A Groundhog Career - by Helmut Schuster & David Oxley

About the Book

Don't let the professional world take you as its next unwitting captive; instead, discover how you can take control of your career and in the process find true meaning and lasting fulfillment.

Book Synopsis

We all play the professional game, but how far should we take it?

From our first job, we're taught to compete for promotions, pay raises, and recognition. But in chasing success, many of us lose sight of something essential: meaning and fulfillment. A Groundhog Career: A Tale of Career Traps and How to Escape Them explores why so many professionals feel stuck, disillusioned, or trapped and how to break free.

Through the witty, relatable fable of Shey Sinope, and a deeply insightful analysis by Dr. Helmut Schuster and Dr. David Oxley, this book reveals how an individual's shortcuts, hacks, and compromises can erode authenticity and purpose. The authors challenge you to redefine success, escape career burnout, and rediscover professional joy in a world dominated by organizational systems.

Inside, you'll learn how to:

● Escape career traps that lead to stress, burnout, and dissatisfaction

● Find purpose and fulfillment at work, not just advancement

● Reinvent your career with authenticity and courage

● Identify and overcome professional conditioning that keeps you stuck

● Transform your mindset from survival to significance

● Balance ambition with alignment, ensuring success doesn't cost you your soul

Blending engaging storytelling with psychological insight, A Groundhog Career is a guide for anyone who wants to futureproof their career, rediscover motivation, and thrive both professionally and personally.

If you're ready to escape the endless loop of job dissatisfaction and live your career on your own terms, start your reinvention journey today.

Finalist in the International Book Awards for Careers and Best Cover Design

Endorsed by Sir Ian Davis (former Managing Director of McKinsey & Co.) and Trisha Conley (Global HR Executive)

From the Back Cover

We all 'play the game' at work.

As we begin our journey in the professional world, we're encouraged to compete, to participate in a system of promotions, pay raises, bonuses... but how far should we take this game? And, perhaps more importantly, where will this game take us if we limit ourselves to thinking this way?

In attempting to master and gain an advantage in the 'system', we use short cuts, blips, hacks, or 'cheats'. Particularly in the early phases of professional life, it can be irresistibly tempting to focus on whatever tactics help us progress.

But this comes at a cost.

The longer we pursue this approach, the further we navigate away from meaning and purpose. The hacks and cheats start to define us. The professional persona or façade we assume becomes a parasite, feeding on our integrity and eroding our individuality.

A Groundhog Career, through a combination of the hugely entertaining Shey Sinope fable, and the accompanying deeply insightful and thought-provoking analysis from Drs Schuster & Oxley, illustrates the absurdities, temptations, rationalizations, consequences and compromises faced by anyone who wants to succeed in a world where all the power seems to be in the entrenched organizational systems. It also reveals how to be more aware of the risks, to stay aligned with your core identity and your convictions, and ultimately how to take control of your own career journey... to live professional life on your own terms.

'Entertaining, wise, humorous, an intergenerational approach to career and life. So much more than just a book about career choices.' Sir Ian Davis, Businessman, formerly Managing Director of McKinsey Company and Rolls Royce Chairman.

'Career advice reimagined for our times. There is great wisdom in this highly entertaining and thought-provoking new take on how to get the most from professional life.' Trisha Conley, Executive Vice President, People and Culture at LyondellBasel

Review Quotes

An accessible written self-help book offering readers an insight into 'career traps', and how to be successful whilst still having a strong work ethic. A FINALIST and highly recommended! - The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

...a must-read for anyone looking to take charge of their career journey and live professional life on their own terms. We all need meaning and purpose at work, and the book is a roadmap for escaping the race for promotions and bonuses and finding a career that really matters - HR Today

So much more than a Career book! It's the most practical advice on important life decisions I have ever received. ...The chaper summaries and highlights make it so easy to incorporate some of the suggestions into every day life. Loved it! - Amazon 5*

Fantastic storytelling...It's like a philosophical work of art which dives deep into the relationship between modern-life and employment. - Amazon 5*

Whether you're just starting out or have been working for years, A Groundhog Career will make you laugh, think, and feel ready to take control of your career. It's a fun and empowering read that will leave you feeling like you can tackle any work challenge with a smile. - Amazon 5*

Breaks the mold of career and leadership books - Amazon 5*

About the Author

Schuster and Oxley are long time collaborators and former work colleagues. It is their shared outlook that has bound them together as authors. They are optimistic futurists, advocates for next generation talent, pioneers of new approaches to work, enthusiasts for new technology adoption, and crusaders against entrenched thinking. Their first book - A Career Carol - was Highly Commended in the Business Book Awards 2024.