Will you take a moment to share the message?

The more of us who come together to claim our 21st Century Worklife, the more we can start to make real workplace change. Thanks in advance for your help.

 
Filed under: 21CWL, Managing, Motivating Tagged: Career, Security, Worklife ]]> http://21centuryworklife.com/2011/12/01/cathys-recent-self-leadership-strategies-newsletter/feed/ 1 stevenjoiner http://21centuryworklife.com/2011/11/16/job-hunter-or-job-developer/ http://21centuryworklife.com/2011/11/16/job-hunter-or-job-developer/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:04:38 +0000 Steven Joiner http://21centuryworklife.com/?p=64 ]]> Do you simply hunt for jobs in the vast reaches of cyberspace or have you evolved into a developer of opportunities?

Do you see needs in the workplace that need to be met or are you content to fill a role created by someone else?

How do you find compensation–fiscal and otherwise–in your life? In your work?

I was at a career development conference in July of 2009 when one of the keynote speakers—a fantastic Career Development professional named Denise Bissonnette—completely changed my view of career development. Her talk focused on the idea that professionals in the workforce today need to stop thinking of the job search as merely just seeing what is available and going for it. Rather, we need to bring an entrepreneurial spirit to our search. This means creating “employment proposals” as well as keeping an eye on emerging social trends and businesses.

Employment proposals can work for all kinds of career paths, from bookkeeping and technology to retail, service, and construction. Denise told stories of clients who have made such business proposals as creating a nighttime parking-lot security position at a hotel, a site preparation and cleanup position with a paint crew, and a range of other examples – people who said, “Here is a need that your company seems to have; here are the skills that I can use to fill that need; and here is how it will give you a competitive advantage.”

I took this idea and worked with it for the last year. I came up with a short list of characteristics that define the beliefs and actions of the job hunter and the job developer:

Job Hunters

1. Look only for what is available.
2. Think successful job searching is shooting resumes off into cyberspace.
3. Believe in the power of anonymity.
4. Believe in the Career Caretaker.

Job Developers

1. Realize the work world is not fully formed.
2. Cultivate and grow.
3. Go online to get offline.
4. Believe in the power of connection.
5. Are Self-Leaders.

See, in the for-profit or the nonprofit world, companies and organizations need sharp-eyed professionals to step up and help create the workplace of the future. Entrepreneurship and innovation are not solely the domain of the start-ups; rather, everyone has the ability to look at the workplace as it already exists and say, “I see a need here that can easily be filled if only…”

Creating the “employment proposal” that Denise discusses in her presentation sounds a lot like what I called creating intentional opportunities back in my Idealist.org days: Know yourself and your set of skills; know the facts about the organization that you’d like to approach (including their strengths, areas of need, and human and fiscal resource constraints); and then pitch them an idea heavy on your own initiative, heavy on deliverables that will have a long-term benefit to the organization, and very light on staff time needed to manage you and your project. In other words, how can you give the organization as much as possible without asking too much of them in return?

Whatever it is, think about the job search as “job development” rather than simply “job hunting.”

Here is a short video that further explains this idea.

Do you have the authority to make your own decisions?

When I speak, I ceaselessly monitor the audience to see that the ideas of the 21st Century Worklife are sinking in. My primary test is to make sure that more people are nodding than nodding off. My secondary test is to see who wears the face of disagreement.

The trouble with the face of disagreement is that it sometimes masks itself as confusion. But there is always a moment when the furrowed brow turns to wide-eyed disbelief followed by the telltale moment: the exasperated head shake.

This really hit home during a recent talk at Harvard when an attendee went through the confused to incredulous to heading-shaking-in-clear disagreement at a record pace. The exchange that followed (I kind of called the attendee out with a questions like, “Who’s having trouble with these concepts?”) went something like this:

(Attendee) ”This whole notion of career entrepreneur and “taking back you job security” is all well and good for a young professional, someone right out of school or someone like yourself. I have a family* and can’t be so cavalier.”

