Posts Tagged ‘Career’

Retirement? How about Inspirement or Aspirement?

Friday, April 23rd, 2010 by Angela

As I get closer to 50, I can’t imagine retiring. It’s not because I don’t have enough savings, it’s not because I am addicted to work, it’s because I love living. I love learning and growing and being an active member of society. I have been working with several individuals who are 60 or older and some are in the question of retirement. I support one individual who is 82 and he is looking at what more can he be doing. For those that aren’t like my 82 yo I have been in the question with them about loving life. Loving their life exactly where they are because this is all they have. I have challenged them to look at how much life they are missing out on if they spend 8 hours or more a day at work, 2 hours traveling to and from work and are just waiting and biding time to be done. Done with what? Work? Life?

How much life have you missed out on because you are saving your money for retirement? How much have you hated your work and keep looking forward to the end of the day- or the Thank God its Friday syndrome? I think enjoy those things now! Integrate them into your life and find ways to do them. Besides, you are younger and we never know what your life will be like later. You don’t even know if you will be here!

Dr. Bob Wright has taught me about the concept of work is play and play is work. Both he and Dr. Judith Wright have talked about studies that hard work brings happiness and the more we keep our brains engaged in learning even as we age, the greater likelihood of having a better old age.

I have wondered why call it retirement. If you look at the definition of retire it means to stop working willingly, stop engaging in daily activities, withdrawal. To me that sounds like heading towards death. Now, I realize the reality of we will die someday. However, that definition doesn’t sound like a great way to spend the final years of one’s life.

I would like it to be called inspirement or even aspirement. I know those aren’t words but look at the definition of inspire. It means to cause a creative activity, stimulate someone to do something, provoke a particular feeling. Aspire it so have a particular ambition, fly high. I think in my later years, even if not working I would rather be provoking feelings in others (the positive kind) or stimulating them. I would even rather focus on being ambitious even if it was about dying well. What do you think about the word retirement? Would you vote for the change to inspirement or aspirement?
Angela

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Re-purpose Your Life

Thursday, March 18th, 2010 by Angela

I found this amazing blog the amount of money that has been funded to support former prisoners who want to become productive citizens. I do agree with Elizabeth Gaynes who stated she believes with right training and support – people can re-purpose theirs lives and contribute. (You can go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-papa/from-prison-greens-to-gre_b_501121.html to read more). My position is still out on whether or not I think this is the best use of resources. In many ways, we need to provide the training and skills before someone gets to the point of being incarcerated so that they would make a better choice. I don’t know if the money be better used to support those that have lost jobs, or those that haven’t had the resources or even single parents, to support them on being able to contribute to society.

No matter what, the blog made me realize it is a time to re-purpose our lives. Are we focused on the “right” things? When we work, are we in alignment with our values? In the end, what is it all for, what was the point? I ask myself that all the time. I am grateful for my current job and the work I do. I am blessed to support people in having their lives be the way they want it and in ways that matter most to them. I find most of my clients looking at how to live their days with purpose no matter what the task is at hand.

For help in defining your purpose, check out Bob Wright’s book, Business with Purpose. It supports individuals in creating their purpose. From there, you can use it to guide what you do in life.

Angela

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Is your Job like a Concentration Camp?

Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by Angela

I saw a statistic today that only 45% of people surveyed are satisfied with their jobs. I ask myself why that is. The survey I read asked those who are dissatisfied to consider the flowing 2 positions: are you dissatisfied with the type of work you are doing or are you dissatisfied with the conditions of your work. To me, these two positions seem like a sure pathway to dissatisfaction and being victimized to your work circumstances.

I know this is a leap, but consider the people in concentration camps. Victor Frankl talked about his experience in concentration camps. The people that made it in the concentration camps dealt with their reality. They knew where they were. They stretched themselves to make the best of it daily. They didn’t look to a future or some savior or some fantasy of getting out some day. No instead they engaged in each day and made the best of it. So, I guess you have a choice to do what you can and be satisfied in your job. I you think about it, you probably spend the majority of your week at work and if you are dissatisfied there, that means you are dissatisfied with most of your life. This is not a great perspective to me.

I don’t really think it matters what the job is or who you are with on the job. You have a choice on how you respond to your situation. You can either make it a blast and be fully engaged with what you are doing or you can hate every minute. I know when I am not engaging or enjoying what I am doing, it takes longer. If you are in a job, make the best of it. It is your reality. The future is something that may or may not be there for you. All that exists is this moment- so make the best of it.

I believe it is important to take personal responsibility for your situation. Do what you can to enjoy what is in front of you. Engage in your life; engage in your job and with the people around you. You might be surprised what you find. What do you think?

By the way, if you are dissatisfied with your job, check out www.morelifetraining.com and learn how to love the life you have even more than you do.

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Getting Organized – 1

Sunday, December 27th, 2009 by Dan

I don’t know about you, but my to do list at work just keeps getting longer. And I have more lists than ever. My organizational systems are at the breaking point. So I ran across a great approach to getting – and staying – organized call Getting Things Done by David Allen.   Without going into Allen’s whole system, his first piece of advice I found invaluable is to COLLECT — to capture every task into a single, reliable system. So that’s my focus for the moment – getting it all in one place. I’m interested to know what systems you use to collect and track your To Dos?  Paper? Software? Day Planner?

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One More Day Until The Transformational Leadership Symposium

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 by Dan

Transformational Leadership Symposium Friday evening, Nov. 20th – Saturday, Nov. 21st

Do you want to get more out of the people you lead? Do you want your team to be more cohesive, high performing, and appreciative of the opportunity you are providing, as you align your organization’s efforts to your greater mission?

