O trabalho como deve ser: Aprenda a ser feliz com o que você faz

by Leah Weiss

A practical guide to bringing our whole selves to our professional work, based on the author’s overwhelmingly popular course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In today’s workplace, the traditional boundaries between "work" and "personal" are neither realistic nor relevant. From millennials seeking employment in the sharing economy to Gen Xers telecommuting to Baby Boomers creating a meaningful second act, the line that separates who we are from the work we do is blurrier than ever.

The truth is, we don’t show up for our jobs as a portion of ourselves—by necessity, we bring both our hearts and our minds to everything we do. In Take This Job And Love It, mindfulness expert and creator of the perennially-waitlisted Stanford Business School course "Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion" Dr. Leah Weiss explains why this false dichotomy can be destructive to both our mental health and our professional success.

The bad news, says Weiss, is that nothing provides more opportunities for negative emotions—anxiety, anger, envy, fear, and paranoia, to name a few—than the dynamics of the workplace. But the good news is that these feelings matter. How we feel at and about work matters—to ourselves, to the quality of our work, and ultimately to the success of the organizations for which we work.

The path to productivity and success, says Weiss, is not to change jobs, to compartmentalize our feelings, or to create a false "professional" identity—but rather to listen to the wisdom our feelings offer. Using mindfulness techniques, we can learn how to attend to difficult feelings without becoming subsumed by them; we can develop an awareness of our bigger picture goals that orients us and allows us to see purpose in even the most menial tasks. In Take This Job And Love It, Weiss offers a set of practical, evidence-based strategies for practicing mindfulness in the real world, showing readers not just how to survive another day, but how to use ancient wisdom traditions to sharpen their abilities, enhance their leadership and interpersonal skills, and improve their satisfaction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Audiobook, Productivity, Leadership, Psychology

Paperback

First published March 13, 2018

About the author

Leah Weiss, Ph.D., MSW, is a teacher, researcher, and meditation expert at Stanford University specializing in the application of mindfulness and compassion in secular contexts. Her perennially waitlisted course at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion, is breaking new ground in an MBA program already famous for innovation. Her other courses at Stanford include Compassion and the World Religions and A Philosophical and Experimental Introduction to Buddhism. In 2015, she was given the role of Women in Management Facilitator at Stanford business school. As Principal Teacher and Trainer for Stanford’s Compassion Cultivation Training program, founded by the Dalai Lama, Leah developed the curriculum to train more teachers to meet a growing interest in compassion as it applies to people’s work, family, community, and selves. Her first book, How We Work, forthcoming with HarperCollins, will be released in early 2018.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to defend against burnout — irony: I read it on vacation.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How We Work" is a how to manual on taking big topics like mindfulness and compassion and to utilize them in the workplace. If you're into these things already (I try very hard to use mindfulness and related tools and to expand my practice every day). Work doesn't need to be a pain when you make a point to try and expand all of these really good things that this book is filled with.

Much of this book was not rocket science. These are tools that you might be familiar with but applied in a new way. I think it's always good to practice things like mindfulness and compassion but they are known areas for me already. This book is about using those tools in a real life situation that causes stress for so many people: work.

If you are new to these practices, this book would be a great start for honing all of the good things these practices can do for you. However, if you are not a beginner, this book makes for good practice but probably isn't going to be too shocking or new.

[Pam Cipkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read on workplace satisfaction. Studies show that having a strong sense of purpose benefits our physical and mental health in numerous ways. Embracing mindfulness in the workplace and thinking about work more positively can make a world of difference to our wellbeing. Lots of good stuff here on setting of priorities, managing positive and negative emotions, resilience, and working with intention, but it sometimes gets a little bogged down. Still, so many good points to highlight and think about. We all want to be happy with our work, and “Knowing what you are doing and why allows you not only to feel accomplishment in doing your work well, but also to have a more fulfilling sense that your days actually matter.” But this doesn’t come automatically. We have to work consciously to make it happen. As author Leah Weiss concludes, “As workers we must take responsibility for our own sanity. We can’t wait for our boss or HR director to do it for us. We have a great deal more influence over our situations than we often realize. And with this influence comes responsibility. We are accountable.”

[Katey Townshend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, 2.5-3 stars. This book doesn’t share anything you don’t already know if you’ve read a couple mindfulness books. The “9-5” angle felt like an afterthought, in a way to attempt to differentiate the book.

