To my amazement, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is already being translated into 13 languages.  Two of the first overseas version just arrived here at Pink, Inc, world headquarters. Check out the Korean edition and the Dutch edition. Forgive me, but I think they're cool.

Photos by Eliza Pink

A group of education technology mavens in southeastern Pennsylvania convened recently to discuss the trials and tribulations of one Johnny Bunko. Dave Solon filed this report. 

Don't forget: The deadline for entering the Great Johnny Bunko Challenge is November 26, 2008.

*Great Johnny Bunko Challenge

The latest Bunko breakfast was actually a Chinese buffet in Holland, Michigan. Lisa Miller filed this excellent and thought-provoking report:

"On October 16th a group of from the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Meijer Campus in Holland (located in Holland, Michigan) met at Wok In, Wok Out to enjoy the all-you-can-eat buffet and discuss The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: the Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need. The group consisted of: Frank Coronado (Office of Career Services), Kate VanDerKolk (Student Services), Jo Miller (Faculty), Ashlee Pipoly (Graduate Assistant), Brian Bossick (Counseling and Career Development), Lisa Miller (Meijer Campus Coordinator), Eric Packer (Workforce Development), and Melissa Peraino (Community Engagement). We came together because we all assist students in making those oh-so-important life decisions or work in the community in which many of these students will pursue a career. We wanted to talk about how the book could inform our practice and how we might go about spreading the word to our students (and of course because we wanted the chop sticks!).

And so talk we did! Here’s what we “chewed on” in between trips to the buffet:

ADULT STUDENTS

The GVSU Meijer Campus really targets adult students (whereas our Allendale/Grand Rapids campuses work with traditional aged students) and so we spent some time talking about the “target audience” for Johnny Bunko. We determined that its message is just as relevant, if not more so, for adult students returning to college. For this demographic, Lesson 1 (THERE IS NO PLAN) and Lesson 4 (PRESISTENCE TRUMPS TALENT) seem to be particularly important. We want students to come back to college and feel comfortable about doing so… being persistent in their education is a GOOD thing (opposed to a mindset that returning to school it is too little too late). Lesson 2 (THINK STRENGTHS, NOT WEAKENSSES) is also critically important in working with adult students, and our advisors/counselors spend a lot of time fostering the understanding that education can/should be used to discover and grow strengths.

IN THIS ECONOMY?

Do the 6 Lessons hold up even in THIS economy (and by this, I mean Michigan, a state with the highest unemployment rate in the country and a transitioning economy)? Our answer is a resounding “YES!” We may be follow-your-dreams-optimists, but coupled with the insights of books like A Whole New Mind, we’ve got no qualms with saying that following the six lessons will lead to a more productive and more satisfying career.

PLAN VS GOAL

We spent a lot of time on Lesson 1 differentiating between PLAN and GOAL. There is no PLAN, but does that mean that there isn’t a GOAL? We think NOT! We want to help people develop goals (that really capitalize on strengths), but convince them that there may not be (okay, isn’t ) a well mapped plan as to how to achieve those goals. This part of the conversation was really rich and drew upon numerous career theories, including Kathleen Mitchell’s theory of planned happenstance.

THE 7th LESSON

Be Present. The quality of your presence now determines your future.

This came out of the conversation that so often people just show up, but aren’t really aware of where they are, who they are, or what they can contribute. Really being present – in the moment – allows you to learn more about yourself and the world around you and will help you see the possibilities! It is all about the power of NOW.

OUR ACTION STEPS

We’ve generated a lot of ideas of how to share Johnny Bunko with our students. Here’s a list of what we’d like to do in the next few months:

-- Create signs with the 6 lessons for our advising offices so that our advisors and students will have inspiration handy at all times.

-- Share the book with our Liberal Studies students (an adult degree completion program) and to use it as a tool in our advising and counseling sessions.

-- Bring students together to have mini Bunko breakfasts (especially adult students) and use the book as an opportunity to create support mechanisms for students making career decisions or going through career changes.

We’re looking forward to expanded Bunko breakfasts (celebrations?) in the future!"

Once again, the Bunko Breakfasts have crossed the Pacific. The latest, the brainchild of Andre Quintos, took place in the Philippines, where a trio of Bunko fans drank coffee and chewed on the book's six tender and nutritious lessons.

Participant Azrael Codilla, seen here, has more on his blog. 

Christina Mosteller of Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne recently gathered three dozen of her career development colleagues for a Bunko Breakfast in the American midwest. Christina writes:

"I had the privilege of presenting on The Adventures of Johnny Bunko to 39 career development professionals in two different sessions at the Career Development Professionals of Indiana conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I was able to not only share my love of Bunko, but also my secret life as a manga fan. Who knew my passions for manga and career development would ever coincide?

