Book Review - Got What It Takes? by Bill Boggs
Category Book Reviews
I enjoy reading about how others have successfully navigated life and their careers. I was pleased to get the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Got What It Takes?: Successful People Reveal How They Made It to the Top by Bill Boggs. While you still have to filter their words and experiences through your own reality, it's a great read for those who are into personal improvement.
Contents:
Introduction - The Reasons for Success
One - The Path to Success: Find Your Path; Get Hired; Capitalize on Luck and Timing; Make Good Decisions
Two - The Mind-sets of Success: Seize Opportunity; Identify Your Drive, Mission, and Purpose; Cultivate Self-Confidence; Strengthen Your Will to Prevail; Defy Category
Three - The Practices of Success: Work Hard; Collect Wisdom; Don't Take Anything for Granted; Take the Risk; Develop Excellent Everyday Practices
Four - The Challenges of Success: Confront Fears, Insecurity, and Other Inner Demons; Learn to Cope with Stress; Allow for Regrets, Failures, and Mistakes; Overcome Adversity; Resist Ruinous Temptations; Keep Your Life in Balance
Five - Advice for Success: Know When to Reassess; Use What You've Got; Industry Advice from the Pros
Acknowledgements
Boggs got the opportunity to interview a large number of well-known and successful people in various industries. There were some names I didn't recognize, but a large number were household names... Maria Bartiromo, Sir Richard Branson, Jim Cramer, Mario Cuomo, Christie Hefner, Matt Lauer, and Norman Lear, to name just a few. The interviews appeared to be very conversational, and the personalities of the different people shine through very well. Boggs took a somewhat different approach than most books of this sort, however. Instead of taking the "person per chapter" route, he divides the book into success components, like working hard, confronting insecurity, and keeping your life in balance. Then for that particular subject matter, he'll pull in the pieces of the interviews that corresponded to that. Seeing how people like Cramer, Anna Quindlen, and Bill Bratton all deal with stress in one consolidated chapter helps you put it all together. Boggs also adds a few "calls to action" on many of the paragraphs, so you don't get to read it all and walk away with no clue as to what to do to put it into your own life.
There is the danger in a book like this to view the people as "perfect", individuals who are hyper-focused and who never make missteps. That's definitely not the case, and there are a few foibles in the different chapters. I think this book works best when you see the underlying principles of importance, paying a bit less attention to the person behind them. There's a wealth of wisdom and examples here, and it's an entertaining read. It's definitely worth reading to see where you need to notch up your performance...
I enjoy reading about how others have successfully navigated life and their careers. I was pleased to get the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Got What It Takes?: Successful People Reveal How They Made It to the Top by Bill Boggs. While you still have to filter their words and experiences through your own reality, it's a great read for those who are into personal improvement.
Contents:
Introduction - The Reasons for Success
One - The Path to Success: Find Your Path; Get Hired; Capitalize on Luck and Timing; Make Good Decisions
Two - The Mind-sets of Success: Seize Opportunity; Identify Your Drive, Mission, and Purpose; Cultivate Self-Confidence; Strengthen Your Will to Prevail; Defy Category
Three - The Practices of Success: Work Hard; Collect Wisdom; Don't Take Anything for Granted; Take the Risk; Develop Excellent Everyday Practices
Four - The Challenges of Success: Confront Fears, Insecurity, and Other Inner Demons; Learn to Cope with Stress; Allow for Regrets, Failures, and Mistakes; Overcome Adversity; Resist Ruinous Temptations; Keep Your Life in Balance
Five - Advice for Success: Know When to Reassess; Use What You've Got; Industry Advice from the Pros
Acknowledgements
Boggs got the opportunity to interview a large number of well-known and successful people in various industries. There were some names I didn't recognize, but a large number were household names... Maria Bartiromo, Sir Richard Branson, Jim Cramer, Mario Cuomo, Christie Hefner, Matt Lauer, and Norman Lear, to name just a few. The interviews appeared to be very conversational, and the personalities of the different people shine through very well. Boggs took a somewhat different approach than most books of this sort, however. Instead of taking the "person per chapter" route, he divides the book into success components, like working hard, confronting insecurity, and keeping your life in balance. Then for that particular subject matter, he'll pull in the pieces of the interviews that corresponded to that. Seeing how people like Cramer, Anna Quindlen, and Bill Bratton all deal with stress in one consolidated chapter helps you put it all together. Boggs also adds a few "calls to action" on many of the paragraphs, so you don't get to read it all and walk away with no clue as to what to do to put it into your own life.
There is the danger in a book like this to view the people as "perfect", individuals who are hyper-focused and who never make missteps. That's definitely not the case, and there are a few foibles in the different chapters. I think this book works best when you see the underlying principles of importance, paying a bit less attention to the person behind them. There's a wealth of wisdom and examples here, and it's an entertaining read. It's definitely worth reading to see where you need to notch up your performance...
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