ExploreYourCareer

Promising not to spoil Tumblr with work/career nonsense. Good stuff only!

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Happy Mother’s Day! Celebrate with the pioneering psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott on the mother’s contribution to society. 

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#Amen

[exploreyourcareer]

The Importance of How

Perhaps my favourite How story is this fable from Aesop…

The North Wind and the Sun were arguing which was the stronger, when a traveller passed by in a heavy cloak. To settle the argument, they agreed that whoever succeeded in making the traveller take off his cloak would be considered the stronger. The North Wind blew as hard as it could but, the harder it blew, the closer the traveller drew his cloak around him. When the North Wind finally gave up, the Sun gently shone on the traveller, who almost immediately removed his cloak.

Here is another one of my favourite How stories…

During an interview, a CEO told me about a time when he had to close an entire company, which would make more than 1000 people redundant. Instead of shifting this responsibility, the CEO got on a plane and visited the company himself. Once there, he gathered the workforce together and told them, face-to-face and in person, what was happening (to them) and why. Among other things, their response was to outstrip previous levels of performance every month until the company closed.

This delicate and sensitive handling of a situation where livelihoods and careers were at stake made all the difference, and is all about How.

Had this CEO blown through the closure of the company like the North Wind, the outcome would have been very different indeed, as would the experience for everyone involved, including the CEO himself.

In stories like the two above, a great deal of importance rests on How things are done. In these examples, what took place under the subject heading of 'How' could even be seen as the significant factor, the protagonist, the transformative agent, call it what you will.

There also appears to be a good deal of latitude here too, i.e. How we do something offers plenty of room for individuality and self-expression to shine. All in all, How seems like quite an interesting place to explore.

Further Explorations on How

[Note: As with any exploration (or discovery process) there is no reason to engage or take another step unless you are curious to do so. That said, if you find yourself teetering on the edge of curiosity, I'm encouraging you to give an important subject like this (i.e. the study of your career experience) a little more time]

1. Your Experience You will have your own How answers/experiences and they will be revealing. How we go about a particular task or achieve a set goal can be easy to overlook but the stories we can find here are usually interesting, some are truly engaging.

Think again about your significant career experiences and achievements, although this time with a little more focus on How you get (or got) things done (e.g. What did you do? Who did you do it with? Where did the breakthrough moments occur?)

2. Going Beyond What and Why We can find it easier to explain Why something needs to be done and, if that why is compelling to us, the exposition usually stops there. As a rule, we are also on more familiar ground when it comes to analysing What happened and what we did in our work/career (e.g. assignment/project timelines, outcomes, results, and so on)

How things gets done can be trickier to quantify. Elements of How can also be invisible to the eye because they are so natural to us, we barely notice the application. Exploring How might require a little more attention but the returns (e.g. discoveries, stories, self-efficacy, career-developing awareness) often make the extra effort worthwhile

3. Free, Inclusive and Inexhaustible How is another great source of empirical data. How is also remarkably democratic because we all have our own way of doing things, even if the variations from person-to-person are small. No one else is in a better place than each of us to take ownership of how we choose to approach tasks, our work and our career.

How can be thought of as intellectual property anyone can apply (and study) as they see fit. No other person and no organisation, regardless of power, size and importance, can (fully) instruct how you do something. Of course there is advice and there are guidelines but, like the CEO in the story above, there is plenty of room for individuals to set the tone

4. How and the Interview How is a valuable source of information for interviewers and interviewees alike. People who interview well tend to talk freely and openly about the How aspects of their experience/achievement. How allows interviewees to explain what they do with nuance, personality and differentiation. In short, How makes you memorable.

In a similar way, if you are the interviewer, there is so much to be gained by asking How something was achieved. Learning more about the different ways each person sets up their day, goes about their to-do list and makes progress against big strategic aims makes being an interviewer anything but a chore

5. How in Groups and Organisations The study of How things are done can highlight function and dysfunction in culture. How is also a great source when it comes to understanding what people, teams and organisations do well and where change may (or may not) be beneficial.

