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Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career
How Successful Career Changers Turn Fantasy into Reality Whether as a daydream or a spoken desire, nearly all of us have entertained the notion of reinventing ourselves. Feeling unfulfilled, burned out, or just plain unhappy with what we’re doing, we long to make that leap into the unknown. But we also hold on, white-knuckled, to the years of time and effort we’ve invested in our current profession. In this powerful book, Herminia Ibarra presents a new model for career reinvention that flies in the face of everything we’ve learned from "career experts." While common wisdom holds that we must first know what we want to do before we can act, Ibarra argues that this advice is backward. Knowing , she says, is the result of doing and experimenting . Career transition is not a straight path toward some predetermined identity, but a crooked journey along which we try on a host of "possible selves" we might become. Based on her in-depth research on professionals and managers in transition, Ibarra outlines an active process of career reinvention that leverages three ways of "working identity": experimenting with new professional activities, interacting in new networks of people, and making sense of what is happening to us in light of emerging possibilities. Through engrossing stories—from a literature professor turned stockbroker to an investment banker turned novelist—Ibarra reveals a set of guidelines that all successful reinventions share. She explores specific ways that hopeful career changers of any background can: A call to the dreamer in each of us, Working Identity explores the process for crafting a more fulfilling future. Where we end up may surprise us.
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Herminia Ibarra
41 books52 followersHerminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. Prior to joining LBS, she served on the INSEAD and Harvard Business School faculties.
An authority on leadership and career development, Thinkers 50 ranks Herminia among the top management thinkers in the world. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, a judge for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award, a Fellow of the British Academy, and the 2018 recipient of the Academy of Management’s Scholar-Practitioner Award for her research’s contribution to management practice.
Herminia is a member of the London Business School governing body. She chaired the Harvard Business School Visiting Committee, which reports to the university’s board of overseers, from 2012 to 2016, having been a member since 2009, and served on the INSEAD board of directors.
A native of Cuba, Herminia received her MA and PhD from Yale University, where she was a National Science Fellow.
An authority on leadership and career development, Thinkers 50 ranks Herminia among the top management thinkers in the world. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, a judge for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award, a Fellow of the British Academy, and the 2018 recipient of the Academy of Management’s Scholar-Practitioner Award for her research’s contribution to management practice.
Herminia is a member of the London Business School governing body. She chaired the Harvard Business School Visiting Committee, which reports to the university’s board of overseers, from 2012 to 2016, having been a member since 2009, and served on the INSEAD board of directors.
A native of Cuba, Herminia received her MA and PhD from Yale University, where she was a National Science Fellow.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
May 13, 2009
This book wants to be a self-help book. In actuality it's more of a theory book, with little in the way of practical solutions or strategies.
Ibarra states in the Preface that this book is not for everyone--it's aimed specifically at "the mid-career professional who questions his or her career path after having made a long-term investment of time, energy, and education in that path." Great, right? Actually, probably half the case studies that Ibarra presents describe people who were to my eye quite high on the career ladder, possessing high-ranking titles and running entire divisions of companies. Ibarra seems to define "mid-career" or "mid-level" differently than I would. These individuals made career changes, yes, but mostly to consulting, or to doing similarly high-ranked work at a company in a different industry. Ibarra did present some other sorts of career changers--a psychologist and author who became a Buddhist monk, a Spanish literature professor who became a stock trader and financial advisor, a finance banker who became a sucessful novelist, all of whom are mentioned in the book description, but these sorts of people aren't the main content of the book; there's much more focus on the corporate types. Across the board, all of Ibarra's case studies are exceptionally well educated white-collar professionals, and mostly they are upper class people who can afford to take a sabbatical to explore their options. What about the plumber interested in a career change? Or the real estate agent or elementary school teacher? Those careers have "mids" too, but Ibarra doesn't seem interested in them. Ibarra also doesn't tackle race as an issue in career change, and she only deals with gender so far as the case study participants themselves discuss it (not wanting to downgrade to the "mommy track", or not wanting to settle for a submissive, or helping, "female" role).
