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The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great
Have you ever asked yourself, "Is this it?"
Maybe you're trapped in a dead-end job that you're afraid to leave. Or maybe you already have a good job-one that gives you room to grow and exercise your talents-but you don't really feel like you're doing your best work. Your life is plain vanilla, yet you know in your heart that you can be a triple scoop banana split. You just don't know how to make that leap.
So what do you do?
Rick Smith knows firsthand what it's like to feel stuck in a career rut. He worked in a midlevel job where he had modest success. Then his life took an unexpected turn and he found himself creating a business that became successful beyond his wildest dreams. He unlocked a level of performance he did not know he had in him. After all, Smith was just a regular guy who didn't like to take chances or even step outside his comfort zone. But as he found out, those qualities don't have to be stumbling blocks. In fact, they're two of the keys to making the leap from good to great.
And after talking to others who had also transformed their careers from mundane to magnificent, he realized that the secret doesn't lie with some mysterious talent, trait, or affinity for risk. And it certainly doesn't require you to quit your job and start from scratch. Rather, it lies with your ability to harness your true strengths and passions-what Smith calls your Primary Color.
You'll meet remarkable people who've made the leap, such as:
A soft-spoken middle manager who transformed her company, her industry, and her career with a simple-yet groundbreaking-idea. A door-to-door fax machine saleswoman who became a global fashion mogul after developing her own line of women's apparel. A Florida shrimp farmer who became a globally recognized genetics expert after both of his sons were diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. A software designer who became a leading advocate for the homeless after volunteering part time at a local shelter and realizing his true calling.
Through powerful anecdotes, lessons from brain science, and tools for self-assessment, Smith shows how, with the right amount of passion, determination, and three simple steps, anyone can make the leap to a more successful and fulfilling life.
Maybe you're trapped in a dead-end job that you're afraid to leave. Or maybe you already have a good job-one that gives you room to grow and exercise your talents-but you don't really feel like you're doing your best work. Your life is plain vanilla, yet you know in your heart that you can be a triple scoop banana split. You just don't know how to make that leap.
So what do you do?
Rick Smith knows firsthand what it's like to feel stuck in a career rut. He worked in a midlevel job where he had modest success. Then his life took an unexpected turn and he found himself creating a business that became successful beyond his wildest dreams. He unlocked a level of performance he did not know he had in him. After all, Smith was just a regular guy who didn't like to take chances or even step outside his comfort zone. But as he found out, those qualities don't have to be stumbling blocks. In fact, they're two of the keys to making the leap from good to great.
And after talking to others who had also transformed their careers from mundane to magnificent, he realized that the secret doesn't lie with some mysterious talent, trait, or affinity for risk. And it certainly doesn't require you to quit your job and start from scratch. Rather, it lies with your ability to harness your true strengths and passions-what Smith calls your Primary Color.
You'll meet remarkable people who've made the leap, such as:
A soft-spoken middle manager who transformed her company, her industry, and her career with a simple-yet groundbreaking-idea. A door-to-door fax machine saleswoman who became a global fashion mogul after developing her own line of women's apparel. A Florida shrimp farmer who became a globally recognized genetics expert after both of his sons were diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. A software designer who became a leading advocate for the homeless after volunteering part time at a local shelter and realizing his true calling.
Through powerful anecdotes, lessons from brain science, and tools for self-assessment, Smith shows how, with the right amount of passion, determination, and three simple steps, anyone can make the leap to a more successful and fulfilling life.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2009
17 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 21, 2009
I wasn't blown away by the book. It had some great examples of 'ordinary people doing extraordinary things' but there wasn't any real "aha" moment for me of what to do. The main premise is to come up with big, selfless and simple ideas, which is great and all but not always necessary. The website test to find my color was interesting, but again it didn't give me a whole lot to work with. Pretty much a typical career/self-help type of book that doesn't really provide a whole lot of answers.
June 1, 2010
meh... Some of the company background stories were interesting, but the rest was just a bunch of business fluff.
January 15, 2010
Anecdotes, lessons from brain science and tools to help you find the future that is right for you. Liked that is wasn't simply about "getting ahead" but instead about finding your individual passion.
July 10, 2017
It can be inspiring but it is not really about "Leaps" more likely slow unexpected rises to the top.
I found it disappointing for that reason.
I found it disappointing for that reason.
February 6, 2010
Easy to read, straight forward writing style.
Emphasizes that a career change can be incremental, building on your previous experiences, and leveraging your strengths.
Measuring degrees of "leadership", "curiosity", and "execution", Rick Smith helps us find our "primary color". This color can help us in determining that "big", "selfless", and "simple" idea we can throw ourselves into. When we find ourselves in the right idea/color combination work is not work but fun and life-giving.
There are "sparks" which can help us transition from our current life into the new idea. These include sampling small aspects of what we hope to do so that we can ease into the new life.
Emphasizes that a career change can be incremental, building on your previous experiences, and leveraging your strengths.
Measuring degrees of "leadership", "curiosity", and "execution", Rick Smith helps us find our "primary color". This color can help us in determining that "big", "selfless", and "simple" idea we can throw ourselves into. When we find ourselves in the right idea/color combination work is not work but fun and life-giving.
There are "sparks" which can help us transition from our current life into the new idea. These include sampling small aspects of what we hope to do so that we can ease into the new life.
July 25, 2011
An excellent book that provides tangible solutions as to how one can find his/her "Primary Color"-- the intersection of one's passion and abilities. The author has also created a free online tool, where readers can discover what their "Primary Color" is.
I would high recommend this book to anyone who's thought, "there must be something better than this" when referring to work and/or life, in general.
I can't wait to discover my "Primary Color" and move toward a complete fulfillment of what I should be doing and what road I should be on.
I would high recommend this book to anyone who's thought, "there must be something better than this" when referring to work and/or life, in general.
I can't wait to discover my "Primary Color" and move toward a complete fulfillment of what I should be doing and what road I should be on.
June 30, 2012
A nice, inspiring book about the power of personal transformation. It includes a number of real-life stories about people who transformed their life - at the same time staying realistic about how these transformations happens. It also provides a framework for testing what is it that you love doing and how to find an idea that will transform your life. Nice, and entertaining, just short of the spark that makes a great book.
November 4, 2009
One of the better books I've come across when it comes to helping you find your strenghts/passion, and even more importantly actionable steps to make it happen. Highly recommended.
September 23, 2019
The brain tries to hold us in place for comforts sake, but our emotional structure is prepared and capable for us to take new steps towards happiness and doing more of what we do best.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews