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Tuesday
02Jun

Put Passion In Your Profession

I've taken numerous groups down the path of discovering what they love about their jobs and making more of it to build the passion and "get up in the morningness" for their jobs.  There have been many moments when people light up realizing they need to ask for what they want at work, taking the risk that they might actually get it. I've heard the stories of people who took on responsibilities outside of their job descriptions to build their resumes for that passion filled opportunity they were eyeing.

Last week I got the opportunity to teach Developing Your Career Potential for CalPERS. An organization I love working with and a topic I enjoy. They each took the Elevations Career Discovery tool, a rich way of sorting your values, skills, and job interests. I took it too in preparation for working with them. My final job interests? Public speaking and Photo Journalist.

I laughed at first until I realized what I was teaching was exactly what I was living! Anyone who has attended a class with me in the last few years has endured endless photos in my powerpoint presentations and projected randomly through breaks and lunch. While I love what I do, photography is a true passion for me. When a friend Debbie asked me to teach a photography class on her website, I was thrilled! Nothing like being able to do what you love and share it with others! And it's not too late for you to join!

So, what are you passionate about? And how are you putting it into your profession?

 

Wednesday
06May

What Interests You?

Having just spent four hours engaged in a task I loathe, reading Gretchen's Happiness Project post was so perfectly timed! A seven question quiz to figure out what interests you.

1. What part of the newspaper do you read first?

2. What are three books you’ve read in the past year?

3. As a child, what did you do in your free time?

4. What’s a goal that has been on your list for a few years?

5. What do you actually do with your free time? [This is perhaps the most helpful question. I finally switched careers from law to writing when it dawned on me that I was always writing books in my free time.]

6. What types of activities energize you?

7. What famous people intrigue you?

Monday
04May

Being There

In being there for many people I've not been here! I've written hundreds of posts in my head, but sadly they've not arrived on this page to be shared with anyone else. 

Today while browsing through the new arrivals on my reader I found this post by Tom Peters. Yes, I could paraphrase it here but it is worth it to take the time and read his words. They resonated for me today and led to a simple question I am asking myself. "Am I truly being there for the people I need to be there for?" Your thoughts?

And isn't that what good management is really based upon?

Friday
20Mar

Let's Get Some Definitions Out of the Way

It crossed my mind recently that basic understanding of a few words might be missing form our work world lately. Thought I would capture them here for some basic review. Just a little reminder in case you read the news and were pondering whether Webster had made some edits recently.

Reward - something given or received in return or recompense for service, merit, hardship, etc.

Responsibility - reliable or dependable, as in meeting debts, conducting business dealings, etc.

Reasonable - capable of rational behavior, decision, etc.

Accountable - subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.

Lead - to guide in direction, course, action, opinion, etc.

Perhaps the "etc." is where the confusion began.

I will now end my rant. Thanks!

 

Saturday
14Mar

Where We Need To Focus

Tom Peters's blog is right on the mark again. In their most recent post  Mike Neiss outlines points to ponder and places to focus our organization's energy:

  1.  Develop your leadership
  2. Don't damage your brand by cutting quality
  3. Talk to your employees and customers, they are where you make your money
  4. Cut costs from the top, not front line folks who do the work and deliver the services

 To his list I would add:

  1.  Define what you are best at, do more of it
  2. Ask your employees what isn't working, fix it
  3. Reach deep into your organization to develop your talent
  4. Say please and thank you, people need to hear it right now

What would you add?