Author Topic: Stepping Up  (Read 3306 times)

Jake

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Stepping Up
« on: July 23, 2012, 11:14:10 PM »
In the middle of this book and I am liking it a lot. It fits in perfectly with what I am trying to get to professionally. I would recommend it to everyone here. Some of the stories don't seem super relevant, but I see what the author is trying show. A little bit repetitive, but otherwise well written.

I'll give a more in-depth review after I'm done with it.

By the way - reading in regular book format borrowed from my local library!
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Jake

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Re: Stepping Up
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2012, 01:18:02 AM »
So I finished this tonight. I'm so happy this book came into my life. It is funny sometimes how things tend to line themselves up at the right place at the right time. I feel that reading this book is certainly one of those times.

There are really profound, yet common sense, truths about taking responsibility, speaking out, and stepping up in your life (professional and personal). All these truths have a multitude of examples thrown behind them from real life - real companies, real people...all documented.

One of my biggest take-aways from this book is that people tend to use things that are out of their control as excuses for their own performance/attitude. Speaking out and providing solutions for these things is a good thing, however, people should also look at themselves and concentrate more on what they can do in their own sphere of influence.We should all ask ourselves: What can I do differently to have a greater impact on the outcome of things that I have influence over right now. People often want more responsibility, yet fail to take advantage of the responsibility they have right now.

I will definitely start doing things a little differently because of this book. I have a good feeling they will work out really well :) I'm fucking excited guys!


Some constructive feedback about the text: I feel that many of the examples were trivialized. The author gave us (a) the problem, (b) the initial point of the person "stepping up", and (c) the result that action brought. There is very little mention of the extreme hard work between points b and c. Sometimes there are years between the two. He does mention things like "failures along the way", but I think that there should have been a deeper concentration on the fact that profound change takes a lot of hard work, determination, failed efforts, and time. There is a small part about this called  "grit" - but I don't think it goes nearly deep enough into the subject. But then again, maybe that is not the point of the book.

Like I said in my original post, I think that everyone can benefit from reading this short book. It is mostly tailored for the professional world, but the ideas are largely the same when applied to such things as relationships or raising children.
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

KnuckleBuckett

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Re: Stepping Up
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2012, 08:11:25 AM »
Nice post.  I appreciate it.

 o-t:

Just a note on something you mentioned.  The local library.  With the advent of ereaders and the internet the local libraries have really become marginalized.  Please support your library(s).  Visit them.  Please for gosh sake take your kids and show them that wonderful place.  You will probably be surprised at the quality of the people and services.  If you can, donate to them with either your time, funding, or both.  In the last couple of years the average library lost nearly a third of their state/federal funding while the need for them has increased dramatically.

Knuck putting away his soap box....