[Gayle-marie Bender-tarowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I started this book, I was looking at my career and wondering “What is my purpose?”
After this book, I’m looking at my relationship with work with different eyes.
I now longer feel like I’m stuck in retail hell but making a difference every day in the job I do and who I interact with the general public.

[Susan Lauher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good survey of contemporary leadership/ management research and philosophies. The book skims the surface of a wide range of topics and doesn’t offer much in the way of unique insights. If you are looking for a good overview this will be interesting to you. She cites original research and that could offer a jumping off point for topics of greatest interest to you. However, if you read a lot on management and leadership you are unlikely to find anything new here.

[Ivy Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great business book by Leah Weiss who teaches courses on compassionate leadership at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She discussed how to incorporate mindfulness - not meditation, but mindfulness in terms of being self-aware, compassionate toward yourself and others, and emotionally intelligent at work and at home. It’s a quick read with good info - highly recommend.

[Cammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this is a self-help book, but it didn't feel like one. It felt like an encouragement book, if that makes sense. I have never felt more ready to take on my career and my life after reading a book.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of platitudes and cliches along with the usual suggestion to use mindfulness. Nothing new or original here.

[Zach Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough, but not particularly deep. Not a good sign when the introduction chapter feels more meaningful than the rest of the book, which can more-or-less be summed up with "You hate your job? Have you ever tried being mindful?" Some good moments and good quotes, but nothing I haven't seen or read before.

QUOTES
As such, not only is meditation compat ible with work, but we can also think of work as meditation, wherein each moment of the workday is an opportunity to train our hearts and minds in good habits.

Natural meditation is not closing your eyes and working at it. Rather, it involves accessing a mental state that is familiar and always available (a state we often miss because we are in such mental overdrive), setting your intention, and engaging in perspective-shifting “micro moments” - all of which you can do at any time of day.

[Buddhist metaphor] Sitting meditation is a boat we can take to a destination. This boat is only one of many vehicles that can get us where we need to go. The person who gets too attached to meditation as an end in itself – to “being a meditator” and telling other people that they should meditate – is like a poor schmuck carrying a boat over his head instead of simply walking.

Meditation teacher Michelle McDonald once noted, at the beginning of a weeklong silent retreat, how much of our “personality” is just habits of thought, feeling, and perception, and how many of our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions boil down to “Why can’t everyone be more like me?” If we could see this, and if we could choose, wouldn’t we choose another way to be? In the meta-moment, we can.

We may quietly, blindly hope that all our tasks and busyness add up to something greater than the sum of their parts, but we’re afraid they might not. Too often, we can’t see the connection between the big and little picture, or we just don’t have the time to stop and take a breath and ask the question.

Guru Rinpoche, the eighth-century Tibetan master who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet, once said that we should go through life “with our view as high as the sky and our actions as meticulous as finely ground tsampa [barley flour].” ...No matter how lofty our goal, we can’t forget to keep our actions grounded.

In traditional Buddhist intention-setting practice, we say things like “May I be a protector for those who are without protectors, a guide for travelers, and a boat, a bridge, and a ship for those who wish to cross over. May I be a lamp for those who seek light, a bed for those who seek rest, and may I be a servant for all beings who desire a servant. To all sentient beings may I be a wish-fulfilling gem, a vase of good fortune, an ef ficacious mantra, a great medication, a wish-fulfilling tree, and a wish-granting cow.” Imagine if, instead of “I hate Mondays” or some such, that was your first thought of the day.

The self-esteem-based identity that believes “I’m able to be happy only if I’m uniquely good and actually better than others” follows us from childhood to college and eventually to work and into our adult relationships. Success is framed as a zero-sum game.

When we compare ourselves with others, we can’t win. When we come out ahead in our own minds, we act like jerks and become isolated. When we come out behind, we feel terrible and are cut off as well.

Any interaction can be an opportunity for shaking things up through conscious participation.

***On our journey, there will be gaps between who we intend to be and who we are. The failure is in not minding these gaps. This is where our best growth potential lies.

...the art of remaining curious, being authentically interested in the world and the people around you, and being invested in your own growth.