The 2009 Transformational Leadership Symposium: Staying Ahead of the Curve in Transformational Times is a rare opportunity to address the full spectrum of leadership skills with top national and world leaders.

Brad Anderson, former CEO and current Vice-Chair of Best Buy and recipient of the 2009 Transformational Leadership Award, will inspire you with his unique experience in transformational leadership.

Dr. Don Beck, author of Spiral Dynamics and one of the foremost organizational change agents in the world, will teach you to appreciate and leverage the diversity in your organization and the varied needs of employees and clients.

Dr. Ron Riggio, author of Transformational Leadership and one of the foremost experts on the subject, will teach you the critical skills of becoming, or developing yourself further, as a transformational leader.

Dr. Bob Wright and Dr. Judith Wright, experts in personal transformation, will provide you with a powerful look into yourself as a leader in transformation. They will present their revolutionary change model and the neuroscience behind it.

Transform your career, and organization by:

  • Learning the behaviors of a transformational leader
  • Learning to identify and overcome the barrier to transformation
  • Learning the insight to understand and facilitate the transformation of those you lead

Register at: www.transformleadership.org/leadership-symposium.php

November 20-21. Ravinia Festival – Highland Park, IL

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Stay at Home Mom – a misguided career adventure.

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 by Gertrude

Despite graduating with a BBA in finance and accounting I never aspired to be a “career woman.” It was something I did “just in case” the plan to get married and have kids fell through. I couldn’t wait for the day I would live the life of a full-time mother. When the time came with my first child, my replacement in my position as economic analyst at a litigation consulting firm quit two weeks after me giving birth. Best thing that could have happened the topic of which is many other blog entries so I won’t go into it. When I was pregnant with my second daughter I was determined to have stay at home time. I set it up and officially left the organization after ten years of working there. Well, let’s just say it was a better idea than reality! I spent four years as a full time mom and my fantasy of days filled with being a cross between earth mother and country club mom did not come to fruition. I realized I need structure and without it provided I don’t create it for myself. I went into blob land and spent more time napping than one person really needs. I realized it was a bad idea when my 4 year old daughter was asked what my favorite activity was and she said “sleeping.” My advice out of all of this is – treat the decision like a job search. Have your partner interview you. Really know the company and what the job description is and see if you fit it. There are lots of ways to be a good mom!

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Hunger in the Workplace

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 by Dan

I just read a great little article in the Harvard Business Review called “Why Repressing Emotions is Bad for Business.” It’s all about how counter-productive it is for managers to ignore the emotional side of their employee’s jobs. What jumped out at me was a short list of such concerns:

“. . . appreciation (recognition of value), affiliation (emotional connection to others), autonomy (freedom to feel, think, or decide), status (standing compared with others), and role (job label and related activities).”

These are all things we’re hungry for all the time – not out of some kind of impoverished neediness, but just by virtue of being human. We all hunger to feel appreciated, to feel free, to feel we’re making a significant contribution. I’m in my job for a paycheck, sure. But I also want to feel like I’m appreciated, valued, free, and contributing while I’m earning a living. (This list can help me assess where I may be feeling dissatisfied and do something about it.)

The article says good managers recognize these hungers and address them. Their employees feel emotionally nourished by their work. I think that’s true. And I think that may be the difference between a manager and a leader. I’m going to find out more about this difference at the upcoming Transformational Leadership Symposium hosted by the Wright Foundation for Transformational Leadership. I hope you can join me.

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Quick Decisions and Career Visions

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 by Kate

When I left my last full-time job to come to Chicago for graduate school, there were many reasons it seemed like the right move at the right time.

I had discovered what some might call a passion, but what I was only willing to admit was a deep curiosity, about the subject–theology. I knew I could get financial support through several initiatives being launched in my home state of South Dakota. And I knew that if I stayed in my post at my alma mater through a succession of leadership, it would be several more years before I would consider transitioning out. All signs pointed to that moment being just right.

Now, having a few years’ perspective on the switch, I can see that in many ways I was running from a situation I didn’t have a handle on. I didn’t have the training I needed or the skill to ask for it. And while the choice I made has added value to my life in countless ways, I certainly didn’t have a long-term vision for the career I wanted to create.

How do you plan your career moves? Do you follow your gut and spring for the latest opportunity? Do you have a five or ten year plan you’re working to implement? Or do you fall somewhere in the middle –having a vision that would guide your toward your long-term goals when each potential fork in the road emerges?

Whether you’re in transition or in a position you intend to keep, chances are you could benefit from a solid career vision. If so, join Dr. Bob Wright for the first in a series of career workshops Wednesday night: Create Your Dream Job in Transformational Times.

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Create Your Own Job

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 by Kate

I loved the Harvard Business Review’s answer to the classic Catch-22 of job-seeking: you can’t get a job without experience, and you can’t get experience without a job.

Larry Stybel, Executive in Residence at Suffolk University’s b-school, describes how he jumped from clinical psychology to talent management. His tips can help anyone create their own job to get the great experience they need:

1. Find a company with “a great idea and no money to execute it.”

2. Be specific about the value you will provide. Don’t say you’ll generate sales if what you think you can really do is make phone calls and set appointments.

3. Be specific about the value you’ll receive. For him, a title and reference would do.

3. Specify a time frame that doesn’t preclude you for looking for your next gig. He offered his service two days a week for two months.

By the way, Stybel met his employer-to-be at a party. If you need help learning to work a room, check out the Wright Business Institute’s WIN! (Wonders of Intentional Networking) training this Friday/Saturday.

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