This winter I read through Working Out Loud, by John Stepper. Working Out Loud is a book about helping to set and reach (personal and work) goals. I was introduced to the concepts in grad school and have been talking about it for a couple of years. I enjoyed reading it and sharing the ideas with others at work this year. The book encourages the reader to set an intention and then provides a process to work towards it.
An intention I’ve set for myself for this year is to get up at 5am each morning – so that I don’t feel so rushed to get out the door, but can slowly own the day. For me this is not easy – so following some of the Working Out Loud ideas for developing new habits has been helpful.
The book suggests reading what others write about the habit that you are trying to adopt, talk to people around you about what you are learning, call attention to not just what you are learning, but to those that you are learning from, and continuing the process. The idea of working out loud is critical to an outcome that my work unit (organizational development) values – building collegial mentoring relationships. As a result – we built the book into the working practice of the Program Development Leadership Cohort we created small groups to help staff to not just learn about working out loud, to actually do it. Cohort members seem appreciative of the process and the opportunity to share what they are learning.
In conclusion, this one gets two thumbs way up – a great read and a practice for success.