Winning the Game of Work: Career Happiness and Success on Your Own Terms

As a type-A Achiever with an insane work ethic and a deep passion for my work, I have been constantly befuddled by my lack of ability to move up or even at times, how I end up boxed into horrible situations. I am terrible at office and corporate politics, but I had no idea how to move ahead or out of my current situation. After reading McDougall's Winning the Game of Work, I feel as though I have taken a peek behind the thick velvet curtains of corporate life and can finally figure out how to advance happily in my career without compromising on who I am inside. I found the advice in this book re: getting to know myself and what makes me happy at work extremely valuable as it's been such a challenge to figure out what I really want to do and if this path I am on is right for me. Fantastic read and I wish I had this book a few years ago so I could have been applying the lessons this whole time!

A wise read for those entering the workforce for the first time and a great navigator for those mid-career. I love the handy-style of this book which functions more like a tool-kit. It's easy to pick-up and dive into different sections and personal stories that fit your current situation. I'd love to see corporate teams read this together as a team-book-club read. It would certainly create transparency and a forum to share perceptions on corporate culture. Anyone who's worked in a corporate environment will resonate with the first two chapters and discussion of success and failures (both our own and what we perceive in others) and the topic of envy. The Myth Busters section is worth the price of the book. Susan Clarine, The Ei Coach, LLC

The story about Terry’s first boss walking out with her promotion in the introduction really drew me in. I could relate to her ambition and the heartbreak of working hard yet not being seen. I like how she provides stories from her career and the careers of others to bring the tips to life. The book is very inspiring in terms of establishing guiding principles in successful career and The Game of Work! Very relatable! I highly recommend this book!

In my experience McDougall is right — any career worth leading has to be aligned with who you—and you have to take action. You owe it to yourself to buy this book and reflect on it, as an investment in your own journey to career fulfillment. Her approach of showcasing stories from a variety of people provided a lot of color and real life insights to demonstrate her books numerous points. She’s not kidding about the need to take action, either! There are a number of exercises in the book and, full disclosure, I didn't complete them all. Having additional space to answer the questions in the book (rather than having to do so in a separate journal) might have motivated me to complete them. Maybe her next book can be a companion workbook? There's enough depth that I could see wringing additional benefit out of her material by approaching it again with the goal of completing the exercises and reflecting on changes that have happened since my first reading.

Way too many people enter the business world and start careers, doing their best, and maintaining high expectations to inevitably become disappointed and stuck in misery. The trap of “trying better” just isn’t enough. Terry McDougal’s book frees us. This book’s strength is in taking the reins for ourselves. To radically improve the story of our careers, I love that this book shows people are much more resilient and capable than what they give themselves credit for! The author’s voice is authentic and rich with “unwritten rules that no one tells you” to make the way you work a lot more fun and rewarding. - Richard J. Marks, Sustainability Communications; author, Rise to the Sun: 7 Footsteps and 7 Prayers for Getting Out of Hell

Author Terry McDougall drives to a core issue that so many face - Am I happy in my career or at my job? But McDougall flips the script with readers by providing pragmatic tactics for readers to take an active part in owning the answer to the question. Rather than letting a bad boss influence them or a missed promotion, McDougall expertly uses her own experiences and stories to show that even the worst miss at work can be an opportunity if we use it as a data point. This book resonated with my own recent exploration of what my "superpower" is at work. I can't wait to try out some of the reflections McDougall's book provides. A must-read for anyone wishing to craft meaning into their work!

Terry McDougall is the coach you need if you're feeling unsatisfied at work. She helps you to reflect on what you want deep inside, what you're doing about it now, and how to move forward with this new knowledge. She doesn't shy away from telling you the truth--a hard truth that you need to hear. It may be scary to face reality and finally admit what you've been doing for years is not what you want to be doing, but I guarantee you--in the long-run, this will help you take ownership of your life.

Whether you are in a bad situation or good one, at the top or the bottom - this book is packed with a lot and I MEAN A LOT of information and advice. - TBH this could be three books! It is just straight talk. If you want a book that will help you feel better about yourself and rationalize your problems - this isn't for you. If you want to change and are willing to get over yourself and take control -- then I think you'll really like this book.

In Winning The Game of Work, McDougall reminds us that we all have a fundamental need to know that our work matters and that we all deserve to be seen and valued for our efforts as much as for our contributions. A reminder for effective leadership as much as it is for employees to take the game of work in their own hands and learn how to win through powerful action!

This is a book for anyone who is serious about rising in their career and hasn’t advanced as quickly as they would like. McDougall really understands the psyche of the “overachiever” and provides some smart advice on how to work for impact. The chapter on the “leverage problem” was especially helpful. Definitely recommended. Travis Wright author of Making New Mistakes

As a type-A Achiever with an insane work ethic and a deep passion for my work, I have been constantly befuddled by my lack of ability to move up or even at times, how I end up boxed into horrible situations. I am terrible at office and corporate politics, but I had no idea how to move ahead or out of my current situation. After reading McDougall's Winning the Game of Work, I feel as though I have taken a peek behind the thick velvet curtains of corporate life and can finally figure out how to advance happily in my career without compromising on who I am inside. I found the advice in this book re: getting to know myself and what makes me happy at work extremely valuable as it's been such a challenge to figure out what I really want to do and if this path I am on is right for me. Fantastic read and I wish I had this book a few years ago so I could have been applying the lessons this whole time!

