The Factory

Earth hour recently, has got me thinking about the good that can come from doing the career equivalent of switching off the lights for a while. One of the most talked-about issues for employers is the war for talent. You dear reader are in historically short supply, which means that now has never been a better time to take your pick of jobs, or to negotiate a great package. Alternatively, what better time to take your foot off the pedal and give yourself a much-needed break from the incessant pressure to achieve?

At least since the “greed is good” 1980s we seem to have been on an upward trajectory of do more, play less. A close friend of mine working in the finance industry recalled in the early nineties, her boss would get in around 9:30am, make a few a trades until 1pm, and then either disappear, or reappear tired and emotional at around 5pm to collect his car. He was a huge success on all objective financial performance measures. Another good friend also worked in the financial sector throughout this period. She would get in at 8am, and stay routinely until 7pm and often much later. She thought nothing of going into the office on a Sunday morning to work for at least five hours, every week, almost without exception. Sure it got her promotions, until her boss and mainstay was made redundant, and then she lost her job pretty soon after. All those hours seemingly counted for nothing.

However those were the good old days when employers had the upper hand and there was a limitless supply of well-qualified and eager young professionals clamouring to be part of the success story that was the “designer brand” of the top corporates. Sacrifice was expected if you wanted to succeed with some of these employers. In one case I know of, a twentysomething aspiring consultant working for an international firm of management consultants was seen out with her boyfriend. The following day she was instructed directly by her managing partner to drop her boyfriend because he was not employed by the company and so he would not understand the pressures and expectations placed upon her.

You have to ask yourself why do people sacrifice so much in the pursuit of being busy? Is it the financial rewards they believe will follow, or is it the prestige and recognition that they are striving for? Either goal is generally wrong-headed and merely puts you on an hedonistic treadmill, where no matter how fast you run, you never seem to get anywhere. Dr Johnson was an early fan of idleness writing “Every mode of life has its conveniencies. The Idler, who habituates himself to be satisfied with what he can most easily obtain, not only escapes labours which are often fruitless, but sometimes succeeds better than those who despise all that is within their reach, and think every thing more valuable as it is harder to be acquired.”

Some people are born idle, some achieve idleness and others have idleness thrust upon them. For the born idle, it must feel like the golden years have finally arrived. If they have partied (in an idle fashion) through youth/ university, to their delight they have probably ended up employed almost as readily as their swotty colleagues for whom youth/ university flew by in a fog of industry, rather than merely a fog. Others are more recent converts to idleness. The moment of conversion takes many forms, but often will be sparked by a critical moment at work usually on a Monday. Having worked for fifteen days straight for 15 hours a day to meet a deadline they had no personal attachment to, they are subjected to a memo from the their boss noting that they arrived at work today fifteen minutes late. At this moment they make a solemn declaration to withdraw from the workplace psychologically without giving the mandatory 14 days notice, and discover a life outside but still in the office such as internet chequers, chat rooms, pot plants, Puzzler magazine, joke of the day/week/month/minute and the romantic possibilities to be had in the stationary cupboard.

Finally some have idleness thrust upon them by a reversal of health or job or both. During recuperation there is plenty of time to consider their purpose and to realign it to matters beyond occupation, such as their family, their hobbies or their health.

It is no coincidence that almost without exception all religions and all self-help books on stress and relaxation emphasise the importance of silent meditation and quietness as a way of being better people. We should all give ourselves a guilt free earth-hour every day as a start to using our energies more efficiently.

Jim Bright is Professor of Career Education and Development at ACU National and a Partner at Bright and Associates, a Career Management Consultancy.

keynote starting in 45 mins in Vancouver.
http://twitpic.com/17dc9s

about to get into deep shift in Vancouver, career creativity

for career success at #Oscars one seemingly has to wear glasses in the style of the late-career Cary Grant or all of career Ronnie Corbett

I’ll start with an apology, I’m not here I am there. I will be just arriving in Canada for my keynote at the BCCDA conference in Vancouver and other workshops. Probably tweet from there… any some views on apologies in your career from someone whose has an apology of a career!!!

Sorry it seems is not always the hardest word, especially when it is strategic for your career. The apology is the latest weapon in the hands of the upwardly mobile who prefer the older definition of apology as a defence or self-justification rather than the more recent meaning of apology as a sincere expression of regret for hurt caused to another.

