Book · Ken Coleman
Get Clear Career Assessment: Find the Work You're Wired to Do
Personal recommendation by Marshall Delpé. Not made by Marshalldelpe.com.
Get Clear Career Assessment: Find the Work You're Wired to Do
Book · Ken Coleman·
For anyone who has ever stared at a job listing and thought, "Is this it?"
What it does: A book by career coach Ken Coleman (Ramsey Solutions) that comes with a unique code for the Get Clear Career Assessment. The assessment maps your top talents (what you do best), passions (what you enjoy) and mission (the results you want to produce), then combines them into a personalized purpose statement. The book shows you how to use those results to aim your job search, grow in your career and earn more doing work you enjoy.
Who it's for: Anyone who feels stuck, is choosing a first career, thinking about a career change, or simply wants a clearer picture of the kind of work that energizes them. It pairs well with personality frameworks like MBTI and the Big Five.
Why I use it: Self-knowledge is leverage. When you know what you are wired to do, it gets easier to say no to the wrong opportunities and go all in on the right ones — and work you are good at and enjoy is work you can sustain long enough for compounding to kick in. I like that it turns vague ideas about "finding your passion" into concrete talents, passions and a one-sentence mission you can actually act on.
Tradeoffs: The assessment code is single-use, so buy a new copy rather than a used one if you want to take it. Like any self-report test, results reflect how you see yourself at the moment, not a scientific verdict. The book leans on Ramsey-style motivation and examples, and it points you toward a direction — the real work of trying, testing and building skills is still on you.
Alternatives: The 16Personalities (MBTI-style) test, a Big Five (OCEAN) assessment, CliftonStrengths (Gallup), or What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend what I actually use.
More like this
You might also find helpful
The 48 Laws of Power
Book · Robert Greene·
Read it so you can spot the person at work who already did.
What it does: Robert Greene distils 3,000 years of history — Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Bismarck, Louis XIV, con artists and courtesans — into 48 laws describing how power is gained, held and lost. Each law comes with historical stories of people who followed it and people who broke it, plus the reversal: when the law doesn't apply.
Who it's for: Anyone who works with people — in a hospital, a company, a negotiation or an investment deal — and wants to understand the unspoken dynamics at play. Especially useful if you've ever been blindsided by office politics or someone else's agenda.
Why I use it: I read it as a field guide to human behaviour rather than a playbook. It helps me recognise manipulation when I see it, protect my reputation, and stay calm instead of reacting. Laws like "Never outshine the master", "Guard your reputation with your life" and "Say less than necessary" have saved me from mistakes at work. It pairs well with Munger's psychology of human misjudgment, which you'll find in Poor Charlie's Almanack.
Tradeoffs: Some of the laws are ruthless, and following them literally can cost you trust and relationships. It's long and repetitive in places, and it's best read defensively — to understand power — not as permission to be cold or deceptive. The stories are selective history, not rigorous research.
Alternatives: The Laws of Human Nature and Mastery by Robert Greene, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (the warmer approach), Influence by Robert Cialdini (the research-backed version).
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend what I actually use.
The Art of War
Book · Sun Tzu·
Ancient battle advice that works surprisingly well on salary negotiations.
What it does: An ancient Chinese treatise on military strategy, traditionally credited to the general Sun Tzu, written around the 5th century BC. In 13 short chapters it covers planning, positioning, deception, intelligence and when to fight — and when not to. Its core idea: the best victory is the one won without fighting.
Who it's for: Anyone dealing with competition or conflict — in business, negotiation, investing, sports or office politics — who wants timeless principles about preparation, patience and knowing the terrain.
Why I use it: It is short enough to reread every year, and every reread lands differently. "Know the enemy and know yourself" maps directly onto investing and staying within your circle of competence, and the emphasis on avoiding unnecessary battles is a reminder that the strongest position is often the one where you never have to fight. It pairs naturally with The 48 Laws of Power.
Tradeoffs: The aphorisms are compressed and sometimes cryptic, so translation quality matters a lot. It is easy to over-apply military metaphors to everyday life, and the original is about war, not business — the connections take reflection to make.
Alternatives: The 48 Laws of Power and The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene, The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, and On War by Carl von Clausewitz.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend what I actually use.