Career Warfare, the Complete Book Summary!

By D'Alessandro, David, Mcgraw-Hill, 2003, Book Summary Provided by Executive Book Summaries.

"A refreshing message ... from someone who has fought many corporate wars." -- The New York Times

In his signature, outspoken style, D'Alessandro offers concrete advice on building a reputation that commands respect, coping with office politics, and surviving the less-than-sane aspects of any organization. He explains why only 20 percent of the people in a given corporation are truly valuable to the organization, demonstrates the right way to polish the boss's image and prevent the boss from tarnishing the reader's, and provides valuable lessons in the etiquette of reputation building.

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Book Description:

In Career Warfare, David F. D’Alessandro, the bestselling author of Brand Warfare, has written a business classic: an insightful and delightfully frank book about achieving professional success at a high level.

What really defines those who get ahead? Hard work and accomplishments will only get you so far. If you intend to compete at the levels where the competition gets really ferocious—where everybody is hard-working and accomplished—you need a much more subtle weapon. According to D’Alessandro, the CEO of John Hancock Financial Services, you cannot win without the kind of reputation or “personal brand” that convinces powerful people to trust you.

D’Alessandro, a keen observer of the unwritten rules of organizational life, shows how personal brands are built out of people’s day-to-day behavior in even the most insignificant moments. He also demonstrates what a battle it is to build a good one. It is a battle even to be noticed early in your career; it is a battle not to become dangerously arrogant later on. You constantly have to defend your brand from the sniping of your enemies, the indifference of your bosses, and your own worst impulses.

Career Warfare will help you to win these fights at every stage of your career by showing you how to

• Look beyond your own navel
• Make people want to take a chance on you
• Get your boss to promote your “personal brand”
• Decide when to stay in a bad job and when to leave a good one
• Recognize the types of organizations that will keep you from rising
• Pull away from the pack in mid-career
• And much more

Using vivid stories from his own rise through the organizational ranks, D’Alessandro offers shrewd advice for disarming the people who hold your career in their hands and introduces a remarkable cast of characters along the way. You’ll meet the corporate chairman who gave himself a speech impediment, the account executive who sang opera for a president, and the job candidate who washed her face with a pancake. You will also meet some of the smartest managers of their own public images on the planet and learn from the things they have done right.

Success, says D’Alessandro, is not going to come from your accomplishments alone. But you can separate yourself from the crowd and rise to the level of your ambitions—if you create the kind of personal impression that commands respect. Career Warfare offers the smartest advice you’ll ever get about how to do it.

Book Reviews:

“A witty and insightful book about personal and career strategy. It is impossible to read this book and not come away with new insights about how to further one’s career——and be a more effective person.”

—Michael E. Porter, Harvard Business School

“D’Alessandro dares to speak the truth. If you don’t manage your own reputation, those around you will. This is no theoretical exercise. In corporate America, people talk about you every day. You can affect what they say.

“With a cut-the-crap sharp eye for the passions, yearnings, and follies that drive every organization, D’Alessandro draws apart the drapes and reveals what it really takes to get ahead in business.”

—James Carville, Author and Democratic Strategist

“With good jobs becoming harder to find, D’Alessandro’s sage advice is more timely and important than ever, especially for those who are trying to build their personal brands and enhance their careers at the same time.” —Tom Neff, Chairman, U.S., Spencer Stuart

“Smart, strategic, and useful career advice from someone who has actually achieved success in the real world. D’Alessandro shares the lessons he’s learned, and the mistakes he’s made, on his way to being one of the most talented and respected CEOs in America.”

—Harvey Mackay, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller

Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive

“Lessons from the master. D’Alessandro is living proof that there’s no more important brand than the brand called you.”

—Donny Deutsch, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Deutsch Inc.

About the Author:

David D'Alessandro is President of John Hancock Financial Services, both the youngest president in the company's history and the only marketer ever to rise to the top of a major life insurer.

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