I have heard terrible things about Steve Jobs. I have actually met a couple of people who worked with him closely at Apple HQ. They both agreed that, with his bad temper and mood swings, he could give anyone a heart attack....rumor has it he actually did. Regardless of his flaws, his contribution to the world of business and technology is undeniable. My Ipod and I are truly inseparable.
I came across this video of his 2005 Stanford Commencement Address. This is a guy who never finished college and chose to follow his intuition to achieve his dreams. Fired from his own company and having defeated cancer, he came back swinging and stronger than ever. It has been said many times and probably at every commencement speech, yet here is a living example of someone who followed whose gut feeling told him where to go to achieve success.
My next installment: Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Usually Work
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Road Not Taken
I majored in English and education at uni. As an English major, writing and reading filled my days. Having had to read hundreds of books and literary pieces, one of the pieces of writing that really inspired me and that has become my mantra was a short poem by Robert Frost called The Road Not Taken.
The Road Not Taken (also known as The Road Less Traveled) describes a traveler that coming to a fork on the road, had to make a decision as to whether to go right or left, one way or the other, choice A or B, sort of speak. The traveler decides to go where less had gone, the least traveled road. Years later, he or she remembers that having gone where others had not made a much greater difference. The deduction here is that that crucial decision proved more challenging, fulfilling and ultimately rewarding.
In your career or life mission, what if the road less traveled? What less explored route, idea, experiment or challenge could you try today that will make a difference in your working life?
The poem:
The Road Not Taken (also known as The Road Less Traveled) describes a traveler that coming to a fork on the road, had to make a decision as to whether to go right or left, one way or the other, choice A or B, sort of speak. The traveler decides to go where less had gone, the least traveled road. Years later, he or she remembers that having gone where others had not made a much greater difference. The deduction here is that that crucial decision proved more challenging, fulfilling and ultimately rewarding.
In your career or life mission, what if the road less traveled? What less explored route, idea, experiment or challenge could you try today that will make a difference in your working life?
The poem:
Monday, December 14, 2009
Predictability: Blessing or Curse?
Marissa Mayer is the Vice President of Search Products & User Experience at Google. She said in a recent CNBC documentary on the company that what enticed her to join Google (she was the 20th employee to be hired out of the current 20,000) was the every day challenge of doing something she was not prepared to do.
You get ready to go to the office, get there and, the whole time, on the back of your mind you probably know what 90% the day is going to be like. Your day, your week, your month, quarter or even your year may be filled with predictability, certainty and fixed routines. A day may be pretty much a carbon copy of the next.
What Marissa meant is not that she was not prepared to do the job, but that, Google, as probably one of the most ground breaking companies ever, set the stage for her to have days filled with challenges and unpredictability. This may be encouraging to some and equally disturbing to others, especially the type of people who need to know what they are having for dinner next Thursday night. I know a few people like this. I`m sure you do, too.
Indeed, there has to be some kind of structure: Meetings, reporting and the like and some big picture type frame work to guide us daily toward a goal, be it key performance indicators, quarterly goals or budgets to meet regardless of what your day looks like. We do not want chaos. The Google headquarters in California have pool tables, a gym, a cafeteria, a swimming pool and even a place where employees can drop off their laundry...they don`t even need to go home. Yet no employee escapes the ultimate goal or the reason for them to be there in the first place: To produce quality products and services that will generate a profit.
Simple advice: Find new ways of doing things for better results. Locate that one activity that, if you did a bit differently, may give you better and bigger results.
You get ready to go to the office, get there and, the whole time, on the back of your mind you probably know what 90% the day is going to be like. Your day, your week, your month, quarter or even your year may be filled with predictability, certainty and fixed routines. A day may be pretty much a carbon copy of the next.
What Marissa meant is not that she was not prepared to do the job, but that, Google, as probably one of the most ground breaking companies ever, set the stage for her to have days filled with challenges and unpredictability. This may be encouraging to some and equally disturbing to others, especially the type of people who need to know what they are having for dinner next Thursday night. I know a few people like this. I`m sure you do, too.
