I think there is a lot of great advice in here for young people who are just beginning their careers. It seems to be a collection of articles posted on Harvard Business Review but organized into sections on building positive relationships with your boss, with your coworkers, and with mentors. I think there is a lot of really practical advice and ways of phrasing comments in tricky situations that many young people will find valuable.

However, the book was marketed to me as Teen/YA, and I don't think that's an appropriate target audience. As a high school teacher, this is far beyond what my students are ready for (if they're preparing to enter the workforce, it's in food service and retail positions). It's definitely more appropriate for young people in their 20s.

Thank you NetGalley and Harvard Business Review Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This title, created by the Harvard Business Review, is a quick, practical, and strategic handbook for building the relationships that facilitate a great career. The premise of the book is that great careers are built on the foundational concepts of building strong relationships with higher-ups and coworkers and making purposeful connections that go beyond surface interaction.

The book is arranged in three easily-digestible segments: Bosses, Managers, and Higher-Ups; Coworkers, Teammates, and Work Friends; and Networks, Mentors, and Sponsors. This makes it easy to dip in and out to have time to read and reflect and to jump back in to refresh one's takeaways. Specific strategies are discussed, and there are personal examples to illustrate the concepts. Also, each segment is written by a different business professional, offering a wide variety of voices.

Topics range from "Talking to Your Boss about Career Development," to "How to Build Trust (Remotely," and even "Three Ways to Say 'No' to Your Boss." But one of the most useful sections is "Networking Skills for Professionals from Underrepresented Backgrounds." Not only would this section be valuable for people just starting in their careers, but for managers or higher-ups not from this type of background it serves as an excellent introduction to, or reminder of, the myriad extra challenges our employees face that we may not be aware of, thereby allowing for greater understanding and better relationships with our employees and staff.

Ultimately, then, this is an excellent book for those in the early days of their career, but it also offers guidance for those further along who are ready to step into mentor and sponsor roles. I plan to buy copies for each of my direct reports, and one for myself as a reference for the future.

I wanted to read this book since the title seemed so much related to what I’m looking for right now. I found all the tips provided so easy to understand and to apply. In particular, I appreciated the section on networking since that’s not something I usually work on. While I think a final conclusion chapter would have been nice, the quick recaps after each chapter were really helpful. I made sure to add a couple of notes for myself for future reference.