(Me) ”You’re basically talking about making career decisions from a place of certainty and stability, right?”

(Attendee) nods

* Editorial note: this example happens to be of the “I have a family” variety and, while that is the most common form of “this is too risky” rationale, it is not the only one. Student-loan debt, family expectations (parents, partner, children), and lack of confidence are also popular choices.

(Me) ”Let me ask you a question then: could you be fired tomorrow from you job?”

(Attendee) ”Of course.”

(Me) ”And what would happen to you as a result?”

(Attendee) ”Well, I’d probably get a severance package of some kind, maybe some placement help…”

(Me) ”… and unemployment right? COBRA coverage for a period of time?”

(Attendee) nods

(Me) ”So the sense of security that you speak of is not the job, it’s the safety net that catches you when, not if, that job goes away.”

(Attendee) nods

(Me) ”Let me ask you another question. As a parent, do you want you children to have access to any opportunity they seek?”

(Attendee) ”Of course.”

(Me) ”Well, let me tell you what happens to someone like me when work dries up. There is no severance package, no unemployment check, no COBRA coverage, no safety net. That’s terrifying. If we want a world in which we are all free to create, to do the work that calls to us, and to contribute maximally in our worklife, the system needs to change. We need to stop going to employers for our security. We need to stop believing in the Career Caretaker. Another question, do you believe in corporate loyalty?”

(Attendee) ”Of course not.”

(Me) “Do you believe it will return so that your children will have it in the future?”

(Attendee) “No.”

(Me) ”Then let me orient you toward a future that may or may not be during your work lifetime. This is a future where the bargaining chips–the salary, the benefits, the retirement contributions–are not doled out by unfaithful employers but carried around by professionals and submitted along with the cover letter and resume during negotiations. This is a future where creative risk is not de-incentivized but encouraged. This is a future where someday professionals like your children have a buffet of options available to them for living life to the fullest, toward contributing in a meaningful way every single day. That future and this present can’t coexist so which would you prefer when your children are out seeking that first job?”

At this point, the attendee, starting to nod more than scowl, smiled politely and said thank you.

But the doubt lingered in the form of that furrowed, doubtful scowl. Sadly, as if oft the case with the disagreers, they got up and left right at the end of the talk (at least they stuck it out I guess).

I would have loved to chat more because I get it, I really get it…

It is hard to say goodbye to the old. It can be very hard to accept change because change necessitates that something is disappearing, something is lost. There is grief and confusion in loss and that malaise is all the more powerful when it wraps itself around your sense of security and livelihood. Plus, it is deeply disturbing to see played out on such an irrefutably large scale as we are seeing with the continued breakdown of our economy (worldwide) and looking for the first time in generations at a bleaker future for our children.

After these types of exchanges, I hold faith that the awareness is there (at least) and that awareness will manifest in its own subtle ways thus turning the disagreer into a ally (and maybe even an advocate).

Technology Trance (synonym: Connectivity Coma): The numbed, diminished state of mind, body and soul, which results from persistent overuse of any form of technology. Characterized by a reduction in focus and availability for face-to-face, real time relationships and experience. Side effects may include a decrease in Self-Leadership and Career Entrepreneurship as well as access to your Calling Card, the Creative Edge, and emotional IQ.

The glory of nature... as seen from your computer

For the past several thousand years, technology–from stone tools to the latest new-fangled computer applications–has changed the fundamental structure and demands of  our daily lives.

On the one hand, it’s increased our exposure to ideas, people, places, and images, which brings an enormous richness to our lives. And, it’s made many things easier, giving us more ‘free time’ to grow, explore, create, and understand our Calling Card.

On the other hand, it’s enticed us into wasting an enormous amount of time and energy by engaging in an endless series of web-tivities like watching silly videos, researching  such rabbit holes of attention as our ex-girlfriend or boyfriend (oh come on, we’ve all been there!), and ‘connecting’ more with virtual rather than flesh-and-blood communities.

