Looking Beyond the Car in Front: A Guide to Making the Right Career Choices at the Right Time

by Grant Duncan

Overview

How do you plot the best career path? How do you know you’re heading in the right direction professionally? How do you effectively make a shift into a new industry about which you have little knowledge or experience? Looking Beyond the Car in Front, written by leading recruitment expert Grant Duncan, guides both senior and mid-career business executives in taking a more assertive and strategic longer-term approach to career choices. No other careers book includes insights from so many people who have steered their careers to the top of their professions.

The professional journey we’re on is typically the result of a mixture of hard work, good luck, and brainpower, but not always proactive choices and decisions. Drawing on 40 years’ experience of working with, talking to, and assessing executives with many different career journeys, the book offers an approach to set a longer-term mindset and a toolkit to help those who are thinking about their future career plans and, particularly, a career change. Grant has worked alongside some of the most successful business leaders, and the book offers unique insights from interviews with CEOs, successful entrepreneurs, and public and not-for-profit leaders from multiple sectors, including Roger Davis, Chairman of BUPA, Stevie Spring, Chairman of the British Council, Mind and Co-op NED, Stephen Carter, Informa plc Group Chief Executive, Tim Davie, BBC Director General, and Alan Jope, Unilever plc CEO.

When following the car in front may seem the easiest, safest and most rational course of action, it will not necessarily take you in the right direction. This book provides the perfect "front-seat navigator" in steering your next career move, and for those supporting career development, including HR Directors, coaches, and career management consultants.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032134635
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/17/2021
Pages:	130
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x (d)

About the Author

Grant Duncan is Managing Director, Media, Entertainment, and Digital at global leadership advisory consultancy, Korn Ferry. He has 40 years of business experience gained in two professions. Grant’s first career saw him rise to leadership roles in a number of UK advertising agencies, latterly as CEO of Publicis. His second career has been in executive recruitment, initially at global executive search firm, Spencer Stuart, before joining Korn Ferry.

Table of Contents

Contributors xi

Acknowledgements xiii

1 Introduction 1

2 The three ages of man 5

3 And the ages of woman? 11

4 Gen X, Y, Z … whatever 19

5 On entrepreneurs 25

6 The context for success 29

7 Looking in the mirror 43

8 Where the rubber hits the road 49

9 Defining your archetype 65

10 Get out more 71

11 Going social 79

12 The endgame game 85

13 Conclusion 91

14 Twelve journeys 93

Index 111

Editorial Reviews

"A well-written and highly useable take on how to take control of a career and maximise potential, illustrated by fascinating interviews with leading executives which bring this vividly to life." – William Eccleshare, Worldwide CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc

"A practical and thoughtful career progression manual, rich in analysis, action-oriented advice and sound common sense." – Dame Cilla Snowball, Governor at Wellcome Trust, Director at Genome Research Ltd (Wellcome Sanger Institute), Non Executive Director Derwent London plc

"A genuinely insightful guide to help people approach their career choices in a more proactive way, combining a playbook of techniques with the real-world journeys of senior executives." – Gavin Patterson, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Salesforce

"A very practical and highly readable guide to career planning by a recognised leadership practitioner and thought-leader." – Stevie Spring CBE, Chairman of The British Council

"A well-written and highly useable take on how to take control of a career and maximise potential, illustrated by fascinating interviews with leading executives which bring this vividly to life." – William Eccleshare, Worldwide CEO of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc

"A practical and thoughtful career progression manual, rich in analysis, action-oriented advice and sound common sense." – Dame Cilla Snowball, Governor at Wellcome Trust, Director at Genome Research Ltd (Wellcome Sanger Institute), Non Executive Director Derwent London plc

"A genuinely insightful guide to help people approach their career choices in a more proactive way, combining a playbook of techniques with the real-world journeys of senior executives." – Gavin Patterson, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Salesforce

"A very practical and highly readable guide to career planning by a recognised leadership practitioner and thought-leader." – Stevie Spring CBE, Chairman of The British Council

From the Publisher