The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need

by Daniel. H. Pink

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is a short graphic novel about a young accountant who hates his job. In the story, a supernatural career advisor presents six guiding principles:

1.  There is no plan.
2. Think strengths, not weaknesses.
3. It’s not about you.
4. Persistence trumps talent.
5. Make excellent mistakes.
6. Leave an imprint.

“The key to success is to steer around your weaknesses and focus on your strengths. Successful people don’t try too hard to improve what they’re bad at. They capitalize on what they’re good at.”

“It’s about your customer. It’s about your client. Use your strengths, yes. But remember… you’re here to serve–not to self-actualize… The most successful people improve their own lives by improving others’ lives. They help their customer solve its problem. They give their client something it didn’t know it was missing. That’s where they focus their energy, talent, and brainpower… The most valuable people in any job bring out the best in others. They make their boss look good. They help their teammates succeed.”

An excellent mistake is defined as one in which the benefits of what you’ve learned exceed the costs of the screw-up.

This is excellent advice for people starting their careers, but the subtitle is overstated.