The theoretical strategies are interesting, and it's clear that Ibarra has done her research--she's a professor of organizational change who taught at Harvard Business School for many years, so she's well-versed in how to do research. Many statements throughout the book are footnoted to relevant literature, and there's an appendix detailing her interviewing and data gathering methods (a little out of the ordinary for a self-help book, but necessary in a theory book). Her theories about career change make sense, but I just didn't feel that I could relate to a lot of the case studies, so it was hard for me to connect to the theory. I was hoping for more practical pointers, too. Most of the people I know couldn't conduct a career change the way the people in the case studies do.
If you're interested in theories of career change, and case studies of well-educated professionals who undertook successful changes, then this might be an good read for you. For practical advice on switching to a new career, I don't recommend this book--try The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine instead.
Ibarra states in the Preface that this book is not for everyone--it's aimed specifically at "the mid-career professional who questions his or her career path after having made a long-term investment of time, energy, and education in that path." Great, right? Actually, probably half the case studies that Ibarra presents describe people who were to my eye quite high on the career ladder, possessing high-ranking titles and running entire divisions of companies. Ibarra seems to define "mid-career" or "mid-level" differently than I would. These individuals made career changes, yes, but mostly to consulting, or to doing similarly high-ranked work at a company in a different industry. Ibarra did present some other sorts of career changers--a psychologist and author who became a Buddhist monk, a Spanish literature professor who became a stock trader and financial advisor, a finance banker who became a sucessful novelist, all of whom are mentioned in the book description, but these sorts of people aren't the main content of the book; there's much more focus on the corporate types. Across the board, all of Ibarra's case studies are exceptionally well educated white-collar professionals, and mostly they are upper class people who can afford to take a sabbatical to explore their options. What about the plumber interested in a career change? Or the real estate agent or elementary school teacher? Those careers have "mids" too, but Ibarra doesn't seem interested in them. Ibarra also doesn't tackle race as an issue in career change, and she only deals with gender so far as the case study participants themselves discuss it (not wanting to downgrade to the "mommy track", or not wanting to settle for a submissive, or helping, "female" role).
The theoretical strategies are interesting, and it's clear that Ibarra has done her research--she's a professor of organizational change who taught at Harvard Business School for many years, so she's well-versed in how to do research. Many statements throughout the book are footnoted to relevant literature, and there's an appendix detailing her interviewing and data gathering methods (a little out of the ordinary for a self-help book, but necessary in a theory book). Her theories about career change make sense, but I just didn't feel that I could relate to a lot of the case studies, so it was hard for me to connect to the theory. I was hoping for more practical pointers, too. Most of the people I know couldn't conduct a career change the way the people in the case studies do.
If you're interested in theories of career change, and case studies of well-educated professionals who undertook successful changes, then this might be an good read for you. For practical advice on switching to a new career, I don't recommend this book--try The Renaissance Soul by Margaret Lobenstine instead.
June 16, 2012
Rings true, very interesting, slightly academic tone.
Author has interviewed a lot of people who made career changes, mostly around the age of 40. It's basically a critique of the classic "top down" approach, where you start by picking a long term goal, and move from there. She argues that the way career changes happen in the real world is through a series of small steps and experiments, and that people mostly learn through experimentation, not through introspection about "what was I meant to do?" Also, that the transition from one "life" to another is not a single aha moment, followed by wholesale change, followed by unalloyed bliss. Instead she talks about transition periods that last years, and which are often filled with feelings of insecurity and self-doubt.
Definitely worth reading if you have an interest in the subject. She gives lots of examples, and her thesis definitely rings true. One problem I have is that most of the subjects were highly successful to begin with, have plenty of savings, still relatively young, and basically have very few barriers and limitations to deal with. If you're not in that situation, the book can leave you feeling just slightly hopeless.
Author has interviewed a lot of people who made career changes, mostly around the age of 40. It's basically a critique of the classic "top down" approach, where you start by picking a long term goal, and move from there. She argues that the way career changes happen in the real world is through a series of small steps and experiments, and that people mostly learn through experimentation, not through introspection about "what was I meant to do?" Also, that the transition from one "life" to another is not a single aha moment, followed by wholesale change, followed by unalloyed bliss. Instead she talks about transition periods that last years, and which are often filled with feelings of insecurity and self-doubt.
Definitely worth reading if you have an interest in the subject. She gives lots of examples, and her thesis definitely rings true. One problem I have is that most of the subjects were highly successful to begin with, have plenty of savings, still relatively young, and basically have very few barriers and limitations to deal with. If you're not in that situation, the book can leave you feeling just slightly hopeless.
August 31, 2019
Boring and a little unrelateable. All the examples seemed to be of extremely successful people with an excellent network to exploit. There wasn't much for Joe the Plumber to learn about changing his career. It was occasionally interesting to learn how these kinds of changes usually progress and pick out those behaviors in myself - testing the waters, finding a new network, exploring different identities. Still, it felt like it could have been a HBR article instead of a whole book.
January 11, 2021
A really great and insightful book with a modern approach towards career.
March 9, 2020
I've found this book to contain valuable and pertinent ideas/advice, all the more maybe because I'm going through a working-identity crisis and job-frustration.
It gave me some comfort, validating my feelings, reading about the case studies the author pursued and it was just comforting to know the simple fact that these things are normal and that many people are likely to go through them and that it's not the end of the world, as well that there are people with a more complicated personal life that managed to make a shift.
I've found the advice given by the author sound. The 9 Unconventional strategies for career change are solid and backed by good research.
It gave me some comfort, validating my feelings, reading about the case studies the author pursued and it was just comforting to know the simple fact that these things are normal and that many people are likely to go through them and that it's not the end of the world, as well that there are people with a more complicated personal life that managed to make a shift.
I've found the advice given by the author sound. The 9 Unconventional strategies for career change are solid and backed by good research.
March 14, 2023
If you think you can *think* your way through a major career change, you'll think twice after reading this book. Its premise actually is that career changes are primarily a result of action, less of thinking, and often are a result of iterative testing and experimentation with different selves, that ultimately are rearranged to form a new identity. Plenty of relatable examples for the knowledge worker that give concrete credence to the premise.
June 5, 2017
It could have been summarised in half a page in my view and I didn't find any breakthrough-type insight
May 27, 2021
Want to find your next career move? Experiment. Apparently. And skip this book unless you like fluff with case studies mixed in.
September 28, 2017
Considering a career change - read this first
One of the best books on career change I have read. Ibarra does not set out a neat and tidy, step-by-step to do list because everybody's path will be different. Instead, the reader is through the process of change with a variety of research subjects and given a theoretical model that explains why some of these subjects were satisfied after the change and why others failed to make a fulfilling shift.
And then, the book ends with a few principles that will guide a search to a more fulfilling job or career.
In a world where career advice is mostly still given based on the old model of understanding personality type as fixed and rational decision-making as infallible, this approach based on neuroplasticity, human development, and whole-self functioning is a welcome addition to the career change market.
One of the best books on career change I have read. Ibarra does not set out a neat and tidy, step-by-step to do list because everybody's path will be different. Instead, the reader is through the process of change with a variety of research subjects and given a theoretical model that explains why some of these subjects were satisfied after the change and why others failed to make a fulfilling shift.
And then, the book ends with a few principles that will guide a search to a more fulfilling job or career.
In a world where career advice is mostly still given based on the old model of understanding personality type as fixed and rational decision-making as infallible, this approach based on neuroplasticity, human development, and whole-self functioning is a welcome addition to the career change market.
June 4, 2011
Pretty short and dry, but in general a good survey of what people actually go through when changing to a different career. In short, the way to do it is to try different things and iterate.
March 29, 2013
A must-read book on career change.
June 5, 2017
it could have been summarised in half a page
No particular insight gained
No particular insight gained
May 21, 2023
I found out about this book thanks to a Twitter post. It contains a couple of interesting concepts but it’s far longer than it needs to be. Probably good material for an article of the Harvard Business School (the editor of the book) for too much repetition along the book.
The basic concept is very simple: if we want to change our career path in our midlife we shouldn’t overthink about it, plan everything in advance and do a deep introspective exercise as we usually read or listen to career coaches. Instead, it is richer to take it as a work in progress in which we discover ourselves along the way.
One of the strengths of the book is that it stands on giant´s shoulders: Edgar Schein and his career anchors, Ikujiro Nonaka, Carl Rogers, Mark Granovetter (weak ties will help you getting your new job), Herny Mintzberg and more. Having read them on my college years, it was a good refresher to see their concepts presented here.
On the weak side, the author presents many testimonies that didn’t add much value (I skipped them and went directly to the concepts and ideas). Also, the interviews were done from 1999 to 2001, a peculiar moment in the business world (dot com bubble, in case you were wondering). On top of that -in the more than twenty years since the book's publication- work went through multiple changes (LinkedIn, mobile, remote work, etc.) that of course are not present on this text.
In summary, there are more recent books on this topic that will probably provide more value for your time and money.
Some of my favorite's quotes:
“Change always takes much longer than we expect because to make room for the new, we have to get rid of some of the old selves we are still dragging around and, unconsciously, still invested in becoming.”
“For most of us, work is an important source of personal meaning and social definition.”
“Many of our career choices were baked on the desires of our parents, teachers, spouses or unexamined (and often dysfunctional) institutional loyalties.
“It takes on average, three years from the time a person decides to leave the company until the day he or she walks out the door. Those are not good or productive years.”
“Recognize, question, and eventually dismantle some of the basic operating principles that are at the foundation of our working identities.”
“The difference between a job change and a career reinvention lies in a depth of personal transformation that is largely invisible to an outside observer.”
“...how much he had allowed his job and title to define his identity.”
“...his family had already pegged him as a ´finance person’. Without meaning to, friends and family pigeonhole us. Worse, they fear our changing.”
“...our intimates -spouses, bosses, close friends, parents -expect us to remain the same, and they pressure us to be consistent.”
“One of the central identity problems that has to be worked out during a career transition is deciding on the story that links the old and new self.”
The basic concept is very simple: if we want to change our career path in our midlife we shouldn’t overthink about it, plan everything in advance and do a deep introspective exercise as we usually read or listen to career coaches. Instead, it is richer to take it as a work in progress in which we discover ourselves along the way.
One of the strengths of the book is that it stands on giant´s shoulders: Edgar Schein and his career anchors, Ikujiro Nonaka, Carl Rogers, Mark Granovetter (weak ties will help you getting your new job), Herny Mintzberg and more. Having read them on my college years, it was a good refresher to see their concepts presented here.
On the weak side, the author presents many testimonies that didn’t add much value (I skipped them and went directly to the concepts and ideas). Also, the interviews were done from 1999 to 2001, a peculiar moment in the business world (dot com bubble, in case you were wondering). On top of that -in the more than twenty years since the book's publication- work went through multiple changes (LinkedIn, mobile, remote work, etc.) that of course are not present on this text.
In summary, there are more recent books on this topic that will probably provide more value for your time and money.
Some of my favorite's quotes:
“Change always takes much longer than we expect because to make room for the new, we have to get rid of some of the old selves we are still dragging around and, unconsciously, still invested in becoming.”
“For most of us, work is an important source of personal meaning and social definition.”
“Many of our career choices were baked on the desires of our parents, teachers, spouses or unexamined (and often dysfunctional) institutional loyalties.
“It takes on average, three years from the time a person decides to leave the company until the day he or she walks out the door. Those are not good or productive years.”
“Recognize, question, and eventually dismantle some of the basic operating principles that are at the foundation of our working identities.”
“The difference between a job change and a career reinvention lies in a depth of personal transformation that is largely invisible to an outside observer.”
“...how much he had allowed his job and title to define his identity.”
“...his family had already pegged him as a ´finance person’. Without meaning to, friends and family pigeonhole us. Worse, they fear our changing.”
“...our intimates -spouses, bosses, close friends, parents -expect us to remain the same, and they pressure us to be consistent.”
“One of the central identity problems that has to be worked out during a career transition is deciding on the story that links the old and new self.”
October 22, 2023
I really appreciated Working Identity, the Updated Edition, by Herminia Ibarra (and thank you to NetGalley and Harvard Business Review Press for the ARC).
I am 14 years into my professional career in education, but am currently pursuing my MBA to explore pivot options. So often when I attempt to read any business related book, jobs like education/administration/non profit/etc. are not included, and even in my current courses, people often don't know what to make of my background in education administration as opposed to their careers in more traditional business roles. Working Identity actually includes options for people from a wide range of careers, and explains what/how those people were able to alter their goals and achieve new satisfying roles. This might have been one of the first books that I could actually connect with (though sometimes I still find it difficult to find commonalities with the people in high powered manager of giant corporation type roles - I guess it makes sense that high powered positions have more ability to maneuver their employment opportunities and to engage consultants, but it can leave me feeling far beneath any type of connection).
I also really enjoyed the references to the impacts of the pandemic on switching roles. I imagine in a few years we will be able to more distinctly look at the impacts of the pandemic on work (past the Great Resignation and work-from-home).
I am excited to implement some of the strategies Ibarra references throughout Working Identity - and I am interested in digging more deeply into communities of practice to begin my reflection and goals and search for opportunities.
I am 14 years into my professional career in education, but am currently pursuing my MBA to explore pivot options. So often when I attempt to read any business related book, jobs like education/administration/non profit/etc. are not included, and even in my current courses, people often don't know what to make of my background in education administration as opposed to their careers in more traditional business roles. Working Identity actually includes options for people from a wide range of careers, and explains what/how those people were able to alter their goals and achieve new satisfying roles. This might have been one of the first books that I could actually connect with (though sometimes I still find it difficult to find commonalities with the people in high powered manager of giant corporation type roles - I guess it makes sense that high powered positions have more ability to maneuver their employment opportunities and to engage consultants, but it can leave me feeling far beneath any type of connection).
I also really enjoyed the references to the impacts of the pandemic on switching roles. I imagine in a few years we will be able to more distinctly look at the impacts of the pandemic on work (past the Great Resignation and work-from-home).
I am excited to implement some of the strategies Ibarra references throughout Working Identity - and I am interested in digging more deeply into communities of practice to begin my reflection and goals and search for opportunities.
March 23, 2021
This is a brilliant book, which gets to the root of the problem at the heart of making a career change: the idea that you're meant to have an epiphany, and wake up a new person with a clear direction.
Life is messier than that.
Ibarra explores what a mid-career shift looks like, exploring many different permutations around feeling out and making a change. It's a brilliant exploration of the topic, and I would recommend it to anybody thinking of making a change.
My main gripe is one that actually made me scoff at a statement in the final pages of the book. Ibarra writes "So can anyone, regardless of education, social class, or gender, make a major change at midcareer? The [examples contained in this book] suggest that the answer is yes."
Ibarra's case studies are typify a common flaw in this type of book. Everybody has a post-graduate degree and/or is in a place where they get offered CEO roles. Nobody struggles to pay the mortgage, nevermind the rent.
It leaves a taste in the mouth that suggests that "finding yourself" and making a change out of an unsatisfying career is only something available to the privileged and wealthy.
Is that true? Maybe - but Ibarra doesn't seem to think so. It would have been nice if she included evidence of this.
That said, as someone who (despite being deeply privileged) lacks both a graduate degree and Chief Executive opportunities, I found the book hugely illuminating, and believe the insights within will play an outsized role in determining the direction of the second half of my career.
Life is messier than that.
Ibarra explores what a mid-career shift looks like, exploring many different permutations around feeling out and making a change. It's a brilliant exploration of the topic, and I would recommend it to anybody thinking of making a change.
My main gripe is one that actually made me scoff at a statement in the final pages of the book. Ibarra writes "So can anyone, regardless of education, social class, or gender, make a major change at midcareer? The [examples contained in this book] suggest that the answer is yes."
Ibarra's case studies are typify a common flaw in this type of book. Everybody has a post-graduate degree and/or is in a place where they get offered CEO roles. Nobody struggles to pay the mortgage, nevermind the rent.
It leaves a taste in the mouth that suggests that "finding yourself" and making a change out of an unsatisfying career is only something available to the privileged and wealthy.
Is that true? Maybe - but Ibarra doesn't seem to think so. It would have been nice if she included evidence of this.
That said, as someone who (despite being deeply privileged) lacks both a graduate degree and Chief Executive opportunities, I found the book hugely illuminating, and believe the insights within will play an outsized role in determining the direction of the second half of my career.
March 20, 2022
While the subheading of Ibarra’s book is “strategies to reinvent your career”, I picked this up because I was drawn to the concept of a working identity: identity in progress. Even if you (like me) are not contemplating a career change, I think there are worthy insights to be found here.
As I grow into my career I find my identity and beliefs shifting and sharpening — and while my work informs my identity, I sometimes find myself thinking about over-identification and its consequences. Our identities are informed by many different streams, and “we are not one true self, but many selves. Those identities exist in the past, present, future.” Ibbara warns that over-identification to one particular identity can lead to a lack of growth in other areas. She retells a parable of a woman swimming across a lake with a rock in her hand — as the woman nears the centre of the lake, she starts to sink under the weight of the stone. People watching from the shore yell and urge her to drop the rock, but she keeps swimming, sinking more and more. As she sinks, they hear here say “I can’t. It’s mine.”
Besides the talk of careers and identity, I was drawn to Ibbara’s discussion of departures. While she talks about it in the context of the workplace and career changes, it‘s poetic in other ways. Departures from our ‘ought-to-be’ and old versions of self are sometimes hard to recognise. She offers advice on how to act on these signals for departure, and to have the courage enact other versions of ourselves which might be struggling to surface.
As I grow into my career I find my identity and beliefs shifting and sharpening — and while my work informs my identity, I sometimes find myself thinking about over-identification and its consequences. Our identities are informed by many different streams, and “we are not one true self, but many selves. Those identities exist in the past, present, future.” Ibbara warns that over-identification to one particular identity can lead to a lack of growth in other areas. She retells a parable of a woman swimming across a lake with a rock in her hand — as the woman nears the centre of the lake, she starts to sink under the weight of the stone. People watching from the shore yell and urge her to drop the rock, but she keeps swimming, sinking more and more. As she sinks, they hear here say “I can’t. It’s mine.”
Besides the talk of careers and identity, I was drawn to Ibbara’s discussion of departures. While she talks about it in the context of the workplace and career changes, it‘s poetic in other ways. Departures from our ‘ought-to-be’ and old versions of self are sometimes hard to recognise. She offers advice on how to act on these signals for departure, and to have the courage enact other versions of ourselves which might be struggling to surface.
March 21, 2017
Explore! Try! Action!
These are the key words that shake up the paradigm that I've been taught to thoughtfully, logically and methodologically figure out next career steps.
The author focuses on how to go about acting and trying your plans first and learning oneself that way. She "reverses the conventional 'thinking before doing' logic to successfully change careers".
It's refreshing. Similar to the way the education system is flipping how to learn. Instead of going to class for a lecture and doing "homework" at home, they are now focusing on watching lectures at home and then doing the work in groups at school.
In one's life and career, instead of focusing on contemplating what to do ...."only by our actions do we learn who we want to become."
I also liked the parable about a woman swimming across a lake with a rock in her hand described in the book. "As the woman neared the center of the lake, she started to sink from the weight of the stone. People watching from the shore urged her to drop the rock, but she kept swimming, sinking more and more. To the gathering crowd, the solution was obvious. Their "drop the rock" chorus grew louder and louder with her increasingly difficulty staying afloat. But all their yelling did little good. As she sank, they heard her say, "I can't. It's mine".
These are the key words that shake up the paradigm that I've been taught to thoughtfully, logically and methodologically figure out next career steps.
The author focuses on how to go about acting and trying your plans first and learning oneself that way. She "reverses the conventional 'thinking before doing' logic to successfully change careers".
It's refreshing. Similar to the way the education system is flipping how to learn. Instead of going to class for a lecture and doing "homework" at home, they are now focusing on watching lectures at home and then doing the work in groups at school.
In one's life and career, instead of focusing on contemplating what to do ...."only by our actions do we learn who we want to become."
I also liked the parable about a woman swimming across a lake with a rock in her hand described in the book. "As the woman neared the center of the lake, she started to sink from the weight of the stone. People watching from the shore urged her to drop the rock, but she kept swimming, sinking more and more. To the gathering crowd, the solution was obvious. Their "drop the rock" chorus grew louder and louder with her increasingly difficulty staying afloat. But all their yelling did little good. As she sank, they heard her say, "I can't. It's mine".