A wise read for those entering the workforce for the first time and a great navigator for those mid-career. I love the handy-style of this book which functions more like a tool-kit. It's easy to pick-up and dive into different sections and personal stories that fit your current situation. I'd love to see corporate teams read this together as a team-book-club read. It would certainly create transparency and a forum to share perceptions on corporate culture. Anyone who's worked in a corporate environment will resonate with the first two chapters and discussion of success and failures (both our own and what we perceive in others) and the topic of envy. The Myth Busters section is worth the price of the book. Susan Clarine, The Ei Coach, LLC

The story about Terry’s first boss walking out with her promotion in the introduction really drew me in. I could relate to her ambition and the heartbreak of working hard yet not being seen. I like how she provides stories from her career and the careers of others to bring the tips to life. The book is very inspiring in terms of establishing guiding principles in successful career and The Game of Work! Very relatable! I highly recommend this book!

In my experience McDougall is right — any career worth leading has to be aligned with who you—and you have to take action. You owe it to yourself to buy this book and reflect on it, as an investment in your own journey to career fulfillment. Her approach of showcasing stories from a variety of people provided a lot of color and real life insights to demonstrate her books numerous points. She’s not kidding about the need to take action, either! There are a number of exercises in the book and, full disclosure, I didn't complete them all. Having additional space to answer the questions in the book (rather than having to do so in a separate journal) might have motivated me to complete them. Maybe her next book can be a companion workbook? There's enough depth that I could see wringing additional benefit out of her material by approaching it again with the goal of completing the exercises and reflecting on changes that have happened since my first reading.

Way too many people enter the business world and start careers, doing their best, and maintaining high expectations to inevitably become disappointed and stuck in misery. The trap of “trying better” just isn’t enough. Terry McDougal’s book frees us. This book’s strength is in taking the reins for ourselves. To radically improve the story of our careers, I love that this book shows people are much more resilient and capable than what they give themselves credit for! The author’s voice is authentic and rich with “unwritten rules that no one tells you” to make the way you work a lot more fun and rewarding. - Richard J. Marks, Sustainability Communications; author, Rise to the Sun: 7 Footsteps and 7 Prayers for Getting Out of Hell

Author Terry McDougall drives to a core issue that so many face - Am I happy in my career or at my job? But McDougall flips the script with readers by providing pragmatic tactics for readers to take an active part in owning the answer to the question. Rather than letting a bad boss influence them or a missed promotion, McDougall expertly uses her own experiences and stories to show that even the worst miss at work can be an opportunity if we use it as a data point. This book resonated with my own recent exploration of what my "superpower" is at work. I can't wait to try out some of the reflections McDougall's book provides. A must-read for anyone wishing to craft meaning into their work!

Terry McDougall is the coach you need if you're feeling unsatisfied at work. She helps you to reflect on what you want deep inside, what you're doing about it now, and how to move forward with this new knowledge. She doesn't shy away from telling you the truth--a hard truth that you need to hear. It may be scary to face reality and finally admit what you've been doing for years is not what you want to be doing, but I guarantee you--in the long-run, this will help you take ownership of your life.

Whether you are in a bad situation or good one, at the top or the bottom - this book is packed with a lot and I MEAN A LOT of information and advice. - TBH this could be three books! It is just straight talk. If you want a book that will help you feel better about yourself and rationalize your problems - this isn't for you. If you want to change and are willing to get over yourself and take control -- then I think you'll really like this book.

In Winning The Game of Work, McDougall reminds us that we all have a fundamental need to know that our work matters and that we all deserve to be seen and valued for our efforts as much as for our contributions. A reminder for effective leadership as much as it is for employees to take the game of work in their own hands and learn how to win through powerful action!

This is a book for anyone who is serious about rising in their career and hasn’t advanced as quickly as they would like. McDougall really understands the psyche of the “overachiever” and provides some smart advice on how to work for impact. The chapter on the “leverage problem” was especially helpful. Definitely recommended. Travis Wright author of Making New Mistakes

Winning the Game of Work is a fasincating read into why being smart and hard-working won't always get you far in the workplace- you need to understand and play the game. McDougall takes the reader through her own experience and many other great stories to show how to "win" at work. If you want to get ahead at work, I highly recommend reading this book.

Many times, you get so busy at work that you don't take the time to actively think about your career path and where you want to do. The author takes us through her journey and journeys of others and the tactics they took to Win in the Game of Work. Really easy read and has helped me think about all of the times that I could have been doing things like communicating better to win.

I'm clapping out loud for Author Terry McDougall's book! Whether you're in your first job or your umpteenth gig, this book shows the path on how to navigate teams and the professional situations. McDougall's anecdotes and examples provide insight that anyone can benefit from. Highly recommend especially if you want to succeed at work!

As someone who is just starting my career, a book with examples of successful people who were once in my situation is powerfully inspiring. I would recommend Winning the Game of Work to anyone struggling with the unknowns of an early career.

A really helpful book to support people seeing work as a specific game with a set of rules that may not be clearly visible or understood. I love Terry's analogy that we may be playing Monopoly, when the game is really Twister. By getting a clearer perspective on what to pay attention to, this book provides a roadmap for success!

This book is powerful and important. I highly recommend it - it can help you both with your career and your life.

I am completely absorbed by the book. The writing style is easy and enjoyable to read. There is a story-telling quality to the book that integrates psychology, organizational systems, intuition, experience, and real-life stories of related-able individuals to help the reader examine their own behavior or motivations, as it relates to work. I am learning a lot about myself as I read this book. I'm glad I bought it.

I wish I'd had McDougall's Winning the Game of Work when I was a young professional. She helps us gain clarity about the psyche of the “overachiever” and provides some smart advice on how to work for impact. Definitely recommended.