Tag: Career planning

Posted on

Back to Reality…

There is nothing more affirming than when the US Immigration official hands you your passport and says..

Welcome home, Ms Kohler…

After 4 months in Europe, calling Belgrade, Lisbon, Prague, Munich, Salzburg and Sofia home; I’m back in America. Home.

Ah, home.. time to recalibrate, take in the experience and ensure that I take all this quality growth and help transform my life. Without getting too philosophical and morose, we all do know that America (maybe the world too) is going through seismic changes in what we do, how we work, our infrastructure and our culture. Rather than acquiesce to accepting that manic corporate behavior is the norm and the only way to make a living, I jumped at dipping my toe into the nomadic pool with Remote Year’s pilot summer program. Now that it’s over (deep sigh), I’ve come back with an invigorated spirit. I can claim that my creativity has been jolted, expanded and awakened. OK, it was awesome… Here’s why

1- Discover your personal resiliency. Constant travel is not easy. Long term travel is not vacation. There are all sorts of quirky experiences that occur that can set you on your heels. You learn to take them in stride and as trite as it sounds.. roll with it.. Sometimes the outcome is totally unexpected and can be far better than ever anticipated. If you open yourself to the possibilities. It’s also comforting to know that a jaded bureaucrat in Eastern Europe is essentially the same as the jaded bureaucrat at the Florida DMV.
2- You too can live with 23kg of possessions (50.6 pounds). Yes, I did travel for 4 months with 1 suitcase weighing in at 23 kg. I did have a computer bag and a carry on (under 8 kg, just in case my luggage was lost. This would give me 3 days of clothes and ziplock bag of toiletries). You become incredibly discerning in your wardrobe choices, realizing how much you’ve spent in the past on clothing and what you really need vs. want. Less does give you more. Oh, and shoes are really, really heavy. When in doubt, wear black. Chic, utility and you can clean it together.
3– Living in the city center is great! There is a vibrancy of living in the middle of everything that is highly energizing. You find yourself an instant part of a neighborhood. People are curious about you and within a week there are smiles and interaction. You become part of the daily flow. It’s alluring and very special.
4- There is life without TV.. but I also need more Internet! Yes, a contradiction… but, I found that when you enter a new community you should be out exploring not watching TV. As a result, you walk more get more fresh air, talk to people and don’t need to sit mindlessly watching stories of people living better or worse lives, being pandered to buy products you don’t need and discovering that your life is lesser than because of overt marketing. No, thanks. Yet on the Internet side, having access to the worlds information at a few clicks has enhanced my experience. I am now completely dependent on my mobile device. Google Maps and Translate have made navigating Eastern Europe and the Cyrillic alphabet a non-issue. Data is a wonderful thing.
5- In-season, fresh food is amazing! I was pleasantly surprised to find that everywhere I stayed this summer had abundant fresh produce. Farmer’s markets or pop-up stands are prevalent. The food is fresh, incredibly flavorful and plain delicious. I made meals from a fresh succulent tomato and few sprigs of basil.
6- Our lives are completely overstimulated. Imagine that everyone around you speaks a language you do not understand. This quickly diminishes your distraction. You have no idea what they are talking about as a result you find yourself insulated in a bubble of sorts. It’s very weird, but it does help with focus. Living this way was somewhat meditative at times. You start to realize how much noise you process as soon as you are back in your own environment.
7- Do I really need a car? I had not driven for four months other than a side trip (It was on the German Autobahn which if you must drive, is the only way to drive!). Living in a city center promotes walking and mass transit. I found that I enjoyed my walking commute. It gave me an essential pause from home-to-work and got me sufficient daily exercise. You get sensible walking shoes and an umbrella. It worked.
8- Street Art! I loved the visual impact of the local street art. Each destination delivered. In an Instagram age, what a better way to promote your city than street art. There also should be a call out to the city gardens, statuary and green spaces that punctuated every city. Each was captivating. I took over 4500 pictures! Most of my art images are outdoor murals, not curated museum pieces. I’d like to include street music in the same. I’ll never forget a cellist on Sofia’s pedestrian street, attacking AC/DC’s Back in Black with the verve of Rachmaninoff. Perfection
9- Cool people are everywhere… I knew I would meet people on Remote Year. I was pleasantly surprised to also meet and befriend locals and expats. After a certain point in life, it is very difficult to meet new people. The opportunity to make new friends diminishes. This was the highlight of my experience.
10- My work opportunity expanded. I developed two separate business streams that are gaining momentum and traction. Big difference than my corporate resume. This is the point where to demonstrate that I fully understand marketing process, I will refer this as the final step that brings feedback to the first step.. Discover your personal resiliency. A year ago, I would have led any work-life discussion with work. I’ve turned the corner, where life finally leads and work fuels it. I guess I am trainable.

Net- If you get the opportunity to work offshore for 4-months, take it.

You will not regret it. It will be challenging at times, but there is real growth there. The benefits are huge. I re-discovered my abilities, expanded my tapestry of experiences and believe that my work has never been better. I’ve met wonderful, talented, funny and caring people that have enriched my heart and nourished my soul. I dream big again.

It’s interesting when the physical workplace barriers are removed. You become free range and suddenly the possibilities are endless. Embrace it, see the world and discover.

Thank y’all for sharing my journey, look forward to seeing you on the road. I’m thinking Australia, Thailand or Bali for the next rev.. any recommendations?

Posted on

The Trampoline Effect: Summer Career Hurricane Season

Preamble: When I posted  Leap and the Net will appear… my good friend, David Hance commented that he views it less a net and more as a trampoline. I loved it! It takes something that we might see with dread or fear and elevates it to exhilaration and maybe even a fun challenge. I embrace it and will go forward reference: Leap and the trampoline will elevate you… I’m calling it the Trampoline Effect! (See notes way below)

Since it is the beginning of summer, there’s all sorts of anticipation and nostalgia for the season.. seaside vacations, barbeques, no school for the kids, watermelon, lightening bugs and maybe a work slowdown.

It might be the perfect time to take advantage of the summertime work slowdown to get yourself prepared and ready for your next career rev too. Here’s a very simple outline to take advantage of the potential slower work pace and get serious about you. It’s a career prep list like the hurricane preparedness we do in Florida and we all know how much we all love lists!  

It’s Summer Hurricane Season

Living in Florida has all kinds of perks, hurricane season isn’t one of them. Hurricanes are wily, unpredictable forces of nature that when they hit can be devastating. Preparing for one acknowledges that you may have an electric outage, welcome water into your home and potentially have everything you own destroyed in a short period of time, kind of like a job loss only wetter.

 I’ve lived in Florida long enough to know that a hurricane is going to hit, it’s just a matter of when. How you deal with disaster is up to you. There’s the sky-is-falling or Chicken Little approach (buy beer-wine-pizza-toilet paper because Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel is in town and we’re all going die), the in-denialists (we haven’t had a direct hit since 1923!) and then there’s the hard-core pragmatist (think more Boy/Girl Scout: be prepared) . You may enjoy the drama of uncertainty. I applaud your approach and decision. For those of us who don’t, I offer you the trampoline effect (thanks, David!)..

If you accept that everything is in flux now, how are you going to weather this potential storm? Here’s my hurricane list on how to get trampoline lift and not be completely washed up..

Summer Career Hurricane Preparedness List…

Total Investment Time: minimum of 4 hours (your mileage may vary)

1.       Let’s start. Pause for more than a moment. I know.. let’s stop before starting when you’re all ready to start, bait and switch ! This is important stuff. Schedule a half day to examine what you are doing for a living now and what you would like to do. Be brutally honest, if what you are doing now is working. Congratulations! No need to read further, pat yourself on the back and put a reminder on your calendar to do this work again in August. Because this analysis/reflection work should never end. Employers like people who are curious, lifelong learners. It means you are flexible and adaptable to new challenges. For those of us who need constant reevaluation, the pause helps to frame our approach. Get post-it notes, markers for the very visual, or use project board software and brainstorm. There is no right answer, this is all about you. I would allot 2-3 hours of uninterrupted time for this segment. Unplug yourself from everything (yes, everything) but your thoughts. This work is your baseline.

