Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Do You Know What You Do Really Well?

At the SilkRoad annual Connections conference, I heard a great session on driving a purpose-driven culture by Stacie Mallen.

Stacie is a VP of HR for Ulthera, Inc., a manufacturer of a device that is used for non-invasive, non-surgical lifting and tightening of the skin.

Stacie started the session by handing out hedgehogs (stuffed, not real).  She wanted us audience members to think about our purpose in work and life, illustrating what is known as the Hedgehog Concept in Jim Collins’ Good to Great.

Collins told the story of the clever, devious fox and the simple hedgehog.  The wily fox keeps coming up with new ideas to eat the hedgehog, but the hedgehog beats the fox every time by doing his one trick: curling up into a thorny ball. The hedgehog knows what it does really, really well.  It keeps doing it and keeps winning.

I earned a toy hedgehog in the session when I expressed my true purpose as providing concrete guidance to others based on my own work experiences.  I do this well, and I’m most successful when I don’t stray too far from it.

Finding Your True Purpose

Your true purpose is found at the intersection of three things:

• What you are deeply passionate about
• What you can be the best in the world at
• What drives your economic engine

In instructing us how to find purpose – both for ourselves and our organizations – Stacie cited the work of Roy Spence, author of the bestselling book, It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What Your Stand For.  Spence has helped organizations such as Southwest Airlines, BMW, the University of Texas, Wal-Mart, and the Clinton Global Initiative achieve greatness by obsessing about purpose. Southwest Airlines, for example, worked hard not just to lure customers away from older airlines but to also offer affordable air travel, democratizing the skies. Likewise, Wal-Mart brought goods that were once distant luxuries to rural families.

Spence wrote:  “Purpose is a reason for being that goes beyond making money, and it almost always results in making more money than you ever thought possible.  Especially during times of great economic uncertainty, purpose is the key to creating and maintaining a high- performing organization, deserving just as much attention as strategy, execution, and innovation.”

For advice from Stacey on taking action on the organization side, check out the rest of the post at the SilkRoad blog.

How Do I Find a Career I'm Passionate About?

Today's reader question from DailyWorth.com:

“I have been in my field for over two decades and I’m ready to start my dream career, but I’m not sure what that looks like exactly. I’m obsessed with organization and budgeting, but without a hardcore financial background, I’m unsure what type of job this would be. I want to look forward to going to work every day. What do you suggest?”

The first thing I’d like to do is help you adjust your expectations about finding your passion and making money at it. Hobbies are generally unprofitable as businesses, and even if you do manage to earn a living at one of them, having to spend every minute of every day on it often kills the passion. 
 
As for having a “dream career,” there’s a reason “work” is not called “fun.” When I was writing the book “How’d You Score THAT Gig?” I found that even people with the coolest of jobs don’t bounce out of bed with enthusiasm every day. There are aspects of their gigs that they love, and those they could do without. 
 
Society puts so much pressure on us to find a singular passion that we can’t be happy without. But your job is not the only path to personal fulfillment, and I am fond of saying that a more realistic goal is to love what you do rather than do what you love.  

Have you taken advantage of every development opportunity your current organization has to offer? Can you move laterally or use your expertise to launch a new initiative?
 
What made you choose this career in the first place? And is there anything you can do to rekindle that feeling? Can you use your company as a means to give back to the community and people who are less fortunate? All of these things are likely to reinvigorate your daily sense of satisfaction.
 
In the event that you’re genuinely ready for a major change, I’ll recommend a potential career based on your email. Professional organizers teach clients simple techniques to reduce waste, make everyday processes easier and streamline daily responsibilities. They also help to change behaviors that cause disorganization, such as procrastination, an inability to focus and the accumulation of unnecessary “stuff.”  
 
To assess whether a career as a professional organizer is for you, I recommend getting involved with the National Association of Professional Organizers, which offers educational events and resources, networking opportunities and a certification program via numerous local chapters. 
 

 

Are You Down with OPG? (Other People's Goals)

Most of us over age 30 remember the song OPP from the 90s. The acronym stands for “other people’s problems,” etc.

Lately, a lot of professionals in my world have been focusing too much on OPG – or other people’s goals. I’ll share a personal example. For the last several years, I’ve come across a lot of people wondering why I don’t expand my business. When I was called by a Washington firm that wanted to help me get on the GSA schedule and build my firm to a multi-million dollar enterprise, I declined the opportunity. Some thought I was crazy.

Here’s the thing. I’m an introvert raising two young children, and I like relative peace and quiet on the work front. I don’t want the stress of sitting atop a huge enterprise, with responsibility for many a livelihood. Being very wealthy and powerful is not important to me. But being balanced is. And with few exceptions, CEOs do not have much balance.

There is nothing wrong with my point of view, and if you want to be a CEO, there’s nothing wrong with yours. In the 21st century business world, careers are no longer one-size-fits-all. What’s right for someone else might not be equally desirable for you, so you must measure your success in terms of the goals that make the most sense individually.