***The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary men takes everything as a blessing or a curse. - Don Juan via Jack Kornfield

[Lindsey Barger · Rating 3 out of 5]

New business leaders face a myriad of challenges when entering their new roles. From a difficult team to trouble understanding your purpose, leaders often grow frustrated and leave their positions. Leah Weiss, PhD, shows leaders how to overcome these challenges in her book How We Work.

This book includes practical advice on topics such as healing toxic workplaces, finding purpose, leaning into our emotions in productive ways, and how to fail better. Throughout the book, Weiss includes sections on practical applications titled “Accomplish This” to further understanding. Weiss also includes input from other leadership and management professionals and educators to bolster her plans.

I give How We Work 3 out of 5 stars. I struggled to make it through this book myself. While I appreciate the concepts and teaching, this book reads more like a textbook or collegiate class additional reading than a management how-to. Halfway through, I found myself not retaining any information because of how tough the reading is – I had to go back and outline the book to focus on it. One item I did take away from this is the Hippocratic Oath for Managers – I made a copy for the office at my day job.

I recommend this book for new business leaders and those more experienced but dealing with burn out or leadership challenges. Less academically-minded readers may find this book difficult to read – I have a Masters in Management, did my fair share of text book reading, and still found it tough. I would also recommend this for leaders looking to learn more about mindfulness and using emotions in a positive way.

I chose How We Work as my July personal development read. While I’m not in a management position exactly, all workers can choose to be in a leadership role – those are two very different terms. I received this book in a women’s management subscription box last year, but hadn’t had the opportunity to review it yet. I did give this a low rating simply for the difficulty in reading it – I hope you find it easier to read than me!

[Justin Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a primer on general mindfulness that's focused mostly on productivity benefits at work, this is the book. It's filled with small exercises and prompts to practice being more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions, and practice using your feelings as signals, not as orders. It also had one of the best prompts for finding purpose that I've seen.

The book takes a very, very general view of what mindfulness means. Everything from defusing feelings, to crucial conversations, to retrospectives, to building courage. I liked that it shared small actions to help with each of these, but it meant that the book was broader and shallower than I typically like.

[Christine Ho · Rating 5 out of 5]

You cannot change your organization. BUT, you can start thinking mindfully about what you choose to do at work and whether mindlessly saying YES to all sorts of random requests (my personal downfall) really helps move you forward in your greater purpose. This book does not give insight as to how to change your organization (unless you are already the CEO of your company or have invited Leah Weiss to consult on your company and change culture), but helps understand why mindfulness is an asset to companies, and even if you cannot implement that, how being mindful and purposeful at work helps to 'reclaim your sanity and embrace the daily grind.'

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t read it completely. Lot of the stuff is well known to everyone. I was wishing for more practical advice and tips vs. abstract thousand feet view. Mindfulness is easy to say but very difficult to implement and practice. May be it’s in the genes, something you can’t cultivate. Compassion is the same thing. These are personal traits that can’t be taught in academic setting. Author points out the research out there to refute this and tries to convince it can taught and learnt. I wish it was true.

[P Michael N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read on how to attain and sustain mindfulness at work. There’s nothing Earth shattering covered here but simple and practical reminders and exercises to help us work better. The key insight is that it doesn’t matter what’s happening, mindfulness practices are something you can apply to make in any difficult situation better. A pleasant read - I’d recommend it to anyone who’s on the grind, work, school, chores, life etc.

[Rajat Jain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book breaks the conventional rules linked to the society and make one’s aware of how living in the mindfulness will help the person to take action and live a peaceful life. The mindfulness skill is a key to run the business and manage the work life balance. The book asks question .i.e. Does professional means being unemotional. Author talks about mindfulness strategies .i.e. prioritise feelings, 1% better everyday, work on your breath and live a purposeful life.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was eating up the intro, but eventually started to drag a little more by the end, however the messages and ideas in here are fantastic. It showcases the importance of purpose, resilience, and compassion through various studies related to happiness, productivity, and health, and also shows HOW to practice these skills in everyday life, in and out of work. I love how thorough this book is, albeit a little repetitive of information I've seen before. Lots of great tools and reminders.

[Christina Cl · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is good advice here and there, on how to make your work life a little better and less stressful, but nothing groundbreaking. The book is quite messy and difficult to follow; you'd have a hard time finding the sections that you actually need. The main downside for me was the overreliance on Buddhism anecdotes and the fact that meditation and mindfulness are pretty much the solution to everything.

