The Long Game

It’s hard to not want instant gratification, especially in our “get what you want, and now” culture. We see the shiny objects and opportunities for a quick win, and we chase them. Unfortunately, as Dorie Clark maps out in The Long Game, this frenetic behavior isn’t helpful if you want to achieve big goals. 

I discovered this book when life was starting to feel like a giant game of Whac-a-mole. Sure, I was achieving success, but I could never seem to find the time to get to a couple of long-range projects that really matter to me. 

The Long… show more.

Dorie Clark has a way of identifying the challenges that derail careers and then proposing clear, nail-on-the-head solutions that can be executed. The Long Game clarifies that we can achieve our goals if we define our goals and then are purposeful in taking a long-game view and creating the environment that can support those goals. We need to focus, persist, and make space for thinking. I have followed the guidance in this book to help me achieve some very specific goals that were previously vague ideas.

Leading an enduring and evolving business requires the most delicate of skills: balancing the short-term pressure of quarterly sales, production deadlines, and staff challenges with a long-term vision to make sure your company and culture evolves. In The Long Game, Dorie teaches very specific ways to set goals, and develop what she calls the “strategic patience” to see them through. It is the antidote to the “sleep when you die” business culture lore.

I’m a fan of Dorie Clark, whose previous books--including Stand Out and Reinventing You--are lively, highly-practical guides to building your career and establishing your own distinct niche as a thought leader (and today, anyone who wants to pursue their own successful career path should start by thinking of themselves as a thought leader). Dorie’s newest book, which doesn’t hit shelves until September of 2021, is particularly focused on long-term thinking--a lost art in today’s “do it now” world. This book balances nicely with Gilbert’s Big Magic - whereas that book encourages learning by pursuing your curiosities in the… show more.