Authors Vivek and Sunder have made a sincere attempt in presenting a career roadmap for young professionals, condensing decades of their combined corporate experience across industries, consulting assignments and entrepreneurship journey, candidly bringing out the lessons learnt and offering a number of tips, techniques, suggestions for achieving career success in the book HeadStart.
The book is sequentially organised into six sections with emphasis on learning, team work, being a boss magnet, transitioning careers, turning plans into reality and the importance of long term, career goal planning.
First section of the book, ‘Be an Avid Learner’, rightly emphasises ‘learning’ as the starting point of career building and recommends lifelong learning, to remain in sync with technical advancements and professional development at all times. Introducing the Japanese concept of Jugyokenkyu and African concept of Ubuntu as tools for team building and collaborative problem solving, this section highlights the importance of making friends in different departments of the organisation and the need to work on cross-functional projects, thereby building a strong network besides fighting clique culture. Prominence of team reflection sessions and harnessing the power of game-changing micro-moves are reiterated in good measure, observing that corporate life need not be seen as a zero-sum game, and there is enough scope for everyone to grow together.
Grounded in pragmatism
Unlike a regular career-coaching or a self-help book which focusses on theoretical constructs, statistics, acronyms, graphs and pi-diagrams, this book is grounded in pragmatism, aptly worded for easy comprehension. For better understanding, the authors uniquely introduce a number of anecdotal characters who feature in different sections of the book. For instance, Rajnish, a Project Manager at an IT firm in Chennai, is brought to life in Section 2, dealing with team building, but later features in the context of building a relationship with the boss in Section 3 and again when deliberating on turning plans to reality in Section 5. Such a unique narration through a live character makes the readers relate their own experiences.
‘Be a Boss Magnet’ is an interesting section providing tips on “unlocking the boss code” and turning the boss into an ally, and a force multiplier. Deliberating on the importance of receiving and providing feedback, the book also deals with the tricky issue of giving feedback to the boss. On performance appraisals, the authors say that performance reviews tend to build anxiety akin to obtaining grades while at school, with emphasis on performance rather than on learning and growth.
On career transitions, the authors argue against “status quo bias”, explaining that “quitting isn’t giving up, but making room for something better”. Exploring different areas of the industry can improve exposure, develop new skills and expand the professional network. With the objective of accelerating the learning experience, the authors recommend taking up roles one level below the current role if necessary, referring to it as “slingshot move”. However, the authors caution against undue haste in tendering resignations, advising the readers to identify the push and pull factors for job change thoroughly. “Excelling in your current role is the best way to secure your next one” is the underlying mantra for considering a switch. Dwelling on transitioning towards entrepreneurship, the authors caution that it’s not all glitz and glamour but a 24/7 game and hence one should be ready for the ride of a lifetime, without being tied down by the clock. “It’s not about getting rich quickly — it’s about chasing your dreams.”
Art of resilience
On being a go-getter, the book dwells deeply into mastering the art of resilience — from time management hacks to decision-making strategies. Learning to say “No” and harnessing the power of subtraction are considered significant, besides making oneself indispensable in the organisation to shape themselves as lynchpins, rather than a cog in the wheel.
“Expert Insights” at regular intervals — shared by accomplished corporate leaders — is a unique feature of the book, mentioning real names and LinkedIn references, adding more credibility to the narrative. Every section of the book ends with a summary and formal conclusion along “action plans” which make the book a true companion in career planning rather than a routine self-help variety.
The last section of the book emphatically concludes that there is more to life than mere work and career. Strongly accentuating the importance of safeguarding health, wellness and relationships, the book places utmost emphasis on integrating personal and professional lives harmoniously, rather than trying to balance it with difficulty. Demonstrating adequately through various examples, the authors say with clarity that career building is a long term project and, therefore, it is essential to conserve finite resources such as time and energy, just as a marathon runner would do.
In keeping with the nature of any professional help book, formulae such as 2+2 Stakeholder Engagement Plan, Four-point rule, 30:70 rule, Three Ts, 2x2 Push and Pull Matrix, are given, possibly aimed at easy memorisation and quick recall, but they are not taxing on the reader’s mind.
Aptly titled HeadStart, the book is a ‘must read’ for young corporate professionals to adequately arm them with wisdom to plan, navigate and transition their careers wisely and successfully.
The reviewer is a Retd Gp Captain and GM of Madras Management Association
Title: HeadStart
Authors: Vivek Gambhir and Sunder Ramachandran
Publisher: Penguin
Price: ₹395