[Anne Janzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah Weiss has written the book we need for the working world today - the practical blend of mindfulness and business. I was particular taken with the sections on cultivating compassion for others and ourselves at work, and at failing better (rather than just faster!). I'd say to rush out and buy the book, but rushing probably isn't the right approach. Read it, practice it, live it.

[Tanya (mom's small victories) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blurb:

How We Work is a well researched, technical look into mindfulness and compassion and how to use it to become happier in our personal and professional lives. This book is a good addition to your library if you struggle with job satisfaction or dealing with a difficult work situation or environment.

More Thoughts:

I saw "reclaim your sanity" in the title of this book and immediately thought this was a book for me. Even though now I'm a stay at home mom of 3 boys (who are in school all day) and a work from home blogger trying to launch a blog/business, I still feel like my days are kinda crazy, especially when the kids get home and we are heading in 10 different directions for school and activities. What mom doesn't feel like she needs to reclaim her sanity every once in awhile?

Well, let me tell you, this book was difficult for me to get into. In the beginning, I had to read it in small doses because I found it to be very technical, I guess you could say, relying heavily on research studies and ancient philosophy to illustrate the author's points. It also focused heavily on professionals working outside the home, so for them, this book would be much more valuable. 

That being said, I did learn some important lessons worth taking into consideration as they can be applied to whatever your work status is. 

* I worked outside the home for my first 13 years of motherhood as a CPA, accountant and internal auditor (talk about insane juggling a stressful full-time job and 3 kids). How We Work* helped me realize how toxic that environment was and how it contributed to worsening my health due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune chronic illness that impacts my joints.

* How one of the first studies on the impact of mindfulness was first done on chronic pain patients to see if improving their mindfulness would improve their ability to cope with pain (hint: it did).

* How finding your purpose in your job improves your satisfaction

* How having compassion for yourself is just as important as the compassion you show others

* How to fail better through constructive feedback and reflection

* Helpful Accomplish This actionable steps to take at the end of each chapter to implement what is discussed.

Overall, I liked this book ok, it was harder to read cover to cover since I typically read right before bed and I had a harder time focusing on the technical content at the end of my exhausting momlife days. I think if I was still working outside the home, I would totally benefit more from listening to the audiobook version on my commute to and from work to help get me in the proper mindset before I start and at the end of my workday. Or if you incorporate reading into your morning, pre-work routine, then How We Work  might help you start your day on a positive note. 

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book with helpful tips regarding workplace environments. I appreciate that Weiss provides many statistics to support her encouraged methods. I could relate to almost all of the examples she provides, as well. Often, books of this nature provide extreme examples or focus on people-managers. I thought her scope was broad enough to hit all levels of office workers.

[Vivek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good positive reinforcement book for someone who is familiar with the messaging. There was no major discovery or surprise for me as I read the book. But it did make me contemplate a few times and helped me identify some of my negative behavior including what I felt as problems. This is my biggest takeaway. An opportunity to pause and self reflect.

[Kelly Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great read that connects evidence based science and mindfulness to our lives at work. Well written and researched- the author is keenly aware how skeptical business audiences can be on these topics and effectively speaks to those concerns.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a lot of great information and practical tips in it on how to bring more mindfulness to work/life using eastern philosophy and western research as evidence. Lost a star because I didn’t find it to have any new information, but definitely a good literature review of others findings.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centered on mindfulness and psychology research. Gives practical exercises and changes to make in how you approach, relate to, and perform work. I would like the exercises all together in the appendix of the book as well as throughout to make it easier to find them.

[Alaka Halder]

Read this for a book club, where it met with a lukewarm reception. An ambitious book with good intentions. Could be useful for beginners to mindfulness who are wary of more "woo" approaches to the topic, or as a general reminder.

[Amanda Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

There wasn’t really anything new or groundbreaking for me personally, but I could see how this would be a very useful book for someone not already familiar with the mindfulness concept as it applies to work.

[Bunly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Change from a culture of “paycheck” to a culture of “purpose”. Work becomes an opportunity for us to train ourselves to have more conscious and compassionate intentions and to hold ourselves accountable to those intentions in the kindest possible way.”- Leah Weiss.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for book club. Like the reminder to approach people woh compassion

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serves as a nice reminder to be more mindful. Good book for work teams to read together.