YOUR REVIEW YOUR REVIEW
Career Unstuck
by Charlotte Blair
“ This book is designed to help you maximise your happiness at work by finding more passion and purpose in what you do , and it ’ s like having a mini session with a life coach . At the end of each chapter there are several questions to ask yourself and actions to consider taking based on your answers . There ’ s also a list of resources at the end of each section to help with future development . The book is divided into two parts . In part one you are asked to rate where you are in terms of satisfaction and happiness in your current role . From there , you identify what you ’ re least enjoying and what may be contributing to you feeling stuck – things like imposter syndrome , past experiences , limiting belief systems and your money mindset . The second part is about getting ‘ unstuck ’ and moving forward . It asks you to reimagine your role – what ’ s important , what are your non-negotiables , etc .? Once you ’ ve thought about these you write a job advertisement for your perfect job . You ’ re encouraged you to discover your strengths ( or your special superpowers ) and use these to create more meaning in your everyday work , and Charlotte explains why the SMART™ goals framework your may currently be using is great for organisations but not for people . She believes it leaves out the emotional connection a person needs to feel when looking for meaningful work . Although this book is aimed at those stuck in a rut I think all EAs would find completing some of the exercises useful in developing an action plan to find more enjoyment in their working life .”
Fiona Bunworth is an EA at CSL Innovation Pty Ltd
Courage to be You
by Joe Pane
“ Uncertainty in the world of the EA is a dayto-day occurrence . This is quite challenging , sometimes stressful and almost always requires crucial flexibility and multi-tasking to navigate successfully . I was interested in uncovering relatable steps that I could apply to my work or personal environment . There were many parts of the book I highlighted ; either they related to work or were powerful sentences that made me stop , reflect and digest . For example : “ Emotions do not respond to facts ”. So many times I have heard this said or heard myself saying to “ take the emotion out of it , look at the facts ”. The author does a wonderful , relatable job in shifting mindset , and I learned that challenges and problems are growth opportunities ; not dramas , which are created in our minds . If work situations were easy , we would soon settle , we would not grow and we would probably be bored ! All that said , some cases / stories didn ’ t resonate with me , such as the talk of support systems . However , as I read this the book itself helped me to say in my mind : “ This doesn ’ t relate and everyone is different .” And I just moved on to what did relate to me . Overall , this book was a rich insight into human behaviour and would be valuable to those who consider continual growth as an important part of life . Going forward I plan to use the book as a reference with my own highlighted points and I think it will make a great go-to when uncertainty creeps in .”
Mary Dimech is EA to managing director at Beiersdorf Australia Ltd
Winter Issue 2024 | Executive PA 65