How makes a lasting impression, and a huge difference to the way people think/feel about their contact with any individual, group or organisation. How a team operates is a great way to explore and understand what is important to an organisation and its people, especially where there are conflicts between formal and informal behaviour (e.g. differences in what is said versus what is done)

- - - - - -

Our individual awareness of How can be learned (and learned from) without barriers or exceptions. How is where we get to show rather than tell when it comes to our motivations, our values, talents and our goals. Our unique How is another way we express ourselves whether we know it or not.

Incomplete as it is, I hope this brief exploration of How feels empowering to you. The way we approach our work/career gives us a great many options, many of which can be found in and around our understanding of How.

What I find most empowering of all is the idea that How is our fingerprint, and we leave our prints noticeably. How is the way each of us choose to do whatever it is that we do - and in that there will always be difference, and opportunity.

* * * * * *

Visit Hannah Sheffield’s beautiful Photostream on Flickr to see more amazing work like the drawing and photograph above. My thanks to Hannah for allowing the use of this image, under cc license.

[exploreyourcareer]

Culture: A New Horizon of Learning & Growth For Your Career?

It is completely normal to talk about company culture but we are still a long way from appreciating the power and importance of culture when it comes to our careers.

While it is great to observe companies engaging with and expressing cultural beliefs (because when this is done well and done right, it is impactful and meaningful) no single company, organisation or country has a monopoly on culture. Culture is for everyone to appreciate, to learn from and understand.

The benefits of being fluent in any culture are numerous, so what can we (as individuals) do in order to explore this new and potentially exciting aspect of our careers? The 5 ideas below can help you explore, clarify and perhaps think about more effective ways to communicate your unique career culture (and unique is no exaggeration). The aim here is to help you and others get to the heart of what you want, who you are and what you do.

[Note: As with any cultural exploration (or discovery process) the answers don't fall into your lap. Easy answers and quick-fixes are alluring but they can also be counter-cultural to personal career development. If the immediate lightbulb moments don't come, I'm encouraging you to give an important subject like this (i.e. you and your career) a little more time]

1. Re-read Your Job Description

Remember all those bullets you memorised before your last interview? Take another look and ask yourself if any of these points actually describe what you do

If your job description is accurate, ask yourself 'How' you go about the things it describes (cultural clues tend to cluster around 'How')

If parts of your job description are inaccurate, write some new bullets of your own. Reviewing what you do every day (and how this evolves and changes over time) is another good way to bring your distinctive career culture to light

2. Analyse Good Outcomes

Think about a recent result you were pleased with… How did you achieve this? What pleased you most? How would you describe the methods/skills/styles you applied to unlock this achievement?

Compare your results with colleagues & friends... Do the same things make everyone happy? Do you all work the same way? What do you do differently? (the differences can be slight but the cultural impact huge)

More clues to your career culture can always be found in your work (what we call work, a researcher might call empirical data). Once you know where to look the cultural indicators are everywhere, all you have to do is give a little of your time and attention (to their study)

3. Explore Your Values

To anyone paying attention, your values are visible in everything you do (your values are also ever-present, always positive and just waiting to be explored). Ask yourself... What's important to me? Why are these things so important? How do they influence my behaviour and attitude every day?

Think of values as the principles/beliefs that are most important to you. Whatever they are (e.g. Treating people with respect, Doing the right thing, Working hard and doing a good job) values are the rock-solid foundations of every career culture

If you are unsure about your values and the impact they have on your career, once again the evidence (you seek) is in your experience. When we interview it is always for third-party reasons (e.g. a job, a promotion, our extrinsic potential). The notion of career culture has no inherent external focus (the import and potential of intrinsic self-discovery is a genuine game-changer for every career)

4. Think Positively About Talent

There's no need to be coy, we are all multi, multi-talented and it is not arrogance to say so. We can talk about our talents in ways that are unique to us (with appropriate/necessary levels of confidence and humility) and in doing so highlight key cultural elements to build connections around

To learn more about your talents, ask yourself… What am I good at? What do other people tell me I am good at? What do I do without thinking? What do people ask for my help with? There's every chance your answers to questions like these will be different (and in many ways difference = culture)

Talent is not bestowed at birth. Everything you can already do had to be learned. Everything you want to get better at doing in the future must be learned too. The range and depth of your talent can always improve ('I think therefore I am' is a philosophical staple, 'I learn therefore I am' is the career culture equivalent)

5. Clarify & Simplify Your Goals

Goals are central to the culture of every career. Whether they are (already) clear or not, the more you know about the goals that motivate and move you, the easier they are to talk about and share (what keeps you going can be something others readily connect with)

Ask yourself what really gets you out of bed every morning (no doubt income/bill paying has its part but we all work for something more). Set yourself the challenge to dig a little deeper and explore your goals a little further

So... What keeps you going? What are you working or striving towards? Where do you want your career to go? In addition to the obvious answers there’s typically a deep-lying goal (or more than one) that you will talk about in a unique way (I urge you to dive deep for the cultural treasure here)

For every single one of us, career culture can be a rewarding place to explore. The above ideas only scratch the surface because culture is deep. There is no other way to say it, something this important takes time (and needs your time).

In many ways, personal career culture is something you are already closer to than culture within companies and other organisations. You will always be closer to the source of culture in your career because that source is you.

Culture-led advantages can be a great asset to you and your unique relationship with work. A little study here can change the way you think and feel about your past, present and future career (e.g. in terms of satisfaction, fulfilment, motivation and success). For all of these reasons and more, I encourage you to explore the notion of culture in your career to see what you will find.

What works so well for groups of people can work just as well for you.

Paul Diamond is an international Career Development Consultant, author of The Career Explorer’s Journal and host of the career development & discovery website ExploreYourCareer.com. An earlier version of this article was co-authored with Hazel Oatey and published here.

[Image courtesy of Rupert Ganzer via cc on Flickr.com]

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Every Mistake I Made On My Way To My Real Career Path

When I was a senior in college, if you had asked me what I was going to do for a career after graduation, I probably would have told you that I was eventually going to be on Broadway. If you’d asked me what I was going to do for a job, I might have shrugged, and likely said that I was going to bartend or wait tables. My original career plan wasn’t really a plan, but a dream without an actual timeline. My actual career path ended up being quite different. I currently work as a theater teacher at an independent school in Boston, and I also write part-time for a variety of publications (and it’s really a treat to have a side hustle that involves writing about Pretty Little Liars). It’s not entirely a far cry from being a performing artist, as art is still very much in my blood, but I’m not exactly doing eight shows a week in Times Square either.

However, I suppose it’s safe to say that I’m still on my career path, in that I don’t feel as though I’ve arrived at my final destination. But I wonder, do we ever feel that way? Does it ever feel like we’ve arrived at our final career destination? For those of us who are ambitious, driven, determined to taste success and achievement, do we ever kick off our heels and say, “I’m done?” My suspicion is that we won’t, at least not for a while.

Regardless, it’s taken a lot to get here. Although time has gone quickly, I feel like a very different person from the girl who walked across that graduation stage on that hot summer day, planning to be a Broadway actress. There’s been accomplishments, failures, excitement, and disappointment. And it would be wrong of me to say that I haven’t made mistakes along the way. In fact, I’ve made several. But if we never made mistakes, we’d never learn, and we’d never improve. So I don’t look back on any error with a feeling of shame; rather, I feel proud of where I am at this moment. I get to work with passionate teenagers who love the same things that I love, and I also have the time and privilege to write about things that I care about. I’d say it’s a pretty sweet deal.

So, in the name of sharing and helping others, here are some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way, and what I’ve learned:

1. I believed that my college major determined my career.

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theater, and it wasn’t long before I fell into the loop of self-pity that comes with choosing a so-called “worthless” major. Before I found my way to grad school and a master’s in education, I was angry at myself for majoring in something that seemed so impractical. I remember thinking, “I spent the past four years crawling on the floor and practicing my breathing techniques instead of learning, like, engineering? What?”

