Customer Reviews

Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career...Even When You Don't Fit In!

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How many of us have had the challenge of fitting in at work? I have read a number of career related books about left brain/right brain approaches to things, or books tell us to stay the way we are; "just do what you like and the money will come," or, "find your strengths and work with them," to me lacking any sense of how to make money and to get ahead once the person is convinced to accept his or her uniqueness. Great to do that, but then what? That has always been my question. "Outsiders on the Inside" gives us realistic, genuine solutions that work for those who are different among us.

All of the career management books seem to get people into "boxes" that may actually limit their career growth and chance to make it. "Take me as I am," is a disasterous approach to career management and may even lead to heartache and one dead end after another especially for those who do not fit in. I have seen people embrace their skills that were the softer kind, becoming frustrated at not being able to use them in the current business environment.

Speaking from experience as a trainer with a different approach, David Couper comes up with a step by step approach for the odd man (or woman) out. Using his own stories and those of others, he weaves a tapestry using a more problem, cause, solution methodology. Talking about being different, David starts out his story for us showing how he did not fit in while working in Japan, where, he was much taller, did not speak the language and of course, was not Asian. He tells us about companies that were far more traditional in dress and formality, where David had a different dress code and way to communicate with his coworkers. Eventually, he shows us ways where those differences became more than useful to him and aided him in using his differences for the company. David goes on to peel back more and more of the problems one may face when an outsider and the solutions for each.

Differences can be a lot of things. Many of the differences create barriers of communication and acceptance. Differences can be racial, language barriers, personality and dress. David shows how to work to overcome those and other differences. He gives us poinant stories on how others have used those differences to excel instead of failing. He shows us how to discover more of ourselves, to accept how we are different and how to market ourselves and to build a team or network to get us to where we need to be. Are we wanting to be self employed? David shares nuggets of information that will help you get there. Do we want to work on the inside as an outsider? David gives us a variety of ways that others have done just that.

The book also solves some of the problems outsiders have with the interview process. Instead of the dull questions and answers you may see in an interview book, he builds a scenario for outsiders to help them to focus and to get prepared to answer open ended questions. David

Outsiders on the Inside also gives the reader the choice to how to answer much needed career questions to help you get going on your working with the insiders in business and the business world. One story that will give you some insight is that of Andy Worhol. David shows how Worhol took advantage of his talents with something he had that other artists could use. This whole story is worth the price of the book if you apply this in your work with the other solutions in the book.

I can see this book in the libraries of all those who have a different approach to work. For artistic people, those who are 'right brained' in a left brained' company or job, for those who are a little more expressive in their workplace, for older workers, for those with anything that separates them from the pack.

Having worked in Human Resources myself, this would be a great addition for trainers to have in their arsenal. Career counselors could help those who are not among the scientists, accountants, managers out there who need to work. College career centers should have this in their libraries and those who coach others for a living should have this as a reference to share.

"Outsiders on the Inside" answers a lot of the issues faced by anyone who does not fit in. Using your differences to assist in your companies or your customers success is how to make in the world of work and beyond. I hope that David decides to write a complimentary set of books for those in high school or university of other places where people are just starting their journey.

Enjoy "Outsiders on the Inside."

Do you look different than your colleagues? Think differently? Act differently? You're probably an outsider. Possibly you suffer for it. Maybe your co-workers disrespect you. It's tough to have a good day at work. Perhaps you can't change whatever makes you different - your skin color, your accent, your body type. And why should you? getAbstract recommends professional outsider David Couper's book, which explains to all self-professed outsiders how to accept their own uniqueness. Couper says glory in who you are, and turn your otherness into an advantage. He teaches outsiders how to be satisfied at work, present themselves in new ways, get the jobs they want and move inside.

I get a lot of requests to review books especially books on employment topics due to my Career Jockey blog. I'm a reading addict with books all over the place, an Audacity account for my IPOD and of course my Kindle. I can't get to all of them, but I'm really glad David Couper's assistant Loetta stayed after me to read this. It offers advice I haven't found in other books in the job hunting / career changer advice space.

The books title gives you a good idea of what to expect, but book'cover is even better.. There they feature a row of dark suits standing in a row. Then they insert a guy in between them standing on his head wearing a bright orange sweater and jeans. Good word picture.

The book is obviously NOT about conforming. It's about taking your uniqueness and making something of it. The book sets the stage by calling out example after example of people who didn't fit in and succeeded anyway. For example,

-Ben and Jerry, the ice cream guys, were Jewish college drop outs and failures. They made a point of being green when it wasn't all that popular.
-President Roosevelt was in a wheelchair most of this life which he kept out of the public eye. No ones been elected as many times as he was.
-Ellen DeGenerous came out of the closet when she had a very successful TV career. It tanked as a result, but the very fact that she came clean with her audience about her personal life later led to the success she has today as an even bigger star.