Indeed, there has to be some kind of structure: Meetings, reporting and the like and some big picture type frame work to guide us daily toward a goal, be it key performance indicators, quarterly goals or budgets to meet regardless of what your day looks like. We do not want chaos. The Google headquarters in California have pool tables, a gym, a cafeteria, a swimming pool and even a place where employees can drop off their laundry...they don`t even need to go home. Yet no employee escapes the ultimate goal or the reason for them to be there in the first place: To produce quality products and services that will generate a profit.
Simple advice: Find new ways of doing things for better results. Locate that one activity that, if you did a bit differently, may give you better and bigger results.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Self Proficiency
Dave Olson Ulrich, author of “The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By,” has been ranked as the #1 management educator and guru by NewsWeek magazine. He touches on some of the points I have covered earlier in the blog.
In a recent Harvard Business Ideacast, Dave talks about 5 key proficiencies of a leader or manager. Listening to his advice, I realize that these qualities not only apply to leaders, but also to all professionals regardless of the type of work we do or position we hold in our organizations. I also realize this applies to those looking to make a transition or already in the process of changing jobs or careers.
According to Dave, as your job pressures increase and the business world gets even tougher, especially now, it is essential that we work to improve our self proficiency with focus on 5 areas. Here they are briefly:
1.Physical: Take care of yourself! Watch your nutrition, exercise and get enough sleep. Feel better.
2.Social: Build a network of friends or professional contracts, people you can rely on. Have a best friend at work (and of course outside work as well). It’s not just about you and your job.
3. Emotional: Know your strengths and weaknesses, what motivates you or drives you. Be willing to work on weak areas, keep and further grow key skills.
4.Intellectual: Develop your capacity to learn. Be curious about the world. Analyze what has worked for you in the past and what hasn’t. Get better.
5.Spiritual: Find meaning in your work, your mission or purpose in life. This is not necessarily about religion (could be if you practice a religion), but spirituality and the intangible, the bigger picture.
Any thoughts? I will leave it here and just invite you to think about what you are doing to improve in each of these areas.
In a recent Harvard Business Ideacast, Dave talks about 5 key proficiencies of a leader or manager. Listening to his advice, I realize that these qualities not only apply to leaders, but also to all professionals regardless of the type of work we do or position we hold in our organizations. I also realize this applies to those looking to make a transition or already in the process of changing jobs or careers.
According to Dave, as your job pressures increase and the business world gets even tougher, especially now, it is essential that we work to improve our self proficiency with focus on 5 areas. Here they are briefly:
1.Physical: Take care of yourself! Watch your nutrition, exercise and get enough sleep. Feel better.
2.Social: Build a network of friends or professional contracts, people you can rely on. Have a best friend at work (and of course outside work as well). It’s not just about you and your job.
3. Emotional: Know your strengths and weaknesses, what motivates you or drives you. Be willing to work on weak areas, keep and further grow key skills.
4.Intellectual: Develop your capacity to learn. Be curious about the world. Analyze what has worked for you in the past and what hasn’t. Get better.
5.Spiritual: Find meaning in your work, your mission or purpose in life. This is not necessarily about religion (could be if you practice a religion), but spirituality and the intangible, the bigger picture.
Any thoughts? I will leave it here and just invite you to think about what you are doing to improve in each of these areas.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Career Lattice or Career Ladder?
Work harder, get promoted, make more money. Go up the corporate ladder, sort of speak. Keep climbing and, if you slide down the ladder (or get pushed off or the rung if pulled from under you), start over or go somewhere else. This sounds like the rat race in vertical form. Move up or move out. If you snooze, you lose. Well, welcome to the business world!
What if you realize there is more to life than work? Or that you may not need to be locked up in a office under the watchful eye of the boss to produce the same or higher level of results? Or that there is no such a thing as work/life balance? Or that striving for more flexibility or a different work arrangement may be the answer to your career crisis? Or that you may not always have to move only up, but sideways as well?
In their book, Mass Career Customization, authors Cathy Benko and Anne C. Weisberg, responsible for Deloitte US`s Women Initiative (WIN), argue that, with today`s changing lifestyles, communication technologies and views of men`s and women`s role in business, we should think of our career path as a lattice, not a ladder. The ladder is narrow, straight with nowhere to go, but up. A lattice allows intermittent growth, side moves, peaks and plateaus like a vine going up a wall.
