| | |  | Career Planning Books | Home » » The Hard Truth About Soft Skills: Workplace Lessons Smart People Wish They'd Learned Sooner | | | | | | | Description: | | What's the hard truth? Soft skills get little respect but will make or break your career. Master your soft skills and really get ahead at work!
Fortune 500 coach Peggy Klaus encounters individuals every day who excel at their jobs but aren't getting where they want to go. It's rarely a shortfall in technical expertise that limits their careers, but rather a shortcoming in their social, communication, and self-management behaviors. In The Hard Truth About Soft Skills Klaus delivers practical tools and techniques for mastering soft skills across the career spectrum. She shows how to: - manage your workload
- handle the critics
- develop and promote your personal brand
- navigate office politics
- lead the troops
- and much more!
Klaus reveals why soft skills are often ignored, while bringing their importance to life in her trademark style—straightforward, humorous, and motivating. Perfect for readers at all professional stages—from those who are just starting out to seasoned executives—this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to take his or her career to the next level. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Peggy Klaus | | Paperback:
| 208 pages | | Publisher:
| HarperBusiness | | Publication Date:
| January 22, 2008 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0061284149 | | Product Length:
| 8.2 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.26 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.49 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.36 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.2 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.35 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 23 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 23 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
91 of 93 found the following review helpful:
 Story after storyMay 21, 2010
By Bob
This book is extremely heavy on anecdote. Nearly every page has one or two "real life" examples illustrating the author's points. As a result, the book is very easy to read, but it's not very instructive.
If you are impressed by the abundance of 5-star Amazon reader reviews, you shouldn't be. Many of them look like shills: they're heavily clustered at the start of the book's availability; the reviewers have no other reviews; many mention the author by her first name and describe her personality rather than the book itself. It's really sad that so many authors, publishers and agents feel they are entitled to "game" the Amazon review system.
42 of 45 found the following review helpful:
 Be nice. Ok, got it.May 15, 2008
By B. Bryner
"Gonzo"
More or less a book about being nice at work. More of general guidelines as opposed to structured advice on learning to deal with people. Perhaps a good launch pad, but a little thin in content.
13 of 15 found the following review helpful:
 Very good, but not great.Dec 28, 2009
By Rick Wingender
It's a good book, but definitely not definitive. I'd consider it more of a "primer" than anything because it doesn't go into great depth or detail. It's only 175 pages so I got through it in two nights; it's a very easy read. Most of it seemed like refresher (which I admittedly needed) from other books I've read or training I've taken. Another reviewer wished she'd had this as a college graduation present - actually, this would be a good book for anyone just starting their first job, simply to create awareness of the importance of soft skills. Since finishing this book, I've started reading "Secrets to Winning at Office Politics", which goes much deeper into the topic, and so far, I'd highly recommend it.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Great book with plenty of stories, but not enough solutionsNov 29, 2010
By King Solomon
"King Solomon"
This book is great. It provides real life issues and stories as examples. Unfortunately it does not really provide much of solutions.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A good reminder to people who have just started their careersNov 09, 2010
By blair
"michelle8pitt"
Pros: a fast read. a very good handbook for college grads who work for big corporates. a lot of the points made in the book are apparent to most people, but a lot of people tend to forget these rules in reality. it is a good reminder to have before embarking on a career.
cons: same as many reviews here, i do find many anecdotes in the book redundant. after all, Peggy is a real life consultant than a writer. so the book overall is not effectively written. also, i find it annoying that the writer implies to sell her consulting service between the lines of the content. Such as talking about how all the big company employees/managers go to her for advice in case of a dilemma.
I gave it four stars because overall the content/selection of the topics of the book is much better than similar self-help books on the market right now. they are good points made in the book that every career starter should grasp before entering the workplace.
See all 23 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
