WOL Career & Life - V10 PREVIEW Copy

The biggest change to the original WOL method in 10 years.

OUT LOUD ®

CAREER &LIFE

VERSION 10

JOHN STEPPER

Contents

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Attune your attention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Week 1

Offer your first contributions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Week 2

Take three small steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Week 3

Week 4 Earn someone’s attention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Week 5 Make it personal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

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Week 6 Let your voice be heard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Week 7 Be purposeful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Week 8 Overcome the Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Week 9 Show your work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Week 10 Practice vulnerability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Week 11 Imagine the possibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Week 12 Reflect and celebrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

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“Work” is meant to be broadly defined. It’s not limited to finished products. It can be anything related to your attempt to do something: experiments you tried; lessons you learned; resources and people you found helpful; even just your motivations and feelings related to your work. “Visible” is also broadly defined. Think of it as “letting your voice be heard.” You could do that with one person over email or coffee or with hundreds over a technology platform. You make your work visible not to show off or to build your brand, but to contribute, and to connect with other people. Purposeful discovery Given the infinite amount of contributing and connecting you can do, you need to make it purposeful in order to be effective. Your goal needn’t be your One Special Purpose In Life, but rather something as simple as “I’d like to learn more about X” or “I’d like to explore opportunities in another department or location.” Having a goal in mind orients your activities, including the kinds of relationships you’re trying to develop and contribu- tions you should make, while still leaving room for serendipity. As Working Out Loud becomes a habit, you can apply it toward any goal. A growth mindset This last element isn’t about things to do, but rather about a mindset to have as you do them. A “growth mindset” (a phrase coined by psychologist Carol Dweck) is the belief that your basic abilities, intelligence, and talents are not fixed or innate, but can be developed and improved over time. By adopting a growth mindset, you can develop a more open, curious approach to work and life. You’ll be more likely to try new things, and be more resilient in the face of setbacks.

WEEK 1 Attune your attention

“If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” —Popularized by Cory Booker

10 wol CAREER & LIFE

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What to expect this week In your first week, you will get to know your other Circle members a bit better, and each of you will pick your own individual goal. Then you’ll take a step toward that goal by creating a “relationship list”— an initial list of people related to your goal. You may feel uncertain in the beginning—about your goal or about this process—but over the full 12 weeks you will increase your confi - dence through the steps you take. You will also build trust between the members of your Circle, helping you all feel more encouraged and empowered.

Agenda

1 Group exercise: “What brought you here?”

10 minutes

2 Exercise: Your goal for the next 12 weeks

15 minutes

3 Share your goals

10 minutes

4 Exercise: Create your first relationship list

10 minutes

5 Discussion: Talk about your lists

10 minutes

6 Voice your intention

5 minutes

Note: Each week has a structured agenda, but the minutes allocated for topics and exercises are just suggestions. Use more or less time as the group needs. Just be sure to keep things moving so you can do all the exercises. If you haven’t already picked a Facilitator and a Timekeeper, do so now before you begin. (These two simple roles are described in the “Before you begin…” section.) Avoid the trap of spending the entire Circle meeting in discussion and not leaving sufficient time to actually take a step. If you want more time for discussion, you can choose to do the exercises ahead of your meeting. Whatever you decide, be sure to decide as a group.

12 WEEK 1

Attune your attention 13

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WEEK 6 Let your voice be heard

“Your playing small does not serve the world… We are all meant to shine.” —Marianne Williamson

Let your voice be heard 85

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What to expect this week We all have something to say and a right to be heard. This week involves identifying what it is you want to share and why you want to share it. It involves knowing who your audience might be and how you might reach them. These are skills you can cultivate. You will practice today and continue doing so in the weeks to come.

Agenda

1 Check-in

10 minutes

2 Exercise: Who are you?

10 minutes

3 Discussion: Do you shine?

15 minutes

4 Group exercise: Let your voice be heard

20 minutes

5 Voice your intention

5 minutes

86 WEEK 6

Let your voice be heard 87

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Check-in (10 minutes) what did you do since the last meeting? Did you review your relationship list and make some kind of contribution? Did you discover more facts about other people or add to your own list? Share what you did and how you did it. If you didn’t make any progress, there’s no need to feel bad or make excuses. Instead, try to see what you might do differently this coming week. (For example, you might pay yourself first by scheduling 15 minutes to review your relationship list before the next meeting.)

