCormick, Author, "Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager"

I'm absolutely LOVING the book on a variety of levels. I love the focus on "the rest of us average people." You know, I'm fairly average myself and whenever they profile some of these amazing entrepreneurs (especially the young ones) I find myself thinking "Why didn't I think of that or do that?!"

I've been on the Primary Colors site and taken the assessment. But to be honest, I'm one of these people who is SO CLOSE to a match - so I'm looking at distinctions that will get me closer.

The other wonderful aspect of the book is that it's fun and entertaining to read. You might assume that this would always be the case, but trust me -- I read a couple of books per week and when the material is dull and lifeless, the reading becomes painful especially if you need the information that inside the book.

As I write this, the holidays are quickly approaching and I am considering purchasing a few copies of this book as a gift for the friends in my life that are going through transitions.

I would recommend this book for entrepreneurs as well. The success of a small business is often a function of how clear the owner is on his/her mission and purpose - and LEAP will help get you there. There are stories about employees, entrepreneurs and everyone in between.

Pick it up.

I recently discovered this book and I couldn't put it down. It is certainly one of the more provocative and entertaining books I've read in years!

The Leap is relevant to my situation, just a guy trying to figure out my what to do with my life. Where and how I can have the most impact. On top of that Rick provides some great resources on his book website, I encourage everyone to check them out!

[...]

And don't forget to take the Primary Color Assessment, well worth the time!

I was really excited about this book, and it starts strong...but he just goes on and on rehashing the his points over and over. It's a great premise, and I think everyone should hear what he has to say, because it's very relevant... but I couldn't even finish it, it was that boring. The whole thing with the primary colors...I'm sorry, he's not really saying anything new here. Too bad, it started strong, and I wanted to like it. Maybe I've read too many of these books and it's just me, considering all the positive reviews. Best of luck!

I've officially read too many of this type of book. 4HWW, Escape from Cube Nation, Career Renegade, etc, etc.
This book still stood out and I kind of wish that I had read it earlier than the others.

I had heard about the book The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great by Rick Smith in a few of the productivity blogs and tweets that I follow on a regular basis. These types of books tend to capture my interest, so I was pleased when I was offered a review copy of the book. In short, this is a book that spoke to me deeply for my current situation. You *don't* have to be a daredevil and risk everything to find yourself in a place where your passion and strengths come together in an incredible calling or career.

Contents:
"Great Work, You're Fired!"; The Now Trap - Stuck in the Status Quo; Breaking Away - The Three Rules; Primary Colors - Tapping the Energy Within; What Is My Primary Color?; Big Selfless, and Simple - How Ideas Become Contagious; The Spark Sequence - Stacking the Deck; Aristotle on a Lily Pad - A Perspective on Life-Work Design; Acknowledgments; Index

Rick Smith was like many of us... average. Not outstandingly excellent in what he did, but not at the bottom of the barrel, either. His job as a headhunter was OK, but it didn't light any fires within him. It wasn't until he wrote a book, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers, that he started to regain some passion. Unfortunately, that passion was not something that fit in his employer's plans, and he found himself unemployed. He used that event and severance to launch an idea he had for a executive level networking group. And it took off far beyond what he could have ever imagined. But he was still just an average Joe. What was it that caused him to succeed in something that most people wouldn't even attempt?

Looking at his experience and the experiences of others who traveled that same path, he found three consistent steps that played out in many of those cases. First, you find your primary color, the spot where your passions overlay your strengths. Next, bring that primary color to bear on an idea that is big, selfless, and simple. These are ideas and plans that attract, inspire, and involve others. Then finally, you let the spark sequence happen. You mitigate your risks and let the idea move towards its inevitability into reality. It's this path that makes it possible to accomplish incredible things even though you're just "average", without the resources of a Bill Gates or a Richard Branson.

As I read The Leap, I kept looking back at some of the things I'd like to do and realized that there's really nothing keeping me from moving in that direction. This is a perfect book for someone who has big dreams but thinks that it'd be impossible to get anywhere on them because they just don't have the resources to pull it off. Leap is an excellent read, packed with practical advice and plenty of motivation to step out and make the jump to something that really matters to you.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Publicist
Payment: Free

There are tons of these books out there...how to find the career you want and love your life. Some are full of nonsense. This one makes sense. The book starts out telling us to find our "primary color" or best fit. Good advice, but I kept reading wondering if there is an easy way to do this. Rick Smith provides a free online test that helps with this part. So I went online and found my color. Not a big believer in personality tests I found myself asking "Now what?"

The book then moves into ways people have made changes, and here is where things do get interesting. Smith suggests that break-away ideas, career leaps incorporate three elements: they are big, selfless and simple. The book is full of believable examples, though I have to admit I was still not sold. What idea am I supposed to come up with, and where do I get it?

The last part of the book holds the unique message. Smith tracks the path of career-leaps with an interesting twist. Success does not come from leaping blindly into the night, but from use a spark sequence to get them going. This might mean working half-time at an old job for stability and half-time at a new one to try it out, or perhaps volunteering to test a job for a fit. The sequence means we educate ourselves, experiment with a new situation, and then turn our experience into a new life. This makes sense, and is actually something that makes me think differently about life change. Not just a toe in the water, but also not a dive from the high board.

Finally, Smith takes some time to talk about happiness and life changes. I love this quote "Winning is trying and failing. Winning is finding your own lily pad, your own definition of success, your own rules of happiness. Wining, in a word, is variance, not conformity."

This is not a how-to book, or a find your perfect job book. It does not give explicit instructions about breaking in to a new industry. What it does do is encourage those of us looking for change to take our next steps and start the spark sequence.

I recommend this book to anyone feeling stuck in a career or job. I also recommend this to people just starting to look for jobs, as well as to career counselors.

Elisa Robyn, author of Pirate Wisdom