Chris Watson - Upskill: 21 keys to professional growth

If you want to develop yourself, your people and your teams, read Chris Watsons Upskill. Reflecting the growing trend towards self-directed learning, this do-it-yourself guide is filled with practical and innovative ideas that will help both you and your teams flourish!

Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times number one bestselling author of Triggers and What Got You Here Wont Get You There and two-time winner of the Thinkers50 Leadership Award

We live in an age of positive disruption which is only set to increase in the years ahead. The winners will be those individuals who are open to new ideas and actively focus on developing their learning agility. Upskill offers a huge range of tactical tools and intelligent ideas and approaches for long-term gain, which makes it so useful for anyone committed to developing themselves or others.

Dominic Monkman, Global Strategy and Business Operations Director, GlaxoSmithKline plc

Upskill recognises that people sit at the centre of their own learning. Its refreshing to read a book that provides individuals with such a range of tools and techniques in one place, which can be accessed whenever they are needed. Chris Watson has clearly drawn on his extensive practical experience in the field. Great job.

Kate OSullivan, Deputy Chair, British Rowing, Chair, British Rowing National Coaching Committee

Compelling in its clarity, Upskill reflects the latest thinking on how to improve performance by building on strengths helping individuals to learn at their own pace, in their own time. Anyone working in not-for-profit organisations, in the education sector or in other institutions outside of the corporate world will also find great value in this material.

Eleanor Cannon, Chair, Scottish Golf

What a great wealth of ideas. Using a series of simple tools and techniques that are easy to understand and apply, Chris Watson has created a wonderful resource for anyone dealing with organisational issues or who has an interest in personal development. Every single one of the hundreds of options put forward is worth a read.

Jim Tamm, co-author of Radical Collaboration: Five Essential Skills to Overcome Defensiveness and Build Successful Relationships

Upskill is an interesting and thought-provoking book which challenges the reader to take stock of where they are and to consider how they can move forward. Each chapter provides a down-to-earth, inclusive and developmental approach, with the use of welcomed humour hooking the reader in. I can see this being a go to book for any professional!

Steve Johnstone, Director of Higher Education, University Centre, North Lindsey College

Chris Watson has created an invaluable resource, bringing together tips and techniques that really work for pretty much every situation you could imagine. Its a rich source of new ideas and inspiration and a timely reminder of things you knew but had forgotten and even more than that its a fantastic point of reference for both classic and bang-up-to-date resources in the spheres of productivity and performance. Highly recommended.

Alison Jones, bestselling author of This Book Means Business and founder of the Extraordinary Business Book Club

This handy compendium of ideas is packed with a wealth of proven tools to help individuals take greater control of their professional development and build long-term learning agility. Upskill encourages constructive conversations about capability in the workplace, anchored around some of the most valuable adaptive skills. The structure of the book is both engaging and inviting, allowing learners to be more flexible in the way they discover, distil and direct each of the practical suggestions for professional growth. No fillers, abstract theories or tedious stories: just full of easy-to-apply tools.

Curt W. Coffman, co-author of Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch and First, Break All the Rules

With Upskill Chris Watson has curated an accessible, practical and memorable toolkit which any established or aspiring leader should delve into as part of their ongoing development journey. Taking an evidence-based approach, each of the twenty-one keys unlocks a door leading to a rich menu of resources, tactics and strategies. A book destined to spend very little time on the shelf.

Mark Gilroy, Managing Director, TMS Development International Ltd

Upskill offers a highly relevant and very accessible toolkit that enables the reader to engage with a variety of tools and techniques to enhance their personal and professional development at the point of need. The Inspiration sections provide insights and additional resources that directly navigate the reader to a plethora of supporting narratives, and the books smorgasbord approach is both flexible and focused ensuring that individuals can easily identify the areas which will have the most positive impact for themselves and their organisations.

Susan Kane, Head of Leadership and Learning and Development, University of York

Well-structured and easy to navigate, Upskill is a veritable toolkit of tried and tested solutions for anyone wanting to develop themselves, their teams and their organisations whether they need help attacking a specific challenge or just want to browse for practical inspiration.

Richard Mellor, Global Chief Human Resources Officer, R/GA

Business is facing a new wave of complexity. Wrong response: create more processes and systems and add structures, control and committees this complicatedness chokes productivity and satisfaction at work. Right response: better utilise peoples intelligence, leverage their adaptiveness, strengthen their problem solving skills and grow the individual rather than the bureaucracy. Upskill provides tools and guidance to help achieve this, and enables readers to better face complexity without getting complicated the essence of vitality.

Yves Morieux, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group

It would be a challenge for any individual to not be inspired by the range of practical strategies that are included in Upskill. All the suggestions are neatly categorised under the twenty-one adaptive skills, so you can pick and choose where to focus your efforts moving away from the one-size-fits-all model. Most books aimed at personal development usually only provide a couple of gems. There are 840 in this book!

Steve Oakes, Associate Director of Education, AQR and co-author of The A Level Mindset and The GCSE Mindset

In our busy work lives there needs to be a guide or a textbook to dip in and out of for inspiration and assistance, and to provide us with that light bulb moment when reflecting on and developing our personal development. Upskill does exactly that. Its format and layout offers easy access without getting bogged down with too much jargon and academic distraction.

Glen Woodcock, CIPD Programme Leader, University Centre Grimsby

None of us can claim to be perfectly efficient and effective. These are personal attributes one can only strive to improve, and Upskill is a gem for anyone with that aspiration. Readers will gain immense and individual value from Upskills rich content by learning concepts, techniques and tools that are new to them, and by being reminded of others forgotten.

Michael Taylor, Principal and co-founder of SchellingPoint Management Consultants

An extremely useful guide to developing the techniques that will unleash the performance potential inside us all. Upskill provides a springboard for self-development and personal fulfilment, and is an excellent addition to the field of performance psychology.

Dr Keith Earle, Sports Psychologist, Hull City Tigers