CAREER BYTE - SUMMER 2007
Welcome to Career Portfolio’s newsletter from Merilyn.
Career Byte contains helpful insights from my recent reading for your ongoing journey and highlights Navigating with Purpose our January public workshop.
LIFE PLANNING
Beyond Juggling: Rebalancing Your Busy Life.
By Kurt Sandholtz, Brooklyn Derr, Kathy Buchner and Dawn Carlson. Pub.2002 Berrett-Koehler.
Writing from their combined experiences these diverse professionals, admit there is no magic formula to achieving work-life balance and that balance appears to be a journey, not a destination. They offer a number of workable alternatives to balance and juggle commitments by making small adjustments based on conscious trade-offs.
Three essential components to balance are emphasised;
- meaningful work - rejuvenating self-care - satisfying relationships.
The main section of the book considers five categories for achieving balance:
1) Alternating: Individuals using this strategy go full force in their careers, and then cut way back (or quit altogether). It can be planned or spontaneous. Some couples work for ten years to get established; then become a one-pay cheque household with school-aged children. In some can cases men and women focus on one career, then the other, and reverse the process if one wants more education or career emphasis.
Australian Alison Watkins the Executive Chairman of ‘Mrs Crocket Kitchen’ and former CEO of Berri – illustrated alternating during a recent VECCI presentation. She shared that for the early years of the fourth child she and her husband decided that her career would take priority and that he would become the home based career.
CAREER PLANNING
Early Career: Focus on Firsts
By Linda Hodge – C.P.A.D. Journal Spring 2005
While jobs and organisations rise and fall, how people grow and learn from experience has not changed, nor has what makes an experience developmental.
“Careers of successful people have almost always looked like zig zags rather than straight up paths. One cornerstone that hasn’t changed at all is the impact of first-time experiences”, i.e. first job, first boss, first stretch assignment.
Early assignments are like an experience bank account, the more experiences one has, the higher the balance. For instance, someone who has started something and fixed a project has a richer account than someone who only has a start-up in their account. Later career freedom depends heavily on the decisions of the early years, the higher the balance in one’s experience account the more one has to draw on in the future.
First Job: Look for the opportunity to gain functional or technical expertise and learn about the business. Experiences need to involve meaningful work as against short –term, rotational exposure assignments [three to six months], which lack accountability.
First Boss: Bosses whether good or bad provide four key experience lessons;
- management values – human values – what executive are like – politics.
Where possible seek a seasoned professional well networked in the organisation and interested in helping you grow. If your boss doesn’t fit that description seek a mentor.
First Job Change: Search for experiences that broaden your perspective and skills.
First Time Leading Others: The biggest leap is moving from an individual contributor to leading others and letting go of what worked in the past and acquiring new competencies. Focus on; 1) learning the differences between technical expertise and managing others, 2) building relationships, 3) forming networks.
Stress levels were rising for John and affecting other life areas as he strove to fulfil his new supervisory responsibilities, especially as he found technical work more comfortable. An experienced mentor who understood the organisation and its politics, provided an insightful listening ear, enabled John to breakthrough.
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
“I truly believe that everyone has the potential to lead.
Leadership has nothing to do with title – it’s a personal choice to make a difference.”
Carly Fiorina - former CEO of Hewlett-Packard spoke in Australia earlier this year, defining leadership as - character, capability and collaboration.
In her recent memoir Tough Choices a book I do recommend, she shares her upbringing, “Success was not, to my parents, about fame and fortune. It was ultimately about the quality of one’s mind and one’s character. Character was everything, and character was defined as candour, integrity and authenticity. Candour was about speaking the truth, and about speaking up and speaking out. Integrity was about preserving your principles and acting on them. Authenticity was about knowing what you believed, being who you were, and stand up for both. For my parents, success was measured on the inside, not judged from the outside.”
PROGRAMS TO KICK START 2007
“Discover your passion, Define your purpose, Design your life, Do your very best,
But don’t delay” (Abraham K. 11/06)
MY COACH - On–line self development program
Our popular, reasonable $95-00, self paced program @ www.careerporfolio.com.au.
- identifies your key strengths and skills – the foundation for,
- a personal and professional action plan,
Thus equipping you for success and fulfilment in 2007.
NAVIGATING with PURPOSE - Workshop Melbourne.
Take charge of your career – life – direction
Align your abilities and interests – identify your desired future – plan for attainment. Suitable for women experiencing or considering major career and/or life change, or who are feeling stale, uncertain, drifting without direction.
Date: Saturday 20th January 10am-4pm
Venue: WFN Offices Collingwood
Cost $145-00 or early bird $125-00 (booking received by Mon 15th Jan) includes workbook & light lunch, limited to ten places.
Request more details & a registration form.
Our next Career Byte will continue to explore the themes raised.
Merilyn is happy to discuss any aspect of the above, including in-house applications, for further information contact merilyn@careerportfolio.com.au
Your support in 2006 has enabled us to continue to grow for which we say thanks and wish you and yours a fulfilling 2007.
Merilyn
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Administration
If you wish to receive these quarterly newsletters directly, please send an email to merilyn@careerportfolio.com.au with the subject "join Career Byte" and add our address to your address book so that you will have no trouble receiving future editions.
Alternatively, should you wish to be removed from this list, please type "unsubscribe me" in the subject line of the reply to this email.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Usage of Materials
You are welcome to use this article and/or other materials from the Career Byte Archive as FREE ARTICLES with the express understanding that the following acknowledgement is included at the end of the article:
Merilyn Hill
CAREER PORTFOLIO
Life Career Planning
www.careerportfolio.com.au
|