Talk about a double edged sword…

No problem, you say. I can control it. It’s fun. It’s useful. It makes my life better. I’m no slave to it. I make it work for me.

Really? Are you so sure? I see that you just brought your Crackberry to the john with you, tucked it into your bathrobe last night, and checked your messages before saying good morning to your spouse.

Houston, I think we have a problem.

Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’….

Have you ever noticed how a “I’m just going to check my email for a few minutes” can turn into an “Oh, wow, it’s been an hour, two, three or more”? Every time we go on the web, we enter a world of endless possibilities for procrastination and avoidance. Indeed, more and more research shows that social networking interacts with the pleasure centers in our brain, creating a kind of spell over us.

Not to mention the fact that it can act as an emotional shock absorber–putting a mountain of information and images between us and our emotions, at least, for a while. For example, it can make it easier to keep sailing on the river denial: “I have to return my emails” or “I just have to get this last bit of  information on ‘x’ before starting my project.” Making it even harder to resist its allure is the fact that our culture has largely swallowed the ‘insta-everything pill’ and is not exactly lining up in droves to slow down and be present with whatever is happening inside and out so there can be real consequences to not setting up 24/7 real estate online.

No strings attached

Additionally, part of what’s so intoxicating and difficult to modulate about technology, particularly of the Facebook, Twitter, and gaming variety, is that it offers a no-strings-attached kind of connection. Even “old fashioned” email can create the illusion of deeper friendship and community without having to put in the sweat equity. There’s no doubt, social technology can be very useful in sparking a connection or even a revolution as we have seen recently in world news, but it’s not at the head of the class in nurturing the connective tissue of relationships over time. Indeed, information exchange does not a relationship make.

The choice is yours, it’s all of ours, actually. So the next time that you reach for your  blackberry or go on Facebook, ask yourself whether you are in a Technology Trance or  you are Techreating: utilizing technology in ways that expand your Calling Card and ability to be a Career Entrepreneurand Self-Leader.  Minimizing  Connectivity Comas by building your muscle to discern when you are using technology as a form of Resistance and when you are using it to Travel, Create, live on the Creative Edge, and contribute thoughtfully to the world.

Affinity Leader: An integrated individual who actively works to understand and co-create opportunities for each Community of Genius member to fully tap into their Calling Card and make their most meaningful contributions. Affinity Leaders take the work of Self-Leaders to the next level by managing the affinities, mutual excitement, and purpose within a COG.

Help is on the way

Leading affinities is easy, we’ve all done it. Ever organized a birthday for a family member? Helped with a wedding in some capacity? Played a sport? Self-organized an interest group? Hosted a potluck?

You get the idea. Finding affinities and rapport with others is what we do as the social creatures that we are.

Affinity leadership, however, is different and much more challenging.

For starters, shared passion is not enough to see an idea to fruition. Anyone who has organized a group in their community has likely seen both ‘successful’ and ‘unsuccessful’ results.

Indeed, the difference between someone who leads a self-selecting group with shared affinity and an Affinity Leader is the understanding that the real potential of an affinity group rests in the ability for everyone to share their Calling Card (that one-of-a-kind combination of your talents/skills, values, experience, knowledge, accomplishments, working style, passions, vision, goals, etc.), enjoy Positive Tension, and know that, once the affinity is realized, the challenge of managing people (including oneself) begins. As Self-Leaders, budding Affinity Leaders have already started the lifelong process of managing their own Calling Card, Resistance, and Shadow; and from there the work of Affinity Leadership can begin.

Put another way, it isn’t enough to say ‘You care. I care. Let’s care together.’

Instead, the leap with Affinity Leadership is: ‘You care. I care. This is my Calling Card. How does it compliment yours? Where can my strengths shine? Where do yours shine? Where are we out of alignment? How can we use our differences to create Positive Tension? Where do I need help? Where do you need help?’

Affinity Leaders understand that the lion’s share of any meaningful work is in managing the talents, perspectives, and expectations of the COG’s various members, not simply reminding everyone that ‘we’ve got a responsibility to the kids/trees/environment/mom and dad’s anniversary’.