Exercise: Who are you? (10 minutes) Imagine your name comes up in a conversation and the person who hears about you is interested in knowing more. If possible, they might ask for more information about you from mutual acquaintances or from col - leagues who worked with you. But one thing they will almost surely do is search for you online. When they do, what will they find? Conduct a quick search for yourself now, and list what you discover. If you purposely avoid having any kind of presence online, then imagine what might be said if acquaintances and colleagues talked about you. What would they say? You can think of this exercise as establishing a kind of baseline for your “voice.” What would someone be able to discover about you? For example: • Would they know what you do for a living and how well you do it? • Would they know about causes you care about? About interests you have? • Would they get a sense for how you interact with other people? • Would they find anything related to your goal in this Circle? There is no good or bad in this exercise. You are merely collecting, or reflecting on, “what’s out there” about you. Use the space below to capture what you come up with.

88 WEEK 6

Let your voice be heard 89

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Discussion: Do you shine? (15 minutes) Look back at the quote at the beginning of this week. “Your playing small does not serve the world…We are all meant to shine.” Do you “shine” in your results in the exercise above? Not in the sense of personal branding or showing off, but in terms of serving you and your goals. For example, consider the following situations: • You are working on a project and would welcome ideas and collaborators. • You care about a cause and want to raise awareness about it. • You have your own business. • You enjoy what you do and are always looking to improve. • You’re exploring a new idea, project, or role and would benefit from the experiences of other people. • You would like feedback on something you’re working on. All of these situations and many more require other people to know about you and your goals. They require you to “let your voice be heard” so that you are more effective in doing the things you want to do. Take turns sharing your results from the previous exercise and how you feel about them. Now, as a group, discuss what you found. Did any of you discover something that could improve your own profile? Or something you would want to avoid?

Group exercise: Let your voice be heard (20 minutes)

Week 6 used to be titled, “Improving your visibility.” It emphasized online profiles and the value of being discoverable. But not everyone wants to be visible online, and some have strong objections to social media in particular. Thus a new title and emphasis: “Let your voice be heard.” The point of Working Out Loud isn’t to promote yourself or create a per - sonal brand. It’s about making contributions that help build trust and a sense of relatedness between people. The resulting relationships help you accomplish goals while also helping you learn and grow. At its best, Working Out Loud makes your world bigger in a way that feels good to you, and to others. For this exercise, you will choose a way to “speak up” by talking about your current goal. Here are three examples. Easy: Write down your goal where others might see it (or place a photo or symbol that represents your goal). This could be at home, in your personal workspace, or even in an online location such as a profile. Medium: Have a conversation with a friend or colleague about your goal (in person, virtually, or by text or email). It could be as simple as sharing what you’re working on in your Circle over your next coffee or lunch break. “I’ve been working on something lately that I wanted to share with you, and ask what you think…” More challenging: Share an update on a public platform. You might share your goal in your Circle and why you’re interested in it. Or you might ask others for feedback or useful resources related to your goal, inviting them to make their own contribution. Remember, this is a group exercise! Help each other choose a way that suits you, or perhaps come up with another alternative. (e.g., one of you has a team meeting or other group setting where sharing your goal would feel appropriate.)