We all have goals, even if we haven’t thought about them consciously or put them down on paper. Consider yours. Where do they come from?  Have you developed them based on messages from society, the media, or family? If your goals don’t excite you personally and encourage you to strive for greater accomplishment, they might not be yours after all. It’s time to take your career into your own hands.

For advice on how to establish personal and professional goals that resonate, check out the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

How to Spot a Job Scam

There are a lot of online job scams out there, but none are more pervasive than the infamous work-from-home scam. If you’ve ever seen these words in front of a job advertisement, you are probably looking at a job scam:

• Earn $25/hr at home!
• Earnings deposited daily to your bank account
• Work from home – thousands per day and no sales required

The best way to judge if a job ad is a scam is to consider what you have to do to get the money promised. If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Think about it: If you were a legitimate organization, would you pay an employee to sit at home and do little or no work? Also, any company that requires you to pay money upfront is a scammer. Employers are supposed to pay you, not the other way around.

Because some job scammers are savvier than others, you should always do a thorough background check on any organization proposing to employ you from home. This includes reviewing records with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and Scam.com. It’s also a good idea to Google search “company name” + “scam” to uncover unsavory activity.

For more where this came from, head over to the full post at the FlexJobs blog.

Avoid These Career Regrets Today

In the 21st century, we have more freedom than ever in terms of how we manage our careers. Theoretically, this should lead to fewer regrets when it’s all said and done. But these five regrets remain career pitfalls for many, and you would be wise to reflect upon them before making your next career move. Avoiding these career regrets will help you find job satisfaction.

I should have given my dream a fair shot

Those who yearn to pursue a talent or launch a business often don’t take the plunge because they fear risk and/or failure. This feeling is legitimate, but it can be countered by taking one small step toward your dream at a time.

I should have quit a long time ago

You might be holding on to an unsatisfying or emotionally draining job because the economy has limited your options and you need the money, but be wary of staying in such a position for years. You spend more time working than doing anything else, so it shouldn’t make you miserable.

I should have taken responsibility for my own happiness

Passive individuals pursue the path of least resistance. However, they later wish they’d taken control and been more proactive about their professional growth. If you’re waiting around for your boss to appreciate you or another employer to hand you a better opportunity, you should remember that no one has the power to change your life or reinvent your career for the better but you.

For more career regrets to avoid, check out the full post at the FlexJobs blog.

How the Latitude Assessment Changed My Life – in Reverse

College career counselors often ask me to recommend assessments, which is kind of funny I never took any kind of test to inform the decision about a major or a career.  I’d taken AP psychology in high school and did well in it, and so I picked that.  I didn’t take a test when I graduated from Northwestern University either.  I just knew that pursuing psychology would take at least four more years of school, and I wasn’t having any of that.  I wanted to go into the business world right away, and since I wasn’t trained to do much, I landed in an entry-level public relations job at a large agency in New York City. 

Fifteen years later, I received the opportunity to take YouScience’s two-hour online assessment, Latitude.  Essentially, Latitude uncovers what you’re wired to do well and why.  The assessment’s series of five to 12 minute exercises reveal 14 of the aptitudes most important to college and career plus the types of work you’ll find most satisfying.

My Results

Latitude provided me with loads of meaty material as well as a summary that included these highlights: When it comes to idea generation, I’m a brainstormer.  I’m able to come up with multiple examples when describing something or with multiple activities to engage in.  I’m also an investigator.  This means that I enjoy acquiring new information and learning how facts influence each other.  My high sequential reasoning ability lets me automatically shuffle and organize large amounts of information in my head and easily organize my thoughts and learned information in a methodical way.

Halfway between introverted and extroverted, I work best when I have a balance between collaborating with others and focusing on my area of expertise.  I’m equally comfortable leading and following depending on the situation.  Well, that explains why I always confused the Myers-Briggs folks!

Because I like to advise others and am apparently good at it, Latitude recommended that I pursue the fields of psychology, training and development, and communications.

Guess what?  That’s pretty much how I’ve spent the last 20 years.

Latitude: Definitely Better Late Than Never

My career evolution was a happy accident, hitting all of the areas of natural strength that Latitude identified.  But my life would have been much easier if I had taken Latitude sooner.  I would have been able to make more confident, better informed decisions about areas of study and careers.  Due to the assessment’s uncanny accuracy, I might have ended up in the same place – but I wouldn’t have had to rely on fate to get there.

Understanding why I am the way I am – why I find certain tasks invigorating and others frustrating, is helping me to even further hone my career aspirations.  My career probably has a good 30+ years left and I’m going to be glad to have Latitude as a partner every step of the way.

5 Ways to Uncover Your Roots

My friend Pam Slim, who has been blogging about meaningful careers since 2005, has a fantastic new book out called Body of Work.  The book helps every reader find the thread that ties their unique story together and has been praised by everyone from Seth Godin to Nancy Duarte.

