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Learn moreUp Is Not the Only Way
Rethinking Career Mobility
Move up or move out. When those two options appear to be the only ones, dissatisfaction grows and engagement suffers. In decades of studying careers around the globe, Beverly Kaye, Lindy Williams, and Lynn Cowart have found that, in fact, there are more options. And rethinking career mobility can lead you to them!
Career mobility isn't just about moving to a new city or country. It's about stretching, learning, and transforming. Whether you're working on your own career or you're a manager, a mentor, or a coach helping others, Up Is Not the Only Way offers you six ways to build successful mobile careers.
Keep the same job but discover multiple ways to learn and grow while staying in the same place. If a new job in the same company is in the cards, experiment and test possibilities. Make a lateral move as a powerful way to develop new skills. If stepping back is the right answer, discover how it can be done without derailing a career. Pursue a promotion when it's the right time and role. And if it's time to step out the door, the authors suggest how to make an elegant exit that maybe leaves open the possibility of a return one day.
The book includes important questions to consider—about interests, skills, values, and timing—when choosing to enrich or make a change. For each option, Up Is Not the Only Way explores how managers, coaches, and employees can have rich career conversations and partner to determine the best courses of action.
Rather than narrowing aspirations to one dream job or role, Kaye, Williams, and Cowart encourage readers to take a “kaleidoscope” view—to be open to ever-shifting patterns of options, opportunities, and possibilities—to build a rewarding career.
Beverly Kaye, founder of Career Systems International (CSI), has sold over 900,000 copies of her books. CSI continues to be a driving force in the human resources, management, and talent development worlds. Bev has been a recognized thought leader in the area of career development for over thirty-five years.
Lindy Williams, designer and senior consultant with CSI, held roles in operations and human resources before stepping out of the corporate world to work on designing and implementing award-winning development processes.
Lynn Cowart, vice president for quality delivery at CSI, brought twenty years of HR experience working with some of the most successful and powerful names in business to her current role ensuring CSI delivers solutions that are simple, engaging, flexible, and business focused.
Reviews
“A practical, insightful guide written for employees, leaders, and HR professionals who are committed to career development for individual and organizational success.”—Marcia J. Avedon, PhD, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Communications and Corporate Affairs, Ingersoll Rand, plc
“Up Is Not the Only Way is so timely in today's ever-changing business world. This book provides a great mind map for how all people should be thinking about their careers, their ambitions, and what success really can look like for today and thirty years from now. I just wish I had it when I was just starting out!”
—Rob Lauber, Senior Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, McDonald's Corporation
“A thoughtful and practical guide for HR executives, managers, and employees, who all want to make career mobility conversations happen.”
—Peter Capelli, George W. Taylor Professor of Management and Director, Center for Human Resources, The Wharton School
“A bright gem of a book that's perfect for this new era of work, where mobility is critical to meaning and mastery at work. Whether you're just starting out or making a midcareer transition, it's a great way to reassess the path you are on.”
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge and Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University
“This book is a refreshing take on a topic of interest to nearly everyone. Like a multifaceted diamond, it gives light in many directions. I heartily recommend this book to all.”
—Jack Zenger, CEO, Zenger Folkman, and bestselling coauthor of The Extraordinary Leader and Speed
“One responsibility of all leaders is to grow the talent on their team. This book suggests an array of mobility conversations and will help any leader feel more comfortable with that conversation.”
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Professor, Harvard Business School, and Chair and Director, Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative
“A great talent strategy focuses most on finding and growing the best talent in an organization. Bev Kaye and team provide practical, trusted insights for building strength from within.”
—Marc Effron, President, The Talent Strategy Group
“This is the first book that addresses the changed career environment of the 21st century and provides concrete career management steps you can take. Regardless of your tenure or organizational level, it will give you effective control of your career and newfound success.”
—China Gorman, Advisor, Speaker, and Board Member, Universum, Motivis Learning, and PeopleStrong
“Helping people grow should be in the job description of every leader at every level. This book makes it easier for both managers and direct reports to talk about career development. Up Is Not the Only Way is a must-read!”
—Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager® and One Minute Mentoring
“Filled with one ‘aha!' moment after another, Up Is Not the Only Way inspires and educates. It teaches us that career success is not one-size-fits-all—and that's a good thing. You'll never think of your career in the same way again.”