90 WEEK 6

Let your voice be heard 91

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Frequently asked questions Q: I’m having trouble writing the letter. Is there another way? If you find the words aren’t coming or you don’t like what you wrote so far, try visualizing your future self instead of writing about it. A vision board, for example, is a collection of photos from magazines or other media that capture what your future self, your future life, will be like. All you need to do is be on the lookout for images that capture some element of what you want in the future, then put them on a physical or virtual board. Over time, these images will form a more complete picture of what you want your future to look like. Whatever format you choose, a good test of whether your letter will be helpful is whether or not it engages your emotions. Does it feel “right”? Does it spark a sense of anticipation or excitement? Q: My future self seems so far out of reach. Where do I start? The path to the future self that you envision usually isn’t a neat set of well- planned steps but rather something that emerges from a series of small experiments and discoveries. It’s less about executing a well-defined plan and more about searching, discovering, and adapting along the way. Each small step can refine your sense of what’s possible and also what suits you, and that can make it clearer as to what your next steps might be. A good initial step can be as simple as connecting with someone who’s done something similar to what you’re hoping to do. Q: How will writing the letter help me with my goal? The first six weeks in your Circle have been full of many small steps. Week 7 and the letter exercise is a chance to think longer term, to see if where you’re heading is where you truly want to go.

WEEK 8 Overcome the Resistance

“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” —Stephen Pressfield

Overcome the Resistance 113

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What to expect this week Although you spent the last seven weeks thinking of your goal in terms of people and contributions, you’re still working on making that a habit and a mindset. This week, you will explore ways to reinforce your new WOL habit so that it takes less effort and feels increasingly natural.

Agenda

1 Check-in

10 minutes

2 Exercise: The Resistance

5 minutes

3 Discussion: What’s stopping you?

15 minutes

4 Group exercise: Make it a habit

25 minutes

5 Voice your intention

5 minutes

114 WEEK 8

Overcome the Resistance 115

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Check-in (10 minutes) This week’s check-in question: How do you feel about your letter from your future self? Did you think about it at all? Maybe talk about it with someone? Take a moment to remind yourself of what you wrote, and share how you feel about your letter now.

Exercise: The Resistance (10 minutes) In The War of Art , author Stephen Pressfield describes Resistance as a force that seeks to maintain the status quo. In a sense, it’s protecting you from all that can go wrong if you try to do something new or ambitious, if you dare to dream bigger. But it’s also preventing you from exploring new possibilities and realizing your potential. “Most of us have two lives,” he writes. “The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” How does it stop us? By any means necessary: procrastination, distrac - tion, fear, anxiety, an inner critic that keeps you in your place. It’s the force that has you do any number of small tasks before starting the big one you actually care about. The force that has you spend time on your phone when you say you have no time for your important goals. The force that tells you you’re not good enough to do what you dream to do. Each of us has our own Resistance. What’s yours? Take a moment to reflect on your goal in this Circle and on what you wrote in your letter. How does Resistance appear in your work and life? How does it work to prevent you from doing all you want to do?

116 WEEK 8

Overcome the Resistance 117

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WEEK 10 Practice vulnerability “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” —Brené Brown

Practice vulnerability 145

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What to expect this week Your contributions, even the smaller ones from the early weeks, require a kind of courage. It takes courage to share your goal, uncertain what people will think of it. Or to show your work and say, “I made this.” Or to ask for help when you need it. But if we shy away from sharing and asking, we limit ourselves and the progress we can make toward our goals. This week, you will further extend your range of contributions, and experience how even your vulner - ability can be a kind of gift to others.

Agenda

1 Check-in

10 minutes

2 Group exercise: Something they don’t know

15 minutes

3 Exercise: Asking for help

15 minutes

4 Discussion: The vulnerability spectrum

15 minutes

5 Voice your intention

5 minutes

146 WEEK 10

Practice vulnerability 147

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WOL ® Career & Life WOL Career & Life — Version 10 The biggest change to the original WOL method in 10 years

You still choose an individual goal and take small steps over 12 weeks, together with the support of your Circle. But Version 10 is di ff erent.

Greater emphasis on personal connection and letting your voice be heard—in conversations, meetings, email, and online. Less emphasis on social media and “content.” A new take on visibility

More human connection

Completely new weeks (“Let your voice be heard”, “Overcome the Resistance”), new exercises, and new opportunities to connect. More ways to make authentic contributions, share honestly, practice vulnerability, and support one another.

A broader purpose

You still build your network, but it’s in the service of something more aspirational than “networking.” Your goal can be anything that matters to you, including exploring possibilities for a better career and life.

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