Turning Point

Sarah Robb O'HaganZhejiang Education Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

Rating 3.3
Word count
182K words
Chapters
79
ISBN
9787553624419

Tags

Management Career PlanningWorkplace RelationsLeadershipLife ChoicesCareer PivotCareer BreakthroughInnovative ThinkingSelf ImprovementProgressive MindsetTransformation Strategy

Summary

At work, do you feel your passion slowly fading, your patience wearing thin, a sense that your job holds no future—yet you don't know where to go next? In this long career journey, how can we avoid working blindly, inefficiently, and miserably, and become someone so good they can't be ignored? The author of The Turning Point, Sarah Robb O'Hagan, was named one of Fast Company's "Most Creative People in Business" and one of Forbes' "Most Powerful Women in Sports." Yet, as she herself admits, she is not perfect—she has hit many career bottlenecks and setbacks, and was even fired twice! But she firmly seized a few key career turning points, moving from a management trainee alternate to Virgin Atlantic, then Nike, and gradually becoming global president of Gatorade... In The Turning Point, Sarah also shares the real success stories of many outstanding people, and, grounded in practice, offers 10 lessons on seizing career turning points and achieving major breakthroughs, each accompanied by an action guide—for example: how to discover your distinctive qualities, how to take calculated risks in breaking conventions, how to learn to say no, and how to practice imagining leadership, among others.

Editor's review

The value of Turning Point lies not in offering a one-step career planning template, but in reducing "career bottleneck" to actionable turning points. Using his own experience from management trainee candidate to multinational executive as a thread, the author candidly presents the frustration of being fired twice, so that "turning point" does not feel lightweight. The 10 lessons distilled in the book come with action guides, covering discovering personal traits, assessing the risks of breaking convention, practicing saying no, and imagining leadership; it reads more like a workbook than inspirational chicken soup. The highlight is that the cases come from the real experiences of various outstanding people, offering diverse perspectives that readers can use to make choices in light of their own situations. It is suitable for reading during career burnout, hesitation about transition, or setback in promotion, and also as team reading material to help members re-examine job fit and growth paths. The writing is direct and the pace brisk; it can be read in segments during commutes or on weekends.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read the action guide at the end of each chapter first, then go back to the cases, looking for answers with questions in mind.
  2. Prepare a sheet of paper, rate yourself against each of the 10 lessons, and mark the three you most want to break through.
  3. When you reach the passages where the author is fired, pause and write down your own most recent setback, then try reviewing it from another angle.
  4. If used for team reading, discuss only one lesson each time and give examples from each person's role, avoiding vague generalities.