I recommend reading the whole book, of course, but I especially enjoyed the section on identifying one's roots.  Your roots are the purpose, beliefs, and convictions that provide the foundation for your body of work.  They keep you strong and stable when you face challenges in your career and remind you why it's important to keep moving through adversity.  Here are five questions Pam suggests you ask to harness the power of your own roots.

1.  What do you value?

Your values describe what is most important to you.  They guide you to make decisions and set boundaries around what you will accept in your life and career.  When you know your values, you can answer questions like, "should I take this job?" and "should I partner with this person?"  Examples of values are critical thinking and honesty.

2.  What do you believe?

Your beliefs are unique to you and form the foundation for how you interpret and act in the world.  They are shaped by your childhood, your life experiences, your education, and your philosophical or spiritual orientation.  A simple way to understand beliefs is to answer the question:  "what do you know to be true?"  An example of a belief is that everyone has the capability to do great things.

3.  Why do you believe it?

Which experiences have shaped your values and beliefs?  What has made you certain in your values and beliefs?  Using the example above, you beliefe that everyone has the capability to do great things because you watched your father, who came to this country as an immigrant, build a successful business with next to no money.

4.  Whom do you care deeply about serving?

Of all the people who you could impact during your time on earth, whom do you want to work with?  Which type of person "gets you" and really needs what you have to offer?  An example is that you are a trainer and you love to work with highly technical people.  You appreciate their intelligence, curiosity, and critical perspective.  You notice that when you teach them, you are pushed to deliver the highest quality courses.

5.  Which problems do you want to solve? 

Which challenges get you really fired up?  What impact do you want to have in the world?  What specific knowledge do you have that can make a difference?  An example is that you are passionate about childhood nutrition.  You notice that parents are so busy that they don't have time to plan and cook healthy meals and you feel you can help solve this problem. 

Pam says not to sweat it if you can't answer all of these questions right away.  Simply plant them in your head and pay attention to the answers as they come to you.  A little insight goes a long way!

Should You Relocate for a Job?

In a job market that still leaves something to be desired, the question on many professionals’ minds is, “should I relocate?”  Whether your current organization offers you a transfer that sounds too good to pass up or you receive an offer from an out-of-state (or out-of-country) firm that comes just as you were starting to get desperate, relocation is an issue that must be taken seriously – especially if you have a family that will be uprooted with you.

Of course, developing a list of pros and cons is a good move when making any major decision, but careful consideration of these five questions will also aid in your thought process.

Would you move there anyway?

If this job didn’t exist, is the area in question a place you’d ever want to go?  Think about what your regular daily routine will be like in the new location.  Do the pace of life and the amenities appeal to you?   How about the people, the culture, the weather, and the traffic?  Remember that a job is only one aspect of your life, and even work that you enjoy won’t be enough to overcome the distress of being stuck in a locale that’s not a good fit.

How will the move impact your family?

Relocations are easiest when you’re at a more flexible stage of life.  Once you have a family, however, you have to think about what your spouse will do in the new city.  Will he or she be able to get a good job too?  Is this area somewhere you can envision raising your children, complete with safe play areas and good schools?  Does the relocation involve moving away from extended family and friends who make life meaningful?

For more suggestions, have a look at the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Book Review: Dorie Clark's Reinventing You

I first met Dorie Clark at a Deloitte-sponsored talent management conference last summer.  Since then, we have kept in touch, and I am continually impressed with her insights around career development and personal branding. 

For those who don't know, Dorie is a former presidential campaign spokeswoman and a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the American Management Association's publications. At the young age of 18, Dorie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College, and two years later received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.  She's currently a marketing consulting for companies like Google, Yale University, and the Ford Foundation.

As you might gather, Dorie has reinvented herself professionally a bunch of times, and there's no one more qualified to write the book, Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future. 

Some of you might remember that I also wrote a book on career reinvention called New Job, New You. I like Dorie's addition to the field because its strategies are easily accessible to anyone and everyone.  Career change and even personal branding can be daunting propositions, and people may hold off on both thinking that they have to involve a major life overhaul.  Dorie shows that this is not the case. 

One of my favorite recommendations in the book involves a personal 360 review.  Dorie suggests learning about your strengths, passions, and areas for development by gathering a group of friends in your living room for a few hours one evening.  By asking the people close to you for their honest views about your potential, you will receive the gift of a fresh perspective far more powerful than simply relying on soul searching.

Dorie Clark has gone places, and she's still going places.  Let her take you along for the ride and show you how to go places yourself!

Take Control of Your Career Today

Don’t you love it when the fates align? At the same time that I was writing a New York Times op-ed on the rise of the independent workforce, I had the opportunity to meet Nacie Carson, a twenty-something author and steadfast proponent of training people in her generation to be prepared for a world of temporary, contract work.

In her new book, The Finch Effect, Nacie warns professionals that instead of waiting for a recovery in the job market that is never going to come, we must take our careers into our own hands. Using a set of five strategies, which Nacie calls “the Finch Effect” (in honor of survival of the fittest Darwin’s avian inspirations), we can evolve productively in the years to come.

For Nacie's advice on taking your career into your own hands today, check out my post on the Fast Track blog.