—Marshall Goldsmith, international bestselling author or editor of thirty-five books, including What Got You Here Won't Get You There and Triggers
“The authors have written the only book I know of its kind, addressing a critically important career topic. Is there any other book like this?”
—Verne Harnish, author of Scaling Up and CEO, Gazelles
“A lively, compelling read that voices the work/life considerations that are on the minds of many mid- to senior-level professionals and their managers. It hits the mark with powerful examples of career mobility options that can drive tremendous personal as well as professional satisfaction.”
—Ed Tetrault, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Apex Tool Group
“A must-read for everyone in today's workforce as it provides valuable insights and practical approaches for meaningful career discussions.”
—Tamar Elkeles, PhD, Chief Talent Executive, Atlantic Bridge Capital, LLC
“With the high demand and limited supply of available talent in our industry and more of our employee base being made up of millennials, we needed an approach to developing talent that would enable us to attract and more importantly retain our people. We have leveraged the concepts from this book to create a strategic talent development approach for our organization that works!”
—Joel Tobin, Vice President, Talent Acquisition and Development, Catalent Pharma Solutions
“This book will open your eyes to the landscape of possibilities beyond what lies ahead—for yourself, your employees, your family, your friends, and your organization.”
—Sue Padernacht, Chief Learning Officer and Vice President, Talent and Organization Development, Tribune Online Content
“No talent strategy can be complete without the proper attention on how employees can grow within their current organizations. Written in a practical manner, this book offers great ideas for preparing for those development conversations.”
—Jayne Johnson, Vice President, Global Organization and Leadership Development, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
“This is one of those rare books that speaks to both the employee and the manager, recognizing that a career conversation is a two-way dialogue. Both need to know how to have effective and robust conversations that take into account the realities of career mobility today—as ‘up' is not the only way anymore!”
—Meribeth Germino, MALD, Principal Executive Development Consultant, Learning and Organization Development, Genentech
“The traditional career ladder, where people advance rung by rung, is gone. Today, lateral moves, stretch assignments, and career resets are all part of the lifelong journey toward professional success and personal fulfillment. This book is an invaluable tool in helping people navigate this complex new landscape.”
—Sekhar Ramaswamy, Chief Talent Officer, Prudential
“Everybody deserves career bliss! This book is the GPS, the compass that everybody should follow no matter where you are in your career. Your employees will thank you. You will thank yourself.”
—Jamie Graceffa, Director of Organizational Development, Philips, and author of Career Control
“In my experience, I've found that individuals join organizations that they believe will grow their careers. This book will help managers and employees at any level prepare for the development conversation and understand what it takes to own your own learning.”
—Kimo Kippen, Vice President, Global Workforce Initiatives, Hilton
“As organizations become flatter and new technologies push businesses to transform, the most sought-after and successful employees have a variety of experiences that allow them to connect dots across silos, build relationships across departments, and prove they are agile—succeeding in lots of different assignments and challenges. Traditional career paths don't often give you these experiences. This book helps readers understand the many ways they can grow their careers, how to evaluate their options, and what steps to take to achieve their goals.”
—Lauren Starkand, Senior Vice President, Talent and Diversity, Global Consumer Banking, Citi
“To successfully navigate this new era of career growth and talent development, we all need fresh thinking as well as time-tested tools. This book accomplishes both objectives, providing those contemplating ‘what's next?' and ‘what's best for me?' with a contemporary game plan firmly grounded in the wisdom of experience. I highly recommend it for all.”
—Kevin D. Wilde, Executive Leadership Fellow, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, and former Chief Learning Officer, General Mills
“Up Is Not the Only Way provides an elegant and simple approach to the complex challenge of career in today's organizations. By enlisting individuals, their leaders, and organizations in a mindful ‘think about, talk about' approach, the authors inspire positive accountability for managing careers in an uncertain world.”
—Tim Richmond, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, AbbVie
“Up Is Not the Only Way is a classic ‘teach them to fish' tool for thinking broadly about professional growth and building personally fulfilling, custom careers.”
—Fran Lawler, Vice President of Human Resources, Engineered Fastening, Stanley Black & Decker
“Knowing yourself is the key to personal success (however you define it), and this book has many practical ways to accomplish that.”
—Amy Meeuwenberg, Lead Performance and Engagement Specialist, Enterprise Talent Development, Amway
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