As a writer (or should I say, blogger) I often am sent copies of pre-released books asking if I would like to give the book a read and review it on this blog. Every once in a while I come across a really great book through this process.
What motivated you to write The Leap?
I was example number 1. For nearly my entire life, I had been ordinary. B-student, middle manager, luckier than some, unluckier than others. But mostly just average. Then, my life turned on a dime. In 18 months I wrote a bestselling book, launched a company that brought me into close contact with the top leaders/icons of our time, and eventually sold the company for more than I thought I would make in my lifetime. As all of this unfolded, I couldn’t help but ask myself the question, How could this have happened to of all people, me? And are there others out there who have similarly transformed ordinary lives into something remarkable.
Quite simply, I want others to know what I have learned, and to share in the experience.
How many times have you successfully made “the leap” during your professional life?
Really, only once. After the point when my trajectory changed, it was as if gravity itself had been suspended. People, opportunities, fulfillment seem to continue to come at you. I did however recently apply the principals in The Leap to a new area – my band – “Men Without Youth”. In one year, we took our “dads-band” from playing neighborhood pool parties to opening for Lynyrd Skynerd and Zack Brown in front of more than 1,000 people. This really works!
What do you feel is the benefit for someone to read the book even if they are not going through a possible change in their career?
No matter what your circumstance, everyone longs to do more, to do something special with their lives, even if it is within the context of their current roles or companies. The Leap helps bust three common myths that hold so many people back: In order to make a leap in my life I must 1) change who I am (fix myself), 2) go it alone, and 3) take a big risk. These myths are false, and understanding what is real about success can allow anyone to dramatically change their impact and fulfillment.
While reading the book and reading the many stories about people who have successfully made the leap, it appears they all had slightly different ways of “leaping.” Is it fair to say that there is no clear cut way of making the leap?
You are correct, the stories of those making the leap are as unique as the individuals. But what is interesting is that if you look closely, the same three patterns seem to appear over and over, as they did with me. For nearly all of us, we were left to stumble onto a leap in our lives. My hope is that detailing these patterns for others will make them understandable, and ultimately replicatable.
One of the underlying tones that you communicated in the book is that average ordinary people can do great things even if they don’t have grand ability, huge dreams, amazing talent, lofty goals, or amazing change. This seems to go against conventional thinking, so what caused you to take this position?
We all rationalize where we are in our lives. I certainly did, and that is OK. But rationalizing is different than giving up hope, letting go of our grand dreams. Despite the title, the leap is not a guide to living on the edge. In fact, this is a book about predictability, about using the hardwiring of the brain to assure that, whatever change you set to make in your career, the odds will be stacked in your favor. While the outcome of a leap may be quite dramatic, the steps that set it in motion are actually just simple, risk free explorations.
What do you believe is the main reason that people pursue career leaps into new and different work areas?
If you find yourself in a position that leverages your strengths and passions every day, you cannot help but grow and succeed. The statistics prove it out. But this is an elusive goal – my research suggest that less than 5% strongly agree that they are in such a role. A successful career is really about continuous change, continuous learning about yourself, your strengths and your passions. This learning occurs through experience, and If you can understand yourself at this level, you are much more likely to find the role that is meant for you and you alone.
In my experience of interviewing authors I’ve found that many authors write a book, only to realize a couple months later they forgot to add a couple of key ideas or points. If you had the opportunity to write the book again, what would you change or add to the book?
For me, each book leads to new questions. My first book, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers profiled the super successful within organizations. But it sparked the question in my, what about the rest of us? What about the state school educated normal girl and guy? What about people who seemed stuck by the time they were 30? What allows the average person to break out and achieve similar levels of success? These questions led to The Leap.
The questions that I am currently wrestling with are related to what specific factors impact success and happiness the most. My research is pointing me toward how we as individuals initiate, cope with and lead others through change.
If someone is looking to make the leap to another career or profession, are there any other resources that you would recommend they obtain or use (besides your book of course)?
Well, not to be self serving, but as part of this book project, I developed the Primary Color Assessment (www.primarycolorassessment.com), available for FREE online (100,000 pageviews in just the last 2 months!). This 15 minute test will identify the intersection of your greatest strengths and passions, and this is powerful information. Knowing this is the first step in taking control over the direction of your career, and aligning this unique “Primary Color” is the first step in taking the leap? I am a Purple Heart. My wife is Electric Lime.
Recently I was sent a copy of a new book entitled, The Leap by Rick Smith and it was one of those few very great books.
