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You’re Outta Here!

by on May 18, 2010 in Career

If you’re anything like me, you probably deal with clutter in your life. Even though I try to stay organized, I often find my home office in some state of mess. Oh, and my garage, my truck, my storage shed…you get the picture. And what about our minds? Any crap cluttering up our thoughts like anxiety about tomorrow or worries about past mistakes? Perhaps lingering bitterness around a relationship gone bad or a job that’s gone downhill? Personally, I was hanging on to some regrets about my past and the decision to work in the nonprofit sector (more on that below).

But you know what? Keeping all the clutter around doesn’t do us one damn bit of good. It just takes up valuable mindspace and heartspace that could hold the greatest stuff in our lives. So, let’s do this instead:

Let’s think of all the crap that’s cluttering our lives and tell it to get the hell out of here! When we do that, we create a vacuum in which we can replace it all with joy, passion, appreciation, and perhaps most importantly, hope.

If we have a client that’s just not working out for us, let them go. When we do, it means we now have space to bring in clients who will bring out our best and pay us fully what we’re worth.

If we’re feeling anxious about what tomorrow holds for us, for our family, or for our career, let this anxiety go. Yep, I know it’s hard, but what’s that feeling getting us besides headaches and ulcers? What would happen if we replace that anxiety with hope and a firm belief in our ability to be prosperous?

If we’re living in regret for a decision we made in the past, it’s definitely time to let it go. When I got out of college, I bounced briefly around minor jobs until I landed in nonprofit membership management. Nearly all of my 12 years of professional experience has involved nonprofit work, which is fine except it can be considered a liability when you want to move on to the corporate world of multinational brands. Just last week, I even cursed my youthful ignorance for not having the sense to work for a Fortune 500 company at the start of my career. But that’s not only holding on to crap, it’s denying all the good I’ve ever done in my career and all the good I can now do as a professional. It ignores the fact that I learned fundamental principles and developed successful programs for creating remarkable customer experiences from my work in the nonprofit sector – the same programs and strategies that any Fortune 500 will benefit from.

So, let’s take some time today to think about all the crap cluttering our life. Then, tell it to get out. Make room for the good stuff in our head and heart. We might just find that once we create a vacuum from where all the crap used to live, we can hold way more good than we ever knew possible.

Python Thursdays: How Interesting Are You?

by on April 15, 2010 in Career

This week’s Python Thursday introduces some Interesting People.

Okay, so some of us might not be able to put bricks to sleep or are more interesting than a wet pussycat. But hopefully, you’re not invisible like Mr. Walters (3:00).

Thinking about hidden talents (or as Rosa Say calls them, sleeping talents), what makes you interesting and how do you use it to your advantage in jobhunting or in your work?

Mind The Motives In Getting Career Advice

by on April 14, 2010 in Career

“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.” ~ G. K. Chesterton

Asking for and receiving career advice can always be a tricky proposition. We often ask for help when we’re stuck in the muck or otherwise when we’re most confused. And then when we start collecting advice from people we trust or believe to be fairly smart individuals and we only get more confused. It shouldn’t be surprising though…everyone has an opinion, right? But what complicates things is what sits behind those opinions: motives. These motives can be positive (think about a parent who wants their child to succeed or a spouse who wants their significant other to be happy or a manager who wants their employee to advance their skills). And we all know examples of people who express motives that aren’t quite so well-intentioned.

The problem is that motives are often more focused on the desires of the advice-giver than the advice-seeker. That’s just human nature. Anthony Balderrama at CareerBuilder.com writes:

Of surveyed advertising and marketing executives, 58 percent say co-workers gave them bad career advice. Bosses didn’t fare much better, as 54 percent blame them for bad career advice. Parents and relatives are better career counselors, but 35 percent of surveyed executives received unsatisfactory guidance from them. Thirty percent of spouses and significant others are blamed for bad advice (and probably had to sleep on the couch at some point). Mentors have the best record for dispensing advice, as only 21 percent have the finger pointed at them.

He goes on to introduce some tips from Donna Farrugia, Executive Director of The Creative Group, who notes that it’s important to always evaluate the motives of the advice giver.

In addition to those tips, I’d also suggest a couple of other ideas:

1. I think there’s some wisdom to Chesterton’s approach. If not actually doing the opposite, then at least contemplating whether there’s a potential solution there.

2. Even more importantly, we need to own our decision-making process. It’s okay to collect advice, but committed action needs to come from us. Deep down, we do know what we want.

