Monopoly and the evolution principle

Monopoly is a game that most of you are familiar with. My children, from the time they turned 5, have enjoyed playing and have learned how to beat my wife and I on a consistent basis! The game offers us a glimpse of what life is really like - asset management, cash flow, unforeseen elements affecting our future, and, sometimes, things even result in some time in jail!

Monopoly was created in the early 1930s by Charles Darrow. He was a struggling salesperson and inventor who had more time on his hands than he had planned due to the depression. Rather than wallow in pity over his circumstances, he worked on updating an old game that he remembered playing as a child. He added some new elements, and started inviting his neighbours over for dessert and entertainment. His game was addictive - others also had time on their hands and, before he knew it, he was selling hundreds of his board games for $4 each.

Eventually Charles sold the rights to his game - known around the world as Monopoly. It went on to sell over 200 million copies and became the best selling board game in the world.

This week Hasbro, the new owners of Monopoly, introduced a new edition of the game. In this version, each player works with a debit system as opposed to paper money, new game pieces have been introduced (such as a cell phone), and property taxes were raised (to help people in Toronto not to feel as bad). At first, I reacted negatively. Why are THEY changing it? Will we have to "lay off" the banker? It was great the WAY it was.

As I thought about my internal dialogue, I realized how much this might resonate with others in regard to their career struggles, such as changes related to their position or their industry. Often we notice changes, but we think they will not affect us - as someone at Ford said recently; "We didn't realize the impact that high gas prices would have on our sales." Funny - Toyota and Honda can't keep their small cars in stock. Some companies embraced reality, while Ford hoped it would be a "fad".

Hasbro used the evolution principle. More than $137 billion in debit transactions occurred this past year in Canada. Hasbro recognized this as a trend. Cash is going the way of the rotary phone - we know it, and Hasbro knows it. By keeping their brand culturally relevant, they will ultimately sell another 200 million games. Better that then go the way of the dinosaurs.

Today’s 10 Minute WORKout:

Think about what changes are occurring in your industry. How will these changes affect you? Name one thing that you can do to take advantage of these changes.

JOIN OUR TEAM

We are looking for a Client Services Manager for our Ottawa office.

This role is "The glue" for our clients and coaches. It is based in Ottawa with a
combination of work at home and in our Glebe Office location.

We offer:

Work from your home office 3 to 5 days a week

Variety in the role

An opportunity to truly make a difference in the careers and lives of our clients

Good base salary + bonuses

Professional growth as our company expands.

Send us an email with an intro of why you are interested and enclose your
resume to alan@CareerJoy.com.

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

Paul Newman's ingredients for success

Paul Newman - actor, race car driver, and seller of sauces! I have always admired his ability to be true to himself while being involved with so many interesting and diverse projects.

His passion for racing began in 1969, while working on the film “Winning”. In this film, Paul played the role of a rising star on the race circuit who dreams of winning the big one – the Indianapolis 500. He discovered that he loved the simplicity of being behind the wheel; "In racing, the fastest person wins. It is very simple." He was comparing this to what it takes to make a winning film; "There are many ingredients that go into making a film. It baffles me, what works and what doesn’t."

His story got me thinking about the ingredients that make a successful career. Paul has many recipes for his award-winning multibillion dollar brand. The key to his success in the grocery business is as follows :

1. He has the right ingredients

2. He bottles them up nicely

3. He knows how to sell them

4. They taste great

It is ironic that as an actor, race car driver and entrepreneur, he has different recipes for each, all of which produce a winning outcome. He knows what they are and he follows his recipes to the T - and gets the predictable results that come from taking the time to evaluate and think through his past successes and failures. His career recipe, like yours, is unique, as well as tried, tested, and true.

I am introducing a new feature in our WORKouts - this is for those of you who wish to develop your career. Each week I will be giving you a 10 minute exercise to help you find the right path on your career journey.

This week’s "10 minute Coach’s WORKout": Take out an 8 X 10 recipe card. On one side of the card, write down 4 ingredients of things that have helped you fail. On the other side, write down 4 ingredients of things that have helped you win. You now have the ingredients for your Career Recipe - don't lose the card!

Lessons from a soccer match

I was a bit surprised, to be frank, to see how much World Cup soccer has really taken off in North America. For years, only a select group of people have been following this sport over on our side of the pond. Yet, did my eyes deceive me, or did I really see flags hanging out of car windows everywhere I drove in Toronto (and not Maple Leaf flags either, thank goodness)?

Neil, a good friend of mine, cheers for Chelsea - I thought "Chelsea" was a bun, but no, it is a team with its own cult following. You don't want to be around
Neil if there's a Match on. It is as if the world has stopped on its axis - the only thing that is still turning is the ball!

This week I was chatting with a client who used to work for a large global German car manufacturer. His manager's philosophy was; "Kick the ball, not the player." The phrase struck me as quite ironic in context with what Zinedine Zidane did, by head-butting Marc Materazzi in extra time and getting a red card (this in the 110th minute of his final game in front of over 1 billion people). The Italians had quite a challenge before the tournament, but Gattuso said; "It has given us more strength." Italy went on to win the match, and France, sans Zidane, lost in the shootout.

When attempting to deal with a particular situation this coming week, or with any of the issues that come up in the world of work, why not kick the ball (i.e. the problem) instead of the people around you. Everyone will win - especially you.

À bientôt.

P.S. There were lots of entrants to our July contest. Congratulations to Nancy Khuen, our winner.

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

Does your career feel like it's 6 feet under?

I came across a recent article about Career Day at Concord High School in Staten Island. Their visitors included a firefighter, postal workers, an engineer, as well as Matthew Scamardella - a third generation funeral director. Mr. Scamardella is very dapper man with a brochure titled "Searching for a career that's 6 feet above the rest?". It would seem that the funeral trade is dying out (pun intended) as a result of a few recent trends:

1. There are a lot of baby boomers

2. A whole bunch of Funeral Directors are retiring

3. There are not a lot of people lining up to be a Funeral Director

4. There are more people dying (see #1)

What do you envision when I mention the words “funeral director”? As Matthew said; "For most people, it is standing with our hands folded, waiting for someone to die." I guess it proves to most of us that we don't always have a good picture of what is involved in most careers. However, that perception is making it more difficult to attract new people into the industry. The average salary for a Funeral Director is about $50,000 a year and, I have to say, it is a recession proof career move. Not to mention how difficult it is for clients to outsource or ship off to a cheaper "cost center". All things considered, it’s a pretty good gig.

I was encouraged by a Minister friend of mine from Montreal to watch the HBO series "Six Feet Under". Once I saw an episode, I understood my friend’s interest - funerals are a big part of his professional life. It is interesting how TV series impact industries. It was said that the amount of people who applied for law school when Law and Order came on the scene was up 20%. Unfortunately, "Six Feet Under" did not have the same impact for the funeral industry. Some careers lie dormant.

A lot of what we understand about careers and our culture is shaped by the media and other strong influencers. Concord High School guidance counsellor Kimberly Russell said; " I don't know if I ever would have thought of it." So here is our July draw - take 5 minutes and write down all the careers you could think up (no google searches!). Send the list to me at alan@CareerJoy.com. We will enter your name in a draw - the person with the most diverse career options will win a copy of our Canadian (or USA) Job Search Kit.

You may be feeling that lack of knowledge or lack of perspective is holding you back from finding true career joy. Connect with Eunice at Eunice@CareerJoy.com. We promise you will come out more alive!

On the road with you,

Alan Kearns