But your college major doesn’t necessarily need to determine your future. And there were actually a lot of transferrable skills that came along with being a theater major. Because of my performing (and directing) background, I am a great teammate, a good leader, and I have kickass time-management skills. So much of that lends itself to teaching and writing (especially writing on deadline).

2. I expected to feel satisfied and fulfilled immediately.

One of my favorite musicals is Pippin, the story of the son of Charlemagne who embarks on a quest for “fulfillment.” After years of being away from home, he realizes that fulfillment actually isn’t something that you can chase at all. Ironically, I was in this musical during my senior year of college and clearly didn’t learn its central lesson. As soon as I entered the “real world,” I expected to feel like I was on the right journey, and that I had found my “corner of the sky.”

To be honest, I still don’t necessarily feel 100% fulfilled. And I think that’s a good thing. That desire to reach fulfillment is something that keeps us motivated — without it, we’d get lazy and complacent. We might always need something to chase.

3. I was afraid of being “found out” on the internet.

After hearing horror stories of friends whose partying pictures prevented them from getting hired, I felt like I had to be completely incognito on all of my social media pages. The thing I didn’t realize was that there’s a way to have a professional and clean online presence that is simultaneously current, trendy, and age-appropriate. And as I’m currently straddling two industries, striking that balance is something I work on every day.

Additionally, having knowledge of technology and social media is actually a huge bonus for so many employees these days. If you have zero web presence, it might actually hurt you in the application process. So go ahead and work on your LinkedIn, and make that Twitter public, if you’d like.

4. I actively worried that the writing industry was too competitive, and I allowed that fear to get in my head.

To be clear, I, by no means, think I have “made it” as a writer. I have a long road in front of me, and there are a zillion other aspiring writers who are just as good, just as dedicated, and just as hungry for work. It’s a big pond out there, and there are a lot of fish. However, competition isn’t entirely impenetrable, and I’ve discovered that so much of getting hired has to do with asking the right questions to the right people, and not being afraid to do so. For example, my biggest writing gig was landed by reaching out through a Twitter DM.  You never know what could happen if you don’t ask.

5. In the beginning, I always said “yes.”

When I first started teaching, I wanted so much for all of my colleagues and administrators to like me and to think I was a team player. I wanted to be perceived as easy to work with, flexible, and as someone who was willing to compromise. But this often led to me saying “yes” to everything, responding to every favor or suggestion with an enthusiastic, “No problem!” and a smile. And that led to me being stressed out and frustrated. Eventually, I learned the art of saying “no” once in a while. Sometimes, you can’t take on everything, and that’s okay.

6. I thought I had to dress like a fuddy-duddy to be “professional.”

I cringe when I think about some of the outfits I wore during my first year of teaching. I was straight out of grad school, so young, and probably looked like I was 40. Personally, I think that if your job doesn’t require pantsuits, there’s really no reason to wear them every day. Having some more professional staples is a good thing, but, in my case, letting them dominate my wardrobe was unnecessarily expensive.

Today, my “work” wardrobe and my “social” wardrobe overlap tremendously. My closet is like one big venn diagram. My favorite type of outfits include black skinny jeans, booties, nice blouses, and maybe a statement necklace. Any and all of those pieces can be worn during the work week, or on the weekend. No more pantsuits for me, ever.

7. Embarrassingly enough, I let myself believe that some of my successes were a bigger deal than they actually were.

While it’s important to celebrate every success, and appreciate each new step in your career, it’s also important to be realistic. This is a little humiliating to admit, but when I was first published as a writer, I remember thinking to myself, “I’m probably going to have, like, 1,000 more Twitter followers next time I check my phone!” (I’m 100% turning red as I type this, and it’s fine if everyone reading this is laughing at me.)

The truth is, I still don’t have 1,000 followers on Twitter, but I have expanded my writing repertoire a lot, and I get emails on a regular basis from people who have been affected in some way by my writing, and that’s much better.

8. I didn’t always stand up for myself.

Honestly, it wasn’t until recently that I started fighting back when I felt professionally wronged. This is probably a result of wanting to be liked and easygoing, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started caring less about being personally liked, and caring more about being professionally respected.

