What does a person have to do to achieve success in the workforce, or more broadly, in life? If you've ever asked yourself these questions, look no further than here. Author Christopher Wilson's BA to Boardroom with No BS, Skills for Life delivers an answer that's straightforward, sensible, and, as the title suggests, devoid of all the "BS" clouding most forms of career advice these days. Described by Paul F. Levy, former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, as "one of those essential life guides that everyone should have," BA to Boardroom with No BS gives readers what they need to know. The book offers pragmatic, usable advice on how to affect positive change and practical growth in one's career and personal life. By honing the interpersonal and professional skills necessary not only to spur, but also to respond to, one's rise through the ranks, individuals are set up to achieve more successful outcomes. Wilson's unique brand of no-nonsense advice is based on the premise that, while knowledge is important in any job, skills are what ultimately move people forward and enable them to climb the workplace ladder. To illustrate this point, Wilson compares the accumulation of job skills to the act of filling a toolbox with tools. With each new tool added to the box, one becomes more equipped to build a better outcome, more mindful of the results each tool produces, and more capable of choosing, and effectively using, the right tools for the right job. Through a series of very relatable, often funny, and always edifying stories, Wilson identifies very specific personal and professional skills and depicts the application of those skills to actual workplace scenarios, as he encountered them during his thirty-plus years working as a corporate employee, CEO, mentor, parent, and executive coach. While the stories in BA to Boardroom with No BS can be read straight through and in order, success-driven individuals will want to revisit the text over and over again as they progress through career and life, calling upon it as a reference whenever the need arises to learn how to deal with a new, different, or challenging work or personal situation. An "Index of Skills" near the front of the book enables readers to do just that. After finding the desired skill in the index, they need only flip to the correct page to find the desired information. Some of the skills featured in the book include: -personal skills, such as resume writing, salary negotiation, and peer relations; -management skills, such as hiring people, building a team, and managing up; -leadership skills, such as influencing, situational leadership, and stakeholder analysis; and -life skills, such as investing, credit, and insurance basics. However accurate the title may be when it comes to "No BS," do not be deceived by the appearance of "BA" in the title. Though the book is intended primarily for college students and graduates entering the workforce for the first time, BA to Boardroom with No BS offers benefits to a much larger audience. In addition to providing a resource for new workers, the book offers invaluable information, instruction, and motivation for those who are returning to work after hiatus, assuming greater leadership and/or management roles in an existing job, looking to get a tighter grasp on workplace dynamics, or simply looking to get ahead in any aspect of life. For more complete information, visit www.batoboardroom.com.
About the Author: Christopher Wilson graduated with a BA in History from Lake Forest College in 1979. Through the learning and mastery of skills over the next 30 years, he progressed from being a customer service telephone representative to becoming President and CEO of large mutual fund and financial services companies while building a rewarding family life outside of work. In recent years, he has applied the skills he acquired to new challenges, venturing into the energy field. He also works with start up companies and advises executives on how to become more successful using acquired skills. Christopher Wilson grew up in the Boston area. His mutual fund career began when he answered a newspaper ad for a customer service representative position for Fidelity. Chris worked his way up the corporate ranks for 30 years, becoming the President and CEO of Columbia Funds for Bank of America in 2004. Chris's full career history is available on LinkedIn. Chris is the father of two daughters who are both launching their own careers as this book gets published. In 2010, Chris became happily married to his wife Terry, also an author (T.L. Wilson) and public speaker.