You do not have to go back further than the recent state election to see the effectiveness of the apologetic “more to do but we are heading in the right direction”. This is a classic example of the non-apology apology and is typical of the type of mealy-mouthed utterances delivered by those with an eye on the main chance and little regard for awkward truths or uncomfortable insights let alone the unpleasant consequences.

There are a range of strategic or cynical apologies open to the unapologetic. Firstly there is the defensive apology. This takes the form of: “ I am sorry but I didn’t realise that you were so sensitive about your looks”. The normal structure is to spit out the “sorry” on a rising tide of volume, followed quickly by a sniping criticism that serves as self-justification. In other words, it is your fault you are upset.

The distracting apology is an all together more devious and powerful device in the right hands. For instance the car dealer who gets in first with “I am really sorry that I lied through my teeth about the delivery date, it is out of our hands, however if you like we could get you one from inter-state, but you would be up for a delivery fee. We do have one you can have straight away but you will have to cop an extra grand because it has the optional rust-proofing on the vanity mirror”. So befuddled are you, you end up paying the extra. In other words, you can wait, but the wait will be your fault.

The aggressive apology is usually a list of apologies: I am sorry that the report you dumped on me last night is late and I am sorry that I couldn’t get the ancient printer to work that you wont replace and I am sorry that I was late getting here this morning because I had to go across town to collect the parcel you left behind and I am sorry that I exist. In other words it is your fault.

A perfect apology to antagonize another is the too late apology: I am sorry that I did not invite you to dinner with Robert De Niro, but you said you weren’t coming into the office on Wednesday and by the time De Niro suggested it, I reckoned you had probably already eaten. In other words it is your fault.

The neutraliser is a great way of controlling a situation: I am sorry. Look I’ve said I’m sorry, so lets move on. Implication: it is your fault that you continue to have a problem with my behaviour.

Then there is the let me tell you why you are wrong apology: I am sorry that we have given you food poisoning, but you should never have ordered the burger to be cooked that way.

Occasionally the apologiser pins the cause on someone other than yourself, but of course it is never pinned on them. For instance, I am sorry, you should never trust what they say in the sales department what they are suggesting is illegal. They are always doing that. You will need to go back to them and start all over again. Sorry it is not my department. Implication: a) you are an idiot, and b) you are surrounded by idiots.

What is often so lacking is the immediate, heartfelt mea culpa. For this to be genuine and genuinely effective, it requires the following elements: a no excuses and no hiding places expression of remorse; a genuine seeking of forgiveness for past transgressions; the promise that this will never happen again; the unprompted plan of action to ensure it wont happen again; the spontaneous offer of some form of thoughtful recompense; and finally a spontaneous self-imposed genuine punishment appropriate to the misdemeanour..

Funnily enough the last approach is likely to be the most effective in career development terms in the longer term because it builds trust and faith. There are plenty of examples of celebrities that taken this course of action without there being any long term damage to their careers (think Hugh Grant and Divine Brown for instance or Bill Clinton). The trouble is for political parties, the cynic in me wonders whether such a course of action would be political suicide.

Jim Bright is Professor of Career Education and Development at ACU National and a Partner at Bright and Associates, a Career Management Consultancy.

So here I sit, on the verge. Bags not quite packed, talks not quite prepared. Just how I like it. Tomorrow I will be in wonderful Vancouver. Somebody sold me such a cheap Winter Olympic package, I just had to go and see the games, though I am getting a little suspicious after seeing Michael Buble in some sort of closing ceremony that there might be a reason for the bargain price of the tickets…

Talks not quite prepared… Hmmm. We spend so much of our time urging clients to prepare prepare prepare, yet in my case, if I do this, I become stale. I get bored. I forget what I think I am going to say. I know what I will say, but I don’t know. It is a fractal idea from Chaos Theory – the same but different, sort of like old, but unique. I often do not know what is going to come out of my mouth 10 seconds before I go on.

Recently in New Zealand, I was waiting in the wings of the convention centre in Wellington, due to give the keynote to a very large and august gathering of the great and good in career development, when I suddenly decided (5 mins before my cue) that it would be a good idea to get a technician to climb a ladder behind the stage and give an impromtu mime to my off-stage commentary. It was not rehearsed, I had no idea whether it would work and get a laugh, but I did it. (and thanks to the technician who so happily supported me).

