I am always looking for materials written by the people who know my audience best: the counselors and coaches who work directly with career-changers and job-seekers. Here are six books by these authors:
"Goal Achievement Through Treasure Mapping" by Barbara Laporte (HeartLifter Publications, 2005, $12.95). Laporte's philosophy of goal attainment combines pop psychology precepts with collage-making. The task, in a nutshell, is to imagine your goal and then create a visual that will remind you of it daily and help keep your efforts focused.
"Taking Charge of Your Career" by Leigh Bailey (The Bailey Consulting Group, available through www.thebaileygroup.com, 2002). As workbooks go, this one is clear, straightforward and unadorned. This book, both a self-study guide and a workshop manual, includes simple case studies and directed exercises.
"Grown-Up Leadership" by Leigh and Maureen Bailey (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005, $18.95). Noting four key elements in top leaders (maturity, versatility, relationship-building and teamwork), the Baileys provide a series of conversations and exercises to help individuals reach the next level.
In "Lion Taming: On Being a Visionary Leader" (Humanics Trade Group, 2003), organizational development consultant Don L. Johnson tackles leadership from a less introspective, more hands-on approach. The book emphasizes anecdotes and personal stories.
"When You Lose Your Job" by Donna Bennett (Augsburg Fortress, 2002, $5). Bennett, a licensed psychologist, wrote this small gem as part of the publisher's Difficult Times series. While the book contains nothing surprising or new in terms of job searches, it neatly combines the emotional, psychological and spiritual challenges of job loss with a series of basic steps for moving forward.
"What is Becoming Clearer to Me" by Joseph Eastman (Profitable Publishing, 2002). In 26 short chapters he calls "thought bursts," Eastman encapsulates life lessons in essays that read like a cross between a sermon and a letter from a friend.
- Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.