I’ve learned to speak up when something is unfair, and I’ve learned to not let my outward appearance persuade someone into thinking I’m less experienced or not as tough as I actually am. Asserting yourself professionally is not always as easy as it sounds, but it’s essential for growth. Plus, it’s always a kick to witness the reaction when someone realizes that you’re not a pushover, but rather a really strong, independent professional.

De is a New Yorker turned Bostonian and a lover of all things theatrical. In addition to writing, she is an actress/singer/dancer/teacher and owner of the fluffiest cat imaginable. She is on Twitter.

Image via Unsplash

[exploreyourcareer]

#pure #careerdevelopment #beauty

[zenpencils]

MY SPIRIT IS A ROARING SEA - An action poem by Zen Pencils

[exploreyourcareer]

Watch a 30 second trailer for this exciting new sci-fi book :)

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On this day in 1998, The Dude made his debut. Let’s all raise a White Russian to “The Big Lebowski.”

[exploreyourcareer]

We abide!

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Timothy Leary: You aren’t like them. (x)

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The ever-delightful Zen Pencils adapt Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson’s timeless advice on integrity and the creative life in a comic. 

Itching to find your purpose and do what you love? Start with a brilliant resignation letter, then learn how to find fulfilling work.

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The Story of The Little Red Hen

We love this for so many reasons...

- Not everyone will have your vision - You won't always get help - Hard work is key

But we mostly love it because, if a small red chicken can sow & reap corn, make flour & bake bread just imagine what you [an infinitely more intelligent & dextrous human being] can do!

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"When all looked sour beyond words, some delightful 'break' was apt to lurk just around the corner.” Amelia Earhart.

-- Just for a moment, think about the person these words describe. This is someone who took a few knocks. Someone who knew from her own experience that the going wasn't always going to be smooth.

Words like these prove she had her doubts, lows and dark moments too. Perhaps this was her reason not to give up. We reckon it kind of explains why she accomplished so much.

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Albert Einstein’s letter of advice to his 11-year-old son.

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“be of value.” Indeed.

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A sneak peek inside Montreal-based artist James Paterson’s sketchbook at EyeO 2013.

Complement with a glimpse inside the Moleskine notebooks of celebrated creators and the sketchbooks of famous illustrators and designers. 

[exploreyourcareer]

-- I'm working in collaboration with a brilliant sketchnote artist at the moment so this post was a great reminder of the power and expressiveness of this medium.

I now see sketchnoting as a fascinating connective portal to aid communication and understanding, both of ourselves (i.e. our own thoughts, feelings, values, etc.) and between ourselves and others (i.e. what it can help us learn about relationships, emotions, motivations, compulsions & what makes us all tick).

It's also just plain and simple great fun :D

[exploreyourcareer]

George Orwell’s simple rules on effective writing: (i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. (ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do. (iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. (iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active. (v)Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. (vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit/

[exploreyourcareer]

If you told me we’d quote James T. Kirk on this blog I’d have said you were dreaming, or at the very least you were an echo from an alternate reality. These words are here because the meaning is far more important than the source, plus let’s be honest, Kirk’s also a great literary character.

When Kirk shouts these words to Spock in the latest Star Trek movie he speaks as the arch pragmatist. A committed follower of the very powerful (and very human) instinct/impulse to ‘act’ and to ‘do’.

The desire to do something, anything instead of nothing can be a real force for good. It gives us a clear focus during uncertain times. It turns us from bystanders to participants. It teaches us (through experience) things we might otherwise not learn. It creates opportunities and outcomes that could not otherwise be possible. For the logicians among us it also produces new data, new parameters and new problems to solve.

Of course it isn’t all gravy. By forcing himself to act Kirk often makes mistakes, causes harm and creates enemies. But he chooses to act time and time again. As a result we all learn something (even Spock) and the story moves on.

[exploreyourcareer]

Discovery is the best introduction to the art of exploring. To see something anew proves things can be different. To experience discovery for yourself brings new knowledge, along with the appetite to see and learn more.