BOOK REVIEWER BOOK REVIEWER
MARY IRWIN RACHAEL BONETTI
Career Leap Customers the Day
after Tomorrow
by Michelle Gibbings
by Steven Van Belleghem
I’m almost finished my Bachelor of Behaviour
Studies Degree and I’m ready to start transitioning
into a new challenge. So, I used Career Leap to
focus my attention – and what I got was a step-
by-step guide to self-discovery and economic
evaluation that exceeded my expectations.
If you’re looking for a magic wand to find you
the perfect job, the book isn’t right for you – but
if you want guidance on finding your motivation,
risk appetite and deciding your next career move,
it’ll certainly help focus your vision.
It looks at where you are now, what motivates
you, where your passion lies and how much
you’re prepared to change or risk for your job. It
then helps you consider where you want to aim
and refers to the practical considerations – from
networking and upskilling to financial security
and automation threat. There are online quizzes
too, and I was surprised to find 25 per cent of my
role could be done by a robot.
Once you’ve narrowed down where you want
to go, Michelle guides you on a strategic path
of what to consider and how to develop your
network and professional image before leaping.
I’d highly recommend this book to any EA
considering their next career move. If you’re
willing to take the time to honestly review your
position and what you want to achieve, there’s
no limit to how far you could leap. My biggest
takeaway was that I have behaviours that can
be self-limiting professionally, so I can focus on
modification now. The book is a must-read for anyone in business.
It’s a window into the future; a state of play for the
present and a view of the efficient, exceptional
and personalised customer experience the
future will deliver. It’s is a great starting base to
learn more about customers of the future, how
to start to future-proof a digital strategy and
embrace artificial intelligence (AI), and where to
concentrate efforts for efficiency by using AI.
Putting the customer at the centre of everything
is no longer optional and customers right now
are the most empowered we’ve ever seen – they
expect immediate responses, for you to know who
they are and what they like. Some companies do
this terrifically and deliver the wow moments with
every transaction but some left behind.
Here, Steven Van Belleghem weaves together
case studies and research from hundreds
of innovative, household name brands,
demonstrating simply how the Internet of Things,
AI, automisation, personalisation, big data and
data security play out in our lives each and every
day. He takes seemingly esoteric concepts and
makes them easily digestible.
As an EA working in a global business with
a huge digital footprint, I found the AI and
automisation chapters interesting and relevant
to the strategy, challenges and cost-efficiency
opportunities of my workplace.
It’s a big read, but a fascinating one and it’s
worth persevering.
Mary is an EA at Southern Grampians Shire Council Rachael is EA to the people director at BUPA
April/May 2018 | Chief of Staff 65