Career Courage

Career Courage

by Katie C. Kelley
Released March 2016
Publisher(s): AMACOM
ISBN: 9780814436752

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Book description

What do you want to be when you grow up? That question nags at us long after childhood. Why is it so hard to figure out? Because finding your true calling takes courage. It means conquering fears, shedding misguided ideas, and mustering the strength to let go of a safe job and stage your next act.

Career Courage serves as a personal coach through the soul-searching and planning process ahead, whether you’re a college grad contemplating choices, a seasoned professional seeking new directions, or a stay-at-home mom preparing to reenter the workplace. Packed with exercises and stories of inspiring second acts, the book poses tough questions about motivation, confidence, character, risk tolerance, and more. The answers will power your journey forward as you learn to:

    • Clarify what really matters
    • Express your point of view
    • Build strong relationships and a robust network
    • Stay focused on finances
    • Think like an entrepreneur
    • Prioritize a truly fulfilling life
    • And more

    A career that seemed promising can feel like a dead end today. Career Courage helps you break free and create your own brand of success.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Contents
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction: Beginning the Journey
  6. 1. Motivation: Clarifying What Really Matters to You
    1. Understanding Your Basic Motivations
    2. Designing Your Motivational Game Plan
    3. Create Your Vision
    4. Harne Your Drive
    5. Rely On Your Inspir Ation
    6. Scripting Your Unique Career
    7. Clarifying Your Vision
    8. Collect Feedback
    9. Seize Growth Opportunities
    10. Heed Your Gut Instincts
  7. 2. Confidence: Conquering Your Worst Fears
    1. Discovering Your Discomfort Zones
    2. Designing Your Confidence-Building Game Plan
    3. Fortifying Your Confidence Factors
    4. List What You Need
    5. Ask for What You Need
    6. Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize
    7. Take An Occasional Time-Out
    8. Adjusting Your Emotional Thermostat
    9. Reduce Your Anxiety With Familiarity and Practice
    10. Increase Your Comfort Level With Flexibility and Optimism
  8. 3. Risk: Thinking Like an Entrepreneur
    1. Raising Your Risk Quotient
    2. Prepare for Setbacks
    3. Keep Your Eye On the Bottom Line
    4. Designing Your Risk-Taking Game Plan
    5. Confronting Your Fear Factors
    6. Take the Dis Out of Discomfort
    7. Pay a Visit to the Risk Lab
    8. Remembering Your Passion Purpose
    9. Perfecting Your Entrepreneurial Trifecta
  9. 4. Character: Linking Who You Are and What You Do to How You Relate to People
    1. Playing Well with Others
    2. Be Trustworthy
    3. Be Transparent
    4. Be Loyal
    5. Designing Your Character-Building Game Plan
    6. Managing Your Power Bank’s Deposits and Withdrawals
    7. Become the Go-To Partner
    8. Heed Your Organization’s Culture
    9. Maintain Your Integrity
  10. 5. Harmony: Orchestrating a Life While Pursuing Your Life’s Work
    1. Composing Your Unique Harmony
    2. Diagnosing ADABS
    3. Listen to What Your Actions Say About You
    4. Let Go of Your Desire to Control Everything
    5. Evaluate Your Relationship Boundaries
    6. Accept Different Ways to Play the Tune
    7. Adopt An Attitude of Ownership
    8. Make Every Second Count
    9. Assembling team trinity
  11. 6. Vision: Connecting the Dots to Your Future
    1. Making the Case for Strategic Thinking
    2. Going Back to the Drawing Board
    3. Think Long Term
    4. Serve Others
    5. Communicate Your Vision
    6. Choose the Right Tools
    7. Adapting to Surprises
    8. Question Everything
    9. Welcome Life’s Lemons
    10. Reduce Surprises by Studying the Competition
    11. Maintain Your Core Values
  12. 7. Community: Designing Your Powerful Network
    1. Networking Your Own Special Way
    2. Invest in the Welfare of Others
    3. Consider Your Own Need for Support
    4. Tailor Your Network to Your Special Talent
    5. Evolving Your Network
    6. Identify the Ripples
    7. Connect Needs With Skills
    8. Keep Your Network Open for Surprises
    9. Sustaining the Flow
    10. Figuring Out What It All Means
  13. 8. Influence: Mastering the Key to Effective Leadership
    1. Walking in Their Shoes
    2. Observing Effective Influencers
    3. Identify Their Signature Style
    4. Adapt to the Situation
    5. Remain Faithful to Your Core Values
    6. The Influence Window
    7. Collaborate Toward Understanding
    8. Guide Toward Results
    9. Direct Toward Compliance
    10. Disengage to Refresh Your Mind
    11. Avoiding Major Missteps
    12. Resist Parental Management
    13. Take a Stand
    14. Play the Hand You Are Dealt
    15. Becoming a Good Politician
    16. Manage Relationships Carefully
    17. Fight for Your Corner
    18. Determine Your Deal Breaker
  14. 9. Fortune: Keeping an Eye on Your Finances
    1. Assessing Your Return on Investment
    2. Determine Your Financial Value System
    3. Think Today and Tomorrow
    4. Owning Your Bottom-Line Responsibilities
    5. Set Your Fair Market Value
    6. Advocate for Dollars and Cents
    7. Thinking Your Way to Financial Success
    8. Embrace Prosperity Thinking
    9. Visualize Your Good Fortune
    10. Schedule Regular Financial Health Checkups
    11. Keeping happiness on Your Balance Sheet
  15. 10. Pivots: Staging Your Next Act
    1. Recognizing Your Pivot Points
    2. Heed Your Gasp Gap
    3. Name Your Vital Values
    4. Deciding When it’s Time to Make a Change
    5. Weighing All the Options
    6. Stay and Serve Resolutely
    7. Move Slowly in a Radically New Direction
    8. Harnessing Speed and Adaptability
    9. Seize Opportunities With Agility
    10. Outsmart Your Emotions With Flexibility
  16. Conclusion: Wishing Can Make It So
  17. Notes
  18. Index
  19. About the Author
  20. Free Sample Chapter from Career Match by Shoya Zichy
  21. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Career Courage
  • Author(s): Katie C. Kelley
  • Release date: March 2016
  • Publisher(s): AMACOM
  • ISBN: 9780814436752