Work From The Inside Out 19: Work in the Context of Life with Diana Wu David
Diana Wu David is a former Financial Times executive, author of Future Proof: Reinventing Work in an Age of Acceleration, and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School EMBA Global Asia. She works with global leaders to enhance their ability to adapt, contribute, collaborate and grow and with organizations and boards that seek a competitive edge by enhancing leadership and engaging multi-generational talent.
Diana Wu David has had a diverse professional background. She studied international relations in college and after graduation, answered a job ad that landed her a role working for Dr. Henry Kissinger, who served as Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to US Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. From there she went to business school and followed a traditional route of working as a management consultant and in several start-ups. Life took a sudden turn when a close friend committed suicide and she decided to make several meaningful changes in her professional and personal life. Her book, Future Proof: Reinventing Work in an Age of Acceleration, draws from her experiences and from that of others who have reinvented their careers to more meaningful and fulfilling paths.
In this episode we discuss:
- How Diana’s journey took her from “doing the right thing” in the corporate world and then eventually into entrepreneurship.
- Her journey to working for Henry A. Kissinger that began with her responding to an anonymous ad in a newspaper.
- How Diana ended up living and then staying in Hong Kong.
- How losing a close friend started shifting her mindset about what life and work were really about, and how that shift eventually led to her leaving the corporate world.
- Diana’s expanded learning since owning her own company, especially with regard to self-awareness, balance, and living life with intention.
- How she uses approaches like journaling to evaluate what is important to her and guide her decisions.
Links:
- Diana Wu David on LinkedIn and Twitter
- https://dianawudavid.com/
Books mentioned in this episode:
- “Future Proof: Reinventing Work in the Age of Acceleration” by Diana Wu David
Other Resources:
- Learn more about the Recognized Expert course with Dorie Clark
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