In reality, careers are not perfect A to B to C to D etc. paths. I have been reading dozens of resumes daily for the last 6 years and have rarely seen what we would expect to be a perfect career trajectory. In fact, some of the most interesting professionals I have met, changed jobs or industries or took the less road taken for the sake of learning, personal growth or to add other new skills.
The authors argue that companies should allow employees to customize their careers to improve loyalty, productivity and well being. Read about Mass Career Customization and take the exercise below:
http://www.masscareercustomization.com/about_mcc.html
http://www.masscareercustomization.com/interactive.html
Enjoy!
What if you realize there is more to life than work? Or that you may not need to be locked up in a office under the watchful eye of the boss to produce the same or higher level of results? Or that there is no such a thing as work/life balance? Or that striving for more flexibility or a different work arrangement may be the answer to your career crisis? Or that you may not always have to move only up, but sideways as well?
In their book, Mass Career Customization, authors Cathy Benko and Anne C. Weisberg, responsible for Deloitte US`s Women Initiative (WIN), argue that, with today`s changing lifestyles, communication technologies and views of men`s and women`s role in business, we should think of our career path as a lattice, not a ladder. The ladder is narrow, straight with nowhere to go, but up. A lattice allows intermittent growth, side moves, peaks and plateaus like a vine going up a wall.
In reality, careers are not perfect A to B to C to D etc. paths. I have been reading dozens of resumes daily for the last 6 years and have rarely seen what we would expect to be a perfect career trajectory. In fact, some of the most interesting professionals I have met, changed jobs or industries or took the less road taken for the sake of learning, personal growth or to add other new skills.
The authors argue that companies should allow employees to customize their careers to improve loyalty, productivity and well being. Read about Mass Career Customization and take the exercise below:
http://www.masscareercustomization.com/about_mcc.html
http://www.masscareercustomization.com/interactive.html
Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bet on Your Strengths
If you had extra money to invest where would you put it? Would you buy stocks in a company or industry that has not performed well or given favorable results? Or would you invest in a thriving industry with innovative promising products? If your answer is that you will bet your money on the successful company or industry, you may heading in the right direction. Common sense, right?
The same thinking applies to our work skills when it comes to strengths and weaknesses. I shamelessly confess my Japanese could be better. It is my 3rd language and I am weak at it. If I really made an effort and studied hard, would I see improvement? I think I definitely would and I have improved, but, to be honest, studying Japanese does not turn me on. Do not hate me for this. I am leading to the following: Should you be focusing on getting better at something you're good at or working in your areas of weakness?
Marcus Buckingham in Go Put Your Strengths to Work, says you will see much higher incremental improvement working on those activities you enjoy and are good at than at trying to work on a skill or activity to do not enjoy. Does this mean you should remain mediocre and weak at a specific work skill? Not at all. There is always room for improvement in any area and despite your level of expertise or interest. Corporations spend billions and billions of dollars on training programs to help employees go from good to better, better to best, best to great and great to Guru. It is part of your job to seek to remedy performance issues by improving your performance.
In a nutshell, yes, do work on areas you may need to work on. That is your professional duty to always seek to improve and evolve; however, by far, you will for sure see better results and get more job satisfaction by focusing on further improving on the tasks that your love: Your strengths.
Have a good Sunday!
The same thinking applies to our work skills when it comes to strengths and weaknesses. I shamelessly confess my Japanese could be better. It is my 3rd language and I am weak at it. If I really made an effort and studied hard, would I see improvement? I think I definitely would and I have improved, but, to be honest, studying Japanese does not turn me on. Do not hate me for this. I am leading to the following: Should you be focusing on getting better at something you're good at or working in your areas of weakness?
Marcus Buckingham in Go Put Your Strengths to Work, says you will see much higher incremental improvement working on those activities you enjoy and are good at than at trying to work on a skill or activity to do not enjoy. Does this mean you should remain mediocre and weak at a specific work skill? Not at all. There is always room for improvement in any area and despite your level of expertise or interest. Corporations spend billions and billions of dollars on training programs to help employees go from good to better, better to best, best to great and great to Guru. It is part of your job to seek to remedy performance issues by improving your performance.
In a nutshell, yes, do work on areas you may need to work on. That is your professional duty to always seek to improve and evolve; however, by far, you will for sure see better results and get more job satisfaction by focusing on further improving on the tasks that your love: Your strengths.
