Career Warfare

Book excerpt: From the best-selling author of Brand Warfare and outspoken former CEO of John Hancock David F. D'Alessandro, Career Warfare is a "how to succeed book" for the ambitious person interested in breaking out of the pack and climbing high up the corporate ladder. The premise is simple: It's hard to leave your peers behind and really excel. What sets the really successful players apart from those who never rise to the level of their ambitions is the character they reveal and the name they make for themselves with the people they meet in their working life.This book will offer concrete advice on building the kind of reputation that makes people want to take a chance on you. In D'Alessandro's trademark style, it will also talk frankly and humorously about the absurd nature of corporate life. And it will offer shrewd recommendations to help the sane persons survive the less-than-same aspects of any organization - and eventually, take over the asylum.In the tradition of the best-selling, What They Still Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, D'Alessandro reveals the unwritten rules for reaching the top of any field. D'Alessandro reveals how business really works and speaks directly to any one in business - and provides savvy advice for every level."Sure you'll need accomplishments to get ahead. You'll need to work hard and be smart. But the competition is stiff. Brains, hard work, and accomplishments are just a minimum requirement. If you intend to succeed, the stuff your mother told you - work hard, be polite, dress neatly, is all helpful. But the biggest mistake you can make is to assume that the business world is rational, and success will proceed in a rational manner from your good performance reviews. Corporations are really just like vertical villages, driven by gossip, intrigue, and anecdote. More than anything else, your reputation determines whether you conquer the vertical village or are defeated by it. The name you make for yourself determines whether you become the mayor - or the village idiot."From one of America's most prominent and respected CEO's, with a best-selling track record, Career Warfare provides object lessons on success for leaders at every level.