Couper gets very practical evaluating your uniqueness so you can consider your options. This includes topics such as self-discovery, marketing, overcoming obstacles you are likely to find and how to sustain this success long term.

I'm going to write a few other articles on this over the next several weeks discussing a few of the topics a bit more in depth so we can get into the nitty gritty.

For now, I recommend this as a resource for someone needing to:

-snap out of the "I don't fit in syndrome,"
-explore options in their career they may not have considered and
-consider options outside the box.

Hope this helps.

Recently, the book, Outsiders On the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career...Even When you Don't Fit in! Was sent to me, from the office of Life Coach David Couper, for review.

The premise of this work is simple: If you don't fit in at your job, you might fit in better at a different company, or working for yourself. In fact, you might be great somewhere else, doing something else.
In this 200-page paperback, Life Coach and Author David Couper provides encouragement to the employee who just doesn't fit in. He also provides simple pointers on personal marketing.

I like books that keep it simple. Dr. David Burns book "Feeling Good" is simple--and it's a profoundly useful text that I often recommend to my clients. Unfortunately, `Outsiders' lacks the same utility as some other titles in the genre, and comes across a bit stale (other books that offer advice on career and personal branding include the 4-Hour Workweek, Crush It!, and What Would Google Do. While simple, these works are cutting edge).

AUDIENCE

In `Outsiders', the Author spends a large amount of the work encouraging the reader that changing careers, while challenging, can also be personally (and financially) rewarding. Good Advice. However, this one idea is a major focus of the text--so much so that if someone is in Barnes & Noble, thinking to him/herself "I don't fit in at my job. I should consider trying something else." That person is already (mostly) past where this book will get them.

While go-getters may find the book ineffective, `Outsiders' is the book that should be gifted to the "misfit toy" of your office. You know the one: He's grossly underpaid. He has an unkempt beard. He's really good at "X", but just isn't a corporate fit--and he lacks the self-confidence to do anything about his life being stuck. Slide this book under his cubicle wall.

THE PLUSSES

"Outsiders on the Inside" is both well edited and well written for a short run, self-published book. In addition, the author solicited short stories from many individuals who succeeded after making a career change, and those vignettes, peppered throughout, are interesting and inspiring.

THE CONCLUSION

Reviewing short run books is always difficult, because the authors have often put a huge amount of their personal time and resources into writing and publishing the works. Hence, giving a less than positive review isn't fun. While I'm rating this book 2.5-3 out of 5 stars, Life Coach David Couper certainly thinks this book is helpful--so maybe my review is off. I'm interested to hear your feedback; what do you think about "Outsiders on the Inside?"

Review provided by http://www.therapycambridge.com
The Therapist's Clinical Guide to Online Counseling and Telephone Counseling: The Definitive Training Guide for Clinical Practice

"Outsiders on the Inside" is a rather unique book on careers by an internationalist, David Couper.

Based on his first-hand experiences and those of others, the author has a central theme running through this book: 'Do not be afraid to be yourself'.

You can be a 'maverick' and an 'outside-the-box-thinker'. In spite of feeling as a outsider, you can celebrate your differences and simultaneously make valuable contributions to a company or society, and be recognized for it.

Don Sutaria, MS, IE (Prof.)
Founder, President & Life-Work Coach
CareerQuest
[...]

Outsiders might look and sound different but they are usually the visionaries, the passionate, the enthusiast, the most creative and they scare the living daylights out of ordinary people. Finally, there is a book written specifically for outsiders. David Couper explains in his book "Outsiders on the Inside" why outsiders feel like they don't belong when they desperately try to fit in to a group. He breaks it down in to situations, how it feels to be an outsider in that situation and then gives you solutions to turn that situation to your favor. Surprisingly, it's not that painful, maybe a tweak here and there or toning it down a bit in order to get remarkable results. I especially liked the last chapter "Putting it All Together" which is like a work book on yourself. For outsiders, this is a way to control and focus all of that creative energy without looking or sounding "over the top".
Practice what David Couper preaches in this book and soon you will not be on the outside but embraced on the inside.

Most job-seeker / career-changer books I've read seem to focus on a series of fairly standard steps on how to construct resumes, troll networks for job information, and ultimately bargain for pay and benefits. However, not many books will cover what David Couper's "Outsiders on the Inside" covers - helping not only those currently looking for employment, but also those who are already employed but feel like they don't completely fit into the company for which they work. In either case, "Outsiders" seeks to help them to find a rewarding opportunity in places and doing things they may not have previously considered.

Overall, "Outsiders on the Inside" is a very informative book. Couper combines the traditional tenets of job-searching and network building with new approaches to these steps, and adding several more which one can use to better evaluate their potential. To me, it seemed as though "Outsiders" read much as Couper might talk at one of his seminars - I almost expected to have him to pop out of the book, sit down with me, and start discussing my employment situation.