Have a good Sunday!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
And What Turns you Off?
Let's be honest: There are work activities you do not enjoy, you despise...that you totally hate...that make you want to stay in bed or call in sick. The prevalence of these activities at work make your life miserable and will quickly lead to burnout or a career crisis, the theme of this blog.
In my previous post, I suggested that you identify those activities that turn you on, that when you do them you are "in the flow" and time flies without you noticing. Do the opposite now. Give examples of specific activities (long meetings, expense reporting, responding to complaints, report writing...whatever) that turn you off. These tasks leave you tired, angry, dissatisfied, unfulfilled, just drained.
By the way, be realistic and accept that even what you may consider to be dream job may have its downsides. There is no such a thing as a perfectly happy job or work environment. There are way too many external factors that positively or negatively affect your work. Even highly paid top fashion models complain of the endless travel and grueling work schedules. The grass will always be green on the other side of the fence.
Your own weaknesses and interests may cause these feelings. Should you just stop doing those activities altogether and risk penalties? Most definitely not. Task swapping with a colleague, re-assignment, changing the timing of the activity, team members or location, intensity, process, training or re-training, changing positions or working on your own attitude toward these tasks (I highly recommend Don't Sweat The Small Stuff at Work by Richard Carlson, PH.D.on this last point)are possible solutions. The list is endless and depends on the nature of the issue.
What should you be doing then? See my next installment.
Enjoy your Sunday.
In my previous post, I suggested that you identify those activities that turn you on, that when you do them you are "in the flow" and time flies without you noticing. Do the opposite now. Give examples of specific activities (long meetings, expense reporting, responding to complaints, report writing...whatever) that turn you off. These tasks leave you tired, angry, dissatisfied, unfulfilled, just drained.
By the way, be realistic and accept that even what you may consider to be dream job may have its downsides. There is no such a thing as a perfectly happy job or work environment. There are way too many external factors that positively or negatively affect your work. Even highly paid top fashion models complain of the endless travel and grueling work schedules. The grass will always be green on the other side of the fence.
Your own weaknesses and interests may cause these feelings. Should you just stop doing those activities altogether and risk penalties? Most definitely not. Task swapping with a colleague, re-assignment, changing the timing of the activity, team members or location, intensity, process, training or re-training, changing positions or working on your own attitude toward these tasks (I highly recommend Don't Sweat The Small Stuff at Work by Richard Carlson, PH.D.on this last point)are possible solutions. The list is endless and depends on the nature of the issue.
What should you be doing then? See my next installment.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
What turns you on? Back to the basics.
I am a fan of good marketing. I am involved in marketing indirectly, working with some of the top marketers in the land. It is such a great pleasure to come across great products or services that are presented in a creative, clever, unique manner, especially if the product is something simple, something everyday.
Walking in Shibuya yesterday afternoon,I came across RazzleBerry (http://razzleberry.jp/), frozen yogurt shop with an attitude, a simple product with an awesome concept. They totally blew me away.
What am I getting at? Exactly, that. That something that blows you away,excites you, moves you can give you a boost of energy to help you deal with the career crisis blues. A word of warning: There is a clear, and very thick line between work and play, work VS hobbies. I must say I am truly lucky to work with great companies and the people who make their products and services greater by promoting them in remarkable ways.
In his book, Go Put Your Strengths To Work, Marcus Buckingham, states that the best way to succeed at work is to identify and focus on those work activities that turn you on, that you enjoy and bring the best in you.
Homework: Ask yourself these questions:
What brought you to this job in the 1st place?
When do you feel most excited at work? Name the activity:
What activity makes you forget time, time flies without noticing when you do it?
What activities do the opposite?
Enjoy your Sunday.
Walking in Shibuya yesterday afternoon,I came across RazzleBerry (http://razzleberry.jp/), frozen yogurt shop with an attitude, a simple product with an awesome concept. They totally blew me away.
What am I getting at? Exactly, that. That something that blows you away,excites you, moves you can give you a boost of energy to help you deal with the career crisis blues. A word of warning: There is a clear, and very thick line between work and play, work VS hobbies. I must say I am truly lucky to work with great companies and the people who make their products and services greater by promoting them in remarkable ways.
