Chris Baréz-Brown - Shine: How to Survive and Thrive at Work

PORTFOLIO PENGUIN

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First published 2011

Copyright Chris Barz-Brown, 2011

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

ISBN: 978-0-14-196768-4

Chris Barz-Brown is on a mission: to bring creativity, energy and engagement to the business world.

After helping turn Carling Black Label into the first British billion-pound brand, he joined? What If!, the innovation and ideas agency. There he helped some of the worlds biggest businesses get better at innovating.

In 2009 he founded Upping Your Elvis, a business whose sole focus is to release the genius of organizations by helping their people shine more brightly. He works with the likes of Coca-Cola, Nike and Citibank to help their teams make an extraordinary impact.

His previous book, How To Have Kick-Ass Ideas, was described as a champagne-in-the-veins tonic for jaundiced people by Eden Project founder Tim Smit.

www.uppingyourelvis.com

To my wife, Anna.

Nobody has ever inspired me to be more. You are a constant revelation, never settling for less than extraordinary. I am blessed to have met you, let alone married you. A more Elvis chick couldnt exist. Bring on the next adventure!

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Questions or comments?

Work is a huge part of who we are.

Not only does it give us money to live, it shapes our most important life decisions: where we live, who our friends are, the time we spend with our families.

Work can define how we see ourselves, often wrongly. It consumes enormous amounts of our time, energy and focus.

The much-used motto of the working populace is: I dont live to work, I work to live.

That doesnt add up.

If you work full time you probably spend at least forty-five hours a week at work, more than ten hours preparing for and travelling to it, countless hours recovering from it and weekends thinking about it.

Surely, in order to live life to the full, you must love your work too. You have to create some impact, be yourself and shine as brightly as you can. Otherwise it would be a huge waste of life. Youd just be taking up space.

Work is designed to trap us. It is complex and devious. It is hard to even notice the trap which is why so many of us fall into its clutches.

There is always the next thing to strive for. Few ever see the bigger picture; most see only next week. When we are young, most of us take on mortgages that keep us focused on paying off a twenty-five-year debt;this is hardly conducive to taking creative risks and breaking the rules.

The grand plan keeps us busy and keeps our heads down, rarely giving us a glimpse of what could be.Of what we could be. Before long we are shaped by what is around us and not by possibility. Our fears make us play safe and play the game. So many people die without achieving their dreams, settling instead for just comfort and security.

But it doesnt have to be this way. Work can be the most rewarding aspect of our lives. It can make us grow, nourish us and even entertain us. It can connect us to worlds we can only dream of and reward us with an enviable lifestyle. It can be stimulating, exciting and fun.

Work can be the best game in town. The question to ask yourself is: How can I be better at playing that game?

Bono, the lead singer of U2, is one of the worlds best known advocates of human rights. When he goes into any organization as part of his well-publicized mission to eradicate Third World debt, the first question he asks is: Whos Elvis around here?

Its a fabulous question.

The Elvis Bono is looking for is the person who stands out, breaks the rules, makes things happen, shines more brightly, and probably loves every minute of it.

I believe everyone can be a bit more Elvis. Everyone has the ability to stand out.

Imagine that every day you could jump out of bed, loving what you are about to do, excited by the game you are going to play, and knowing that you can only win. Thats a very powerful place to be, and provides more laughs per minute than most people experience in a week.

Shining brightly can manifest itself in all business activities. It could be the way you run meetings. It may be that when you interview someone, you try to ensure that the interviewee learns and grows through the process rather than just responds to your questions. It might be that every time you walk through reception, you spread a little happiness and humour.

The manner in which you shine is down to you. The only essentials are that shining should be fun, human and engaging, and that you put a little of your unique magic into the business.

Shine is for everyone who wants to shine brighter at work.

This book is an alarm call. It is shouting: Wake up!

You can work to live and be ordinary, or you can live through your work and be both extraordinary and fulfilled. The only limitation is you: your energy, your belief, your perspective.

By playing with Shine you will learn how to be a bit more Elvis and how to get a bellyful of the laughs that are on offer at work.