Thoughtful Commitment + Authentic Character + Exceptional Competence = Confident Humility and Extraordinary Performance
I recently came across an insightful book on work ethics and management strategies for the future titled: Run with the Bulls – Without getting Trampled: The Qualities You Need to Stay Out of Harm’s Way and Thrive at Work, by Tim Irwin.

In authors’ own words: Run with Bulls Without Getting Trampled is about personal transformation. How can you grow to your fullest potential and becomes someone who will spend those forty or more years until retirement working for meaning, not just money?
Irwin brings together some thoughtful and adventurous personal incidents and brilliantly and meaningfully directs these experiences on how to achieve success and satisfaction at work.
Very thought-provoking chapters here and forces one to think on the often side-lined personal values and the substantive meaning that must be given a primary focus in our daily work lives.

He says, “Our work life – the focus of this book – is a run with the bulls, replete with both opportunity and danger. Some of us work skillfully, navigating through and around danger, while others are repeatedly knocked down… We are in the race whether we want to be or not. We must run with the bulls skillfully to avoid getting trampled, gored, or repeatedly knocked down. This requires great wisdom and forethought – we must develop a strategic mindset.”

His thoughts so much resonate with my own; I was constantly nodding my head in approval while reading the book. Irwin says, “Our work so dominates our waking hours that it’s hard to imagine how we can be successful at life without being successful at work.” Can’t agree more, it is something which I have always emphasized in the Careerbright posts all along.

It is quite important to read such books from time to time or when we are at the crossroads questioning ourselves on work satisfaction and finding more meaning at work. It is not just money that satisfies us at work, unless we can connect our true passion and the higher reason that we have been given as an individual to contribute to the world, true satisfaction can never be achieved.
Overall a very refreshing and thought provoking book from a think-alike that I highly recommend to those in the management race or those who wish to be in the race sooner or later. And also for the Millennials – the new generation at workplace or those seeking direction and meaning in their careers – you will find some great words or wisdom here – values and personal standards which direct you to success at work and life.

And why should you read this book? Well, if you have ever asked yourself this:
“Whatever we’re doing with our lives or considering doing, it’s good to ask ourselves, does this pursuit really possess the seriousness worthy or our life energies? At the end of our lives, will we have given ourselves to a calling bigger than self-fulfillment? Will it inspire us to achieve something greater than simply filling up twenty four hours a day with activity?”
Thoughtfully indeed, Tim Irwin has an informative website if you would like to read more on about him and his book, see http://www.runwiththebulls.net/. He also presents a self-analysis of your job and your personal characteristics through a click-through test, though I certainly would have preferred if he had kept it short. 23 pages just could not keep my attention on! But since I did complete it, I was happy to receive an instant analysis report via Email, some tips here are valuable treasures to be getting back to now and then.
“A life of significance requires focus, intentionality, effort, and forethought. Complacency and resulting passivity keep us from being thoughtful about where we are going in life.”
– Tim Irwin