As an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, I recognized a long time ago that resilience is one of the major keys to success.
Even before I started my practice in 2012, I had started recognizing patterns in workplaces. There were the bullies. There were the scapegoats. There were amazing leaders, and there were leaders
that weren’t up to the job.
When I started meeting with clients so often the same situations would arise. So often these clients needed an outside perspective. Someone to tell them, “No, you’re not crazy. What you’re experiencing isn’t normal or right and no it’s not a matter of just living with it.”
The idea for a book was in the back of my mind for a long time. So many of the posts on my blog
were topics on which I wanted to develop and expand. With over 200 blog posts on topics that touch
on career resilience, a book was a natural next step.
What Inspired Me to Write My Book
Around 2007 I met a famous Canadian author, Lawrence Hill. He’s won several important awards for
his work, and his most popular book, The Book of Negros, was made into a mini-series for HBO
(which later replayed on a Canadian network, the CBC). Hill has written nine books and has been
extraordinarily successful. I met Lawrence Hill through my brother, and even though I had seen him
become successful within my own extended circle, his example seemed extreme. I could not see
myself following his example. Still, it was inspiring to see someone reaching the pinnacle of success
as an author.
A few years later I was at a networking event or “cinq à sept.” It was an upscale cocktail hour in a
pretty exclusive environment. The crowd was friendly, and I met and spoke with several people I’d
never met before. That night, I had an extensive conversation with another attendee. He told me
about an unusual idea that he had for a book and how he was determined to write it, and soon.
People say all kinds of things in conversation and never follow through, so I just chalked it up to a
good story.
Several months later, we reconnected. He told me he had made great progress and expected to
finish within the coming months.
He made writing a book sound like something within my reach. His experience made me think about
what might be possible for me.
During the summer of 2020, the first “pandemic summer” under lockdown, I joined a pilot online
business mastermind group hosted by the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce. My main reason
for joining was to access networking during the lockdown. The person who led the mastermind
group invited a book agent to one of our sessions. I listened with great interest as her remarks made
me think I should look into publishing a book. I contacted her, and she introduced me to someone
who edited business books and understood the publishing industry. His name was Todd.
I shared my early ideas with Todd, and he said they were viable for a compelling book. Todd helped
me shape my ideas and create an outline, which I used to come up with a solid first draft. He
suggested some reorganization, and then within about eight months, the manuscript was complete.
How Did I Get it Published?
Since Todd had experience in the book publishing industry, I asked him to act as my book agent and
contact publishers on my behalf. He started contacting potential publishers in the summer of 2021.
Todd warned me that finding a publisher could easily take a year. Still, he assured me that it was
worth the effort since traditional publishing does offer some extra credibility and prestige.
While waiting to hear back from publishers, I worked hard at making subtle improvements to my
primary business website. I bought the domain name for the book’s website, and I took steps to
increase my following on social media.
One day, I noticed an editor from Routledge was following me. Of course, I followed her back. I
contacted her by direct message and told her very briefly about my book, andbook and asked her if
she’d like to know more. When she said yes, and shared her email address, I drafted a short letter
that I asked my book editor Todd to review before I sent it to her.
From there, things moved very quickly. By April 2022, the publishing house Routledge offered me a
contract to publish my book. They shared feedback from a few anonymous reviewersreviewers, and I
made many of the changes. I added some additional references to the manuscript and paid a recent
psychology graduate to create my reference section.
After I submitted the edited manuscript, I worked with my web developer, who has supported me
since I launched my business, to complete the book website so that it would be ready to go well in
advance of the book launch.
Not coincidentally, I held my book launch at the very location where I was first inspired at the “cinq à
sept.” over cocktails several years before.
I am grateful that my book has been well-received. It’s generated favorable reviews on Instagram,
LinkedIn, Amazon, Goodreads, and Audible. So far, I have attended five book signing events at three
large bookstores and two local independent bookstores. It’s also been nominated for a Trillium
Award, the premier book award in Ontario, Canada. Since its inception in 1987, the Trillium Book
Award has been instrumental in celebrating and elevating the work of Ontario's authors, showcasing
the exceptional quality and versatility of our literary landscape. With past winners like Margaret
Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, author of "The English Patient," this nomination is a significant honor
in my professional journey.
Dr. Helen Ofosu is an Organizational Psychologist, Executive and Career Coach, and HR Consultant.
Dr. Helen has helped individuals and organizations become more resilient for more than ten years.
She is the author of How to be Resilient in Your Career and more than two hundred blog posts. She is
frequently contacted by journalists to comment on subjects related to the workplace, employment
and diversity. She is also one of five founding officers of the section of the Canadian Psychological
Association focused on Black Psychology , which aims to improve the representation of Black
faculty, graduate students, and psychologists in Canada.
Title: How to be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work
Author: Helen Ofosu
Pages: 196
Genre: Nonfiction
How To Be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work
shares vital career advice to help professionals navigate common
"internally disruptive" career experiences such as harassment and
bullying, imposter syndrome, membership in an underrepresented group,
toxic workplaces, discrimination, and more.
Dr. Helen Ofosu draws
on twenty years of helping employers acquire talent and coaching
professionals through difficult career choices to unpack these layered
and complicated issues in an easy-to-follow way. Dealing with the dark
side of management, the book outlines various issues that can occur in
the workplace, or during a person's career journey, and offers practical
advice on how to overcome these obstacles and setbacks. Using her
considerable HR experience, Dr. Ofosu also offers coveted insights from
the employer's point of view. For people who have already tried other
options to resolve their complicated career issues, this book offers an
essential guide that equips readers with a knowledge base to make
informed decisions around building and sustaining a thriving and
resilient career.
How to be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work
is a reliable resource presented with nuance, depth, and specificity.
Psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, and HR professionals
who are looking for effective advice when supporting people struggling
with these issues, will greatly benefit from this book, as will early
career professionals, and established earners looking to resolve their
career issues.
You can purchase your copy at Amazon at https://t.ly/_rspc.
Other Buy Links:
In good times and bad, resilience is one of the major keys to success – including career success. Dr. Helen Ofosu believes this applies to employees and entrepreneurs, individual contributors, subject matter experts, leaders, and executives.
That’s why her approach to career and executive coaching is to help people get ahead in a way that insulates them from future setbacks – or recover if things have gone sideways. This is also why, as a consultant, she helps organizations become stronger and more resilient, so they are ready for both the anticipated and the unexpected challenges that all organizations face at some point.
Part of what sets her apart from many career and executive coaches is her experience on the inside, as an HR and professional development professional, within large corporate workplaces and her intimate knowledge of typical HR processes and systems.
Clients come to her when the stakes are high. They can count on her to share insights and customized services that few others can deliver. They love that she has developed countless hiring tools and helped to resolve many HR problems over the years.
Her “insider” experience gives her clients an edge in getting hired and promoted in the public (and private) sector, and in managing their careers as they progress.
And as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist (her field is more commonly known as Work and Business Psychology), she takes an evidence-based approach by using the latest research and best practices to increase the odds of her clients’ success.
Author Links
Website | Brainz Magazine | Podcast Interviews | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram
No comments:
Post a Comment