CEO of Me: Creating a Life that Works in the Flexible Job Age [Hardcover]

Ellen Ernst Kossek (Author), Brenda A. Lautsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2007

You are the CEO of your life: you, and nobody else. You can establish the new rules that will help you achieve true balance between work and the rest of your life. And if you don't do it, nobody else will. Now is the time to take control, and this is the book that will get you there. CEO of Me is like no other "work-life balance" book you've ever seen: there are no clichés here, and no one-size-fits all solutions. Instead, Drs. Ellen Kossek and Brenda Lautsch help you identify which of six worklife "patterns" you fit into and how to move towards a pattern that's more productive and comfortable for you, one step at a time. As leaders of North America's largest research projects on work/life balance, Kossek and Lautsch are singularly well-qualified to write this book. Drawing on their unparalleled research insights, they show how to identify the personal triggers that cause you the greatest stress...make the small changes that make the biggest difference...make technology work for you, not against you...redraw the lines between work and family as your life changes...master powerful strategies for managing yourself, your colleagues, and your supervisors...leverage emerging work options that are available to our generation for the first time. The authors' radical new approach will transform the way you view both your work and your life and help you make the practical changes that lead to true fulfillment.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the always-available age of Blackberries, more and more of even the most accomplished individuals struggle to achieve a balance between the demands of work and personal/family life. Kossek and Lautsch, professors who have long been studying the success and failure of various flextime work arrangements, have made some interesting discoveries: satisfaction with work/life balance depends less on gender, family situation and occupation than on how people self-manage their careers. Thus the authors have mapped out the most common flexstyles and offer practical solutions for drawing the line between work and family to create a better life in both arenas. The book offers self-assessment questionnaires to help readers work out if they are Integrators, Separators, or Volleyers, depending on what life role is most important to them, and provides strategies, tips and tools from there. The authors' motivational, encouraging tone is infectious, the advice solid and easy to implement. Frazzled readers may benefit from this helpful and wise approach. (Jan.)
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Review

"All in all, however, anyone looking for an optimistic and constructive self-help book that offers insights into the relationship between work and life will find much of value in CEO of Me." (HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, Winter 2008)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Wharton School Publishing; 1 edition (December 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 013234999X
• ISBN-13: 978-0132349994
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,150,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful guidance for a sustainable life, December 27, 2007

By 

Amy Tiemann "creator of www.MojoMom.com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CEO of Me: Creating a Life that Works in the Flexible Job Age (Hardcover)

"CEO of Me" takes a 360 degree look at flexibility and comes up with thoughtful advice for all workers. The authors keep an eye on developing a sustainable work-life "flexstyle" and acknowledge that there are many ways to achieve that goal. They look at the major styles of being an Integrator, Separator, or Volleyer and highlight the strengths and challenges of each approach. A major strength of "CEO of Me" is getting each reader to look beyond our habits or assumptions (I had to challenge my assumption that "work-life integration is always good") to consciously explore alternatives that might work better.

A second strength is the ongoing acknowledgment that a sense of control is essential to a worker's happiness. Any of the styles can feel like a trap if a worker is forced into either too much separation or integration. "Captives," who are forced to separate work and personal lives, are portrayed as the most conflicted, stressed, and unhappy workers (a conclusion borne out by work-life research).

It's the age of flexible jobs, a trend sure to continue into the future, and I love that "CEO of Me" talks about this development applying to men and women, parents and single people. Many suggestions for individual action and workplace advocacy come together to create a very strong book.