By: Charles Cranston Jett
Review by: Glain Roberts-McCabe
The Premise: With over 70% of Americans (and likely Canadians too) actively disengaged from work, Charles Jett’s book, The Doom Loop, introduces readers to a simple, yet highly effective model to assess where they are in relation to job satisfaction and fulfillment. It also provides an overview of potential career crises and some views on how to avoid derailing. The book is written in a straightforward manner without frills, big sales pitches or any “silver bullet” solutions. Jett provides an overview of the “The Doom Loop” model and then explores seven potential career “crises” you may encounter over the course of your career. Case studies and examples illustrate potential solutions, but no promises are made so don’t expect any “5 Step Process to Career Happiness!”. In a conversational style, Jett writes as if he is speaking to the reader directly and freely shares his personal point of view throughout, which is refreshing and unlike most books of this nature.
The Bottom-line: Anyone who’s spent any time with me talking about their career’s knows that I am a HUGE fan of “The Doom Loop”. I was introduced to it briefly over a decade ago as a one-page slide in a presentation by a colleague. That one slide completely changed how I thought about my own career and immediately helped me assess why I was unhappy in my current role and, more importantly, what I needed to do to fix it. And, this to me it the ultimate power of “The Doom Loop” system. Charles Jett has done what few people can do. He has created a tool that you can understand in about 60 seconds and in it has given you the power to take charge of your own career satisfaction. In addition to a solid walk through of the Doom Loop, Jett also provides a view to what to consider when pathing your career as well as seven career crises that you are likely to encounter. Great information and equally as applicable to new grads as those of us in mid or later stage careers. The book is a very slim read and one that you will likely relate to immediately.
Roundtable Rating: Highly recommended for anyone interested in taking more control of their career paths and leaders seeking a helpful framework for career conversations and recruiting.
