Book Review: ‘Corporate Quicksands’
I know Khurshed Dordi professionally and slowly became his friend. His experience in banking corporations is so rich that it would be an injustice to his friends, followers, and potential beneficiaries.
The idea of a successful corporate professional writing a book has been introduced previously. Many career advisory and self-help books are on the bookstands, but some books have additional value because they are practical and act like a pocket handbook. The book ‘Corporate Quicksands’ by Khurshed is a practical guide to reviewing, assessing, planning, and acting to take charge of a career that needs attention — salvaging, growth, pivoting, or propelling.
The book is a short read, but I read it a couple of times, as I could relate to a few situations I was in.
The Cover:
The cover is simple and connects with the contents. A formally dressed professional riding a jet-fired hovercraft among the clouds indicates the possible outcome by implementing some of the suggestions given in the book.
What is inside:
In a simple style and well-structured flow, Khurshed brings out the best of his experience and learnings so that corporate professionals find answers or at least search for answers by picking up cues about the challenges in their careers and understanding career roadblocks. In a classic flow from problems to solutions, he follows it with both personal and professional suggestions for overcoming these challenges.
‘Toss your fear away,’ he writes. Be Outcome Driven. View Challenges as opportunities. Don’t take shortcuts. Explore options. Ask for help — these are simple-looking words, but when put into context, they bring out the simplicity of Khurshed’s wisdom.
The book suggests the professionals focus on personal development to achieve career goals.
The interrelationship between personal development and career growth is broken down into simple parts and then put together so that the career professional can see the big picture while focusing on the multiple small things that make up the jigsaw puzzle.
Everybody has certain skills, knowledge, and expertise that have to be put to good use to achieve career outcomes. Goals, plans, and mindset form the initial pieces of the puzzle.
The book traverses to dealing with the present job and how teamwork, behavior, communication, positive workplace, teamwork can bring about collaboration and productivity.
No career professional can work in a silo. There are beneficiaries for whom he creates value. Before, during, and after such engagements effective teamwork comes into play.
Team means colleagues, partners, leaders, subordinates, peers, and managers — there are people who work with you, who work for you, and who you work for. The effective management of a team comes from effective delegation, conflict resolution, communication and feedback, prioritization, and empathy.
The book finally addresses long-term career paths by goal setting, self-assessment, and gap analysis, setting and tracking milestones. Leveraging one’s strengths, skills, and expertise along the journey helps. Self-development plays an important role in one’s career.
In the next part, the book covers modern-day work situations like remote working, upskilling, online certifications, using technology, and monetizing one’s skills and experience.
The book answers the tough question of them all at the last: Making the jump from being a corporate professional to entrepreneurship.
In Conclusion:
All these are in cohesive, simple language. Khurshed’s maiden venture in author is already successful.
“The greatest ideas are the simplest.”
― William Golding, Lord of the Flies
I would recommend this book for career professionals across industries. A corporate professional would smile as he has the answers at his fingertips, like how I look in the accompanying picture.
~Ashok Subramanian © 2023
