
Slow Down to Get Ahead
Michael D. Callaghan(Author)
Michael Callaghan (Publisher)
Published on 22. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
150 pages
979-8-235-09061-3 (ISBN)
Description
I got fired for being right.
Not for being wrong. For being right-but saying it the wrong way, to the wrong people, at the wrong time.
That experience, and dozens like it over 30+ years in the tech industry, taught me something that no coding bootcamp or MBA program ever will: how you communicate matters as much as what you know.
Slow Down to Get Ahead is the book I wish I'd had when I started my career. It's a collection of hard-won lessons about the soft skills that actually determine whether you succeed-or sabotage yourself.
What's Inside
26 chapters covering the communication mistakes that can derail your career:Why "The Answer is Yes" might be the most important mindset shift you'll ever make
How to say no without being a jerk (and why most people get this wrong)
The art of disagreeing without getting fired (I learned this one the hard way)
Managing your temper when everything is on fire
Why weasel words undermine your credibility
The double-edged sword of social media
And 20 more lessons I had to learn through painful experience
Each chapter includes real stories from my career, practical strategies you can use immediately, and self-reflection questions to help you apply the lessons to your own situation.
Who This Book Is ForSoftware developers who are great at code but struggle with "the people stuff"
Mid-career professionals who've hit a ceiling and suspect communication might be the issue
Anyone who's ever said the wrong thing at work and watched it blow up
New managers learning that technical skills got them promoted, but won't keep them there
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
228 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-235-09061-3 (9798235090613)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
I began learning to program computers way back in 1981 in High School. The Data Processing teacher took pity on a young 9th grader and let me borrow time on the county's HP 2000 to teach myself BASIC. That experience grew into a passion for software development that has never waned.
Though my early career took a 10-year detour, I finally began writing software professionally in 1995. I've been doing that ever since.