Customer Reviews

Reinvent Your Work: How to Rejuvenate, Revamp, or Recreate Your Career

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This is a book that is based on an interesting idea, a practical step by step guide to help you devise the steps for a transformation in your career. Not what the transformation should be or if you want to do it, but once you have made the decision, helpful hints and guides as to the steps involved in getting there. She sites examples for personal to corporate level transformations which for me as a small business owner were very interesting and touch many salient points. The interviews with other business people provide informative and encouraging stories and provide a nice narrative closure to each chapter. However, the author then pairs each separate story with one of her own transformation. Once would have been OK, but she does it too often to be anything but arrogant and repetitive. And indeed this is often the problem with the writing of the book in general. It is so deeply redundant that it took a great deal of discipline to not start skipping around and skimming the material which would have been a shame. Because as bad as it is, nestled in all the redundant repittiions, (maybe I should say that again!) there are a few good ideas that are worthy of the read. The author's last transformation was to become a writer and public speaker and while I have no doubt that she is a talented and persuasive salesperson (she did talk someone into publishing this book), she is not a very good writer and would have done better to have collaborated with someone who is.

Reinvent Your Work is an intriguing read. Felicia Zimmer explores ways to reinvent work. There are five basic "patterns" for recreating work they are as follows:

Reinvigorate your job
Change Jobs within your company
Enhance your business' offerings or approach
Transition your business
Start a new business within your company

One of the neat concepts in Reinvent Your Work is there in fact multiple ways to accomplish a reinvention (the list above). Another neat concept is that a reinvention can be at a corporate level rather then just a personal reinvention.

Some other books on reinvention "activities" make your take personality tests and other self diagnosing activities. The end result is a self diagnosis without necessarily insight into how to reinvent or how to get to your reinvention. Reinvent Your Work also profiles individuals and how they went through the reinvention process, which was quite insightful.

I think that Reinventing Your Work takes an extremely pragmatic approach to helping you unearth your reinvention, define how to get it done, keep it on track and monitor when it is time for the next reinvention. Reinvent Your Work is not a one size fits all approach to reinvention.

If you pick this book up (and you should) be ready to do some serious thinking about who you are, what you really want and defining a path to get there.

Reinvent Your Work is more than the all-too-prevalent "help me find a job" resource by career coaches, psychologists, and journalists. Felicia Zimmerman uses her years of experience as a mentor, coach, and consultant to present an integrated picture of career and corporate evolution. That's what Zimmerman's five reinvention options are all about!

If your company truly believes that their employees are their most valuable asset, you or your leaders will appreciate how this book recognizes the inextricable link between the individual and the business. Forget terms like "skunk works", "thinking out of the box", and "breaking glass", this book is a classic road map of career and corporate transformation. Not a quick read that you put on the book shelf but an invaluable resource that you keep in your desk and consult when facing both opportunities and challenges.

Reinvent Your Work is an beautifully written book which will provides an excellent map for you to take control of your career. It's also incredibly timely. More than ever before, workers need to be responsible for their careers, and that's precisely what the seven steps outlined require of us. As such, this title isn't a quick fix or one minute tome on how to change jobs or industries or turn around your business. It doesn't tell you how to write the perfect resume or job letter or present facile tips on how to interview flawlessly. This handbook also doesn't focus on your psychological problems or personality type, which are often irrelevant to the workplace. Instead, Reinvent Your Work helps experienced corporate managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and MBAs determine whether they need to reshape their jobs or businesses, the goals that need to be set, and the manner to best achieve these work ideals.

Over the past several months and especially since September 11, I've observed a marked deterioration in attitude among both my colleagues and clients. Frequently, they become impatient with their progress and even lose confidence in their abilities. While I understand that the ongoing war troubles many of us, I've found that Chapter 8, "Managing Your Attitude" is a tremendous antidote to these feelings. As a result, I recommend that individuals who feel powerless read this section of the book as soon as possible.

Perhaps the events of September 11 and their aftermath will forever change our lives. Maybe as a nation, we'll become more concerned with things of substance-what we value, how we treat others, and what we seek to accomplish in life. Possibly material possessions, self-centered ambition, and hype in all its forms will be less important. Reinvent Your Work is a reflection of what we can become. If you're thoughtful, intelligent, and determined to shape your own future, this book is a must. I urge you to buy it, read it, and keep it handy as you undertake your career reinvention journey.

As a recent MBA graduate, Reinvent Your Work is an excellent road map to find your work ideal. Throughout the book Zimmerman peppers you with questions. With each answer you move closer to your ideal work.

My suggestion is to read chapters 1 and 2 taking notes of the questions that you need to consider. Next, put the book down and consider these questions for about a week. After you have written down the answers, read chapter 3 while taking notes. Again, put down the book and consider the questions for about a week. Continue this process until you complete the book.

Once you have completed the book, you will have a clear understanding of your work ideal and most importantly how to get there.

Reinvent Your Work is straightforward advice on how to reinvent your career. Takes you step-by-step through the reinvention process. Written such that you feel you are sitting down over lunch with the author. Real-life anecdotes are compelling.