Are you stuck in your career?

This past week we had a terrible snowstorm in Toronto. I went for a quick walk at lunch, grabbed a coffee and went up to my office which is on the 19th floor. From my office, you can see right down Yonge Street. It was an amazing sight and within 20 minutes we were in the midst of a blizzard. As the afternoon marched on, I watched the traffic with curiosity. I had a dinner later that night so there was no rush to leave early, however, I noticed that everyone else was leaving. When you combine everyone leaving the office early in the midst of a full on blizzard the end result is a lot of people getting stuck in traffic.

Fast forward to 7:15 PM in my office. I was getting on the elevator with one other person. I mentioned that he was leaving late and he said, “Yes, there was no point leaving early, I would just have been stuck in traffic”. Why do we follow the crowd? Well, I think it is a few things - momentum and fear. If everyone else is leaving, I guess I should too! What will others think? Maybe it will get worse!

Think different.

Apple is one of my favorite brands. For many years their tagline was "think different". This gentleman was thinking different. Rather than going with the crowd, he left later and probably got home about 15 minutes later than those who left the office 3 hours earlier. I rustled up Apple’s original campaign. Here is some of the text.

Here's to the crazy ones: The misfits; The rebels; The troublemakers; The round pegs in the square holes; The ones who see things differently - They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo.

In 1997, Steve Jobs came back to Apple as CEO. Apple’s sales had dropped by 50% and one of the key things he observed was they needed to "think different". “We need to focus on what we can do, not how we can compete against Microsoft". Just like the gentleman on the elevator who thought, why compete against everyone else? Why not take my own way home? Do you feel like a round peg in a square hole? What can you do to start the journey of being different? Great companies and individuals can get trapped by thinking like the market. Before you know it, you are a square peg! There is a risk, but my experience with clients is in a majority of cases, thinking differently will result in a more successful career, more fun and you will probably get home before your neighbor!

This months draw is for a signed copy of my new book which is coming out soon. (Chapters/Indigo) Share some of your "Think Different" moments in my blog ..

Along the road with you,

My breakfast with Bill Gates

Last week I had breakfast with Bill Gates. Myself and 2223 other people had double lattes and stale donuts as he shared the state of the digital world. To be frank, I didn't know what to expect so I thought this was a terrific opportunity to get to hear this person who has impacted our world in a very substantive way. Whether you agree with Microsoft’s business practices or not, the impact that Bill Gates has had is incredible and getting to spend breakfast with a billionaire is a good way to start your day.


There were a few observations that I thought I would share.

1. Billionaires get nervous too - There was some trouble with his wireless mike (not a software problem). He was definitely thrown off his game at the start but once they got him a new mike he quickly got back on track.
2. Big breakthroughs are based upon little breakthroughs - This also applies in our careers. It is typically a series of little breakthroughs that opens the door for the great leaps.
3. Professional and personal convergence - Just as the world of technology has bridged all elements of our lives, so is the case in our careers. When our personal and professional lives become more aligned, this creates what I call a sweet spot.
4. The digitized economy - The world is a very seamless place so we can work anywhere, anytime and get paid on line. I think that is cool.
5. Power to the user - If you notice the big technology hits, they are enabling users to have more input and control. This is similar to our careers. We have more power and we need to learn how to use this responsibly!

The one thing that made the most impression on me was his optimism. He is very practical and acknowledged the challenges in the world but was really excited about the next 10 years in our world. If you think of the demands and the complexity of his life and the challenges that he is a part of, you might think he would be more critical. His authentic optimism is the big thing that I will take away from my morning with Bill.

Along the road with you,
Alan Kearns

P.S. Visit our new podcast site (http://www.careerjoy.com/index.php?q=podcast) and let us know what you think!