What’s Inside this Book
Welcome to my book about how to be autonomous in your development and growth throughout the chapters of your WorkLife Story. Here is a preview of what’s inside, along with the main ideas and the meaning behind these.
WorkLife is our life at work, where we spend one third of our lives. It is also the impact our work has on our life outside of work, and the impact our life outside of work has on our work. All areas of our life in and out of work are so intrinsically linked, they cannot be separated, nor do I believe should they. I believe WorkLife needs to be considered holistically.
Autonomy in your development and growth comes from learning, knowledge and experience. Learning is a superpower we all have within us. We learn from people and situations, and we can also learn to apply what already exists within us: knowledge. Applying the learning and knowledge you have within you through experiences, exploratory assignments, both inside and outside your workplace, will enable you to fine-tune your learning, knowledge and experience superpowers in becoming an autonomous self-developing and growth agent, in advancing your WorkLife.
In this book I tell five stories:
1. Going Across rather than Up the Proverbial WorkLife Ladder: Tony’s story of how when he felt his development and growth had stagnated at a time when there was no scope for him to advance his position within his company, he found a way to learn new skills by sharing his knowledge and expertise.
2. How Taking Responsibility of her WorkLife Development and Growth Allowed her to Speak Her Truth and Ask For What She Truly Wanted: Agatha’s story of how becoming involved in a project outside of her workplace helped her to develop and grow her WorkLife passion and purpose.
3. Developing and Growing into Something New: Maryann’s story of how she transitioned into a new WorkLife outside of her own industry by utilising the skills and expertise she had to get her foot in the door.
4. Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You:Elaine’s story of how through sheer hard work, she was rewarded both financially and in terms of responsibility, while all the time developing and growing in a WorkLife she loves.
5. Top Seven Tips for WorkLife Development and Growth: Jane’s story of how she shared the learning she had gained as a Career Coach that had helped people to develop and grow in their WorkLives.
I share the exercises that helped to work through these challenging situations to resolve the dilemmas. I present these exercises as the following assignments for you to work through:
Become an Autonomous Self-Development and Growth Agent Assignment
This assignment is to help you to evaluate how you want to develop and grow. Then to identify the learning, knowledge and experience you want to gain, and opportunities that will support this.
Develop a Practice of Continuous Self-Feedback
This assignment is to help you to find different ways to develop and grow, drawing on your self-feedback for insight.
Develop a Practice of Insightful and Effective Self-Questioning
This assignment is to help you to recognise what you bring to the table when asking for opportunities to develop and grow, through effective self-questioning.
Why Do I Do This Every Day? Journaling Assignment
This assignment is to help you to gain an understanding of how what you do every day can help you achieve your dreams to live the WorkLife you want.
Your Purpose Beyond Profit: Growing Your Personal Brand from Good to Great Journaling Assignment
This assignment is to help you to consider how you can take your personal brand from good to great.
Top Seven Tips for Your WorkLife Development and Growth Journaling Assignment
This assignment is to help you to think through how you can take control of your personal brand’s development and growth plan.