G. Richard Shell, Wharton’s Thomas Gerrity Professor, galvanized the Wharton community with his performance in a Wharton Webinar on Feb. 18. The event was based largely on his 2013 book Springboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success (which is based itself largely on a Wharton course that Shell teaches).
The book (and the webinar and the class) aims to help readers answer two seemingly simple questions: What, for me, is success, and how will I achieve it?
Of course, answering those questions is easier said than done. Even when people appear to be successful, they may not be happy and may be succumbing to one of these pitfalls:
The Ivy league Problem: Put another way, this is the unhappy story of the small fish in the big pond.
The Hungry Ghost Problem: Based on an insatiable Buddhist mythological creature with the body of an elephant and the head the size of a pin, this problem refers to people who never have enough money or fame.
The Ok Plateau Problem: When one has a modicum of success and comfort, one may fear losing it all and avoid risks (and their rewards).
The Metaphor Problem: Adhere to “ladder” or “pie-eating contest” career analogies, and you may one day realize that the prize for winning the pie-eating contest is more pies and another contest.
The hardcover of Shell’s book, published in August 2013, won the prestigious 800CEOREADS Best Business Book of the Year. The paperback version was released this spring.
Link to us: Find out more information about Prof. Shell and Springboard at www.grichardshell.com.
