Hitting your stride: Your work, your way.

Jain, Neetu

Hitting your stride: Your work, your way, Nan S. Russell, Macmillan Publishers India Ltd, Delhi, 2009, Pages: 239, Price: Rs 265.

Hitting your stride : your work your way exemplifies a winning at work philosophy that's evolved from the author's first job as a poolside snack-bar attendant, to starting his own company four decades later. The book is divided into three parts. Title of Part one is "Uncommon Practice" which incorporates six chapters.

Chapter-1 which is 'Creating your own luck' throws light on the power of a human being to create his or her own luck. When an individual consistently and positively differentiate one's performance, one creates personal luck in the workplace. We create luck by quality and quantity of work we do,the impressions we leave and the results we get influence future lucky moments and opportunities.Luck is a force that brings good fortune or adversity. Over a period of time, most people decrease their luck factor by as they fail to do simple things that differentiate their performance.

Chapetr-2 on Don't be blowing in the wind deals with the fact that if you want to be hitting your stride, don't be blowing in the wind.If you want to make your work 'work' for you, find and establish your own voice, develop an understanding of what issues you will go to the mat for and which you wont, and learn how to think for yourself.without such grounding, issues can take on lives of their own, blowing people to and from like tumbleweeds in the desert. Opportunities to champion an issue can lead to interesting and meaningful work.

Chapetr-3 titled' seeing the elephant' deals with holisitic view of reality by quoting the famous story of six blind men and an elephant.Therefore, the author suggests developing a more beyond perspective within a greater context, aligning with an organisation's vision, values and objectives and growing new eyes to help differentiate results is the key.

Chapter-4 on 'Stories you tell' discusses the power of story and powerful difference in the results we get and the impact we have. If your story is a victim's story, then you will find problems. If it's about winning at work and achieving your life's potential, you will see challenges to meet. It's not about the words, but the vision behind them. How you see your life is how you live it.

In Chapetr-5 on 'It's not about you' the author highlights that there are three bottom line i.e money-line, comfort lione and time -line affecting business decisions. Even when money-line, comfort--line and time-line decisions are not about you, they can feel like they are. Those are the times you need to preserve your core and stimulate your progress.

Part two titled as " Another way" consist of four chapters. It offers insights on how as you preserve your core and stimulate progress, you will be able to deal with the changes coming your way.

In Chapter-7 on 'Bringing yourself to work' the author emphasizes that by working in whatever ways work for you and hearing the messages that seem to speak only to you,you can grow, develop, change and evolve because you want to. Finding and offering your gifts and honoring the gifts of others are first steps. Approaching your work, your way, requires a deeper commitment to your life's potential.

In chapter-8 on 'A practice of Trust' author opines that trust is cultivated, grown, and nurtured. We make authentic trust. We make it by what we do and how we do it. We make it by what we say and how we say it. We are in the mirror of the world we live in.

In chapter-9 on 'Shades of Grey' describes that absolute thinking limits creativity, possibility and opportunity. It reduces discovery, learning and personal development. It blocks options and shelves imagination. When we reinforce our beliefs only with aligned thinking, we stagnate. When we operate with a my-way-or the highway orientation, we eliminate exploration and new pathways. When we see life as always black and white, we limit who we are capable of becoming and never hit our stride.

Chapter-10 on 'Waking up' the author says that what we are today is a reflection of all paths taken and all choices made or not made. Waking up is an ongoing process of evolving and growing and becoming. Life is not what happens outside of work, but what's created with gifts and talents you have and the choices you make. Its not what you can get from life but what you can give to it.

In Part-3 on 'Behind closed doors, the postscript consist of short essays and thoughts. This chapter is not like other chapters, written to motivate, inspire of offer tips. Rather, it's a cautionary note with 'boss' perspectives not normally communicated. Intention of the author is to help the readers to navigate the murky, confusing, boss waters.

This book contained many reflective assessment exercises which helps a person assess where does he/ she stand. A number of quotations inspire the reader to move that extra mile.

This books shows the reader how to bring the best of who you are--your authentic self -to the workplace. It helps the reader find career success and satisfaction by inspiring them to define and follow their own path and their own style. It speeds one's journey to hitting one's unique stride, enhances one's work life and encourages one to live one's life dreams. This is a book from yet another management guru who never served a day as a real manager, of a real company. The author shared what worked and didn't work for him and hundred others, offering a glimpse through anecdotes, commentary and reflective exercises.

Dr. Neetu Jain

Assistant Professor

FORE School of Management