Mel Gibson's advice for the New Year.

I was thinking about the concept of the New Year, when I noticed pictures of four famous people on the front page of The National Post - Michael Richards, Mel Gibson, Congressman Mark Foley, and soccer star Zinedine Zidane. I am sure those four people would never have anticipated the events and choices they made in 2006, and the impact those choices would have on them both personally and professionally.

I wonder what this year has been like for you. You may be feeling quite discouraged about where you are ending the year at. Perhaps you have had some major setbacks, or, maybe, this is the best year that you have ever experienced in your professional life.

New Year is a unique phase. As we flow from one year to the next, it can feel like visiting the bank and finding a full account balance - 365 flawless days ahead! The word “end” comes from the Latin word “finis”, from which the word “finish” originates. I like that word, “finished”. I am in the midst of completing the final editing of my book, ”The Right Job, Right Now!” (coming in February to a bookstore near you!). It feels good to finish a project.

This year is almost finished - for Mel Gibson and the others, I am sure they are glad this year has ended for them. It is a chance for each one of them to start anew. If you look up the word “new” in the dictionary, you might find this phrase; “in original condition, refreshed, renewed and revived”. That is what is so terrific about January 1, 2007 - you and Mel and I are all starting the new year with the wisdom of our past successes and failures. It's the opportunity to start again. We all need that. 2007 is the option for you to renew your career, so choose wisely.

This week’s 10 Minute WORKout:

What are your top 3 successes this past year? What are your top 3 failures? What did you learn from them?

How to make a great career decision

Here are my final two thoughts on how to make great career decisions:

Point #2: Be true to you

This past week, Time magazine announced their “Person of the year” award (drum roll please) - YOU! Their reasoning is the explosion of platforms such as YouTube, whose motto is ”Broadcast Yourself!”, and MySpace, which provides an opportunity for individuals to showcase themselves.

I think the need that these online communities are meeting is the need for self-expression and acceptance. They provide a place for the individual to have a voice in a world that is growing more homogeneous.

I often hear people say they made a career decision based on the opinions or wishes of someone else. I am not trying to imply that you should ignore the needs of others or disregard their advice about your choices; however, you need to remember that your primary needs are at stake. Your employer hasn't hired your Mom/Dad/Partner/Best friend, they hired YOU. When you are fully present in everything you do, and you are true to your core needs, everyone wins.

Point #3: Trust your gut

Starbucks is one of the great global brands. Whether you agree with everything they do or not, you cannot argue with their success. One of their secrets is that they refuse to conduct focus groups. Howard Schultz, the founder of the company, decided to sell The New York Times in the stores. Why? Because "it felt right". The senior executives make big decisions based on their gut instincts. Pay attention to your gut, it is the final and most accurate "tool" we have. Trust yourself - in most cases you are correct.

As I sit here in Toronto writing this week’s WORKout, I can hear the Salvation Army Band playing Christmas songs. This is what makes this time of year great - how often do you get to hear that kind of hope on Yonge Street? There is something comforting in knowing that this season is about family, community, hope, and the reality of faith in people’s lives. My own hope is that you experience this kind of comfort over the Christmas season.

This week’s 10 minute WORKout:

Think about a time when you made a great decision. How did you use your gut?

P.S. Thanks for the overwhelming response regarding the last WORKout. Congratulations to Paria and Michael McClure, our winners of the draw for Dr Frankl’s book.

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

Choices and meaning

I am curious - did you happen to scan the gum counter this week at your local grocery store? You may have noticed 3 new flavours have been introduced since last week’s WORKout. Let’s just say that the new banana flavour is, well, interesting.

Last week we discussed the whole concept of choice and making decisions. We looked at the first principle of ”the why”. I mentioned that I would discuss two more principles; however, I happened to pick up a new book last weekend titled ”Man's search for meaning”, and it’s taken me a bit off track.

I am not sure if you have heard of this book, but it has sold over 12 million copies. The author, Viktor E. Frankl, was a psychiatrist who spent the years from 1942 to 1945 as a prisoner in a concentration camp. This book is about his thoughts coming out of this horrendous experience. Dr. Frankl observed that prisoners of the camp who found purpose and meaning despite (or because of) their suffering were the ones who were able to deal with and overcome the hell that they were part of. Essentially, they discovered or renewed their sense of "why". These observations ran contrary to Freud's theory, which holds that our primary driver is pleasure.

Dr. Frankl’s theory became known as Logotherapy, the three key ideas being:

1) Life has meaning under all circumstances - even the most miserable ones.

2) Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.

3) We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stand we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering.

Some of you who are reading this may find yourselves in a really terrible situation at work. Perhaps your experience can provide you with the opportunity of clarifying the meaning and purpose of your work, like it did for Dr. Frankl. Our work is not the sole purpose in our lives, but it is a key part of the puzzle. I believe our work should be in alignment with our purpose. Only then can we truly be ourselves, and feel fulfilled. This is not simple, however, like the 3rd point of Logotherapy, we do have the freedom in our lives to choose the path towards this goal.

Please send your thoughts about this topic to me at alan@careerjoy.com. We will be having a draw for 3 copies of Dr Frankl's book.

This week’s 10 minute WORKout:

Take ten minutes to delve deeper into Logotherapy. Here’s a link to get you started: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logotherapy.

P.s I couldn't avoid a Christmas plug this week. Are you overwhelmed with what to get that special person for Christmas? Why not get them the gift of a better future - from resume to coaching to one of our programs. It's unique and personal, and will be the gift that keeps on giving. Send us an email, heck, it's one less decision to make!

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

Too many choices?

On the same floor in our Toronto office is Cadbury Schweppes (they own a number of brands you would recognize, including Dentyne). Recently, I entered the elevator at the same time as one of their staff. I asked her how business was doing. She expressed that overall things were good, however, one of their new products in the “gum” line was not doing as well as expected. As we were chatting, I told her that my problem with gum is that there are too many choices - maybe they should consider less choice, not more.

Have you ever felt confused at the gum counter? When I was growing up, it was between Juicy Fruit, Double Bubble, and maybe 6 or 8 additional choices. It was a fairly simple decision to make. Now, it is high anxiety gum choice - what if I don't like it? Will it really make my teeth white? AND it cleans my breath! WOW, do you have that in peppermint chocolate flavour?

Choices were not something that Henry Ford gave his clients when he was selling the Model T (I think I will take it in black!). Barry Schwartz has written a great book on this whole issue, titled "The Paradox of Choice". His premise is that while we have more choices, we seem to be less satisfied. More choice creates new problems.

This is a key issue with most professionals who are doing well in their careers; ”Should I be a VP, or should I go and get an MBA? Should I start my own company, or should I buy a franchise?”. Thirty years ago, you didn't have the range of choices you have today.

So how do you choose? That is the million dollar question. I have 3 rules to suggest when attempting to decide :

Rule #1 Know the why

In the midst of the decision making, it is easy to get caught up in the momentum of all the choices, and lose perspective of why are you have started down the path. Why are you at this decision point? Why do you need to make a decision? Is the anchor, the why, a short term reaction? Do you need more money, or is it that you really don't like the environment? Be sure to take the time to understand why you are at this point and why you need to make a decision.

I will share points 2 and 3 with you next week. Until then, I would recommend choosing Double Bubble (regular flavour)!

This week’s 10 Minute WORKout:

Spend ten minutes writing down the reasons that you are motivated to take action on a career decision.

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns