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The Career Manifesto: Discover Your Calling and Create an Extraordinary Life
An action-oriented guide to help anyone find their calling and achieve their goals, inspired by the author's popular blog post with the same title
The Career Manifesto presents an inspiring and refreshingly simple approach to finding your passion and purpose and then jumpstarting a dream career to achieve those, by asking three essential questions:
- What do you want your impact to be?
- What are the potential pathways that move you towards your purpose?
- How can you hold yourself accountable for your goals?
Award-winning CEO of XO Group and sought-after speaker, Michael Steib, draws on his own diverse work experience and career highlights as well as powerful anecdotes from other successful business leaders to offer expert guidance, field-tested advice, and interactive exercises that will help you answer these three key questions, envision a goal and then craft and execute a plan to achieve it. For young professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives seeking more purpose and meaning in their work and lives, The Career Manifesto is the essential way to build--and follow through on--an effective plan to excel at whatever job, project or career goal you put your mind to.
The Career Manifesto presents an inspiring and refreshingly simple approach to finding your passion and purpose and then jumpstarting a dream career to achieve those, by asking three essential questions:
- What do you want your impact to be?
- What are the potential pathways that move you towards your purpose?
- How can you hold yourself accountable for your goals?
Award-winning CEO of XO Group and sought-after speaker, Michael Steib, draws on his own diverse work experience and career highlights as well as powerful anecdotes from other successful business leaders to offer expert guidance, field-tested advice, and interactive exercises that will help you answer these three key questions, envision a goal and then craft and execute a plan to achieve it. For young professionals, entrepreneurs, and creatives seeking more purpose and meaning in their work and lives, The Career Manifesto is the essential way to build--and follow through on--an effective plan to excel at whatever job, project or career goal you put your mind to.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2018
136 people are currently reading
1205 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 1, 2018
Initial thoughts: I gained so much from reading The Career Manifesto. At first, I wasn't sure if this would be a book for me because 9 to 5 jobs don't appeal to me. Curiosity compelled me to listen to the audiobook anyway. I was pleasantly surprised that this books can be applied to so many different trajectories, whether you're employed, freelance, volunteer full-time or seek other ways to work and/or generate an income.
A lot of the information wasn't new to me but I appreciated how Mike Steib broke things down into actionable steps. For example, he talked about the importance of forming new habits in the pursuit of our goals, then went on to give examples on how we can immediately apply this to our lives.
Through The Career Manifesto, Steib also challenges readers to commit to an unusual path because "if you do what everyone else does, you'll get what everyone else gets." This, for me, was a timely reminder. Doing things differently can feel lonely at times but knowing our goals will keep us going.
Best of all, Steib's focus isn't merely on helping individuals achieve their career goals but to have a positive impact on others in the process. He re-calibrates beliefs such as money is not the root of all evil but that it's free of value; it's a tool that can help us get where we want to. What can be evil is if we exploit others in order to gain it. With that, he noted that "sales is helping to solve someone's problems by tailoring your solution to their needs." He explains under which circumstances we tend to sell (even if no money is involved), offered steps to improve our methods, and at which point it's time to move on and offer our solution to someone else).
A lot of the information wasn't new to me but I appreciated how Mike Steib broke things down into actionable steps. For example, he talked about the importance of forming new habits in the pursuit of our goals, then went on to give examples on how we can immediately apply this to our lives.
Through The Career Manifesto, Steib also challenges readers to commit to an unusual path because "if you do what everyone else does, you'll get what everyone else gets." This, for me, was a timely reminder. Doing things differently can feel lonely at times but knowing our goals will keep us going.
Best of all, Steib's focus isn't merely on helping individuals achieve their career goals but to have a positive impact on others in the process. He re-calibrates beliefs such as money is not the root of all evil but that it's free of value; it's a tool that can help us get where we want to. What can be evil is if we exploit others in order to gain it. With that, he noted that "sales is helping to solve someone's problems by tailoring your solution to their needs." He explains under which circumstances we tend to sell (even if no money is involved), offered steps to improve our methods, and at which point it's time to move on and offer our solution to someone else).
February 19, 2018
This book is exemplified by a quote given in Chapter 13 by Teddy Roosevelt, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” The Career Manifesto is a well-written book that takes you through the journey of finding your passion and then doing it well. It focuses mainly on being successful in business & corporate America, however, as a stay at home mom, I found it very helpful and applicable in many areas.