November 6, 2023
I first read this book (this is an updated edition) when I was having a mid-life crisis about my career. I found it to be really helpful and gave me a lot to think about and try. In this updated edition, she does a "mea culpa" and admits that she had assumed her book was only for people like me at the time. Now she recognizes that these ideas are applicable to those who are first starting out in the workplace (like my son) or those nearing retirement (:like me). After reading this book, I agree that these principles and case studies can apply to anyone no matter where you are in your career journey. In this edition, she also adds summaries, exercises and actionable ideas which I found to be a great add. I also liked reading the case studies of people she has worked with. I could see myself reflected in some of the them and it opened up insights for me as a result. I recommend this book to all of us who are trying to figure out our identity beyond work and discover our "life's work."
Thank you to Netgalley and Harvard Business Review Press for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harvard Business Review Press for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.
January 30, 2020
As the author so clearly mentions, if you are expecting a 10-point plan for career transaction, this might not be the book you want.
However, in what might be missing in practicality, in my view, the author clearly hits the nail in the head with an incredible framework based more in experimentation that introspection, that might help the reader make sense of some of the confusion of the transaction he might be going.
The examples and stories the author showcase in the book, are great and insightful, and although for some people might not be easy to relate with them - in my opinion, the population studied is quite homogeneous which might difficult some intended comparison - I found it some of the takeaways transversal to my own story.
All in all, if you are someone that is going through a period of questioning your current self and looking for some other possibilities, this should be mandatory reading.
However, in what might be missing in practicality, in my view, the author clearly hits the nail in the head with an incredible framework based more in experimentation that introspection, that might help the reader make sense of some of the confusion of the transaction he might be going.
The examples and stories the author showcase in the book, are great and insightful, and although for some people might not be easy to relate with them - in my opinion, the population studied is quite homogeneous which might difficult some intended comparison - I found it some of the takeaways transversal to my own story.
All in all, if you are someone that is going through a period of questioning your current self and looking for some other possibilities, this should be mandatory reading.
March 9, 2022
Mostly the results of the author’s study of professionals (mostly in business careers) who have considered and navigated career transition/reinvention. It reads like the results of a qualitative study and seeks to convey the main themes of how people actually end up changing careers (by trying out new things rather than thinking/planning and then doing) to combat the popular idea that we need to figure ourselves out first via introspection before we jump into something else. Was a bit academic/overt detailed at times but overall worth the read. I found that it helped validate things I’ve been feeling and how my journey in making a major career is going. I do think introspection is valuable, to help folks determine what options align with their values and narrow the list. But I appreciate the author’s emphasis of career change being an iterative process of trying, learning, modifying and trying again.
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July 19, 2021"'Adults are much more likely to act their way into a new way of thinking than to think their way into a new way of acting.' We rethink our selves in the same way: by gradually exposing ourselves to new worlds, relationships, and roles" (2).
"Change always takes much longer than we expect because to make room for the new, we have to get rid of some of the old selves we are still dragging around and, unconsciously, still invested in becoming" (13).
"The hard work of making a career transition includes finding reason behind the emotions, digging deeper to understand our intuitions so we can use them as data, and, if still confused, crafting additional experiments. Thi is especially critical when we are using traditional routes, such as headhunters and outplacement centers, as well as the methods described here to take use to uncharted territory" (108).
"Change always takes much longer than we expect because to make room for the new, we have to get rid of some of the old selves we are still dragging around and, unconsciously, still invested in becoming" (13).
"The hard work of making a career transition includes finding reason behind the emotions, digging deeper to understand our intuitions so we can use them as data, and, if still confused, crafting additional experiments. Thi is especially critical when we are using traditional routes, such as headhunters and outplacement centers, as well as the methods described here to take use to uncharted territory" (108).
April 8, 2020
I have been in the career change mode for about 6 months now with ups and downs. My initial approach was also to plan everything in advance and have my perfect job written down so it is just a matter of searching and applying for the right job.
This book has taught me different and that action and experimentation is the right way to go. Ofcourse you need to have an idea of what the next step will be but the disciplne and the action is the main thing that counts. Also the time we need to take to make the career change should not be underestimated. This book has acknowledged Zach current approach is in line with what others do. I hope other people can also find this encouragement by reading this book.