After explaining what he means by "Outsider," Couper sets the stage with a question set to help you determine whether or not you might be an outsider, and if so, just how much so. Couper then takes you through a couple of (what I call) "discovery chapters" to refine the concept of being an outsider. It's not until Chapter 7 where a typical job-seeker would get to "the good stuff" - Tools to Sell Yourself, and so on. Couper weaves the Outsider theme through these following four chapters. Sure, it's all common sense stuff, but Couper weaves in the Outsider theme and puts it all together successfully.

I felt that the most important points to take from this book are the concept of looking ahead (outlined in Chapter 11 - Becoming a Long-Term Successful Outsider), followed closely by the overall self-assessment outlined in Chapter 10 - Overcoming Barriers to Success. These points are important...while it's good to focus on getting the outsider aspect to work for you, it's equally or even more important to look down the road and visualize where you're headed in 3, 5, and even 10 years. "Where you're headed" could be anything - work-related, personal, etc. Couper does a grand job of explaining how to overcome barriers by citing personal examples in Chapter 10, then building on the successes for a long-term success.

Like most coaching books, this book includes series of lists. Lots of lists. A reader will get overwhelmed with the lists if taken all at once. I had to be patient and reread to really absorb them, but these lists all seemed like good thought-provokers or recommendations. There are also many personal comments from people whom Couper has coached over time - these comments add some color to the points and lists Couper presents. Additionally, Couper pulls together his ideas with some scenarios to illustrate his points. The scenarios read easily enough, and illustrate ways to both do and not do things.

I'll add that "Outsiders on the Inside" seems to apply not just in the work environment, but also in everyday life. Personal example: during a 5-year segment in my family's history, we felt like outsiders where we lived. We had different social values than did most of the locals; we talked differently; we ate different types of food; and saw events with a broader world view than did most of the local population. I saw how some of my family coped much more easily than did others. Those who coped had unwittingly applied principles outlined in this book; those who didn't cope as well (or at all) seemed to spend five years in Hell.

The only detraction I saw with "Outsiders on the Inside" was that the book occasionally tripped me with some minor editing quirks. Most amounted to missing or seemingly misplaced punctuation or minor grammar missteps - some "British-isms," perhaps? A 2nd edition/printing could clear this up easily enough.

In sum, Couper brings us a life lesson we likely learned in Kindergarten - how to work and play well with others. "Outsiders on the Inside" offers much more by providing a variety of approaches to that end. In some respects, we're all outsiders somewhere in our environment - but some cope much more easily than do others. Regardless, this is a useful book that would be a treasure not just to job-seekers, but also those currently employed and seeking something more or something different from their life. I second the thought of one fellow reviewer that HR types and career counselers would benefit from this book. Lastly, I'd wager that those who are presently (and happily) employed would benefit from this book as well. I know I have!

Not quite 5 stars, but 4.5 of 5 would be closer. Still, this is worth the read!

If you buy only one book on finding career and workplace success, this is the book. It's down-to-earth, simple style makes for an easy read while still packed with real wisdom the author has gained both personally and professional as a career coach counseling hundreds over the years.

The premise is that everyone has gifts, and most can realize and deploy them more effectively.

I like that the book's advice is not black and white, but offers solutions from developing a hobby for creative expression and building that into a business or second career, to moving within your company to a more satisfying job that makes better use your "uniqueness," to changing careers.

Mr. Couper offers many practical tools and guidance for determining our unique talents and gifts, how to best market them, as well as how to simply fit in better where we already are in the workplace be enlisting the support of co workers and bosses. He also has dispels many job, career, resume and job interview myths with his direct experience.

Book is packed with real world examples, easy to use tools and practical guidelines.

I like the unconventional approach and thinking, based on what works, valuable for the new college grad, artist, cube rat, the ladder climber, mid level manager, or senior corporate exec or law firm partner.

Bought a copy for my college graduating nephew, who found very motivating and useful.

My favorite book of 2010.

Ever since I was young, I hung out with the 'misfits' or 'stragglers' as my mother used to call them (guess she didn't realize I was one of them)... so I totally 'get' what David Couper is saying with "Outsiders on the Inside." Having been on the inside myself, I often counsel other outsiders and am constantly met with the "I don't fit in" or "I'll never get ahead because..." mentality. Now that I can just hand them a copy of David's book, that saves me hours of explanation!

What I really like about "Outsiders" is that it's not just some counseling book full of theories. David has lived this, and his personal stories makes this far more 'real' than a psychological text book. It's a practical guide for anyone who wants to be proud of themselves for their uniqueness, instead of ashamed.

This book is a practical must read for anyone looking for a job in these challenged economic times.

What you think you might know about searching, you might not know at all, and might be wasting your time and energy.

As someone who has always walked to a different drummer it is hard to understand a company "culture" from the outside, even if you are already inside! This book is a validation to all of us who are not linear, but must operate in that world.

An easy fast read, with key advice for the job seeker. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and have.