Online Appendix
Four Secrets to Liking Your Work

Welcome to the online Appendix for Four Secrets to Liking Your Work.  The authors chose to place the appendix online rather than in print in order to allow for updates as new information becomes available.

On this page (click to jump)
More Stories
Worksheets and Aids
Methods of Self-Assessment
Articles of Interest
Information about Unsafe or Abusive Work Environments
Recent Information and Validation Studies
 

More Stories
Click here for more stories about Secret #1, The Perspective of Behavior
Click here for more stories about Secret #2, The Perspective of Motivation
Click here for more stories about Secret #3, The Perspective of Task Balance
Click here for more stories about Secret #4, The Perspective of Skills
 

Worksheets and Aids
Click here for exercises using Secret #1, The Perspective of Behavior
Click here for exercises using Secret #2, The Perspective of Motivation
Click here for exercises using Secret #3, The Perspective of Task Balance
Click here for exercises using Secret #4, The Perspective of Skills
Click here for a guide to finding and using Four Secrets study partners and groups
 

Methods of Self Assessment
Click here for a simple self-assessment tool
Click here for more rigorous, validated self and group assessment tools
 

Articles of Interest
Married to the Job by Four Secrets author Edward Muzio
The Separation Illusion: Me and My Job by Four Secrets author Edward Muzio
People Physics: The Laws of Human Interaction by Four Secrets author Dr. Deborah Fisher
Engineering Joy, With Attitude! by Four Secrets author Dr. Deborah Fisher
Networking Using the Behavioral Model by Four Secrets author Edward Muzio
 

Information about Unsafe or Abusive Work Environments
It is the intent of Four Secrets to teach the reader to make the best of their current situation while equipping him or her to change jobs if necessary.  The book is not intended to encourage anyone to stay in an environment which is physically or emotionally unsafe.  If it is not possible to repair such an environment using tools like those explained in Four Secrets, then it is best to use the tools to identify a healthier scenario.  (Thus the subtitle, You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want.)

One source of reference regarding abusive workplaces is Corporate Abuse by Leslie Wright and Marti Diane Smye (Simon & Schuster, April 1998).  The authors of this book identify three types of unhealthy work cultures:  an environment in which everyone's only goal is their own gain, an environment in which fear and blame drive the agenda, and an environment in which people sacrifice their personal lives and their health to the organization. 

Issues like these can sometimes be addressed using the tools presented in Four Secrets.  As is stated often in the book, a small change is often enough to lead to a bigger one.  There are also cases in which repair is not possible.  In those unfortunate cases, the best strategy is to do the best job possible while quickly and actively planning an exit. 

The decision of whether an environment is unpleasant (and fixable) or unhealthy (and dangerous) must be made by the reader, and should not be taken lightly.
 

Recent information and Validation Studies
At this time the published text is relatively current.  Here are some references of particular interest from within the text:

• Regarding Behavior, see Chapter 2, Note 1, page 143 in Four Secrets
• Regarding Motivation, see Chapter 4, Notes 1 and 2, page 144 in Four Secrets
• Regarding Task Balance, see Chapter 6, Notes 1 and 3, pages 144-145 in Four Secrets
• Regarding Skills, see Chapter 8, Notes 2 and 3, page 145 in Four Secrets