Synopsis of “Synopsis of “MOJO How to…”

MOJO comprise of 4 basic elements Your Identity, Achievement (2 perspectives – What we bring to the task and what task gives to us), Reputation, Acceptance. Book is divided into these 4 sections

1. You & your Mojo
2. The Building blocks of MOJO
3. Your MOJO tool Kit
4. Connecting Inside to Outside

First Section talks about You and your MOJO… what is MOJO and 4 basic elements of MOJO which I talked about above and tells us how can you measure your MOJO and guides us towards the thought that there could be 2 forms of MOJO Professional MOJO & Personal MOJO it also gives us a simple template to find out our MOJO score. Next Marshall explains the MOJO paradox where we try to look at happiness and meaning to every thing that we do but our default response is it aligned? We continue with whatever we are doing in spite what we want is something different. We are constantly oscillating between long-term benefit and meaning and short-term satisfaction and happiness.

Second Section talks about the Building Blocks to MOJO starting with our identity which comprises of 2 dynamic complementary and competing vectors. One being Past and Future while other being Self and Others. It goes on to explain 4 different types of identities… Remembered Identity, Reflected Identity, Programmed Identity & Created Identity.

Further in second section it talks about Achievement and how it contributes to our MOJO. Marshall explains there are 2 differing criteria to our accomplishments first being those achievements that makes other aware of our abilities and resulting in they recognizing us and second being those achievements only we are aware about our abilities that only we are aware of and makes us feel good. Both are legitimate in their own ways. He labels them as Professional MOJO and Personal MOJO. Disconnect between how we & others measure our achievements of these 2 types of MOJO lies how we feel. It also goes that many a times people go far back in time digging up their achievements that have happened long time ago that they are no longer relevant.

Next chapter talks about Reputation Who do people think you are? It points out the gap between who we really are (Character)and what people think we are(Reputation), and in few of the cases other people’s views can be accurate or even more so than our view of ourselves. Marshall makes us think by asking us a specific question would you rather be considered smart or effective? It is interpersonal dynamics of other people’s preconceptions helps mould our reputation. Reputation is never a one-time catastrophic event but is formed over long-term patterns / impressions you create with consistent actions in a disciplined way.

Acceptance is one tool which works wonders especially in relation to how you deal with past and future by living in now. By focusing on acceptance author does not suggest that you should not create change but in fact suggesting that you should change what you can and let go of what you cannot change.

Marshall points out the MOJO killers which Over commitment, waiting for facts to change, looking for logic in all the wrong places, Bashing the boss, refusing to change because of sunk costs, confusing the mode you’re in.

Sometimes our MOJO is at risk due to forces beyond our control and in those cases pointless arguing can create enemies that could be allies. 4 pointers deciding which battles to fight which to avoid are … Let me keep talking, I had it rougher than you, why did you do that? It’s not fair.

Many a times due to factors such as globalization, increased gap in compensation top and lowest cadre, decreased job security makes many jobs that existed earlier redundant and disturbs the work life balance but there are quite a few tools given the book to separate yourself from the throng.

Third section is focused on providing you with your own personalized MOJO tool Kits. There are total 11 tool kits that Marshall Goldsmith has provided under each of the 4 basic elements under the titles… Establish criteria that matter to you; Find out where you are living; Be the optimist in the room; Take away one thing; Rebuild one brick at a time; Living your moments in small moments too; Swim in the blue waters; When to stay when to go; Hello Good bye; Adopt metrics of system; reduce the number; Influence up as well as down; Name it frame it Claim it; Give your friends a life time pass.

Last section is about Connecting inside out. I would like to share 2 of my activities which I had been postponing / disrupted and those had my MOJO down and by identifying and doing the same got my MOJO back….

First activity was my walking habit which had got disrupted and even though I had a wish to walk 50kms in a day was not getting done. Then when I was looking at what was my MOJO killer this long pending wish came up as MOJO killer then while connecting from inside to outside, I enlisted a group of friend and then announcing it to them that I will be completing the same with a time frame. The moment I announced my intention I started getting all the support as to how to do it, what all precautions I need to tak, what are the milestones that I needed to achieve and finally their participation in parts and to cheer me on the D day making the journey easy and mission accomplished.

Second activity was regarding to reading, since I was engrossed in my routine and mundane task I had lost touch with my reading, I have more than 700 books collection combined between all 3 of us (me, my wife & my son) and was a voracious reader once upon a time and had lost the touch with reading, off late I decided to start writing book synopsis and communicated same with my son and just by having him as by buddy and started sharing my book reviews got my MOJO back hope you too will be inspired by this will start reading habit which I consider as of the best ways to keep on getting inspired with new ideas to keep you MOJO at full steam.