In his book, Go Put Your Strengths To Work, Marcus Buckingham, states that the best way to succeed at work is to identify and focus on those work activities that turn you on, that you enjoy and bring the best in you.
Homework: Ask yourself these questions:
What brought you to this job in the 1st place?
When do you feel most excited at work? Name the activity:
What activity makes you forget time, time flies without noticing when you do it?
What activities do the opposite?
Enjoy your Sunday.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Johnny Can`t Work.
Johnny Bunko is trapped in a cubicle counting beans when his heart is in another line of work. Sounds familiar? Well, Johnny CAN work, but he hopes to work in a fulfilling, challenging type of job that brings the best in him.
In The Adventures of Johnny Bunko. The Last Career Guide You`ll Ever Need, Daniel Pink gives the following 6 pieces of advice:
1. Career plan? Strictly following a career plan may lead to getting stuck once you follow out of pure obligation. Choose a job out of the fun and fulfillment it`ll provide wherever it may lead.
2. Think strengths. A 5% improvement in something you're good at will give more results and satisfaction than 10% in something you may suck at and dislike doing anyway.
3. Forget the Me, Me, Me attitude: It`s not just about YOU. Helping your clients, peers and superiors achieve success will automatically result in you achieving yours.
4. Persist. Keep trying out of enjoyment and love for what you do, not just for selfish reasons or external rewards.
5. Screw-up intelligently. Make mistakes with the best intentions. Learn from the experience and give it another (better) shot.
6. Your legacy: Leave a good imprint, something to be remembered by.
I don't get any money from pushing this book, but do buy read it if you have a chance.
Next installment: The Life Work Balance Myth
In The Adventures of Johnny Bunko. The Last Career Guide You`ll Ever Need, Daniel Pink gives the following 6 pieces of advice:
1. Career plan? Strictly following a career plan may lead to getting stuck once you follow out of pure obligation. Choose a job out of the fun and fulfillment it`ll provide wherever it may lead.
2. Think strengths. A 5% improvement in something you're good at will give more results and satisfaction than 10% in something you may suck at and dislike doing anyway.
3. Forget the Me, Me, Me attitude: It`s not just about YOU. Helping your clients, peers and superiors achieve success will automatically result in you achieving yours.
4. Persist. Keep trying out of enjoyment and love for what you do, not just for selfish reasons or external rewards.
5. Screw-up intelligently. Make mistakes with the best intentions. Learn from the experience and give it another (better) shot.
6. Your legacy: Leave a good imprint, something to be remembered by.
I don't get any money from pushing this book, but do buy read it if you have a chance.
Next installment: The Life Work Balance Myth
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Meet Johnny Bunko
One of the simplest, yet, most convincing career books I have read recently (actually read it in 1 train ride from Shibuya to Yokohama). Written in manga style, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko by Daniel Pink examines 6 pieces of advice no parent, teacher, counselor, HR expert or boy scout leader has taught you.
Daniel Pink attended Northwestern University and Yale law school, but he has never practiced law. When failing his bar exams, he discovered that working as a free agent was best for him,writing books, lecturing on topics like career development and motivation. He did work for the US government, even writing speeches for Al Gore, for a few years.
Check out the trailer.
Daniel Pink attended Northwestern University and Yale law school, but he has never practiced law. When failing his bar exams, he discovered that working as a free agent was best for him,writing books, lecturing on topics like career development and motivation. He did work for the US government, even writing speeches for Al Gore, for a few years.
Check out the trailer.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Impasse: Silver Lining
In his book, Getting Unstuck, Dr. Timothy Butler, Senior Fellow of Business Administration and Director of Career Development Programs at the Harvard Business School, masterfully describes the stages of a career crisis and how to overcome one. I have listened to his podcast on Harvard Ideacast and read summaries, but must confess I have not read the book just yet. I am ordering it today.
The most important lesson I personally learned from the cast is that there is indeed a silver lining in experiencing a career crisis. Why is that you may think? Well, it is a moment of awakening. Like someone crippled by stress, recognizing the symptoms and causes are a start,the start of the recovery process. You then need to take the necessary steps to deal with it. Easier said than done, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Instead of wallowing in the fact that we may hate to go back to work on Monday or that routines are killing us, we need to recognize the feeling of impasse and stagnation, identify the origin and causes of discomfort and, most importantly take steps to make changes to correct the situation. These feelings are not going to go away and will keep coming back like every Sunday comes and goes. The world around us will not change for us; change starts with us.