The beauty of the technology age and 21st Century Worklife is that we can find affinities a click or two away. The challenge is it’s necessary to do a lot more than just click to fully realize the opportunities of affinity relationships. Here is where the Affinity Leaders enter and say, ‘Caring isn’t enough. How can we use the fullness of who we each are to care in a way that has important results?’

The real potential of affinity relationship lies in the answer.

Community of Genius: Usually a collective of two or more individuals living their Calling Card and sharing the trust, resources, synergy, and inspiration that comes when Aligned individuals commune in a sustained, enlivening and enriching manner. COGs sustain galvanizing, positive tension to work together on the Creative Edge and to support each other as Creators, Travelers, Self-Leaders, and Career Entrepreneurs. They also sometimes involve just one individual connecting deeply with art, nature, an idea or some other entity.

yes WE can!

‘Would all geniuses please raise your hand?’

Why are we averse to claiming our genius? Why does our culture so often ascribe genius to a rarefied handful of people thus robbing everyone from tapping into their own exceptional intelligence, creative power, and natural ability? Go ahead and ask a room full of people, “Would all geniuses please raise your hand?‘ and see what happens. Chances are no one will raise their hands or a few will enthusiastically fire an arm into the air, which will then set off a round of laughter.

Recently author Seth Godin has rightly pointed out that we are all genius in our own way. Yet this is not a new idea: Emerson noticed it and wrote eloquently on the topic; Jefferson envisioned a society where the genius of the individual was not circumvented by the crown or church; and 20th century change-makers like Gandhi, Mead, and King spoke to the transformative power of the individual, especially when the individual finds momentum in community.

Despite this cultural heritage, we resist claiming that genius because we find non-genius to be a safer place. This is reinforced by a culture that preaches fitting in and being comfortable. Geniuses stick their neck out sometimes; geniuses have been known to rock the boat of the status quo; geniuses risk rejection when they share their gifts, their Calling Card with the world.

The root of the word genius comes from the Latin ‘gignere‘ which means ‘attendant spirit present from one’s birth, innate ability or inclination’. That means that we are all born with an inherent, indwelling potential but, sadly, we are often, to quote Buckminster Fuller, ‘de-geniused’ as we go through life.

It is time for that to end.

The Myth of the Lonely Genius

Western society’s focus on individuality has concurrently given rise to the myth of the lone genius sequestered away in the attic madly creating their art. Yet we know that this is simply not how the greatest creative gifts of civilization came to fruition. Yes, there are exceptional individuals who create exceptional ideas, but rarely do those ideas become reality in isolation. Even one of the most famous of recluses, Emily Dickinson, was a prolific letter writer. Thomas Jefferson, the gentleman scholar farmer, famously sat up through the night writing the first draft of the Declaration of Independence. He did this at the request of John Adams who knew that Jefferson was the right person to ‘take a first stab’ at the document that would change the world. Yet ultimately, it was just that, a first iteration. Authors, artists, sculptors, and architect may dream up ‘Hamlet’, the Mona Lisa, David, or the Sistine Chapel, but it takes a community to fully realize their visit.

Add to this the fact that genius is often much more subtle than the Eiffel Tower or ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’; in fact, genius–acts of creativity and demonstrations of natural ability–happen all around us, all the time… if we choose to notice.

The Genius of Community

We are social creatures who overcame the darkness of night with fire, the hand-to-mouth feeding struggles that all other animals face daily with agriculture, and the great distances we must travel in order to commune with the airplane and the internet. Our history is teeming with tales of individuals finding communities that transform society and then the world. Yes, it often starts with one individual manifesting one idea but even this ‘Eureka’ process happens after the individual has studied books, observed nature, sought the advice of mentors, and then created. The next step is to mobilize others to foster a Community of Genius, whether that community is one other person, thousands, or even millions.

