Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want

Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want

by Edward G. Muzio, PhD Deborah J. Fisher, PE Erv Thomas
Released January 2008
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780768681857

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Book description

Stop dreading Monday morning! Wherever you work, whatever you do, you can make your work life more fulfilling, more joyful...and it starts right here, right now, with this book. You’re holding the first practical, start-to-finish program for transforming your work life: all the tools, tricks, ideas, examples, and proven research you need to make it happen!

Dive in, and discover how to improve all your interactions with colleagues…what really motivates you, and why...how to find the positive feedback and work experiences you desperately need...what you can learn today to become happier and more effective in your current job...when to quit, and how to find the work you’re meant to do. One day, one small step at a time, start building the work life you’ve always dreamt about...passionate, fun, and enormously successful!

www.likeworkagain.com

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2. Praise for Four Secrets to Liking Your Work
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. About the Authors
  5. Prologue: Monday Morning Dread
    1. Why Do We Work?
    2. Work at Its Best
    3. Work at Its Worst
    4. What Work Offers
    5. How Far Could You Go if You Loved Your Job?
  6. One. The Trouble with Work
    1. Do We All Hate Our Jobs?
    2. The People Problem
    3. The Personal Cost
    4. The Beginning
      1. Venting
      2. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
    5. Seeing Differently Through Models
      1. Change the Situation
      2. Leave the Situation
      3. First, Change Your Perspective
    6. The Magic of Perspective
      1. Glasses without Frames
      2. Wearing New Glasses
      3. Changing Perspective: An Exercise
      4. About Perspective Shift
    7. Tips for the Journey
      1. Stay Employed
      2. Stay Engaged
      3. Be Supported
      4. Be Selective
      5. Drive the Change
      6. Own the Wins
      7. Stay Positive
      8. Read the Stories
      9. Do the Work
      10. Get Organized
      11. “Rinse and Repeat”
    8. Homework: Before, During, and After
      1. Before Work
      2. At Work
        1. Level 1
        2. Level 2
      3. After Work
  7. Two. How People Act
    1. Dr. Fisher’s Story
    2. Secret 1: Observe Behavior
      1. Not a New Idea
      2. Behavior Defined
    3. Two Key Differences
      1. Differences in “Focus”: Task Versus People
      2. Differences in “Approach”: Reflective Versus Assertive
      3. From Two Questions to Four Styles
    4. Behavioral Styles in Detail
      1. Task Focused + Assertive = Direct
      2. People Focused + Assertive = Inspire
      3. People Focused + Reflective = Stabilize
      4. Task Focused + Reflective = Regulate
    5. From Theory to Practice
  8. Three. Watching the Action
    1. Jamal’s Story
    2. Behavior in Action
      1. Conflict Between Styles
      2. Myself, My Colleagues, My Job
    3. Using Your New Perspective
      1. Observe without Judgment
      2. Categorize Behavior, not People
      3. Use Your Experience; Don’t Let It Use You
      4. Answer Only If You Can
    4. Your New Perspective, Revisited
      1. The Easy-View Summary
    5. Homework: Before, During, and After
      1. Before Work
      2. At Work
        1. Level 1
        2. Level 2
        3. Extra Credit/Expert
      3. After Work
        1. Extra Credit Assignment
    6. Want More?
  9. Four. Why People Act
    1. Edward Muzio’s Story
    2. Secret 2: Master Motivation
      1. How Versus Why
      2. Motivation Defined
      3. Motivation Versus Survival
    3. Building the Six Factors
      1. Three Kinds of “Why”
      2. Invisible Versus Visible
      3. Six Motivating Factors
      4. Connecting Questions to Motivation
      5. Answering the Two Questions
    4. Six Factors in Detail
