•Dave Urlich & Wendy Urlich
• McGraw Hill
• RRP $54.99
The world of work has changed, and many of us are still trying to fathom the consequences, up side and down, of that. To cope with and benefit from constant and significant change, it helps to know the why.
To keep managers and professionals engaged, we need to know why we are doing what we do. And as work is the thing we do most during our waking hours, we are better equipped to cope and succeed when we understand the why of it.
David Ulrich is one of America’s leading business thinkers, based at the University of Michigan. Wendy Ulrich is psychologist there.
Their book focuses on seven key questions:
• What am I known for? – identity.
• Where am I going? – purpose and motivation.
• Whom do I travel with? – relationships and teamwork.
• How do I build positive work environment? – effective work culture or setting.
• What challenges interest me? – personalising and contributing work.
• How do I respond to disposability and change? – growth, learning and resilience.
• What delights me? – civility and happiness.
The Why of Work is well considered, thoughtfully constructed and tackles an interesting and increasingly complex issue – how to keep focused on the meaning and personal value of work beyond the dollars and when all around things seems less than ideal and personal exploitation prevails.
