Your Career Game: How Game Theory Can Help You Achieve Your Professional Goals [Hardcover]

Nathan Bennett (Author), Stephen A. Miles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2010

Your Career Game demonstrates how game theory can help readers to understand and proactively take charge of their career strategy. Authors Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles teach readers to manage the interdependencies and interconnectedness among coworkers, managers, and others in a manner that supports personal career efforts. Then, they show how readers can become better players. The key to learning how to play the career game is "career agility"—in short, nimble individuals are better game players.

Thois book includes conversations with a wide range of successful professionals such as Ursula Burns (Xerox), Stephen Elop (Microsoft), Marius Kloppers (BHP Billiton), Ken Frazier (Merck), and Liz McCartney (The St. Bernard Project), and discusses how their career moves demonstrate elements of a game theory approach to career management. This is a must-read strategic guide for anyone who seeks to advance their career and navigate today's job market.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bennett and Miles present a novel, interesting discussion about how one can achieve higher levels of career success by employing the key concepts of game theory . . . Recommended."—D. C. Martin, CHOICE

"Amidst a crowded field of career guides, Bennett and Miles offer a fresh and innovative perspective on how individuals achieve career success, based solidly upon economic research. Your Career Game is written in an accessible and engaging manner and offers readers intelligent career strategies to help them compete successfully in today's dynamic career marketplace."—Monique Valcour, Professor of Management, EDHEC Business School

"The game is on—study these lessons and win at your career!"—Marshall Goldsmith, best-selling author of What Got You Here Won't Get You There, Succession: Are You Ready? and the upcoming MOJO

"This pragmatic approach to understanding your career is evergreen—no matter the economic conditions there will always be tough competition for the best jobs."—Ram Charan, co-author of best-selling book Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done and author of Leadership in the Era of Uncertainty

About the Author

Nathan Bennett is the Catherine W. and Edwin A. Wahlen Professor of Management at Georgia Tech's College of Management. He is active as a consultant through his firm, Red Buoy Consulting, LLC. Stephen A. Miles is the Vice Chairman, Leadership Advisory within Heidrick & Struggles' Leadership Consulting Practice. He is also a key member of Heidrick & Struggles' CEO and Board Practice, and is a member of the firm's management committee.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Stanford Business Books; 1 edition (March 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804756287
• ISBN-13: 978-0804756280
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.9 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars horrible October 3, 2012

By George Orwell

Format:Kindle Edition

i think that i might have written this book in a weekend. First, create a outline of such a book as your middle school taught you. next, fill in the outline with every high-level concept and career observation of business celebrity that your reading of Fortune alllows. Finally, offset the high level nothingnes by including several unilluminating, uncritical questionnaires under the guise of interviews. oh, appropriate a term to sell product, but otherwise isnt connected to the content.

the result: the cheeze-puffs of career books.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Career Management June 10, 2010

By KBPAQ

Format:Hardcover

This is a great book. I have always struggled with moving from where I think I want my career to go and how to actually get there. I have done the "parachute" thing and read other books on career management but this book really helped me understand how to move things from theory to action. Not only did it help build the base I need to understand game theory, which we all play everyday without even knowing it, it provided the tools to apply the concepts to managing my career. There is a section on how to best leave a position as well. This is something I have tried to do well but I see now that I can do it better, which will help my reputation and legacy and the organization from which I departed; all important things for me. I also liked how the book explains it's not what one talks about in interviews with respect to 'critical success factors' or 'knowledge, skills, and abilities' but rather the employ of these skills to their greatest benefit for my career plan. For me the interviews used in the book to illustrate points bring things from theory to practice. I understand what worked and what did not work when these enormously successful people played their games and can employ that information as I play mine. Lastly, as a manager and game player, I have and will continue to compete and work with people from all walks of life and generations. The insights offered about the younger generations and how they approach the game will help me better strategize their moves as a player. As a manger, I will have a better understanding of the way these generations approach their careers and work. I highly recommend this book.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - realistic advice for your career! June 8, 2010

By T. Griffin

Format:Hardcover

As someone who has searched for many jobs (within and outside of my original industry), and made various moves - this book finally addresses what it takes to get ahead and how to address the challenges of the "competitive landscape"! We typically only think about getting the job and then naturally getting promoted through good work, and don't think about what other factors we need to be considering (such as the mentoring relationships we need to be developing and how to get noticed in your role to get ahead#. Even better, the book contains extensive interviews from a diverse array of successful executives whose own careers are not only educational, but inspiring. As we see a new generation enter the workforce in one of the most challenging economies the world has seen #as well as see individuals have to restart their careers in a new industry), this book is also a tool for getting to that next step. This book changes how you think about your career - it's no longer a simple game of checkers, it's a game of chess and you have to be strategic to get ahead!