About the publisher

Zhejiang Education Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Education Publishing House is a professional publisher focusing on educational publishing while also serving general readers and academic accumulation, with publications covering textbooks, educational readers, popular science, and academic works. Judging from the more than 1,000 titles in the database, the press places considerable emphasis on classics and traditional culture for general readers: modern literature includes Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Wild Grass, Xiao Hong's The Story of Hulan River, and Zhu Ziqing's Back View; classical poetry includes Three Hundred Tang Poems and selections from the "Good Chinese Poetry" series, such as the Chu Ci and Qing ci anthologies. Related authors include modern writers such as Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, and Zhu Ziqing, as well as classical literature selectors and annotators such as Hengtang Tuishi, Jin Xingyao, Jin Kaicheng, and Qian Zhonglian. Common categories in the database also include social novels, classic works, prose and miscellaneous writings, popular science, and inspirational growth, reflecting a publishing orientation that balances educational service with the popularization of public culture.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 各方赞誉
  3. 序言 顶尖商界人物如何赢得职场大突破
  4. 第一章 成功就是知道你自己是谁
  5. 撬动大资源，从棒球运动员到奥巴马的大厨
  6. 没有舞会就办一场，只有你能让它变成“可能”
  7. 你要知道你是谁，穿博柏利的苹果公司女魔头
  8. 机会留给有准备的人
  9. 拥抱不可预见性，辞职入读哈佛的“最强泥人”创始人
  10. 调整优先级，不要沉湎于未解决的事情
  11. 【突破行动·如何发掘你的特质】
  12. 第二章 如果那是你的梦想，你就应该勇往直前
  13. “小赢”的威力
  14. 别在胜利前嘉奖，不是所有人都能成为赢家
  15. 保持前进的势头，生完5个孩子后重返职场的NBC记者
  16. 向上攀登时，唯一的路就是一直向上
  17. 坚毅不等于自律，从咨询顾问到性格实验室创始人
  18. 用你的方式达成你的目标，美国成就最大的高山滑雪运动员
  19. 第四驱动力，成为6人培训生小组的第7人
  20. 直到被认可为止，从律法之家走出来的耐克设计师
  21. 【突破行动·如何向前迈进】
  22. 第三章 打破常规，永远把胜利作为目标
  23. 跳槽到维珍，你的抱负你自己掌控
  24. 如何让新上司为你下注
  25. 一开始就搞砸了，别浪费你的机会
  26. 你必须做得更多，从初级行政助理到谷歌行政总监
  27. 【突破行动·如何抵御打破常规的风险】
  28. 第四章 你不必是个全才
  29. 被维珍大卖场扫地出门，不要只顾低头做事
  30. 当极端优势成为极端劣势时
  31. 一切都与赢有关，从足球明星到市场营销界新星
  32. 保持稳定，从电影院领位员到传奇沃瑟曼
  33. 【突破行动·如何应对弱点】
  34. 第五章 让自己摔得更狠一点
  35. 在事业上升期，我完美搞砸了
  36. 去你的！我不是个失败者！
  37. 为你想做的去奋斗，在体育圈杀出一席之地的女主持
  38. 停止撞墙的方式就是勇往直前
  39. 公司要瘦身，我知道自己会被裁员
  40. 最糟糕的事情不是失败，而是恐惧
  41. 【突破行动·如何从失败中复原】
  42. 第六章 地位需要自己去赢取
  43. 入职耐克后的迷失，做一块海绵，多看多听
  44. “广告风波”，新晋管理者最容易犯的错误
  45. 做谦虚的新手，要笑脸不要腹肌的尊巴创始人
  46. 【突破行动·如何保持谦虚】
  47. 第七章 玩你擅长的游戏
  48. 仅为一类人提供精准服务，从全职妈妈到时尚“黑马”创始人
  49. 新队友都是老员工，如何让一盘散沙聚焦
  50. “一举成名跑”，将各自优势融合成一个整体
  51. 在你的领域深潜，从街头涂鸦到设计耐克“空军一号”
  52. 成功的关键就是致力于玩自己擅长的游戏
  53. 你该从哪儿开始
  54. 【突破行动·如何学会说“不”】
  55. 第八章 你要做的就是让决定变正确
  56. 为自己创造机会，在佳得乐成为队长
  57. 把控自己的节奏，重新命名品牌G
  58. 佳得乐危机，拿我的职位做赌注
  59. 发现蓝海，给游戏换个玩法
  60. 拓展新领域，彻底读懂你的客户
  61. 改变游戏规则，从精神病患者到世界卫生组织顾问
  62. 跟着感觉走，自由撰稿人的多元文化营销路
  63. 【突破行动·如何专注你的航向】
  64. 第九章 一个人是不可能成功的
  65. 担任Equinox新总裁，找到让你走得更远的人
  66. 从追随者成长为领导者，社交网站上找我帮忙的陌生人
  67. 你必须身先士卒，塑造尊巴的行为模式
  68. 互相帮助的最高境界
  69. 【突破行动·如何练习想象领导力】
  70. 第十章 永远没有终点线
  71. 做出新选择，从钢琴专业的失败者到美国国务卿
  72. 打破旧习惯，进入轻微不适的状态
  73. 创造性破坏，从“虎爸”教育出的学霸到跨界艺术家
  74. 试着将大脑关机
  75. 回归服务业，待在已知的安全区得不到新成长
  76. 【突破行动·如何挖掘更多潜力】
  77. 结语 努力向前，把握属于你自己的职业转机
  78. 致谢
  79. 译者后记

FAQ

Is this book suitable for someone who has just worked for one or two years? It can be read, but the gains may be limited. The cases mostly revolve around bottlenecks and transitions after some accumulated workplace experience, and newcomers lack comparable situations. It is advisable to first flip through the action guide sections and practice items related to communication or saying no, then read the whole book once you encounter specific confusion.
Do the 10 lessons in the book have to be followed in order? The material does not state that they must be executed in order. A more reasonable approach is to select relevant items according to your situation—for example, first deal with "how to say no" or "how to assess risk," then go back to other content. Each chapter includes an action guide that can be used independently.
What reference value do the author's two experiences of being fired have for readers? The value lies in showing that turning points do not come only from smooth moments. The author writes about his choices and adjustments after being fired, so readers can compare them with their own reactions to setbacks and understand that career turning points often come with passive situations; the key is how to identify and seize subsequent opportunities.
How is this book different from ordinary career inspirational books? It is not driven by slogans; instead, it breaks experience into executable action guides and introduces the real experiences of many people. What readers get are concrete methods and judgment frameworks, not mere encouragement. It suits readers willing to compare, take action, and take notes.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Sarah Robb O'Hagan Author · New Zealand

Sarah Robb O'Hagan is a New Zealand-born business executive who has served as president at Gatorade and Equinox, and is the author of Extreme You. Public information about her is limited, and details such as her birth and death years are not recorded. Her works center on personal growth and workplace management, commonly categorized as inspirational growth and management. Two of her titles are included in the collection: the six-volume Workplace Sprint Set and Turning Point. Her writing draws on observations from high-intensity business environments to discuss breaking through self-imposed limits and navigating career transitions, in a practical and motivating style suited to readers interested in career development and self-improvement.