School of WorkLife Book Club Online Class The Liesel Practice: How to Navigate Ethical Complexity in Working Life Class
School of WorkLife Book Club Online Class
The Liesel Practice: How to Navigate Ethical Complexity in Working Life Class
What The Book Thief Teaches Us About Courage, Conscience, and Professional Responsibility
What happens in leadership and professional life when situations are not clearly right or wrong — but still require judgement, responsibility, and courage?
Not in dramatic moments — but in everyday choices, conversations, and responsibilities.
This live online class from School of WorkLife explores how fiction can deepen professional judgement, ethical awareness, conscience, and leadership through literature, story, reflection, structured thinking, and practical application.
Inspired by The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, this class is part of the School of WorkLife Book Club series — story-led live classes that explore professional learning through literature, reflective practice, and real WorkLife situations.
At the centre of the class is Richard’s story — a highly respected communications leader who begins questioning the way organisations navigate ethical complexity, responsibility, silence, and human consequence in professional life.
Through rereading fiction, Richard gradually realises that many ethical decisions at work do not arrive clearly labelled as ethical decisions. Instead, they often appear as strategic priorities, communication decisions, operational trade-offs, or organisational pressures.
Through his experience, we explore how conscience and thoughtful professional judgement develop not through certainty or dramatic gestures, but through greater attention to complexity, human impact, difficult conversations, and the quieter ethical decisions that shape everyday working life.
The class introduces the LIESEL framework — inspired by Liesel Meminger in The Book Thief — a practical reflective structure designed to help you think more clearly about ethical complexity, leadership, conscience, responsibility, communication, and professional judgement.
This is a structured, story-led learning experience that combines:
The Reading Room — where stories open things up
The Writer’s Table — where ideas become personal
The Workshop — where thinking becomes something you can use
The Rehearsal Space — where you begin to put that into practice
What to Expect
A live online 45-minute class
Exploration of how fiction can deepen conscience, ethical leadership, and professional judgement
Small group learning (maximum 6 participants)
Guided reflection and notebook exercises
A practical framework you can continue using in your own WorkLife
A class PDF to return to afterwards
You will not be asked to share anything personal.
There will be opportunities for group reflection throughout the class.
Who This Class Is For
This class is designed for professionals navigating the realities of modern working life — including ethical complexity, leadership, communication, responsibility, organisational pressure, professional judgement, stakeholder management, and difficult decision-making.
It may be particularly valuable for people working in leadership, communications, healthcare, public service, organisational strategy, consulting, or any role involving competing pressures, human impact, and professional responsibility.
Preparation
Prior to the class, you’ll receive a short reflective question. This is the only preparation needed, along with bringing a notebook to the class.
You don't need to have read the book to engage with the lesson — though you may find yourself wanting to after the class.
Ticket Options
Signature — £35
Includes:
Live online class
Class PDF
Signature Plus — £45
Includes:
Live online class
Class PDF
How Reading Fiction Deepens Professional Judgement and Ethical Leadership Story Lesson
Signature Pro — £90
Includes:
Live online class
Class PDF
How Reading Fiction Deepens Professional Judgement and Ethical Leadership Story Lesson
The Power of Fiction: Developing Character Traits Through Reading WorkLife Compass Guided Programme
Booking Information
Tickets are non-refundable.
Thank you for respecting the time, preparation, and care that go into each class.
If you’re unable to attend, you’re welcome to gift your place to someone else — simply send me their name and email address so I can forward the class information and resources.
About School of WorkLife
School of WorkLife creates story-based learning resources designed to help people think more clearly about the challenges, conversations, and decisions that shape a working life.
The work combines storytelling, reflection, structured frameworks, and practical application to support self-direction, self-leadership, and meaningful professional development.