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fulfillment. In this environment the only way for you to take control of your work life and create the job of your dreams is to fire your boss and hire yourself.
The Answer: Take Charge
    I’m not suggesting you walk into your boss’s office tomorrow and announce you’re staging a coup d’état. You might as well announce you’re quitting — and we’ve already seen how ineffective that is. Firing your boss and hiring yourself as manager of your own work life is primarily a mental exercise. Like many of the steps I’ll be outlining in this book, it’s an attitude adjustment, a different way of looking at your work life, which will change the way you think and act in the future.
    Outwardly, even though you’ve fired your boss, you will still appear as loyal or subservient as ever. In fact, if you follow the rest of the steps in this book, you’ll seem even more dedicated to your boss than before. On the inside, however, you’ll be the one pulling the strings. You’ll be the one determining your value in the workplace and deciding the kind of benefits you deserve. You’ll be the one selecting the skills you should add to your repertoire. You’ll be the one setting goals and measuring your success. And you’ll be the one deciding when you’re ready to move on to another job or task, because you’ll have a personal work plan.
    That may sound very complicated. It’s really not. You need to go through a four-step process of self - examination and exploration. Get out your pad or notebook again. Label one page Job Description, a second Performance Review, a third Alternate Paths, and a fourth Work Plan.
1. Write Your Own Job Description
    On the top of the first page, write a brief description of your job.
    Now, let’s consider what you’ve written. Most people write the equivalent of a want ad. While that’s probably an accurate outline of what you do at work, there’s a problem with viewing the specifics of your current responsibilities as your job description.
    When you embrace such a description you’re surrendering control of your own work identity, either to your boss or to the conventions of your profession.
    Those who are most traditional probably see themselves first as a company man or woman. They might write, as one of my clients, Jenny Moreno, did when I first began working with her: “I work for Acme Computer as a technical writer preparing software manuals.”
    Others who have soured on company identification may define themselves by profession or specialization. They might write, as another client of mine, Paul Derschinsky, did after witnessing some layoffs: “I’m a photographer currently working for the
Gotham Daily Bugle
on the breaking news beat.”
    While both descriptions may be factually correct, they’re emblematic of giving up control. By identifying yourself by company allegiance you’re letting the firm define you. By identifying yourself by profession or specialization you’re letting an industry or discipline define you. To take charge of your work life you need to define yourself instead. A self-created job description lets you set the framework for how the work world will perceive you. This will expand the jobs you’re qualified to fill.
    Go back to that page on which you wrote your initial job description. To develop your own definition you first need to dig down into the details. What do you do each day, each week, and each month? Don’t reflexively write your answers. Think about the question a minute, and then try to describe your activities in as generalized a way as you can, eliminating jargon and terminology tied to your company, industry, or profession. Focus on the verbs you use in your description, the words that describe activity.
    Let’s return to Jenny Moreno. I worked with her on breaking down what it was she actually did, in order to develop her own job description. When a new software application was developed, Jenny was given a large, very technical report