"I started off my presentation by explaining how I learned about DIY Bunko Breakfasts and encouraging my colleagues to seek connections with their favorite experts via the Internet. I showed them the awesome video from Tom King of Dan at a Seattle BB. Dan's discussion of the career book genre could be its own career conference presentation!

"Conference attendees seem really pleased to have discovered a brand new resource to share with students. I'm going to use Bunko in my career planning class next year and have plans on swapping lesson plans and discussion questions with other colleagues who are interested in the book.

"I was able to dedicate a small portion of the end of my presentation to discussion. I wish I'd had longer. The comments were very insightful. My two favorites were that 'There is no plan' could be viewed as a very positive thing. Instead of thinking of it in terms of the scary instability of the new economy, think of it in terms of the fabulous serendipity inherent in life. The other comment that I really liked was that a key element to understanding that 'It's not about you' is a mentor.

"At the end of my presentation, I raffled off free copies of the book and handed out some of the cool Johnny Bunko chopsticks. The attendees who didn't win free books were glad to learn they could read the first half of the book online.

"My PowerPoint presentation is available below and on the CIPD blog.

.

"If anyone wants a copy of my handouts, they can email me.

P.S. My boss loved my presentation and thought I should consider submitting it to a larger nearby conference. Yay!"

[Emphases and some links added -- Ed.]

This summer, I had a chance to read the manuscript of Fortune editor Geoff Colvin's new book, Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.  It's one of the best and most useful non-fiction books I've read this year -- and, as an added bonus, it amplifies several Bunko lessons.

Colvin's thesis, first laid out in this Fortune story, is that we overstate the importance of inborn ability in explaining high performers -- and understate the importance of hard work. But it's not just any sort of hard work that leads to excellence. The secret is something psychologists call "deliberate practice" -- a specific, focused, repeatable, not especially fun method of continuous improvement. 

This idea applies with particular force to Bunko's "persistence trumps talent" lesson. The people Colvin studied -- Ben Franklin, Mozart, Tiger Woods -- were never overnight successes. They persisted, persisted, and persisted some more -- often taking a full decade to truly master their discipline. The concepts also relate to Lesson 2 (you're more likely to practice something that's a source of strength) and Lesson 5 (you're more likely to take risks if you're truly committed to your calling.)

The book hit stores last week. So give it a look. Talent is Overrated  isn't perfect -- I wish Colvin had included more takeaways, for instance -- but I think you'll find  an extremely illuminating read.

Here's our latest Bunko Breakfast dispatch, which comes from Heather Villars and Curtis Takahashi in the great State of Washington:

Workforce Development Council Snohomish County (just a few miles north of Seattle) hosted a Bunko Breakfast on the morning of October 13th. A tasty spread of organic fruit, coffee cake, granola, and yogurt greeted over fifty (yes FIFTY) participants from area employment centers, community based organizations, chambers of commerce, businesses, community colleges, and high schools. The morning began with a screening of the “Johnny Bunko” trailer from the Bunko website.

Daniel Pink himself welcomed everyone from a northern Virginia coffee shop via a live TokBox connection. He shared how he came up with the concept of Johnny Bunko, fielded a few questions and even drew the raffle tickets (we had previously sent him) for Bunko book prizes. (The winner of the first book was Diana – a career advisor – how á propos…)

Curtis Takahashi (WDCSC) shared a Johnny Bunko PowerPoint presentation he uses in trainings throughout the state explaining the concepts of Bunko and their practical application in career development. “It’s amazing how the people I’ve presented this to; especially high school students; embrace these lessons,” remarks Curtis.

An intriguing discussion followed including the question, posed by Dan Pink earlier in the event, “How does Johnny Bunko apply to today’s volatile economy and job market?” Group discussion concluded that the six lessons are valuable for today’s job seekers who struggle to keep current jobs or find their next opportunities.

Another topic discussed by the group was the impact of Bunko’s lessons on tomorrow’s workforce, often referred to as Gen Y. “Leave an imprint” becomes an important lesson to them as they ponder global sustainability because, after all, “it’s not about them.”

A business representative in attendance mentioned how the lessons are relevant for young entrepreneurs and small business owners entering the world of business.

One of the more common comments heard as people were leaving (and from other trainings): “I’m going to get one of these books for my kids.”

In closing, we must mention that, if you haven’t already realized, that Workforce Development Council Snohomish County loves Johnny Bunko.

Our goal is a workforce development system that is 100% globally competitive; able to meet industry needs by filling 100% of jobs with qualified candidates; able to help 100% of job candidates obtain and retain employment; and able to help 100% of business and job candidates to continuously enhance their productivity and prosperity.

We understand the value of these six lessons and the impact they can make in workforce development. To this end, we have integrated the six lessons into our career pathway product www.CareerTrees.org. We purchased 250 books for students in five regional school districts through a dropout prevention grant; one of these districts is currently integrating the Bunko lessons into its career curriculum.

We’re excited to be part of the Bunko Brigade!