Ryan’s Journal: Book Review: “The Compass Solution” by Tim Cole
by Ryan Pew
Do you feel lost in your career? Do you need guidance navigating the politics of work? Have you ever wanted to have a life coach that sat down with you and told you how the corporate world really works without any of the BS? Then this book is for you. I had the opportunity to read Tim Cole’s, “The Compass Solution” and was pleasantly surprised and educated.
Tim Cole is a successful executive within the healthcare industry who has succeeded at staying and enhancing his career within a climate that is full of mergers, layoffs, and changes in direction. He did not get there by accident but he also did not have all the answers laid out before him.
This book is his attempt to educate the current and future generations of careerists on how to avoid the pitfalls and embrace the challenges that come with climbing the ladder of success.
If you have ever read a devotional or daily affirmation then this book will seem familiar. It is laid out in two parts that are broken into seven sections. Within each section are several small chapters that touch on different topics.
This is the type of reading where you can focus on one section a morning during your daily routine or consume several at once. Tim does a great job of keeping the lessons grouped in a logical order and allows you to focus on a topic or just read front to back.
I was immediately struck by the first lesson that speaks to the responsibility you have to yourself and your company by setting a personal compass.
We have all had those jobs or bosses where we don’t want to put forth our best efforts. I know I have in the past and, as I look back, I regret those times in my career where I wasn’t my best at work. The only person it truly hurt was me. Tim presses home the point that our life and our work is our responsibility, no excuses.
It was an easy lesson to retain and applicable to any role. He continues to press on lessons of personal accountability through the first section and covers topics ranging from workplace burnout to how to take ownership over your career.
Tim then leads into the people section which has some entertainment factor to it. I especially like the topic of toadies. We have all seen them, the people who crowd around the boss hoping to impress them. In fact, we have probably all been a toadie at some point.
And that is the lesson. We have moments when we are not our best self, but we can recognize it and move forward.
In my role, I do not receive a lot of feedback from my leadership. Sometimes that is good, but sometimes it can feel like a vacuum.
This book has been a great addition to my daily routine. You can read a section in five minutes and dwell on the lesson throughout the day. Tim does not sugarcoat the topics, but he is also not a pessimist. It is obvious that his goal is to enable others to succeed by reflecting on his own shortfalls and achievements.
Who needs this book you may ask?
If I was a professor I would make this book mandatory for my students. If I was a manager I would make it mandatory for my team. I say this with all seriousness, because the lessons contained within would enable them to live their best selves, as well as enhance the bottom line.
The idea of ownership can create immediate value for the team and should be embraced.
So if you’re looking for a book that takes less than five minutes a day of commitment, has some humor and has a lesson to further your career then I suggest you pick this up.
Image credit: goodreads