Newton discovered gravity only because his community kept his mind on the task. When that metaphorical apple fell, his mind, his community, and, eventually, the world was ready.

When individuals find friendship and synergy, they find a pool of collective energy, support, and resources. This doesn’t mean finding a group that thinks just like you, that comes to the table with the same skill sets, attitude or the same strengths as you. In truth, a key dynamic of the Community of Genius is to create Positive Tension. Too often, we think of tension as a bad thing, but much of that judgment comes from the fact that we’ve largely lost the art of civil debate. As a result of a ‘shouting-match’ news culture and groups pushing divisive ideologies, we tend to become more self-selecting in our choice of communities–faith groups, political groups, tapping like sources for news, and even the cities in which we live. However, just like a clock, we need tension to propel us. If you don’t ‘wind up’ a clock, it stops working. If you don’t create some positive tension in your community, you can easily become complacent.

When we come together into Communities of Genius, we allow ourselves to be free of the constraints that hold us back. Knowing your Calling Card and living your life in Alignment allows you to enter into dialogue with others who are looking to create authentic community. Educators, introverts, idealists, entrepreneurs, spiritual devotees, leaders, coordinators, followers, extroverts, and/or pragmatics can come to a place where gifts are shared and received, strengths are honored and reinforced, motivation is stimulated and directed, vulnerability is venerated, trust is fostered, and potential is tapped and channeled.

Most of us have multiple Communities of Genius and often entry into one serves as a springboard for entry into others. Just like one person can’t satisfy all of our needs, neither can one community. Be open to and own your responsibility to create multiple Communities of Genius. In that place of shared inspiration and dynamic tension, the sky really is the limit. Resources–fiscal, knowledge, time–abound and people know that there is a place ‘where everyone takes care of each other’. Give, take, share, grow.

© Copyright 2010, 21Century Worklife. All rights reserved.

Continuums: The arch between polarized points of view; the realm of critical thinking and personal growth. The points along the continuum are not vastly different from their neighbors but the extremes are quite distinct.

Compensation Continuum: Compensation incorporates, but also looks beyond fiscal returns. A continuum of ‘payment’ that encompasses spiritual, interpersonal, energetic, familial, and intellectual remuneration.

The Overarching Idea

Too often we think in dichotomies: this or that, right or wrong, left or right, up or down, good or bad. Yet much of what we do and think doesn’t lie at the polarized ends of any continuum. The space between these ends–the space of critical thinking–best describes all that we think and perceive in life. This is both/and and not either/or.

Even though we know that continuums exist in our thoughts and around us in all aspects of our life, we frequently choose to live and think closer to one end of a continuum than another. Why is that?

The simple answer is that polarized thinking is lazy thinking.

Polarized thinking is easy, non-critical thinking. It is comfortable thinking, the kind of thinking that fears ambiguity and a lack of concrete answers. Ambiguity can keeps us awake at night worrying about our children, our beliefs, our health, our motivations, our country, our safety. Polarized thinking is a kind of defense mechanism to keep the undeniably ambiguous reality at bay.

Problem is, that trick doesn’t work anymore. The good news is that the creative edge needs ambiguity to fuel it. So, it is time to develop other muscles–continuum and critical-thinking muscles–to embrace the unknown.

In the Career Caretaker workplace, we were encouraged to live at the ends of continuums like work/life, paid/unpaid, and personal/professional. In contrast, 21st Century individuals (like yourself?) know your Calling Card and can step into the workplace as Career Entrepreneurs who don’t shut yourself off when you go to work. You don’t compartmentalize your life. You see that ‘paid’ can take the form of helping others, bettering the community, feeding your soul, providing yourself and others with comfort and calm, and not living from the ego. Ask anyone who has had a meaningful, transformative volunteer experience if they feel undervalued because they didn’t get money for their time.

Sure, fiscal remuneration is an important part of the compensation package, but it is only a part. It’s time to start figuring out how to align passion, purpose, and paycheck.

