How can you become your best possible self? Andrea interviews The Possible Self author, Professor Maya Djikic. Learn two false assumptions that will change how you tackle self-improvement, plus, the “Wheel of Self” model that will help you make real change and achieve your goals.

MAJA DJIKIC RESOURCES

BOOK: “The Possible Self – A Leader’s Guide to Personal Development” by Professor Maja Djikic – https://amzn.to/4aMBXMJ
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/majaDjikic/
Faculty Page – https://discover.research.utoronto.ca/11970-maja-Djikic
Maja’s Recommendation: Book – “The Body Keeps the Score“ by Bessel van der Kolk MD

CONNECT WITH ANDREA & TALK ABOUT TALK

LinkedIn Andrea – https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreawojnicki/
LinkedIn Talk about Talk – https://www.linkedin.com/company/talkabouttalk/
Website: TalkAboutTalk.com
Communication Coaching Newsletter: https://talkabouttalk.com/blog/#newsletter-signup
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@talkabouttalkyoutube/

TRANSCRIPT

At Talk About Talk, we spent a lot of time thinking – and talking – about our strengths and our passions. Particularly when it comes to our respective personal brands. We focus on our strengths and our passions, because these are the things that we want to reinforce. But what about our development areas? Or “”areas of opportunity””? Our – dare I say it – our weaknesses?

Recently I had the privilege of being invited to a book talk at the University of Toronto where Professor Maja Djikic spoke about her new book, called the possible self – a leaders guide to self development. This is a book focused on how to overcome your weaknesses.

It was standing room only, and notably, a significant proportion of the audience was comprised of her faithful and loyal students from various programs at the Rotman school of management at the University of Toronto.

Just a few minutes into professor Djikic talk, I decided I need to interview her for a Talk About Talk podcast episode. And here we are.

In this episode, you’re going to learn, about 2 widely-held false assumptions that many of us hold when it comes to self improvement. You’ll learn what the research tells us, and what Professor Djikic recommends we do instead of relying on these false assumptions. Here’s a hint: she calls it the wheel of self.

Welcome to Talk about Talk podcast episode #157 “Self-Improvement & The Possible Self with Professor Maja Djikic”. In this episode, you’re gonna learn how to step it up in terms of your self improvement efforts.

In case we haven’t met, my name is Dr. Andrea Wojnicki please just call me Andrea. I’m your executive communication coach. I coach executives like you to improve your communication skills so you can communicate with confidence and clarity, establish credibility, and ultimately achieve your career goals. Sound good? If you want to learn more, check out the website, talkabouttalk.com. There are lots and lots of resources for you there. There’s one-on-one coaching, boot camps, online courses, information about corporate workshops… I recognize that people learn in different ways. Are you an auditory learner? You’ll also find the archive of this bi-weekly podcast. And while you’re on the website, I really hope to sign up for my bi-weekly email newsletter. That newsletter is your chance to get free communication coaching from me in your email inbox, plus some behind-the-scenes insights, information about the most recent podcast episodes, and upcoming programs. So please sign up for that newsletter.

Ok, let’s get into this. I’m sure you want to hear from Maja. Here’s how this episode is going to go. After I interview professor Djikic, we’ll get right into the interview. Then at the end I’m going to summarize with the three learnings that I want to reinforce based on a conversation. Three things that I hope you’ll take away and that I hope will help you in your quest for self improvement.

Now, let me introduce Maja. Maja Djikic, Ph.D. is a personality psychologist specializing in adult development. She is an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and HR Management, the Executive Director of the Self-Development Laboratory, and the Academic Director of the Rotman Executive Coaching Certificate program at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Her research has been featured in over 50 media outlets (including The New York Times, Salon, Slate, Scientific American Mind), in 15 countries. Thinkers50 has selected Maja as one of 30 thinkers around the world whose ideas have the potential to shape the future of organizations. Her first book, The Possible Self: A Leader’s Guide to Personal Development, was published in March 2024 by Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Now, here is Maja. And if you’re watching us on YouTube, this interview was recorded in her office at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management.

INTERVIEW

AW 00:05

Thank you so much, Maya for joining us here today to talk about your book, the possible self.