The Keys to getting on top of turmoil with careers and work.

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Is your work life adding up to what you want it to? Are you thinking, “There’s got to be more to work than this”

Work Passion Power focusses on people. On individuals, it’s about valuing the worth of people – anyone, any time, any stage. There is real hope for the future of work in spite of the fact that work, careers and employment are being deeply disrupted, perhaps at a level unprecedented in human history. Threats (real and imagined) are coming from many directions: from technology where headlines exclaim “Will a robot steal my job?” through to endless uncertainty over education, training options, growth in ‘insecure work’, and the stresses of finding work-life balance.

The mental maps, the thinking tools most of us use to navigate these waves of change no longer serve us very well and we can do much better. Using powerful contemporary ideas – from complexity science, management practise and performance coaching – the authors work through what is important, not only for finding security but for thriving, enjoying and finding meaning in work and careers. Getting this right is not a tips and tricks matter but needs careful rethinking of what’s possible, what mental tools are needed and how to use them to get from possible to actual at an individual level.

This book provides a sustained counter-story to fearmongering headlines and no possibility. It’s an honest, practical, moving and sometimes funny account of how to thrive despite rapid change. Drawing from their 14 years as practising professional career and business consultants, it’s filled with real-life case examples and snippets which ground the content in the subtleties of individuals’ actual decision making when the stakes are high and the impacts long-term. There is an answer here for people of all ages who are asking “Surely there’s got to be more on offer than this grind?” Indeed there is and it can start today.

The “new era of work” that is discussed in this book is extremely challenging for all of us. I thoroughly recommend this lively and engaging book as a key guide to help us navigate these issues.

– Distinguished Professor Paul Spoonley, Coll. of Humanities & Social Sciences, Massey University

Who is this book for?

A senior manager:

“I thought I wanted to progress to CEO so I applied for the directorship in my area, but I withdrew yesterday. I can now see something better, more challenging, something my wife & I can develop together.” And they did.

A New Zealand university student:

“But I don’t know any of the lecturers! Nobody does at our undergraduate level. How can I possibly get their support for holiday research work and publications?” Just three years later (and halfway through her PhD in New York) she can put “Associate Professor” after her name.

An ex-businesswoman:

“I’m financially free, I’ll never have to work another day in my life. I used to love golf, but if I see another golf ball I’ll throw up.” This person developed a satisfying way of continuing to make an important contribution to her community.

A young interviewee:

Pointing to a 3D graphic of a bug, “That’s it! Holy crap, that’s what I want to do – right there!” From being a spasmodically employed ex-student of commerce to passionate professional digital animator.

A person nearing retirement:

“I was miserable, hated my work, waiting for the last few years to drag by before retiring.” Frances mentioned that she could so love her work that ‘retirement’ would vanish from her vocabulary. She laughed. Not long afterwards she bought a business!

These people were all in very different situations but they each wanted a very similar thing. They wanted their work to add up to something more, to mean more than it was. They intentionally rethought what success means for them, their strategies, their capacity and technique for overcoming obstacles, and they found new aspirations and took off on fresh, satisfying adventures in their working lives.

Content Outline

Introduction
Signs we are in for some serious rethinking are everywhere.

Chapter 1
Setting the scene and spelling out both the nature of the challenges and the enormous possibilities for a brighter future.

Chapter 2
Digs into the gritty work of identifying the attitudes and mindsets needed to deliver satisfying work.

Chapter 3
Addresses the practicalities of “Where should I be looking, and for what?”

Chapter 4
The power chapter – goes to the heart of the matter where meaning and purpose drive and sustain career decision making. Confidence and clarity are here.

Chapter 5
Challenges a number of popular myths about high-stakes career decision making and sets out tools for staying on course for the long haul.

Bibliography and Endnotes

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Meet the Authors

Max and Frances use powerful contemporary ideas and methods informed by complexity science, management practise and work performance coaching. Together – and passionately – they bring thousands of hours of experience and energy to this subject.

We are two Kiwis deeply committed to making innovative but practical career thinking more widely available. Both of us are career and management consultants. We formally established our consultancy Forté Career & Business Designs Ltd., in 2003. The purpose of our work is simply …