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!

7 Ways Your Company Can Revitalize Your Career

We have been discussing the research from Harvard over the past two weeks. This is the final piece for this 3 part series. See last weeks 7 habits of ineffective careers by viewing the posting below.

Here are 7 possible answers that organizations can use to revitalize your career:

1. Remove barriers - Managers need to be encouraged to stop blocking employees and remove internal hiring bureaucracy


2. Find the B players and nurture the keepers - They may not desire the executive suite but have a lot of internal knowledge and loyalty


3. Fresh assignments - Offer a different geographic location or part of an organization to offer lateral moves


4. Offer a mentoring program - This works bi-directionally. It impacts both the mentor and the less experienced


5. Education - Doing an MBA or taking an executive program adds more to your toolkit and is great for your mind


6. Sabbaticals - From micro to 1 year off, it is great for your sole and your soul


7. Leadership development - Training to help nurture and develop the skills and talents towards great leadership

Bonus idea:

Volunteering and contributing to others in need brings everything into perspective - everyone wins.

These are all great ideas. Organizations are complex. I think what will separate the good from
the great employers is their ability to utilize all 7 of these elements within their organization.

P.S. Next week I will be sharing my Breakfast with Bill Gates

This week's 10 Minute WORKout:

What is one action that you could take to revitalize your career situation?

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

What does your career report card say?

Our children brought home their report card in the last week. We are very fortunate that they both generally enjoy learning and are doing well in school. Overall, they both did great even though there were some areas that they wanted to improve upon in the next term. Ah, report cards. All of us have had good and challenging experiences with this. Report cards are important as they give us some data and feedback on how we are doing. They point out where we are doing well, and what we can focus on to improve. I recently was doing some research on issues around the midpoint of a professional’s career. They call this group the “middlescence”, also known as mid-career "restlessness”. I came across a great article on this subject published by Harvard Business School. The study is based upon a survey of 7,700 workers aged 35-54 conducted in 2004 by the Harris Interactive group.

The mid level career report card results:

25% have managerial responsibility30% put in 50 hours a week or more at work

43% feel passionate about their jobs33% feel energized by their work

36% felt they are stuck40% report feelings of burnout

33% agrees in top management integrity

25% disagree on the corporate HR policy

20% are looking for a new role

20% are looking for a major career change

This is not a great report card. I am not being negative, however, my perspective is that we live in very complex times in the workforce. There are many shifts occurring at the same time - globalization, technology, time famine, speed of response and the level of competition. You combine this with external focuses such as aging parents, debt load and a more fearful world, and lack of trust in government and authority in general. Let me say that I am a pragmatic optimist. I still think there are terrific opportunities and that the world of work is a worthy place to extend our talents and passions. I also know that we live in a far more complex and dynamic world. Like most report cards, it is a wake up call to determine where we are at and what actions we need to take to improve upon. Next week I will be sharing the 7 key elements that keep us stuck in this negative cycle.

Visit us at www.careerjoy.com to check out our new web site, and give us your report!

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

Are you getting a good return on your career?

This past week I was invited by my accountants Steve and Mark (we all need a great accountant on our side) to a hockey game. It was fun being in the box, eating chicken wings and other totally unhealthy food choices for one evening, not to mention the hockey game was pretty good also. I had the opportunity of chatting with a number of professional money managers.

Over this past while, I have begun to be a fan of bank stocks. Over the past 10 years, the average rate of return on bank stocks has been 15%, and they pay a dividend. A friend of our family was very senior with one of the banks. His word of advice; don't keep your money in the bank, keep it in the banks’ stock!

No, I am not shifting to becoming a financial planner, however, there are many parallels to getting a good return on your career investment. The key with investing your hard earned money is to act, not react.

Ever gotten a hot stock recommendation? Did you react? How much is that money worth now? That is my point. When we react to the market vs. act, we tend to make poorer financial decisions. Think Nortel, BreX etc. Ever got a hot career "tip" or call out of the blue by a recruiter? Did you react or act?

React: to return an impulse or impression

Act: the process of doing something

When we act with our investments, we have a plan and are taking action with our money. It usually involves a process and a clear sense of why we are investing, what we are investing in, and all the risks and upsides. When we react, we are responding to outside forces often without a process, a plan, and a clear sense of what we want and often out of emotion and momentum.

