Finally: A book that appeals to my Generation X sensibilities and gives me good career advice at the same time.

How to Self-Destruct: Making the Least of What's Left of Your Career by Jason Seiden

Jason has written a very smart and funny book with a serious message that appeals to the best in his readers.

Well, that is all find and dandy, but who the heck is this Jason guy and what makes him so qualified to help you fail? Look no further than the book's introduction (perfectly titled, Read This First Despite Your Strong Temptation to Skip It) where Jason tells us,

If you want to be a great criminal, learn from a cop. If you want to be a great failure, learn from me.

and

Here's the deal: I'm the guy companies call in when they want to grow. I "coach teams" and "develop leaders." On occasion, I might be asked to help "get someone's head out of his ass."

Say no more, Jason. I'm on board with your qualifications.

The book's premise is: what's easier than failure? Jason offers "An alternative form of success that requires no practice, no soul-searching, and no behavioral changes whatsoever." He wrote the book to help others, "Succeed at self-destruction." Now there is a movement I can get behind!

The layout of the book is thus: the white pages contain

In four very readable and quick sections, you will learn how to self-destruct from early on in your career, whether you aspire to be an executive or individual contributor.

One of my favorite "red page sections", for those of us that are really not sure yet if we want to fail, talks about craptastic hiring procedures. Readers, you know this is a topic near and dear to my heart. Here is what Jason has to say about it:

Cut through administrative red tape and go get the job.

Official channels clogged up? Call the hiring manager directly and let him know. Three days passed since the official offer was supposed to have arrived? Call the hiring manager's boss - no, call his boss's boss - and ask what's what. By doing so, you will make a statement that you are an action-oriented go-getter, and you will make that statement with action and go-getterness. Still, be respectful. This approach isn't without risks, among them the potential to upstage your future boss. At some point, you'll need to ask yourself: is it more important to demonstrate respect for the existing office pecking order (at the risk of having the job offer go cold), or to get the job (at risk of upsetting the office pecking order)?

Another one of my favorite "red page sections" could have been written by HR communication guru Frank Roche,

K.I.S.S.E.S.

Don't make a thing more complicated than it needs to be. Don't overthink, don't add "one more thing," don't jam in last-minute changes, and don't overengineer. Think twice before using your brain at all. Business isn't brain surgery. (Unless you're a brain surgeon.) But it does require vigilance. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Execute, Stupid.

Now for a healthy dose of constructive critiscm.

Jason suggests 19 books and one article to his readers. Every single one (barring one co-authored book) is written by a man. What is wrong with a man reading what other men have written? Nothing. However, the other half of the planet has a valuable perspective to share with you as well.

Another note: almost all of the books listed were written by Caucasian men. There are some exceptions (if you also count co-authors, I believe there are three to four total). Again, nothing wrong with reading something written by a Caucasian male. At the same time, I encourage Jason to broaden his horizons. There are passionate, intelligent and groundbreaking business books out there written by women and people of color that are very much worth your time. And, I promise, not all of them are about being a woman or person of color in business.

All in all, How To Self-Destruct is very well done. It made me laugh and entertained me, but it also made me think. I encourage you to give it a spin.

If you'd like more information on Jason and to read more of his thoughts, check out his blog at JasonSeiden.com.

Cross posted at HR Wench.