Take this example:

Imagine a ROWE (results-only work environment) where you do your work wherever you can best do it, leadership starts with the self and you focus on collaborating with other Self-Leaders in a Community of Genius. You can bring your dog to work and wear jeans on days other than Friday. You make a good wage even though you could probably make a bit more in an office like…

The one they make fun of on TV. This is the workplace where you wear a suit every day, you’re micromanaged, your boss irritates you, your coworkers are miserable and happy to take their discontent out on you, and the proof of your work is in how many hours a day your butt sits in that chair in your cubicle. Yet, you make slightly more than you would in that other ‘slacker’ office.

We’re not advocating a culture of poverty (‘I’ll pay you a pittance because I know you’re passionate about our cause.’); we are stressing that pay is simply a part of the whole equation… so be mindful of all that compensates you.

© Copyright 2010, 21Century Worklife. All rights reserved.

Calling Card: The one-of-a-kind combination of your talents/skills, values, experience, knowledge, accomplishments, working style, passions/interests/inspirations, mission/vision, goals/priorities, Mutual Radar Society (formerly known as networking) ideas, curiosities, and much more.

Your Calling Card is the seat of your power, identity, and movement in the world; it is your personal control tower, your unique fingerprint and what you have to share.

Indeed, in the New Career Paradigm, your Calling Card isn’t one thing personally and another professionally. Rather, it is a reflection of who you are authentically as an Aligned individual.

It isn’t static. It’s not an ultimate truth that you arrive at, but rather an ever-changing manifestations of who you are, what you most value, what you’re most curious about, and how you most want to contribute at a particular moment in time.

One of your primary jobs as a Self-Leader and Career Entrepreneur navigating the Mobile Talent Market is to take the deep inner journey necessary to tap into your own resources. There are no short cuts, it takes time, perseverance and on-going discovery. But the energy, insight and momentum it will provide you with is irreplaceable and life changing.

Make no mistake, your Calling Card is the gasoline not only that fuels your worklife, but also that of the larger economy and society. The challenges, complexity, interconnectedness and opportunities of the world now demand that each of us access as much of our own raw materials as possible. Moreover, with the crumbling of the Career Caretaker, your Calling Card provides a very useful and important foundation from which to rebuild from the earthquake that is reshaping the job market and economy.

It is also your point of entry to build a Community of Genius. Without knowing yourself well, it is difficult to find ‘right’ community and organizations to connect with to make the impacts you are meant to make. And don’t forget that organizations also have Calling Cards–you want to find those that are a great fit and complement or richly contrast your own. Where you can both learn and share more about yourself and contribute to creating a tapestry of Calling Cards that make an exciting and important difference.

© Copyright 2010, 21Century Worklife. All rights reserved.

Career Entrepreneur: An integrated individual who is 1) Open to some risk and 2) Passionate about their endeavors because 3) They are Aligned with their work and this alignment makes them more daring and more committed to making significant contributions and to growing as individuals. Career Entrepreneurs do not separate their potential from their profession and they do not silo themselves into the polarized thinking of work/life balance. They see their work as a kind of leisure (‘time for enjoyment’) and not as a break from daily delight. They align passion, purpose, and paycheck.

Career Entrepreneurism gets you to that pot of gold faster than chasing rainbows

Career Entrepreneurship is your personal 21st Century Worklife rocket fuel. Is your tank full? Half-full? Need topping off? Totally empty?

View your work as craft and your time spent as honing your art. Put the sweat equity into getting passionately Aligned. Don’t forget you’re the only one who can do the chiropractic on your life and you are the one who cares most about your career success… not your family, your partner, your parents, or your friends.

You.

Begin thinking about how you can be more entrepreneurial. Career Entrepreneurs are not just folks who start up a company or freelance. Rather, the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit is the willingness to risk, to be creative, and to endure a level of ambiguity. Why do entrepreneurs do this? They are fully invested in their idea and their passion allows them to tolerate uncertainty. Put time and focus into discovering your greatest talents. Resist the Technology Trance and the Connectivity Coma, revoke your Crackberry Nation membership, and stop looking for an app that will do the work for you. This will start to free up your energy so you can ride the Creative Edge.

