Work

Most of us spend more of our personal time with co-workers than we do with our partners and families. We're advised to separate our personal and work lives, yet, as persons, we work. We rarely choose our co-workers, but we must personally work with them - or work around them. How to be our best selves in the workplace, as ourselves and in relationship with others - and still make money for our companies as both employees and employers - has been the subject of Anne Giles Clelland's workplace advice column for Valley Business FRONT since December of 2008. Work: It's Personal collects over 30 common, real-life, workplace dramas and pairs them with thoughtful and direct advice from the author. Clelland's advice, although not always what we thought we'd hear, is honest, heart-felt, and designed to help readers become aware of what's really going on at work - both personally and professionally - so they can make informed choices on behalf of themselves and their companies.ReviewsIn her book Work: It's Personal, Anne Giles Clelland...offers down-to-earth, practical business advice for the business person...This is a must-read and Anne should be commended for her helpfulness to all of those who are involved in today's business.- Richard E. Sorensen, Dean, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia TechAnne is a thoughtful observer of the human condition, particularly in the business environment, and she artfully translates the wisdom to be gained from such observation into useful, readable, and entertaining prose. This collection of her columns from Valley Business FRONT is a great "flip-through" resource, especially for your under-40 readers who haven't had time to collect and digest their own useful stories.- Jim Flowers, Executive Director, VT KnowledgeWorksAnne Clelland's writing is wise, authentic, witty, and keeps our focus on the human side of decisions. She inspires deeper compassion for ourselves and our fellow man - who wouldn't want to do business with a leader who genuinely cares. Work: It's Personal helps us keep that perspective.- Catherine Sutton, Director, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, VirginiaAnne Giles Clelland knows how important standards are in volatile times. She knows the world is changing, knows how the world is changing - and she knows even better how to remind us of the important lessons of behavior, responsibility, deportment that don't change, no matter what transformations our workplace - and our world - experiences. She's also a terrific writer who makes her reminders a pleasure to read, even when she's - gently, gently - scolding us.- Keith Ferrell, Author, EditorWork-life balance issues plague everyone. No one is immune. For two years, I have been fighting this disease with a monthly dose of Anne's column in Valley Business FRONT. Now with Work: It's Personal, I can have a daily dose of her medication. Her empathetic, witty and hopeful responses to people's questions - like mine - will earn this book a permanent place on your desktop bookshelf. Let her write your prescription for the work-life blues.- Stuart Mease, Director Undergraduate Career Services, Virginia Tech Pamplin College of BusinessAnne's common sense approach is certain to be reassuring to those who want to know how to handle often-sensitive office issues. Her straight-forward manner, sprinkled with good humor, helps to make business advice close to home, readable, and meaningful.- Joyce Waugh, Director, Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce, Virginia