We all get hung-up on what we want to do. That's what we get asked as children. Ignore that for a moment. We're going to look at how you want to work. Take a piece of paper. Think on each of these questions and write down a minimum of three items against each item. There's no order, no tricks and no right or wrong answers. These are just prompts to get you thinking and release the data about you we need to get planning on your job. Do it swiftly, don't dawdle...

1. How do you like people to assign you work?
   Tell you exactly what to do? Leave you room to create? Check in regularly or leave you alone? In writing or spoken? With clear objectives or ambiguous issues to sort out? When does it work for you? When does it not work for you?
2. How do you like people to work for you? (doesn't matter if you don't have staff, just imagine)
   To update you all the time, or just go away and come back when it's done? Always to deadlines, or are you easy? To work long hours? Super-impressive standards? Are you happy to teach them? When does it work for you? When does it not work for you?
3. How do you like to work with people?
   In meetings? In teams? Alone? On the same thing? All on different things? Do you enjoy social contact - eat lunch together, go out after work? Or just do your job well and go home? Do you want to be in charge? Do you know how to do things better than people most of the time? Who do you think works really well with you in your organisation?
4. Big results?
   Do you want to be in the spotlight? Or more behind the scenes? Do you want to change the world, or do you really just want to afford to live and get on with family / hobbies / friends instead? Would your friends say you live to work or work to live?
5. Structure and culture
   Do you like big groups or small at work? Like lots of people around? Do you want a clear boos? Definite promotion paths? Prefer something more democratic? What would you like to wear to work? Do you like to question and have uncertainty or know exactly where you stand?
6. If you took over your organisation tomorrow what would you change?
   Go-on, really. Who gets fired? What gets fixed first?
7. What really annoys you at work?
   Chances are what annoys you is the opposite of what you value – great data!

This is really simple. The idea is to get you to take a look at yourself from the outside in - a view we rarely get of ourselves. Take a sheet of paper. By each person jot down some thoughts on how you think they would describe you and how they would describe what you do.

• Your current boss
• A parent
• A friend
• A colleague
• Someone who reports to you or who is a more junior person in your work area

The trap: what do I do with this data?
Nothing - it's just useful to know to inform your thinking as you go forwards and think about where to work, the type of company to select, etc. So don't feel trapped by the significance of what you've realised, you don't have to do anything with it just yet...

Next: Why are you changing jobs?
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