Michael Goldhaber, writing in Wired, said, "If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won't get noticed and that increasingly means you won't get paid much either. In times past you could be obscure yet secure -- now that's much harder." Again: the white collar job as now configured is doomed. Soon. ("Downsizing" in the nineties will look like small change.) So what's the trick? There's only one: distinction. Or as we call it, turning yourself into a brand . . . Brand You. A brand is nothing more than a sign of distinction. Right? Nike. Starbucks. Martha Stewart. The point (again): that's not the way we've thought about white collar workers--ourselves--over the past century. The "bureaucrat" on the finance staff is de facto faceless, plugging away, passing papers. But now, in our view, she is born again, transformed from bureaucrat to the new star. She works in a professional service firm and works on projects that she'll be able to brag about years from now. I call her/him the New American Professional, CEO of Me Inc. (even if Me Inc. is currently on someone's payroll) and, of course, of Brand You. Step #1 in the model was the organization . . .a department turned into PSF 1.0. Step #2 is the individual . . .reborn as Brand You. In 50 essential points, Tom Peters shows how to be committed to your craft, choose the right projects, how to improve networking, why you need to think fun is cool, and why it's important to piss some people off. He will enable you to turn yourself into an important and distinctive commodity. In short, he will show you how to turn yourself into . . . Brand You. See also the other 50List titles in the Reinventing Work series by Tom Peters -- The Project50 and The Professional Service Firm50 -- for additional information on how to make an impact in the professional world.
This is from a real reader, not some book distribution company looking to promote sales. I bought this book a year into a non-productive and demoralizing career change effort. Not only did it freshen my resolve, it gave me things to do that worked.If you are changing jobs by choice or by force, and especially if it has been a while since you "packaged" yourself to be marketed, you can't lose and will probably benefit a lot from this short little wonder. I owe it a lot. I had a fantastic new position and doubled my salary within two months of reading it.It is so good, I have given a copy to a friend four times in the past year, friends who are as stuck as I was.
This is a dangerous book...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
...if you're serious about personal and professional growth. In his typically no-holds-barred style, Tom Peters scores with 50 (plus) strategies for breaking the shackles of faceless employee-dom and turning you into a rock 'em, sock 'em mini-firm --complete with personal "brand" and a passion for constant renewal....if you feel discouraged in today's business culture. With down-to-earth, "I can do that" tactical suggestions, Peters relentlessy lifts your hopes and revives the dreams long suppressed by "corporate." Like his "live" lectures, you'll feel like you just attended a revival meeting....if you're looking for more than your job offers. The 50 strategies get your juices flowing, help you diagnose your current position, and plan for the future. The chapters may be bite-sized, but they provide more than enough food for thought and reflection. Read it with savor....because it can change your life! This book played a key role helping me decide to quit my job and reach for what I really want to do. Read at your own risk!
Fight Club with out losing your teeth
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Tom beats you up. He knocks you down and points out where you are weak. But when he is done you definately don't ever want to wear that mediocre suit to work again. His chapters are short and his homework is frightenly creative and challenging. I think it takes about a minute to read a chapter and a day(at least) to tackle his to do lists. Each to do is a groaning soul searching question that drags you down and lifts you up with a euphoric (and addictive)self-realization.I decided to buy Tom's book after reading about a fifth of it in the book store. I described it to a new member of my Brand Me inner circle as a book I had to buy after I wrote down two quotes and laughed out loud three times.The part I like the most about !'s book is the reaction I get from my inner circle when I share my things to do. "That is very very cool", "Storms, hurricanes, fires, natural disaster are churning in my belly after talking to you about it", "This is really exciting I am so eager to get started" are a few comments I have gotten since I started working on my brand.Tom's book reads like he wrote it after 6 cups of coffee on a trans-atlantic flight and it probably was. So it doesn't flow as well it could. Also, if he really wanted people to take action as quickly as he says he does it would have helped to have some room to write right there in the book. I definitely recommend a workbook edition.With a shortage of a million IT workers in the world it only makes sense that everybody start asking why they aren't doing what they absolutely love doing. Tom's book is a guide to start doing it.Cheers, Kieran
Just read it
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Ever since he first blew my mind with "in Search of Excellence", Tom Peters has been on my "must read" list. He combines the utterly brilliant with the utterly obvious, fusing the two into the most powerful, most compelling vision of the possibilities of business I have ever encountered. I want to live in Tom's world, a world where work has meaning, purpose, passion and joy. "The brand you 50", is the latest chapter in this ongoing quest. If you have read his previous books, you will find no surprises, if you haven't, then read this book drunk, because he is going to scare the hell out of you. (and -maybe- set you free). In the book, Mr. Peters gives a list of things that an individual can do to thrive in the new economy. This is the Tom Peters vision of the world boiled down to its most pragmatic form. The author's views on what it takes to succeed has changed radically since "In Search of Excellence", but his absolute love for the topic burns hotter than ever. The only thing he could have done better would have been to combine "The Brand You 50", "The Project 50", and the "Professional Service Firm 50" into one book, instead of making me make three (expensive) trips to the bookstore.
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