Customer Reviews

Mondays Stink!

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For anyone who feels overwhelmed by corporate life, here is a great little book with lots of practical tips and case studies on how to get more from your work, to discover yourself, and to find greater personal fulfillment.
The writer works for a large global company, which, like many others, has undergone significant change in the last few years.
In simple coaching style, he takes the reader through the many facets of work, its value to both employee and employer, and the ways in which conflict arises and can be resolved.
For me, the central message is that the reader should take responsibility for getting the most out of work, and for looking after himself.

This book is practically the only reason I've stayed in my current position with a national insurance company and been able to improve my performance from barely meeting expectations to far exceeding them since October when I first read Mondays Stink. My first impression of the book was that it gave me the ability to tolerate my job. I found myself referring to it as a resource, hung a few of the bookmarks around my cubicle and noticed people reading them, including my boss. The one that really hits people is the one about how I should surround myself with people who appreciate me (not a quote but that's the idea I got from it). Now I think that message to the readers who stop by my desk actually changes their approach to me and we are all happier. Imagine if they had read the whole book. I would really like more book marks so if my company of several hundred employees don't read the book, they will at least get the message by reading excerpts.  If you sell those separately, I would like to buy more. They could become my own motivational posters for my benefit and visitors.....Thanks.

Martha S.

I've read several self-help books during my career. Carl's book has a major advantage over most of them: it doesn't waste (my) time over-discussing the issues. It's short, to the point, easy to read, and most of all, useful. Buy a copy for your boss.

This book is a very disappointing read. It promises so much, especially from reading the 9 reviews thus far, but delivers so little and is far too overpriced for such a slim paperback. I have since learned that the book reviews so far are all from friends and family of the author and so very misleading. Well, at least here, the 'advice' within is taken--'seek out people who appreciate what you do!

You should first know that the author published this book himself, and in doing so, apparently didn't take his own advice of doing the best job one can, respecting the gifts other's have to offer to any professional endeavor, instead, taking short cuts, readily apparent even from the book's poorly designed cover and uninspired font usage. Not only has the author assumed he can do the work of a professional book designer, but he has substituted the work of a professional editor who could have caught the unnecessary typos, and improper sentence structure, etc. This is again evident in having had an amateur student cartoonist produce very poor cartoons that are somehow meant to help the book. (Yes, I know some people actaully like them!) There are plentiful needless "widows" and even paragraphs at the top of the page (above the cartoons) that are less than half a sentence long only to then carry on to the next page for the rest of the paragraph when there was sufficient room to simply move everything together to the following page.

Anyone in the publishing industry will see its shortcomings al too quickly. It is poorly presented and seems to have been quickly rushed for publish. It seems to be more in line with technical writing for papers, rather than something akin for a real book. Although it starts out well, the careless copywriting errors get very tiresome as one reads further into the book. By the end, I found I was quickly tiring of this book as the advice within comes off as shallow when it's so clearly not followed in producing the author's very own book! An apt (tale-tale) end for this book is it's own back cover's picture of the author, clearly crudely Photoshopped, and even the picture itself is not only blurred, but is poorly lit and dingy as well.

Let me give you just one example of the careless writing and perhaps suggest an alternative that could have been written, had this book either been better produced or at least properly proofed:

Actual sentence (Pg. 12):

"How should a manager communicate a decision he or she might personally disagree?"

Alternative:

"How should a manager communicate a decision with which he or she might personally disagree?"

Ok, so what about the content? The advice given is pretty basic and actually even trite in some spots. I will say there are about 10 pages within that are fairly decent as they at least contain questions that might help one examine one's own work situation, but rather than spend the time and money buying this book, if you really want to get your hands on it, simply read pages 49-54, in particular, if anything.

To conclude, I'll leave you with one of the basic observations within the book: "Important things are rarely easy"! Hmmm.

This book had a whole bunch of ideas that I could start work on immediately. I'm already feeling less stressed out at work.

And I love the cartoons!

This book is a quick and easy read. It was delightful to zip through it and get quick tips, warning signs about the type of employee I might unfortunately be turning in to, and to get advice how to make a quick attitude change! I highly recommend it to anyone whose company is going through change due to the downturn in the economy, and especially to those in the computer industry. Congratulations on a fun and helpful book!

Carl's book is straightforward and easy to read. His personal stories and thoughtful nn the world of work is insightful. As a life coach helping women overcome obstacles, this book offers helpful advice to anyone who is struggling with their career. It is a must as a reference book.

I'm a big fan of Covey's 7 Habits. So I always weigh my preferences heavily on whether books like this (career satisfaction, improvement etc.) are based on sound "principles." My conclusion is yes. You can follow the ideas and suggestions toward career fulfillment without selling out. You can support your comany's objectives AND your own. You can be truthful and honest AND still be a valued employee (meaning that a lot of books try to have you turn on some false personality in order to achieve success). So that hurdle was passed.

Then I want to know if I can actually use the advice. Is based on real situations? Is it something I can take action on? Mondays Stink (yes they do!) was yes and yes on those questions. It is sort of like when you read Dilbert and say to yourself "Wow! Scott Adams must have worked here before." Carl Dierschow clearly has experienced the situations he describes. The suggestions are almost all ones that I feel like I can do to some degree (ie the ones that fit my needs and with solutions that actually help).

Finally, it is a quick read but I'm still keeping it around as a reference (there are 23 scenarios laid out that I envision repeating themselves again in my job).

I work in a big company and found the scenarios quite familiar.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a very easy read but
it contained powerful suggestions and good examples of things to do and avoid. And the pictures were funny :-)

I wrote this book because, as a professional organizational coach, I work with a lot of people who are frustrated with their job feeling like a dead end - unfulfilling, pointless, and unrewarding. I've gathered together a number of specific steps that you can take to change this situation for yourself. The steps are grouped into three major themes: (1) Create a support network for yourself; (2) Understand and take care of your own needs; and (3) Deliver true value to the organization for which you work. I include a self-assessment tool to help you focus your efforts on the areas which will have the most value for you, and a number of action ideas in each area. This is all about creating the career which you can love and will help you meet your personal goals. Isn't it time to get started?