The most important lesson I personally learned from the cast is that there is indeed a silver lining in experiencing a career crisis. Why is that you may think? Well, it is a moment of awakening. Like someone crippled by stress, recognizing the symptoms and causes are a start,the start of the recovery process. You then need to take the necessary steps to deal with it. Easier said than done, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Instead of wallowing in the fact that we may hate to go back to work on Monday or that routines are killing us, we need to recognize the feeling of impasse and stagnation, identify the origin and causes of discomfort and, most importantly take steps to make changes to correct the situation. These feelings are not going to go away and will keep coming back like every Sunday comes and goes. The world around us will not change for us; change starts with us.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
6pm Monday to Friday
Pick any day of the week and think about the moment you finish work and get ready to go home. How do yo feel?
Is that a feeling of joy, liberation, satisfaction, contentment,fulfillment, misery, despair, bliss, pain, or you feel nothing at all?
You closed a $10,000 deal. The boss snapped at you for forgetting to email her pet report. Someone absolutely loved your demo. You were praised for typing a neat voucher. The pitch was a total disaster. Or Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were just carbon copies of each other.
Let`s face it: An ideal case scenario would be you feeling tired, yet pleasantly satisfied after a productive day or, even better, feeling energized and looking forward to a deserved break (you need it!!!) and the next day ahead.
However, if the feeling of being stuck creeps in, you may be at an impasse.
Next installment: The Impasse: Silver Lining
Is that a feeling of joy, liberation, satisfaction, contentment,fulfillment, misery, despair, bliss, pain, or you feel nothing at all?
You closed a $10,000 deal. The boss snapped at you for forgetting to email her pet report. Someone absolutely loved your demo. You were praised for typing a neat voucher. The pitch was a total disaster. Or Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were just carbon copies of each other.
Let`s face it: An ideal case scenario would be you feeling tired, yet pleasantly satisfied after a productive day or, even better, feeling energized and looking forward to a deserved break (you need it!!!) and the next day ahead.
However, if the feeling of being stuck creeps in, you may be at an impasse.
Next installment: The Impasse: Silver Lining
Thursday, October 8, 2009
What causes a career crisis?
The Gallup Organization reports that happy employees show high levels of work satisfaction when they:
- Are cared for as individuals
- Are treated with fairness, dignity and respect
- Are free of coercion or harassment
- Are able to give opinions or have a say in company matters
- Have a best friend at work
- Are often praised for their efforts
- Are given honest feedback and direction
- Know what is expected of them
- Can see and understand the company’s vision and purpose
- Have a sense of higher purpose, of greater good
- Feel they are fairly rewarded for their achievements
- Can apply existing skills, improve others and add new ones
- Are challenged to provide higher quality work
Some of the points above can be very debatable: Can there ever be fairness in the cut-throat business world? What products or services contribute to society? Can everybody be happy when there are deadlines to meet, budgets to achieve and costs to cut?
There is no such a thing as a perfect work place simply because the work place is populated with imperfect people just like all of us. It is been even said that, if you are in a people management role, you will only click with ¼ of your staff; the other 3 people either hate you, ignore you or just follow out of obligation. A survey once even said that 90% of all employees reported feeling underpaid for their work. Go figure….
Having interviewed thousands of professionals in my career as an executive recruiter and trainer, I believe the lack of a clear challenges and rewards, direction and higher purpose tend to be the most common causes for us to question our work mission in life...usually when the sun sets on Sunday and we need to have to work the next day.
Let’s discuss the meaning of work and how it fits in the bigger picture of life in my next installments.
- Are cared for as individuals
- Are treated with fairness, dignity and respect
- Are free of coercion or harassment
- Are able to give opinions or have a say in company matters
- Have a best friend at work
- Are often praised for their efforts
- Are given honest feedback and direction
- Know what is expected of them
- Can see and understand the company’s vision and purpose
- Have a sense of higher purpose, of greater good
- Feel they are fairly rewarded for their achievements
- Can apply existing skills, improve others and add new ones
- Are challenged to provide higher quality work
Some of the points above can be very debatable: Can there ever be fairness in the cut-throat business world? What products or services contribute to society? Can everybody be happy when there are deadlines to meet, budgets to achieve and costs to cut?
