The Power of Flexing

How to Use Small Daily Experiments to Create Big Life-Changing Growth

De: Susan J. Ashford

Narrado por: Megan Tusing

A leadership and learning expert shows you how to change your behavior, develop soft skills, and achieve personal and professional growth through a series of small experiments she calls “Flexing”.

A personnel shift at your organization puts you into a leadership role you don't feel prepared for.

Your boss tells you that you seem aloof and unapproachable in client meetings.

You need to win the support of the members of a local community group for a project you feel passionate about.

Addressing these diverse issues depends on improving your soft skills - such as time management, team-building, communication and listening, creative-thinking, and problem-solving. But this isn’t as easy as it may seem.

Sue Ashford, the chair of the Management and Organizations group at the Ross School of Business, has the solution. In this timely book, she introduces Flexing - a technique individuals, teams, and entire organizations can use to learn, grow, and develop their skills and knowledge with every new project, work assignment, and problem. Flexing empowers you to embrace any challenge and adapt to any change, yielding practical, valuable takeaways that ensure growth.

Flexing helps you move ahead when you’re confronted with a new challenge or simply want to develop a vital skill. It’s a journey that begins with setting a flex goal - stating explicitly what you want to learn and how you want to grow. Once that flex goal is set, you then begin to run experiments, solicit feedback from peers or colleagues, and monitor and tweak your progress on the way to achieving your goal. Flexing can be tailored to each person, allowing you to reflect on your own experiences and incorporate the lessons you learn in the next project you tackle. It’s a growth mindset that will help you become the best version of yourself.

Flexing also works with teams and organizations. Ashford teaches small groups and large how to implement flexing to ensure their members are ready for new challenges. With more people moving to remote working full-time and developing new ways of collaborating in teams, this warm and practical guide will help every professional and any organization on the journey to greater effectiveness.

©2021 Susan J. Ashford (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent book for organisational leaders

Excellent share on how Microsoft transformed its culture and the steps it took to sustain it. Thank you!

No excuse for not taking action

Dr. Ashford distilled decades of research in super tangible guide to become our best selves.

Flexing changed everything

Ashford’s insights are getting me through a dissertation … and a divorce. “We’re flexing!” is a mantra my co-parent and I use to remind each other we are still experimenting and it’s OK to adjust and try again.

The stories of real leaders are relatable, and the chapter on feedback seeking is especially profound. If you’re feeling stuck, this listen is for you. HIGHLY recommend.