Below is a recent interview that I did with Rick Smith about his newest book, The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great
To begin the interview, if you only had one sentence to use to describe The Leap, what would you say?
The Leap is a “Good to Great” for people, affirmatively answering the question, “Can people on a lifetime trajectory of ordinary break out and accomplish extraordinary things with their lives?”What motivated you to write The Leap?
I was example number 1. For nearly my entire life, I had been ordinary. B-student, middle manager, luckier than some, unluckier than others. But mostly just average. Then, my life turned on a dime. In 18 months I wrote a bestselling book, launched a company that brought me into close contact with the top leaders/icons of our time, and eventually sold the company for more than I thought I would make in my lifetime. As all of this unfolded, I couldn’t help but ask myself the question, How could this have happened to of all people, me? And are there others out there who have similarly transformed ordinary lives into something remarkable.
Quite simply, I want others to know what I have learned, and to share in the experience.
How many times have you successfully made “the leap” during your professional life?
Really, only once. After the point when my trajectory changed, it was as if gravity itself had been suspended. People, opportunities, fulfillment seem to continue to come at you. I did however recently apply the principals in The Leap to a new area – my band – “Men Without Youth”. In one year, we took our “dads-band” from playing neighborhood pool parties to opening for Lynyrd Skynerd and Zack Brown in front of more than 1,000 people. This really works!
What do you feel is the benefit for someone to read the book even if they are not going through a possible change in their career?
No matter what your circumstance, everyone longs to do more, to do something special with their lives, even if it is within the context of their current roles or companies. The Leap helps bust three common myths that hold so many people back: In order to make a leap in my life I must 1) change who I am (fix myself), 2) go it alone, and 3) take a big risk. These myths are false, and understanding what is real about success can allow anyone to dramatically change their impact and fulfillment.
While reading the book and reading the many stories about people who have successfully made the leap, it appears they all had slightly different ways of “leaping.” Is it fair to say that there is no clear cut way of making the leap?
You are correct, the stories of those making the leap are as unique as the individuals. But what is interesting is that if you look closely, the same three patterns seem to appear over and over, as they did with me. For nearly all of us, we were left to stumble onto a leap in our lives. My hope is that detailing these patterns for others will make them understandable, and ultimately replicatable.
One of the underlying tones that you communicated in the book is that average ordinary people can do great things even if they don’t have grand ability, huge dreams, amazing talent, lofty goals, or amazing change. This seems to go against conventional thinking, so what caused you to take this position?
We all rationalize where we are in our lives. I certainly did, and that is OK. But rationalizing is different than giving up hope, letting go of our grand dreams. Despite the title, the leap is not a guide to living on the edge. In fact, this is a book about predictability, about using the hardwiring of the brain to assure that, whatever change you set to make in your career, the odds will be stacked in your favor. While the outcome of a leap may be quite dramatic, the steps that set it in motion are actually just simple, risk free explorations.
What do you believe is the main reason that people pursue career leaps into new and different work areas?
If you find yourself in a position that leverages your strengths and passions every day, you cannot help but grow and succeed. The statistics prove it out. But this is an elusive goal – my research suggest that less than 5% strongly agree that they are in such a role. A successful career is really about continuous change, continuous learning about yourself, your strengths and your passions. This learning occurs through experience, and If you can understand yourself at this level, you are much more likely to find the role that is meant for you and you alone.
In my experience of interviewing authors I’ve found that many authors write a book, only to realize a couple months later they forgot to add a couple of key ideas or points. If you had the opportunity to write the book again, what would you change or add to the book?
For me, each book leads to new questions. My first book, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers profiled the super successful within organizations. But it sparked the question in my, what about the rest of us? What about the state school educated normal girl and guy? What about people who seemed stuck by the time they were 30? What allows the average person to break out and achieve similar levels of success? These questions led to The Leap.
The questions that I am currently wrestling with are related to what specific factors impact success and happiness the most. My research is pointing me toward how we as individuals initiate, cope with and lead others through change.
If someone is looking to make the leap to another career or profession, are there any other resources that you would recommend they obtain or use (besides your book of course)?
Well, not to be self serving, but as part of this book project, I developed the Primary Color Assessment (www.primarycolorassessment.com), available for FREE online (100,000 pageviews in just the last 2 months!). This 15 minute test will identify the intersection of your greatest strengths and passions, and this is powerful information. Knowing this is the first step in taking control over the direction of your career, and aligning this unique “Primary Color” is the first step in taking the leap? I am a Purple Heart. My wife is Electric Lime.
What is your primary color?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For more information on Rick Smith, you can read his blog or visit LeapBuilder.com.
