10/01/2013So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You LoveBook Review By Susan RoudebushNewport, Calvin. (2012). So good they can’t ignore you: why skills trump passion in the quest for work you love. New York, NY: Hatchett Book Group. (273 pages)
When a respected blogger I’ve been following for three years recommended So Good They Can't Ignore You, I read it, and the book reframed my “find your passion” paradigm. What I now believe is that passion typically evolves as one becomes more accomplished rather than before, and the best plan, usually, is to begin with skill identification and acquisition, then apply those skills to increasingly challenging and engaging problems. If you work as a career development professional serving high school or college students who are trying to achieve career goals, or if--like me--you’re sixty and wondering what to do next, read this book. So Good They Can't Ignore You will change your approach to career development, coaching, and counseling.
Second, while most people would love to have a job that allows them to be creative, autonomous, and impactful, jobs like that are rare and valuable. The typical route to acquiring something valuable is to offer something special in return. Newport purports that the only way to acquire a position where you can make an impact on the world, have control over how you spend your time, and exercise your creativity is to master a difficult skill, acquired through hours of work and practice. He calls this “career capital.”
Therefore, skills identification and acquisition are critical keys to success. Perhaps we can better help those seeking their passion if we help them identify and build their skills. As H. B. Gellatt advocates in his positive uncertainty philosophy, be open to possibility. Your future will find you if you give life your best.
9 CommentsLynn Walker Levy on Tuesday 10/01/2013 at 08:39 PM Very timely indeed. I'm preparing for a course that I am teaching in my local adult ed. program. The course is Matching Skills to Career using the SkillScan Online Driver. Perfect entre to my presentation. Thanks so much. Lynn Claire Childress on Wednesday 10/02/2013 at 10:40 AM Thanks so much for sharing this review. We have an Advisors' Book Club here in our Career Services office at Virginia Tech. I plan to suggest this book as our next option, especially since we often talk with students about pursuing their passion. Currently our club members are reading Lean In. Charlene Herron on Wednesday 10/02/2013 at 10:40 AM Thank you Susan for a great summary and for all your years of service with CIS. I have been a user for over 20 years and love the Skills portion of CIS. Which is a good opener for discussion of skills that people may have a passion to use. Susan Roudebsuh on Wednesday 10/02/2013 at 11:03 AM Thank you for your kind words, Charlene! Like you, I love the SKILLS program, believe it to be powerfully helpful to users who do not know their skills or realize their self-worth in the marketplace. Finding a way to build and use one's skills is so crucial to career development. Again, thanks! Kiana Wilson on Wednesday 10/02/2013 at 11:47 AM Thanks for sharing! I will definitely be adding this to my booklist. From what you shared in this article, it makes perfect sense. Even as I reflect on my own career path, it began to take shape only after I had acquired some knowledge and skills under my belt to ascertain what I am passionate about. Up until that point I was simply guessing. Kiana Wilson on Wednesday 10/02/2013 at 11:47 AM Thanks for sharing! I will definitely be adding this to my booklist. From what you shared in this article, it makes perfect sense. Even as I reflect on my own career path, it began to take shape only after I had acquired some knowledge and skills under my belt to ascertain what I am passionate about. Up until that point I was simply guessing. Janet Wall on Wednesday 10/02/2013 at 02:13 PM For those interested in this topic, take a look at the online course at www.CEUonestop.com called Realistic Career Decision Making: I'ts More Than Passion. Jane K. on Saturday 10/05/2013 at 11:19 AM Yes - to all that was summarized. And, thank you, Susan for articulating the message of this book. It seems we evolved, in career development to this "feeling" side of passion. However, our experience tells us that we started with our skills - something we could "do" and developed them - resulting in our "stories." Richard Bolles has concentrated on Skills and still probably has the best materials and approach for understand them, and guiding to the next question, "where." I hope we return to a better balance of Skills + Passion. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.
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Barak Pick on Tuesday 10/01/2013 at 04:27 PM
thank you. that was very helpful.
Barak, Israel