Labor Day has come and gone. Young professionals of every sector have been struggling year round to battle perceptions of unpreparedness and discover areas of interest where they might be perceived as emerging leaders with the capacity to make some type of impact through their work. Enter; Al Coleman and his latest work Secrets To Success: The Definitive Career Development Guide for New and First Generation Professionals.

Being a young professional can most certainly be a difficult circumstance with many lessons to be learned. In this writing Al makes room to discuss how "Most Things in Life Aren't New" and how it is good practice to learn from the mistakes of others. In the six chapters that follow the author offers up concepts that may be found scattered throughout multiple resources all composed into a single work of literary genius.

Another primary concept addressed in the writing is that as a young professional it is imperative to seek out a mentor, someone to assist with your personal and professional development. I would offer that while it is important to seek successful people to develop relationships with, it is rare that they have time enough to commit to sharing the wealth of insight and knowledge to be found in reading this book. The author uses an informal prose to engage his readership and shares hard and true facts that expose those who flip through the pages to the realities of their circumstances.

I implore any and every young person who would consider themselves or aspires to be a professional in any field to take time to invest in themselves by digesting the insights within this book.

After reading the manuscript I made a request that the author answer a few questions about his writing. He was delighted to share:

Q: Your prologue explains, but with all that you do; having three young children and a wife to support and look after, a successful career to maintain and several high profile extracurricular endeavors, what made you write this book now?

Book Cover

AWC: After seeing so many talented young professionals leave the professional ranks because they weren't succeeding as they had been told they would if they went to school, got a job and earned good money, I had to do something to help stem the tide.

The problem was simply too big for me to ignore. I had to do my part to stop the next great leader from quitting and denying us the privilege of having them share their professional skills and talents with us.

Q: What about this writing makes you believe that it is such a useful tool for up and coming professionals?

AWC: I've experienced and seen the principles shared in the book help me and countless others achieve personal, professional and financial success by employing the steps outlined in the book. With unemployment for young professionals approaching 25%, I've laid out proven methods to help students and young professionals find, keep and succeed at the job of their dreams.

Q: Throughout the book there's an incredible mixture of research and analysis with hints and tips for personal and professional development. How did you choose to format the book the way you did? How did you decide on what type of language to use?

AWC: I believe the most ineffective approach I could have taken was to write a book solely based on my thoughts. That typically leads to people dismissing anything you've written after multiple "I think" statements. Instead, I wanted to support my opinions with irrefutable data. I guess it's a habit from my many years of practicing law and trying to "prove my case."

As for why I decided to write in a more informal tone, that's simply the style I'm most comfortable with. The last thing I wanted to do was turn readers off with long complicated words, I preferred instead to make you feel as though I was right there beside you having a conversation.

Q: Why have you decided to give away so many free electronic copies?

AWC: My goal is to give away more than 10,000 electronic copies of the book on September 13th to anyone who wants to download a copy. I believe in the book's message and don't think it's fair that some people may not get a chance to know these principles simply because they don't have enough money to purchase a copy, so I thought the best way to "give the greatest good to the greatest number" was through this free promotion.

Q: Is there a quote that comes to mind for you that speaks to the purpose of your writing?

AWC: "While it's wise to learn from your mistakes, it's wiser to learn from the mistakes of others." My friend's mom had this on her voicemail intro when I was growing up and I've adopted it ever since as my approach to life - learn from the wisdom of others. I believe that approach is directly responsible for any personal, professional and financial success I've achieved in my life.

Q: What would you like to say to young professionals sitting at computer desks and in front of laptops or iPads about to click or thumb through the pages of your book?

AWC: I'd love for them to remember that life is a gift, so make the most of it and live it to the fullest. If you don't like how things are going, take control and change things. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is by finding and surrounding yourself with people who care about you and your future success, those that want to see you live the life you deserve!

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to share, anyone you'd like to address in reference to Secrets To Success: The Definitive Career Development Guide for New and First Generation Professionals ?

AWC: I'd like to say "thanks" to any and everyone who supported the book, especially my family and friends in the Twin Cities. Any success I've achieved and will achieve is a direct reflection of their love, support and generosity.

Al Coleman Photo

To purchase your copy of Secrets to Success click this link for Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=secrets+to+success+the+definitive+career+development+guide+for+new+and+first+generation+professionals&x=12&y=22

At the close of the book the author leaves readers with a call to action: "Find a Sage, be a Sage". He proposes that readers seek out a mentor (Sage) to assist with professional development and finding success. Upon acquisition of success he proposes that readers become a Sage (mentor) and assist with the development of some other emerging professional.

I received five (5) free copies of Secrets to Success from the author to give away to you!
Follow @ProverbTribune on Twitter and share your favorite inspirational quote for young professionals on the trending topic: #ImASage
The top 5 "tweeters" with the highest number of retweets will win free copies! This promotion ends at 5pm on Saturday, September 17th.

Goodluck!

Proverb