• Moving from a ‘job hunt’ to a ‘job development’ perspective
• Embracing Self-Leadership
• Spending time developing your Calling Card
• Cultivating a robust Mutual Radar Society

© Copyright 2010, 21Century Worklife. All rights reserved.

Career Caretaker: A person, organization, company or some other entity that traditionally helped you get a  job, rewarded you with, at least, a good enough salary, job security, retirement, and/or upward mobility in exchange for you working long and hard, ‘paying  your dues’, following the rules, and giving yourself–your time, energy, focus, and loyalty–over to them.

'I'm not dead yet!'

Perhaps you were taught that if you give some of yourself away to ‘the company’, you’ll get security and resources to build the future life you want outside of the workplace. Truth is, the Career Caretaker model has been on the decline for over 30 years. Now it’s on life support and the prognosis doesn’t look good.

This is what the old equation looks like:

Your time, talent, potential, energy, ingenuity, lifeblood, skills, expertise, satisfaction, and ‘paid dues’ = Competitive pay, pension, professional development, health insurance, promotion, and security.

Today, this is a Faustian bargain; your ‘security’ is now a line item to be cut from the budget… kinda like switching from styrofoam coffee cups to reusable plastic cups because it saves some money.

The questions to ask yourself then are:

• Why are you ‘paying your dues’ and giving away the fullness of your power and potential to an increasingly unreliable Career Caretaker? 
• Are you having trouble disconnecting from this behavior? 
• How much are you still willing to sacrifice for this security? Is it really worth it? 

An improved economy and job market won’t make the Career Caretaker more reliable… or even come back; its days are numbered.

Redefining Career

One of the biggest challenges of facing the Career Earthquake that is ushering in the New Career Paradigm is to truly embrace the definition of the 21st Century Worklife. Start with the definition of the word ‘career’:

We used to define ‘career’ as:

(noun): An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life with opportunities for progress (E.g.: She received a gold watch after a 30-year career with the company.)

(adj): working permanently in/committed to a particular profession (E.g.: a career diplomat)

This is Career Caretaker material. Instead, consider the no-longer-in-use verb form*:

Career (verb): move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way in a specified direction (E.g.: The car careered across the road, through the guard rail, and into the ravine.)

*we now use the word ‘careen’ instead.

The key phrase here is ‘in a specified direction’. Does your career trajectory have a specified direction? We sure hope so. Are you rushing headlong down your career path… or trying to ‘get ahead’ by working overtime for someone else? Chances are the answer is yes. Are you in complete control of this trajectory? We didn’t think so.

Ultimately, the move away from the Career Caretaker’s obsolete version of reality to the new reality of the Career Entrepreneur involves further refining that ‘specified direction’ through understanding your Calling Card. This is the process of tapping back into your power, accepting that your true ‘security’ lies within you, and acknowledging that you are not simply the money you make… you  operate on the Compensation Continuum (all that ‘compensates‘ you in your life–familial, spiritual, fiscal, collegial).

Through the Eyes of a Child

As a child of the 80s, I learned on an emotional level that the Career Caretaker model was dying. My mother explained in several different ways that my best friend had to move because his dad lost his corporate job. To a child, this makes no sense. Why can’t he just find another job in town? Why can’t he ask for his job back? Why would Intel fire him? Isn’t he a good worker?

How do you explain the concept of corporate loyalty to a child? How do you then convince that person as a grownup to ever fully trust in the Career Caretaker model anyway?

The answer to both questions is that you can’t. Ever.

Even if you try to convince yourself that there is a Career Caretaker out there for you, chances are you may still be lying awake at night worrying that you will never find him/her/it. Deep down, you know that the old model is broken, but may be fearful of committing to the new reality of the Career Entrepreneurand the Mobile Talent Market.

© Copyright 2010, 21Century Worklife. All rights reserved.