Psychologically Unemployable

I had great fun reading Psychologically Unemployable – Life On Your Terms by Jeffery Combs. What he expresses in the book resonated with me when I first read it and, many years later is still extremely interesting and current.

He emphasises the importance of learning the life skills that will allow us to hone our craft so that we can get paid what the free market bears for the value and service we bring to the marketplace.

He relates the game of free enterprise and entrepreneurship to the game of life. He asks many interesting questions, including: Are you ready to play? Are you ready to start? When the whistle blows, will you be ready to take off from the starting line, or will you be sitting on the bench tying your shoes? Are you ready to get in the game of free enterprise? Some of you are playing for high stakes – your freedom, your dreams and your life on your terms!

Very interesting questions which I also tend to ask when working with my clients at the #StopByDesign stages.

I found the chapter on mastering the art of listening very interesting. He states that listening is different from hearing and that there are three distinct levels of listening.

  • Level one is when we may listen to the first half of what someone says, but we are really focused on what we will be saying next. We may even begin to talk and literally forget that we are supposed to be listening!
  • Level two is when people really do try to listen but do not put much effort and don’t actively participate in learning more about the speaker by listening intently.
  • Level three is when people give the speaker their full, undivided attention. This is called active listening and it means listening not just for the words, but for the meaning behind the words.

The book could be used as a reference resource and I fully agree with his recommendation that by developing our listening skills to the third level, we will see an immense improvement in our communications.

Food for thought and happy reading!

 #businesscoach