Product Description

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to rise effortlessly to the top, while others are stuck in the same job year after year? Have you ever felt you are falling short of your career potential? Have you wondered if some of the things you do–or don’t do–at work might be hamstringing your ambitions? In The 12 Bad Habits That Hold Good People Back, James Waldroop and Timothy Butler identify the twelve habits that–whether you are a retail clerk or a law firm partner, work in technology or in a factory–are almost guaranteed to hold you back.

The fact is, most people learn their greatest lessons not from their successes but from their mistakes. The 12 Bad Habits That Hold Good People Back offers the flip side to Stephen Covey’s approach in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, zeroing in on the most common behavior that can impede a career. Based on over twenty years of research as business psychologists, the authors claim that the reasons people fail in their jobs are the same everywhere. Only after these detrimental behaviors have been identified can the patterns that limit career advancement be broken.

Using real-life accounts of clients they have worked with at Harvard and as executive coaches at such companies as GTE, Sony, GE, and McKinsey & Co., Waldroop and Butler offer invaluable–and in some cases, job-saving–step-by-step advice on how readers can change their behavior to get back on track.

For anyone seeking to achieve his or her career ambitions, The 12 Bad Habits That Hold Good People Back is a powerful tool for unleashing true potential.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136438 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-16
• Released on: 2001-10-16
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 8.19" h x .86" w x 5.52" l, .71 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Superbly suited to write an authoritative book on career success, these two Harvard Business School psychologists have developed an Internet-based career assessment program used in business schools and have amassed considerable insight into the realities of workplace behavior patterns through their research and executive coaching. In this comprehensive book, they strive for a tone that's authoritative but not too academic, and succeed in creating a thoughtful book that is helpful, though curiously blandAespecially compared to Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, whose market the authors seem to target. Arguing that people can learn from their failures, Waldroop and Butler focus on personal weaknesses rather than successes, identifying a dozen behaviors and attitudes that can sabotage career growth in otherwise talented individuals, such as feeling inadequate, seeing issues in black and white, trying to be a hero who can do everything, avoiding conflict at any cost, operating out of fear, being a rebel or too much of a risk-taker, and losing focus. They describe these Achilles' heels in colloquial terms before analyzing the psychology behind them, using case studies from their practice to illustrate common patterns and show the effect on organizations. Readers who find themselves or their colleagues depicted here stand to gain insight into dealing with their own weaknesses and handling others who exhibit them. The authors' credentials, along with the book's accessibility and right-on positioning, is likely to propel this book onto business bestseller charts, though some readers may wish for a more compelling presentation. Agent, Kris Dahl at ICM. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The authors describe 12 patterns of behavior that keep people from being successful at work. The program relies heavily on case studies of failure that are engaging, though rather extreme at times. They illustrate problems of character that are potentially difficult to solve. Still, there are lots of suggestions and remedies, and the overall message is that failure can be understood if you develop insight about yourself. It's a well done program that will work best for those who are troubleshooting their failures at work and who need some ideas about what might be going on. T.W. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Book Info
A compelling exploration of the behavior patterns that cause people to undermine their careers--as well as specific advice on how to overcome them. For anyone seeking to achieve their career ambitions. DLC: Vocational guidance.