This book covers everything from distilling your purpose, being productive, time management, meetings ("adult detention,") email, working with people, and happiness. In a chapter on habits, I thought it was interesting to note that our willpower is exhaustive. So we shouldn’t tackle all the hard stuff at once. He has great ideas on how to become more efficient with email, such as using filters to move certain emails to other folders. He cautions to not use email as your To-Do list. (Instead, use an online list taskmaster like Google Tasks.) He is also a big fan of using index cards to jot notes & ideas on. There is also a great chapter titled, “Get Sh*t Done.”
Author Mike Steib writes in a down to earth style and incorporates many quotes, personal stories and funny anecdotes that will keep your attention. I loved the dedication and will leave you with that, “This book is dedicated to you. You are capable of amazing things, and the world needs you.”
This book covers everything from distilling your purpose, being productive, time management, meetings ("adult detention,") email, working with people, and happiness. In a chapter on habits, I thought it was interesting to note that our willpower is exhaustive. So we shouldn’t tackle all the hard stuff at once. He has great ideas on how to become more efficient with email, such as using filters to move certain emails to other folders. He cautions to not use email as your To-Do list. (Instead, use an online list taskmaster like Google Tasks.) He is also a big fan of using index cards to jot notes & ideas on. There is also a great chapter titled, “Get Sh*t Done.”
Author Mike Steib writes in a down to earth style and incorporates many quotes, personal stories and funny anecdotes that will keep your attention. I loved the dedication and will leave you with that, “This book is dedicated to you. You are capable of amazing things, and the world needs you.”
July 3, 2018
As far as self-help books go, I found this to actually be quite useful. While it doesn't cover any revolutionary ground, I appreciated that this book provides some good tips for a full range of life goals, from doing good work (and making sure that your work is aligned with your personal values), to getting engaged in community work, building a meaningful network of friends and professional contacts, and taking care of your physical and mental health. Each chapter has some very practical tools or frameworks that you can apply, and I actually enjoyed going through the authors' exercises for thinking through the kind of impact you'd like to have with your life. Overall, a solid opportunity to recalibrate on your life goals.
May 3, 2018
As you grow older, it becomes all too easy to compromise with your goals, re-adjust your aims and settle for a comfortable life of anonymity. And that is not exactly bad, it's called growing up. But Mike Steib is here to tell you, that each and every one of us can and should live an extraordinary life filled with purpose and fulfillment and should settle for nothing less than that. The book is a crisply written manifesto, a set of rules and steps that spell out how exactly we can aim for and reach our goals. With the help of a series of logical steps and tools the book helps you to identify what your goals are, what kind of impact you want to strive for, what your purpose is, how to tame the networking beast, how to get the mentor-ship you need from your boss and more such invaluable tips. If you are looking to re-evaluate your career road-map and give it a boost, look no further, lots of wisdom in these pages.
February 26, 2018
Listened to the audio book and really enjoyed it. Lots of practical stuff, some of which I'm already trying to apply. I think my fave would be zero-summing your day. And it's also a pretty funny book. Morever, Mike Steib's a very good reader. He kept my attention, and I was highly entertained. This feels like a book that could be a classic.
February 14, 2018
It’s the first self-help/business book that I was genuinely sad when it ended. Highly recommend the audiobook - Mike Steib is truly inspiring and I believe the content is highlighted by him reading it to you.
April 8, 2018
4 Stars.
I enjoyed this book a lot and learned a lot. I liked that Mike provided a lot of tools to increase one's productivity and the questions one can ask of their mentors/supervisors/managers of how to improve themselves. I think what I appreciated was the honesty Mike encourages, especially when you're starting to map where you want to be and how to get there. There's a lot of emphasis on being non-judgemental towards yourself and where you currently are. Overall an excellent read that I would recommend to everyone.
I enjoyed this book a lot and learned a lot. I liked that Mike provided a lot of tools to increase one's productivity and the questions one can ask of their mentors/supervisors/managers of how to improve themselves. I think what I appreciated was the honesty Mike encourages, especially when you're starting to map where you want to be and how to get there. There's a lot of emphasis on being non-judgemental towards yourself and where you currently are. Overall an excellent read that I would recommend to everyone.
October 20, 2019
I tried. Pointless.
November 4, 2025
This was okay, got half way only to find out it was kind of a waste of time. Poor writing and he’s way too focused on imposing his ideas or techniques that worked for him, but not necessarily backed by credible sources.
Overall, I’d recommend to someone who hasn’t read nor experienced any sort of self discovery. To sum it all: set your priorities straight!
Overall, I’d recommend to someone who hasn’t read nor experienced any sort of self discovery. To sum it all: set your priorities straight!
November 27, 2019
I credit this book with reigniting my passion for reading and life in general. It’s more than a professional self-help book— it’s a structure for thinking about your goals and productivity beyond the workplace. It made me rethink the direction in which I saw my career going.
May 14, 2024
This is a book for Type A people. If you don’t like to be busy, if you don’t have extreme career goals in the corporate world, don’t pick up this book because you will probably roll your eyes at some things. That being said, if you are those things with big dreams, then this book can feel like a hug. I felt like I was hearing from someone who really cared about my dreams and that was sweet. I love that the author made a point to make the book feel inclusive. I feel some self-improvement books have a clear audience, but this one felt like it was directed at me up until chapter 10.
The sales (ch.10) and meeting (ch.11) chapters seemed useless to me based on my personal reasoning for picking up the book. He was presenting it like he really wanted the reader to work in sales. And also the meeting chapter was so on the nose. Maybe because I don't take meetings in my current circumstances. The examples were too specific to being a salesman instead of selling yourself. I would have preferred if he focused on personal branding than pitching ideas/goals. The examples were majority product based. And the meeting chapter had great tips, but if I needed them, I think I would turn to an article instead. I was looking for dream career advice and these chapters weren't really phrased like finding your career. They were phrased like I'm already in my career and this is how to improve in a corporate position, which again, was too specific. I felt I was 60% into the book and he lost the plot. But we got back on track and I enjoyed the last chapter.
The sales (ch.10) and meeting (ch.11) chapters seemed useless to me based on my personal reasoning for picking up the book. He was presenting it like he really wanted the reader to work in sales. And also the meeting chapter was so on the nose. Maybe because I don't take meetings in my current circumstances. The examples were too specific to being a salesman instead of selling yourself. I would have preferred if he focused on personal branding than pitching ideas/goals. The examples were majority product based. And the meeting chapter had great tips, but if I needed them, I think I would turn to an article instead. I was looking for dream career advice and these chapters weren't really phrased like finding your career. They were phrased like I'm already in my career and this is how to improve in a corporate position, which again, was too specific. I felt I was 60% into the book and he lost the plot. But we got back on track and I enjoyed the last chapter.
January 5, 2019
I thought this book would be very good for someone who is not happy with their career or wants to change their career path. The beginning had some good activities/thought exercises which if you take seriously have the potential to change your approach to life.
The book then went into some techniques/practices for having a successful career. This section is good for those who are currently in a career which are looking to advance.
I did enjoy the style of Mike Steib as he did not take himself too seriously and allowed some of his personality to come through in the jokes he made in the book.
I have already recommended this book to a couple of friends. It is applicable whether or not you are happy with your career (the first part is just less applicable if you enjoy your career).
The book then went into some techniques/practices for having a successful career. This section is good for those who are currently in a career which are looking to advance.
I did enjoy the style of Mike Steib as he did not take himself too seriously and allowed some of his personality to come through in the jokes he made in the book.
I have already recommended this book to a couple of friends. It is applicable whether or not you are happy with your career (the first part is just less applicable if you enjoy your career).
February 23, 2019
The quality of the individual sections of this book only deserved 3* in my opinion, but the organic whole of this book is greater than the sum of its parts. Mike Steib really has written a manifesto for living a professional and personal life that you want to live, and it is highly practical, about as practical as possible.
From the Impact Map to the Happiness Matrix to the Eulogy to the Career Roadmap to strategies for time management and productivity, this book is a true whole guide. I will personally use a lot of it. The tone was a bit rough around the edges though, and doesn't really convey a great deal of a sense of humanity. Mike Steib is here to help you accomplish your goals. He doesn't care about anything else. And that's ok.
From the Impact Map to the Happiness Matrix to the Eulogy to the Career Roadmap to strategies for time management and productivity, this book is a true whole guide. I will personally use a lot of it. The tone was a bit rough around the edges though, and doesn't really convey a great deal of a sense of humanity. Mike Steib is here to help you accomplish your goals. He doesn't care about anything else. And that's ok.
June 24, 2025
I really appreciated the ideas in The Career Manifesto, especially the concept of creating an Impact Map and comparing it with your Happiness Matrix. It was a great reminder to pause and be intentional about career choices, rather than simply going through the motions or accepting a job offer just because it’s there. The book encourages you to consider how each decision aligns with the legacy you want to leave behind.
While it doesn’t introduce groundbreaking concepts, it’s a worthwhile read if you’re looking to reset, reflect, and recalibrate your career path. A solid resource for anyone wanting to take a step back and refocus.
While it doesn’t introduce groundbreaking concepts, it’s a worthwhile read if you’re looking to reset, reflect, and recalibrate your career path. A solid resource for anyone wanting to take a step back and refocus.
December 16, 2018
One of the best career/life’s calling planning books I’ve read. What is unique about this book is that Steib shares a lot of practical tips on how to navigate and find your calling. You still have to do all the work of course, but he gives a good framework and lens to view the career path. He gives great resources on how to communicate effectively as well - while his tactics are more suited to large enterprises than in NGOs, it is still very useful. I’d highly recommend for all folks in the early stages of their careers to read this.
June 9, 2021
I thought this might have a mostly corporate angle but it ended up covering much more than what a corporate career could look like. From defining your goals and impact, how to work with others, prioritize, build healthy habits, set yourself up for success up to making friends and being happy. I could see myself reading it again in a few years. The last 40ish pages didn’t grasp my attention as much but the test was spot on!
August 7, 2025
While this book was well written, I don’t think it lived up to its subtitle and my expectations. I was expecting a book that would help me set intentions for my career and subsequent personal development, and I think the first quarter of the book kind of did that, but the rest of the book focused on tips for how to be better at my job and how to manage my well-being, which I did not need nor want sadly.
February 21, 2020
Great book - informative yet a pleasure to read. Many dogmas that are cited are quite commonplace, especially the chapters on productivity, but Steib gives it a structure, an order that has helped me out.
Enjoyed some fresh pointers: write your own eulogy for example. I have been looking at the Impact map and it has cleared out uncertainties when I had some.
Enjoyed some fresh pointers: write your own eulogy for example. I have been looking at the Impact map and it has cleared out uncertainties when I had some.
August 29, 2021
Great book overall. I was looking for a more ‘’find your purpose-y’’ book. It would have been more accurately titled : how to be good a being a business person.
Most of the book covers, still very useful and relevant, information such as how to have productive meeting, prioritizing, being a productivity machine, and so on. Not quite “discover your calling’’ the cover promises.
Quite helpful read if you are starting in your career and aren’t reading business books regularly. Otherwise, it might get a bit redundant, but great read anyways, the author is quite funny!
Most of the book covers, still very useful and relevant, information such as how to have productive meeting, prioritizing, being a productivity machine, and so on. Not quite “discover your calling’’ the cover promises.
Quite helpful read if you are starting in your career and aren’t reading business books regularly. Otherwise, it might get a bit redundant, but great read anyways, the author is quite funny!
November 4, 2022
The book gives excellent exercises at its start and shares good insight in the second part, but I lacked more hands-on exercises — as the ones supplied by the book are fantastic in getting to know oneself better. I'm currently moving my career based on the result of this book, and this, by itself, shows how important it has been.
December 18, 2024
Great jumping off point for those interested in doing something more aligned with their interests and/or improving the way they work. I agree with just about all the details in this book and it does a great job reinforcing the fact that there are always ways to be more intentional about being your best.
May 1, 2018
This book is great since it summarizes many tips in life and work, most of them are practical and useful if anyone can do it. That said, even you put everything he said in this book into real practice, it most likely will not change your life/work in a major way.
August 14, 2018
Good information. Perhaps a little too much ego stroking and the "I think I know you" introduction turned me off. Overall, I'm happy Mike included a holistic approach to career success (including topics like sleep) because everything we do affects everything else.
February 28, 2019
A great book for how to think about your career by a guy that's clearly very smart and knowledgeable. Enjoyable read. The only reason that I'm only giving it 4 stars is that a few months on, I can barely remember any of his advice, so I guess to wasn't that "sticky".
May 12, 2019
I have recently been reading several books on forming habits, patience, consistency and so on. I think this book puts everything into a very nice framework and how to use these tools to get the best out of your life and career.
November 6, 2024
This book started off incredibly compelling and relatable and then it really fizzled out for me after the first few chapters. There was a point when I felt like this book was written for me at exactly the time when I needed it, but now after finishing I am really not sure I could ever recommend it.
February 23, 2018
Some of the information is what you hear everywhere, but there are some good points.
May 9, 2018
A mix of productivity, roadmapping, mindfulness and inspiration. The first half is better than the second.
September 5, 2018
Good, practical advice on all sorts of things from developing a good sleep habit, to how to identify the impact you want to have on the world along with an action-plan to get there.
October 7, 2018
Action packed with habits and tips that will help you re-invigorate your career roadmap.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews