AVAILABLE NOW!
ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER
Are you looking to reach your greatest potential at work?
Do you want to fast-track your career, make more money, or get promoted?
Do you want to take pride in everything you accomplish?
If so, it’s time to KICK ASS AT WORK!
KICK ASS AT WORK is a collection of critical on-the-job lessons designed to help you master the 7 aspects of work and accelerate your career success. It will teach you how to take pride in your work, earn the income you desire, achieve the advancement you seek, reach your full potential, and create the career of your dreams.
Packed with insight and humor—on everything from “Making a big win early on” to “Keeping the bitch switch off”—these forty business lessons provide you with clear strategies and actionable steps to take control of your career, perform better at your job, and enjoy your work more.
I wrote KICK ASS AT WORK for professionals who want to advance in their careers.
- You are starting a new role at your current company and want to succeed.
- You are starting a new job at a new company and want to make a stellar first impression.
- You have been in your role for some time and want to be promoted.
- You feel stuck at the level you're at, and really want to move up the ranks.
- You want to collaborate better with your manager, team, and/or leadership team.
- You are starting your career and want the right business advice for long-term success.
If one of the above scenarios describes your current situation, KICK ASS AT WORK will help you unlock your full potential, succeed in your role, and build a successful career!
Are you ready to kick ass at work?
Let's go!
Foreword
Let’s start with a question you may already be asking: In a world saturated with career advice, why should this book earn your attention?
Because most of what’s out there is noise. It’s abstract theory, disconnected from the rhythm of a real workplace. This book is different. It’s a signal that thoughtful, intentional colleagues are needed and highly sought after. It’s a playbook for earning relevance from the work you do and the people you work with. What are the models that allow some people to navigate complexity with grace? Josh MacKinnon has written this book, not from an academic perch, but from the front lines where the work actually gets done. Josh is one of those rare individuals who doesn’t just operate within a system; he sees its underlying logic.
In my thirty-year career, I’ve learned to listen for the “pulses”—those subtle signals that show when a team is truly working at its best. I always look for team members who don’t just follow the process, but who can lead the band. They understand that a great career, like a great band, isn’t about pushing an agenda; it’s about creating an environment where every element works in tune. Josh is one of the finest band leaders around.
Josh stands in my top 1% of individuals who operate at the highest professional levels. Why? Because he cares about the people on his team, his clients, and his work. He knows that success isn’t about being the loudest; it’s about making sure the entire band is brilliant.
Josh, whether leading, following, or contributing, never just manages his work; he orchestrates every team’s success. He makes everyone better, and everyone wants to work with people like this.
That’s why I’m so excited that Josh wrote this book. KICK ASS AT WORK generously shares this important way to see work and your role to make work better. He’s taken his experience and broken it down into a practical framework that gets to the core of how you can power your own success. This is not a set of rules; it’s a working life toolkit designed to help you remove friction and add value on every project and team.
Read this book and keep it close. Reread it. Do the exercises. It works! It’s a system I have seen work firsthand. This book will show you how to stop adding to the noise and start creating your own signal. It gives you a framework to become the conductor of your career.
Wishing you every success,
Baron Manett
President & Executive Producer, Per Se Brand Experience
Co-chair, Adjunct Professor, Seneca Polytechnic, School of Creative Advertising
KICK ASS AT WORK
Table of Contents
COURSE I: WORK ON YOURSELF
LESSON 1: Take pride in your work
LESSON 2: Be your most authentic self
LESSON 3: Focus on you
LESSON 4: Set goals and be results-driven
LESSON 5: Develop high EI
LESSON 6: Procrastinate strategically
COURSE II: WORK SMART
LESSON 7: Be aware of how many words you use concise
LESSON 8: Solutions drive results
LESSON 9: Never make the same mistake twice
LESSON 10: Working longer may not be seen as working harder
LESSON 11: Multitasking is a myth
LESSON 12: Progress beats perfection
LESSON 13: Learn from your colleagues’ mistakes
LESSON 14: Care about the details
COURSE III: WORK WELL WITH YOUR TEAM
LESSON 15: Keep the bitch switch off!
LESSON 16: Give feedback to help others learn and grow
LESSON 17: Communication is the key to unlocking successful relationships
LESSON 18: Having fun at work leads to enjoying work!
COURSE IV: WORK WELL WITH YOUR LEADERS
LESSON 19: Make a “big win” early on
LESSON 20: Be open to feedback as if your career depends on it!
LESSON 21: Demonstrate performance and potential
LESSON 22: Your most important meeting is your 1:1 with your manager
LESSON 23: Make your manager’s job easier, not harder
COURSE V: WORLD OF WORK
LESSON 24: Curiosity did not kill the cat
LESSON 25: I’ll take that promotion now! Or will I?
LESSON 26: It’s just a donut
LESSON 27: Is it personal or is it business?
LESSON 28: Get it right by getting it in writing
LESSON 29: Didn’t they tell you? You work in sales!
LESSON 30: Be invaluable to your organization
COURSE VI: WORK ON YOUR BRAND
LESSON 31: You are a brand
LESSON 32: Stand out . . . in a good way!
LESSON 33: Meet or exceed expectations every time
LESSON 34: Take the initiative
LESSON 35: Create work that is special
COURSE VII: WORK ON YOUR FUTURE
LESSON 36: Only you control your career path
LESSON 37: Start with “YES!”
LESSON 38: Network your ass off!
LESSON 39: You’re never rejected, you’re redirected
LESSON 40: Cultivate energetic pride
BUY THE BOOK
*For Canadian customers who want to buy on Amazon.ca:
1. Go to Amazon.ca
2. Search KICK ASS AT WORK.
3. On the right-hand side, below the Buy Box, select ‘Other New & Collectible’ or ‘Other sellers on Amazon’ and choose the listing sold by Amazon.ca (this should be the cheapest listing; the other listings are from resellers that mark up the book price, taking a profit, and sometimes they sell and ship from overseas, which could incur duties).
4. If it says 'Temporarily Out of Stock, ' this is because the book is printed on demand. Add to cart anyway, then proceed to checkout.
5. Delivery times for print copies are estimated at 2-3 weeks; they typically ship faster.
*For Canadian customers who wish to buy local:
1. Visit or call your local bookstore.
2. Order KICK ASS AT WORK, referencing the ISBN # (Paperback: 978-1-03-834142-6 or Hardcover: 978-1-03-834143-3). It will be printed on demand for you.
3. Pick up your copy when your order is ready!
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