There is no such a thing as a perfect work place simply because the work place is populated with imperfect people just like all of us. It is been even said that, if you are in a people management role, you will only click with ¼ of your staff; the other 3 people either hate you, ignore you or just follow out of obligation. A survey once even said that 90% of all employees reported feeling underpaid for their work. Go figure….
Having interviewed thousands of professionals in my career as an executive recruiter and trainer, I believe the lack of a clear challenges and rewards, direction and higher purpose tend to be the most common causes for us to question our work mission in life...usually when the sun sets on Sunday and we need to have to work the next day.
Let’s discuss the meaning of work and how it fits in the bigger picture of life in my next installments.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
What`s a career crisis?
Let`s face it, Alain de Botton may not be the most handsome guy in the world. I find his baldness is a tad disturbing. He is indeed an accomplished writer and social entrepreneur. I must have watched this presentation about 20 times already. Alain makes very valid points in it and he`s simply brilliant. Cool accent, too.
Ok. Career crisis. I guess we`ve all had them at some point.
Definition of crisis (shamelessly copy-pasted from merriam-webster.com): "An unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome."
Definition of career(also shamelessly copy-pasted from merriam-webster.com): "A field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life," "a profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling." The phrase Permanent calling sounds great....
So, I guess a career crisis is then the point where one feels that our calling, pursuit or that we do for a living may in some way about to change or be in need of a change; therefore causing anxiety or distress. Simple, yet deep stuff.
Have YOU had a career crisis? A short discussion on causes in my next installment.
Ok. Career crisis. I guess we`ve all had them at some point.
Definition of crisis (shamelessly copy-pasted from merriam-webster.com): "An unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome."
Definition of career(also shamelessly copy-pasted from merriam-webster.com): "A field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life," "a profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling." The phrase Permanent calling sounds great....
So, I guess a career crisis is then the point where one feels that our calling, pursuit or that we do for a living may in some way about to change or be in need of a change; therefore causing anxiety or distress. Simple, yet deep stuff.
Have YOU had a career crisis? A short discussion on causes in my next installment.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
What`s my blog about?
I have spent the last 5 years of my life finding great jobs for outstanding marketing professionals and I believe I have been successful at it. Part of my job has also been giving career advice. I greatly enjoy the part of my job as well.
Every so often, people come to me with the question: What do you think should be my next career step? I do not have a crystal ball and can`t tell people what their future will be like, but in these moments of economic turmoil and with so many people becoming an unemployment statistic, you come to realize that,whether by choice or force, the time comes when you need to define what it is you really enjoy doing for a living.
Don`t get me wrong: In this day and age, you should be lucky you have a job to go to, no doubt. The 1st boss I worked for (he was managing an airline at age 30) told me that not having a job to go to on Monday morning was the worst feeling he`d experienced. Count your blessings indeed.
The following video has inspired me to start a blog about that terrifying moment, usually on Sunday evening, when the weekend ends and the work week is about to start and you realize you are, in a way, back to square 1, career-wise. You do not need to feel this way actually.
I plan to discuss strengths and weaknesses, work life balance, stress, motivation, value clarification,leadership and ways to make sense of what drives us (or should in theory) to get up on Monday and go to work. Welcome!
Every so often, people come to me with the question: What do you think should be my next career step? I do not have a crystal ball and can`t tell people what their future will be like, but in these moments of economic turmoil and with so many people becoming an unemployment statistic, you come to realize that,whether by choice or force, the time comes when you need to define what it is you really enjoy doing for a living.
Don`t get me wrong: In this day and age, you should be lucky you have a job to go to, no doubt. The 1st boss I worked for (he was managing an airline at age 30) told me that not having a job to go to on Monday morning was the worst feeling he`d experienced. Count your blessings indeed.
The following video has inspired me to start a blog about that terrifying moment, usually on Sunday evening, when the weekend ends and the work week is about to start and you realize you are, in a way, back to square 1, career-wise. You do not need to feel this way actually.
I plan to discuss strengths and weaknesses, work life balance, stress, motivation, value clarification,leadership and ways to make sense of what drives us (or should in theory) to get up on Monday and go to work. Welcome!
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