Title: Finding Your Seat at the Table
Author: Teboho Mofokeng
Genre: Self Help, Career, Business
First Publication: 2020
Language: English
Book Summary: Finding Your Seat at the Table by Teboho Mofokeng
The world of work is constantly changing and there is not much we can do about it. There are new careers in demand for which there is a shortage of skills; while some careers are becoming redundant and there is an oversupply of skills.
In most careers, it is no longer business as usual. A lasting career requires adaptation and mental toughness. The game plan of only showing up at work to collect a paycheck each month and leave it to the company to build your career is not enough.
This book shares global trends on the future of work, the tools to create a career path and how to execute it. There are currently five generations at the workplace, this book will give you a strategic advantage on how to communicate and lead such diverse cultures.
Finding your seat at the requires that you play to your strengths and build on the skills required to lead and inspire change once you are at the table.
Book Review: Finding Your Seat at the Table by Teboho Mofokeng
Teboho Mofokeng writes a inspiration-filled book on how to build yourself up before any challenging conflict so that you can get your seat at the table and put your best effort into whatever challenge may arise.
Finding Your Seat at the Table by Teboho Mofokeng is a tremendously valuable book for anyone who is looking not for a job, but a career that offers control, autonomy, and gives you a sense of fulfillment. The subtitle of this book reveals the main theme of the book: “Creating the Ideal Career”. This book will give you the step by step plan to achieve it.
Author Teboho Mofokeng stresses the pursuit of skills. But before that she asks to be self-aware and define your Purpose, Value, and Mission (PVM). She focuses on the specific, valuable, and marketable skills that will separate you from the rest of the pack and let you define the terms of your career.
Once you have mastered these skills, you can start defining the terms of your career, giving yourself the control and autonomy many crave but few achieve. Next she focuses on goal settings. The goals must be align with your PVM and must be positive, personal and achievable. The reader is expected to keep a detailed journal with specific targets and milestones. The idea is not to climb the Everest of life-change all at once, but to establish S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals, as a way to set up one base camp after the other in search of your mountain. This book is also an excellent read for basic on-the-job project management.
“There are two ways to handle mistakes. You can either deny the mistake and blame others or you can accept it and take responsibility for your actions.”
The author also emphasized the importance of finding happiness in work and staying happy even when things are not going as we would like – still, push hard trying to keep smile on your face. Only change that comes from within us can help us to feel better because things never happen by themselves, all alone. Therefore author Teboho gives advice to reader not only on how to be good in something we chose as our profession, but how to stay what we truly are — enjoying the process of change to start living the life full of love and appreciation which in the end inevitably leads to the path of happiness.
There is a chapter on managing difficulties and set backs and dealing with other people because she makes a point of addressing how sometimes you feel inadequate when you’re not getting done what you should and how to tackle that. Another chapter deals with communication skill and gives the key tools of negotiation to help you get what you want.
Finding Your Seat at the Table is an intensive interactive read for anyone curious about changing their life, their career, their anything. Teboho Mofokeng has created a journey, so to speak, to get the reader focused on a goal. The author gave her justifiable perspective on steps one must take to build a meaningful career and thus a fulfilling life. She slowly and carefully built her arguments and backed them with examples.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short book. To get 90% of the value out of the book, it will take you about two hours. I see it more as a tool than a book, a tool to foster success, fulfillment and enjoyment.