What was I thinking of? In the cold light of day it is the act of a crazy person to suddenly take such a risk in front of getting on for 1000 people, at the beginning of a conference. Well I think I got away with it, if the feedback immediately and later was anything to go by, but what if it failed.

There is a line here between preparation and being able to be on the edge of chaos, where things can radically alter and re-configure with little notice. This is where I believe creative tension and originality occur – being out there, taking risks, but always doing so from a sound foundation of experience/knowledge/achievement. I think being on the edge of Chaos is where “flow” occurs – being in the zone, in the moment, feeling comfortable and alive in the buzzing, booming world. My friend and colleagues Norm Amundson and Roberta Neault will talk about this topic at the conference in Vancouver next week. I hope my keynote does not scare away or disappoint too many. I hope it is sufficiently on the edge, but also grounded in evidence, ideas etc.

Well it is out of my hands. It only remains for me to have fun, because it is the only way I know to make a presentation fun and engaging. On the edge of chaos talking about the Chaos Theory of Careers. The topic: Slow Shift, Fast Shift, Deep Shift.
I hope I have time to visit the artists on Granville Island, they always inspire me. I am lucky indeed to be heading for such a wonderful place as Vancouver. It inspires me with it’s warmth, artistry, tolerance and openness to new ideas, a place that flourishes from being on the edge of Chaos in the most positive way.

If only I can find a sucker to offload my post-winter olympic tickets too…

We remember stories so use them to be memorable in your career development. What is the story of your career? Can you tell at least seven different stories about your career? If not you are not trying hard enough.
Here are 7 essential plots you can use effectively in career development ( adapted from Pryor & Bright, 2008, Intl Jnl of educational and vocational guidance).

1. Rags to riches
This is a story about going from nothing to being enriched. You can tell a story about going from no experience to being highly experienced in your field. Or a story of building product sales from nothing to greatness or building a business from scratch or getting into college from humble beginnings.
The story highlights opportunity awareness, resillience, optimism, learning from others, persistence and that you are a winner.

2. Overcoming the monster
This differs from the above in that it is a story about dealing with a particular challenge or threat. It could be overcoming some set back back or dealing with a major impediment on your life. Preferably keep the demons work related or to do with things beyond your control. Ie this is generally not the time to go Hollywood and share stories of your addiction and how you beat it!!
The story highlights your resillience, commitment to learning and improvement, tenacity and ability.
3. Voyage and return
This is a story of learning. Maybe you set out on a project, discovered new things about the product or how to sell it or even about qualities you didn’t know you had until you displayed them
on the journey. The story focusses on how you have become a changed person on your return fom the venture a wiser more capable person. I demonstrates life long learning self improvement, wisdom, strategy, insight, openness to experience.
4. The quest
This is a story about personal determination to see through to completion a project or journey that was important to you. For instance your quest to ensure all staff complied with safe work practices or your quest to eliminate waste at work etc. The story highlights values and determination.
5. Comedy. Here the story is about you being under a misapprehension while others could see your folly. It starts out with an example of your wrong headedness but concludes with you seeing the light and ‘alls well that ends well”! The story allows you to demonstrate a weakness and how you became aware of it and remedied it. A good one for that cliche interview question what are your weakenesses?
6. Tragedy. Here you tell of a decision made that seemed great at the time but gradually descended into a dire situation. Ie expanding business too quickly, introducing terrible marketing scheme etc. It might seem odd to include this as a story to help your career, but there are two ways you can use it. First you tell the story about another person or company to demonstrate your analytic skill in identifying wrong steps. Or you use it about yourself and the follow up immediately with a rags to riches, voyage and return or rebirth story.
7. Rebirth. Finally this is a before and after story. In this story you fall under the influence of a malign power and ‘go to sleep’ or tread water for a while. Eventually you are woken up – classically by a third party hero figure like a mentor who puts you back on track but now refreshed and better than ever a new you for new times.

Now try writing each of the 7 stories and see what a powerful set of career marketing tools you will have. Why not share some with us on a comment to this post?

If I have time I might post some concrete examples (send a comment requesting it).

Anyhow this is written on my iPhone in hairdresser’s chair getting made slightly less ugly for my keynote next week in Vancouver bccda. Can’t wait!