This book has taught me different and that action and experimentation is the right way to go. Ofcourse you need to have an idea of what the next step will be but the disciplne and the action is the main thing that counts. Also the time we need to take to make the career change should not be underestimated. This book has acknowledged Zach current approach is in line with what others do. I hope other people can also find this encouragement by reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2023
Herminia Ibarra gives a fantastic insight on reinventing your career. She describes the process and the different stages one needs to go through. Very helpful were the stories of study participants who experienced change but also errors.
I specifically enjoyed the part when she was talking about “alert intermissions“ or also known as the pivotal events that we are secretively waiting for because they give us this one meaningful sign or impulse to confirm that we are on the right track. Last but not least, I was positively surprised over the unconventional strategies at the end of the book. This book was everything I wished for.
I specifically enjoyed the part when she was talking about “alert intermissions“ or also known as the pivotal events that we are secretively waiting for because they give us this one meaningful sign or impulse to confirm that we are on the right track. Last but not least, I was positively surprised over the unconventional strategies at the end of the book. This book was everything I wished for.
June 26, 2023
It's not a bad book, but the ideas could have been summarized in a white paper and maybe needed 10-15 pages total. The rest of 150 pages are interviews and repetitions of the same basic statements over and over. I agree with the general theme - if you want to change something, don't wait for an epiphany. Instead you need to experiment, see what you might like and what you might hate, find good new role models and know that big changes are never easy. Some statistics and some first person narratives are good and can be motivational, but here they were simply boring (except for the very first story about a psychiatrist who became a buddhist monk, that one was cool).
November 12, 2019
If you are like me going through a career/identity phase, you need to read this book. Very unbiased analysis of people who have been going through the career change laying out their doubts and the dilemmas. what I enjoyed about this book was Herminia Ibarra's tone and the use of research and data to prove a point and not just support her point of view. I took notes all through the books and have been going back to my notes again and again, Very useful, very easy to read and not a "pop-psychology".
March 28, 2020
Some good nuggets to pick out but too long winded and boring.
Key takeways for me:
- In career transitions, act NOT think your way into a new identity, because you will be a different person at the end.
- Run small experiments with many possible selves to explore new identities in the process of becoming vs looking for your “true” self
- Don’t rush out of the transition stage of contradictions between your current and future selves
- Find people to connect to (these are likely not “strong” connections since those might likely be invested in keeping you in your current identity)
Key takeways for me:
- In career transitions, act NOT think your way into a new identity, because you will be a different person at the end.
- Run small experiments with many possible selves to explore new identities in the process of becoming vs looking for your “true” self
- Don’t rush out of the transition stage of contradictions between your current and future selves
- Find people to connect to (these are likely not “strong” connections since those might likely be invested in keeping you in your current identity)
April 5, 2020
A good book that is both a wake up call and a self-help guide to navigate the process of redefining one's professional identity. The book is built on nine core principles (summarised in chapter eight of the book), and several long-form examples. Herminia provides an actionable roadmap that can be arranged in five macro steps. A good driving tone of the book and call to action are very helpful not to get stuck in the process, yet some of the long-form examples and analysis tend to reiterate the same principles... Probably for better comprehension and retention.
November 15, 2020
career transition book -- but good for any (middle-life?) transition. Broke the good old formula "find your passion --> have a great nice plan --> follow the plan and everything works just beautifully"... This is more like the coherent after-story we made up for ourselves. The process actually is way more messier; you trip and stumble, run back and forth. It also takes longer than one may have thought. But, let's say, it's hopeful. People have done it. By talking to more people, explore and experiment, fail and continue.
February 6, 2023
What I appreciated most about this book is the breadth of real case studies, which the author makes relevant and approachable. The core idea of this book is about “crafting experiments” to explore the possibilities for one’s next career chapter. Iterative cycles allow one to discover and test. It’s also important to expand the network of resources and seek out mentors or “guides.” Figuring it out takes time, even more so for people in corporate jobs where the time to explore is limited and existing networks have little range.
October 17, 2018
Someone I met recently recommended this book to me. I would have liked more concrete tips, though I do understand the basic message of the book. Rather than spending time figuring ourselves out, we should just start doing things - taking action, and making little experiments. She also talked about portfolio careers, where you have a few different things you work on at the same time. I liked that concept. It's good for those of us who don't know what we want to be when we grow up!
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