What are your thoughts? Any experience in getting good (or bad) career advice?

photo credit: ambergris (via Flickr)

Open Letter to Fellow Career Zigzaggers

by on April 9, 2010 in Career

Okay, here I go…out on the proverbial limb. For a while, I’ve been listening to a very persuasive voice within me that said, “Chris, you’re a marketer and that’s all you should be doing. Now go out and find marketing-related jobs.” Want to know something strange? I’m not really a marketer. Sure, I have a solid grounding in the profession and even have some experience doing it. However, In the end, I’m a mutt, a dabbler, a generalist. I’ve successfully tackled positions like customer service, sales, data processing, web design, and yes, marketing. I’ve worked in non-profits and for-profits. I’ve even tried launching my own businesses a couple of times.

My professional trajectory hasn’t been a straight line…more like a zigzag. This is both good and bad. The good? I possess a wealth of different experiences, skillsets, and knowledge. This diversity allows me to uncover patterns that many “straight line” professionals likely can’t see. The bad? Most organizations don’t value this eclectic background so much. They want straight-liners and set their hiring practices up to reward them.

So for many of us career zigzaggers, vocational searchers, and Renaissance Souls we tend to feel neglected and discarded and wonder what the hell we ever did wrong to find ourselves in such a world. We then do something that truly dishonors our selves and undermines our value: we try to emulate the straight-liner. We interview and market ourselves like the straight-liners, all the while downplaying our own richness, our own unique qualities. We try to cram our polygon peg into the square hole and then wonder why we’re so dumb because it doesn’t fit.

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, know you’re not alone. It’s time to acknowledge that we have tremendous value to give. It’s time to be bold and proudly profess our unique abilities. We’re quick learning, intensely creative, spectacularly curious professionals (to name just a few attributes). So here’s my call to action: Instead of hiding our light under a bushel basket, let’s not just uncover it – let’s throw kerosene on it and start a wildfire. Even if they don’t know it yet, employers need us. Business today is moving way too fast for the straight-liners and the specialists to keep up. Organizations truly need our broad skillsets, diversity of experiences, and ability to learn quickly.

If you find yourself identifying with the zigzagger ideal, come and share your experiences. What are your frustrations? Any tips for how you’ve overcome challenges and claimed your value?

Now go out there and set your fire today.

photo credit: marcelgermain (via Flickr)

I’d Rather Be The Tortoise Than The Hare

by on February 1, 2010 in Career

Today’s Guest Creator is the wonderful Amanda McGuckin Hager, Founder of GoMarket.me, an online Marketing Mentor. She’s also the Regional Marketing Manager for North American Programs for SolarWinds Inc. Connect with her on LinkedIn or on Twitter where she is known as @shoogie.

On Friday, I had the honor of speaking on Chris Bailey’s Entrepreneur Panel at the sold-out CareerCONNECTS event put on by Novotus and St. Edward’s Professional Education Center. He thinks I have an interesting story, and asked me to share. So, here it is:

Over the last 15 years, I’ve worked in Fortune 500 companies and in scrappy start-ups. By and large, most of my marketing success comes from a strong sense of business objectives combined with self-taught tools. I am eager to know the next tool, vendor or service that makes my job easier.

After a start-up I was working for folded, I found myself wondering what to do with these marketing program resources bouncing around in my head. I shared with a friend that I wanted to put the list on a website, like my own little toolbox. She suggested that after I do that, I take it to the college classrooms. Wha-la. The idea for GoMarket was born.

Another start up came my way, and I devoted most of my time to it. GoMarket fell to the wayside for 6 months or more. And when that job came to an end, it was like a little gift. I decided to devote all of my time to furthering the idea of GoMarket. It took me a few months to explore the blogging arena, develop the idea, and ponder what I wanted to do and what I did not want to do. I met with a lot of people. I shared my ideas. I listened.

I wasn’t looking for another job. I was happily moving forward on GoMarket. But an opportunity fell in my lap with SolarWinds, one that offered me the chance to work in a nationally renowned marketing engine that took a small start-up through an IPO. I recognized this as an opportunity to improve my offerings in GoMarket.

Only this time, I am not putting GoMarket on the sidelines. Everyday, I do a little bit to progress the company. Some days offer huge progresses; other days are tiny baby steps. But I am ok with that. My employer is ok with that. (We have an understanding – they support my efforts in the community because I’ll bring my learnings back and apply it to them. I respect the boundaries, and make that role my #1 priority.)

For me, I know that it’s all working out the way it’s supposed to. I take one day at a time, and start with the first step in front of me.

photo credit: Joachim S. Müller (via Flickr)