Over 50% of professionals have a financial planner. Why? Because it is wise. They provide a process, expertise, and ideally are not emotionally tied to the outcome. The other reason, the industry has done a terrific job marketing and delivering value to their clients.

The average professional will earn $3 million dollars in their career. What is your career game plan? With a plan, you reduce reaction to outside forces, you increase your likelihood of great decisions and, quite frankly, it puts you much more in control! Am I persuading you to seek me out to create a plan with you? Absolutely! However, I am doing this because I have seen the results of a well thought out career plan. It makes all the difference in the world to book a consultation. Simply visit us online at www.careerjoy.com.

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

Work place stress

Have you ever had a really stressful day at work? Now be honest. It is interesting - I have found in what I do, some days you just can't do anything wrong and, if you are fortunate, you will have very few high stress days at the office.

Here are some interesting facts from an IPSOS-Reid poll on stress-related incidents in the Canadian workforce:

12% of employees have kicked or hit the photocopier;

30% seriously wanted to;

30% are more likely to hit it if they have a post secondary education;

They are twice as likely to hit the photocopier if they are affluent;

40 km per year is the distance employees walk to the printer/photocopier.

(Those polled include just as many women as men)

I would hate to ask stats on printers! Unlike the Maytag man, the Xerox repair guys are busy dealing with the fallouts.

For every problem there is someone out there who is making a living. Workplace stress is a $300 billion a year problem within the corporate world, from stress related illness to lack of productivity. Thank goodness there are lots of thick skinned photocopiers hanging around the office. The key is to find one in a slightly dark, low traffic zone - and please don't use black shoes! In my opinion, it is better than kicking your boss or co-worker. You would most likely have to explain that one.

Here are some healthier ways to deal with your work stress:

1. Time out: Sometimes you need to get away from the office for a bit.

2. Read Dilbert: Scott Adams has an amazing way to put work into perspective.

3. Talk: It is a great way to get it out of your system and not carry the frustration.

4. Exercise: A proven way to reduce your blood pressure and work out the frustrations.

5. Get a dog: They keep everything in perspective.

Send me your stress stories (good and bad) at alan@careerjoy.com. We will have a draw for a copy of The Canadian Job Search Kit.

If you are feeling the itch to go a couple of rounds with the machine next door, give us a call. It's never too late to have a happy, low stress career!

This week's 10 Minute WORKout:

Get down to your favorite coffee hangout and treat yourself to a double stress free, non boss,extra long break!

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns

CEO of RIM shares his career "secrets"

In last week’s WORKout I wrote about Lister Sinclair, and how he described his work at CBC Radio as a trip to the “fun factory” (if you missed last week’s WORKout, visit us online at http://thecareercoach.blogspot.com/2007/01/is-your-job-fun-tgim.html). Lister had the TGIM (Thank Goodness it’s Monday) syndrome.

At the end of the article, I mentioned that I had 3 ideas on how to find your very own “fun factory”. I must admit that I got these three ideas while sitting at the feet of Jim Balsillie, Research in Motion Chairman and Co-Ceo (well, maybe not his feet, but from a conversation that we had)! Here are Jim's 3 tips on having a great career:

1. Realise that you have choice: Jim says that "most obstacles are self-imposed - far more than we could realize". Many people talk about work in terms such as "Golden handcuffs". This speaks to their belief that they don't have control over their situation. Self-imposed views about choice can either help you or hurt you - you choose!

2. Be optimistic: "If you see the world as a dangerous place, you'll find danger. If you are optimistic, you'll find reasons to be", says Jim. Research proves that how you view the world of work is directly related to your ability to be happy and successful. This is not to say that you should ignore problems. I personally am a pragmatic optimist – I look for great, not perfect!

3. Be true to your values: "Real success is a matter of balance, balancing what you value and not the other way around". In the world of work there is constant tension between what others want and what you can live with. Bosses, managers, partners and coworkers all have their own agendas and, quite frankly, their ideas can often be out of line with your values. It is key to know what you value, and not to let external elements fundamentally shift your view.

One last pearl of wisdom from Jim Balsillie:

Accept Career Seasons: "It’s inevitable that careers will have highs and lows". I don't think Jim could have said it any better. We need to recognize that fun is not going to happen every day. It is when we can deal with all of the “seasons” in our career that we ensure sustainability.

This week's 10 Minute WORKout:

What would be your answer to the three principles?

Along the road with you,

Alan Kearns