      1. Task + Visible = Results
      2. Task + Invisible = Truth
      3. People + Visible = Assistance
      4. People + Invisible = Power
      5. Process + Visible = Structure
      6. Process + Invisible = Form
    5. From Theory to Practice
  10. Five. Figuring Out Why
    1. Ariel’s Story
    2. Motivation in Action
      1. Motivational Conflict
      2. Myself, My Colleagues, My Job
    3. Using Your New Perspective
      1. Learn, Don’t Judge
      2. One Observation is not a Conclusion
      3. Describe Motivators, not People
      4. Stay Honest
      5. The Easy-View Summary
    4. Homework: Before, During, and After
      1. Before Work
      2. At Work
        1. Level 1
        2. Level 2
        3. Extra Credit/Expert
      3. After Work
        1. Extra Credit Assignment
    5. Want More?
  11. Six. What People Do
    1. Erv Thomas’ Story
    2. Secret 3: Harmonize Tasks
      1. The What
      2. Task Perks Defined
      3. Finding Positive Job Experiences
      4. The Importance of Task Feedback
    3. Types of Task
      1. Task Type Defined
      2. Predictability
      3. Urgency
      4. Determining Task Type
      5. The Task Type Matrix
    4. Task Types in Detail
      1. Anticipated + Deliberate = Long Range
      2. Anticipated + Immediate = Methodical
      3. Unforseen + Immediate = Quick-Fix
      4. Unforseen + Deliberate = Adjustable
    5. From Theory to Practice
  12. Seven. Do What You Like
    1. Conrad’s Story
    2. Task Balance in Action
      1. Task Type Conflict
      2. Myself, My Colleagues, My Job
    3. Using Your New Perspective
      1. Think in Blends, not in Absolutes
      2. Change Type When you Change Task
      3. Convert Task Types with Care
      4. Set Up for Success
      5. The Easy-View Summary
    4. Homework: Before, During, and After
      1. Before Work
      2. At Work
        1. Level 1
        2. Level 2
        3. Extra Credit/Expert
      3. After Work
        1. Extra Credit Assignment
    5. Want More?
  13. Eight. Got Skills?
    1. Millie’s Story
    2. Secret 4: Get the Right Skills
      1. Skills Defined
      2. One Simple Question
    3. Two Kinds of Skills
      1. Hard Skills
      2. Soft Skills
    4. Seeing “Skills”
      1. The Eyes of Others
      2. Change Your Own View: An Exercise
    5. Developing “Skills”
      1. Developing Hard Skills
      2. Developing Soft Skills
        1. Finding a Model
        2. Practicing
        3. Finding a Mentor
      3. What If I Can’t Get It?
    6. Using Your New Perspective
      1. Beware of Bias
      2. “Mind Your Own...Skills”
      3. Silently Notice the Skills of Others
      4. Avoid Judgment and Certainty
      5. The Easy-View Summary
    7. Homework: Before, During, and After
      1. Before Work
      2. During Work
        1. Level 1
        2. Level 2
        3. Extra Credit/Expert
      3. After Work
    8. Want More?
  14. Nine. A Bird’s Eye View
    1. Jim’s Story
    2. The Bird’s Eye View
    3. A Still Broader View
      1. The Third Person, Revisited
      2. Sources of Pain
      3. Your Pain: An Exercise
      4. Your Critical Few: An Exercise
    4. Finding Solutions
      1. Interpretation
      2. From Interpretation to Action
      3. Staying Open
    5. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
      1. Me Versus My Job
      2. Our “Relationship”
      3. No Decision: The Best Decision
      4. For the Moment
    6. Taking the Broadest Perspective
      1. Use Emotional Cues
      2. Use the Third Person
      3. Solve the Right Problem
      4. Be Supported
    7. In Closing: Steer Your Own Ship
  15. Appendix
  16. Notes
    1. Prologue
    2. Chapter 1
    3. Chapter 2
    4. Chapter 3
    5. Chapter 4
    6. Chapter 5
    7. Chapter 6
    8. Chapter 7
    9. Chapter 8
    10. Chapter 9
  17. FT Press Financial Times

Product information

  • Title: Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want
  • Author(s): Edward G. Muzio, PhD Deborah J. Fisher, PE Erv Thomas
  • Release date: January 2008
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 9780768681857