Book review: Improve your job, recharge your life

Along the way, many tend to lose their initial fervor in their jobs, some more than others. Millions of people lug themselves into the office not realizing that their jobs do not have to be miserable. Since we spend at least one-third of our adult lives working, it's a shame to spend it all in utter agony.

The Three Signs of a Miserable Job utilizes a business fable to present a simple, yet profound, diagnosis of what many might consider a constant human condition: job misery. According to Patrick Lencioni - consultant, keynote speaker and best-selling author - a miserable job is universal and spans all ages, positions and geography. Fortunately, unlike a bad job, there is a remedy available for a miserable job.

The tale of retired CEO-turned-pizzeria-manager Brain Bailey reveals three facets of employee dissatisfaction: immeasurability, anonymity and irrelevance. All of which could be tackled by applying proper techniques of attentive management.

The fictional case study provides a vessel for his three-pronged approach that tackles the three, and strategies applicable to managers and entry-level staff alike.

The book empowers the reader to recover lost enthusiasm in their jobs and thus revitalize their lives. Though not for hard-core research and case studies, it serves to provide practical lessons applicable to everyone.

Author: Patrick M. Lencioni

ISBN: 978-0-7879-9531-7

Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Wiley List Price: $24.95

(China Daily 11/09/2007 page15)