In 2024, I named Be The Unicorn: Data-driven Habits That Separate The Best Leaders From The Rest, by William Vanderbloemen, as the best new leadership book of that year.
The book is
timely, incredibly practical, and immediately usable for any leader wherever
they are on their leadership journey.
Through
extensive research of more than 30,000 top leaders and proprietary data,
Vanderbloemen identified in the book the twelve habits that the best of the best
leaders have in common. These superstar leaders are the unicorns – highly
desirable but that are difficult to find or obtain.
And now,
Vanderbloemen followed up that gem of a book with another terrific book called,
Work How You Are Wired: 12 Data-Driven Steps To Finding A
Job You Love. It’s a great companion book to Be The Unicorn.
Those 12 steps
align with these 12 personality traits/interpersonal habits:
In the book, he
also highlights for each of the other 11 traits specific positions to avoid at all costs based on someone’s
work style and personality.
Vanderbloemen
adds that “The most important person to learn from is yourself. When you know
who you are—truly what makes you you—you can begin to narrow your wide ocean of
options and draw that much closer to finding the work you are wired to do. Stop
doing what doesn’t serve you and start doing what your heart and brain implore
you to do.”
Two of my
favorite learnings from the book are where Vanderbloemen lists the six
reasons why people hate their jobs:
…and the six
keys to being happy at work:
- Fast
- Authentic
- Agile
- Solver
- Anticipator
- Prepared
- Self-aware
- Curious
- Connected
- Likeable
- Productive
- Purpose-driven
In the book
you’ll learn key takeaways for finding the best jobs tied to your specific
trait. For example, Vanderbloemen recommends for a person with the fast trait,
they should look for jobs that require quick decision-making and high levels of
attentiveness. They should avoid jobs with even a whiff of bureaucracy or slow-moving
gears.
- Toxic work environment
- Bad management
- Lack of work-life balance
- Bad pay
- Lack of opportunity for advancement
- Lake of purpose
- Having a good boss – where your boss has your best interests in mind.
- Work-life balance – when you’re not on the clock 24/7.
- Making enough money – when your basic needs are met in the form of a fair, living wage.
- Autonomy and flexibility – where you are treated like a responsible adult who can do their work without being micromanaged.
- Professional growth – having a chance to advance in your career.
- Meaningful work – having a sense of purpose and believing in in your work.
William Vanderbloemen
Today, the author shares these additional insights with us:
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