2.       Create your skills inventory. Every job application I’ve filled out in the past year requires some sort of introspection of your assets. Based on your brainstorm session, do you have the skills the hiring companies are requesting? Are you relevant in today’s mobile economy? This is going to determine your skills gap.  This part of the exercise should take no longer than an hour depending on the deep of your direction.

3.       What is missing from your skills list?  This is called the skills gap (there’s a link at the end to some additional background and tools for you to use). This is the gap between the skills you have today and the desired state, your future. You can find this by scanning open positions in your field from companies you think match your work ethos. You will be surprised how easily the key verbs and descriptions emerge.  In my world, it was a desire to become a digital marketing expert. I know I can manage the business, create compelling strategies, give direction to creative agencies/vendors, but could I still do?  Did my work style map to today’s way of working? I focused on my biggest gap: digital analytics. This is an area that I’ve managed, but haven’t done. It was a perfect starting point. My roadmap focuses on the science of marketing: digital platforms, aggregation, distribution, tools and content creation. Reflect on if the verbs/descriptions accurately depict your skills are they present in your resume/CV and your LinkedIn profile? Make sure your digital work presence is always current (there are eyes watching). Your skills gap may be a small refinement on your existing capabilities (kudos for keeping up and staying focused!) or if you decided on a big, life defining swing; you may need a complete overhaul (super kudos to you too for making the commitment!). Time in this segment is completely contingent on the breadth and scope of change desired.

4.      Assign to each skill category a way to gain knowledge and subsequent expertise. I found that finding this information is much easier than it’s ever been. Starting point is any web search engine for the skill of your choice. There is a plethora of resources available. You need to determine what level of skill you need/want to succeed at skill mastery. Do you want a working knowledge ? Then everything you want may be available on YouTube.. Do you need deeper knowledge, then take a more programmatic approach, start with Coursera, Khan Academy. Many online firms offer free survey audit courses through and including paid-for certifications. If you still need deeper skills, do you have the time and resources to go back to school? Consider for-profit training firms, community colleges and full university degree programs. Do your research, evaluate your skills inventory and decide what level of time and financial investment you need to make. This is the area that is going to take the most effort, reflection and time. Do not short change yourself.

5.       Feedback. I like to always include an evaluation loop in planning. This is where you vet your plan to others ensure that you’re going in the desired direction. Personally, I have a few friends and former work acquaintances that I refer to as my Board of Directors. I found early in my career that one mentor was never enough. Although I deeply respected his opinion; I always found that I needed more insight. In my world, this has worked. These are people whose opinion you trust. You are not leaning on them to make your decision, you value their input. Be aware when you do ask for someone’s opinion, you must be prepared for the feedback. It might sting. It is like when someone calls your baby ugly (ouch!) You do want candid feedback. There are so many added pluses to this approach including: idea validation, direction support, additional obstacles you may not have anticipated, objection resolution. It can be a huge confidence booster or make you want to re-think your entire approach. Remember, you decide the final outcome.. but decide and keep moving.

6.       Create a highly targeted action plan on what, how, how long it will take you to get the plan done. Take each skill and break it down

a.       What level of mastery you want to accomplish (Awareness-to-Mastery)  

b.       Where you are going to get the skills (YouTube,Certifications or University degree)

c.       How long will it take (Can you do this immediately, need testing to secure space,     formal application process?) 

d.       Are there any obstacles to holding you back? 

e.       Determine your time milestones (Simple as a calendar entry to MS Project Plan) 

f.        Hold yourself accountable.

 Career uncertainty is our new reality.  You must ensure that you keep your skills fresh to be relevant in our ever changing mobile, digital economy. It’s on you, no one is going to do this for you. This not only includes precise technical aspects of your profession (the what) but how you approach it from a process vantage and problem solving method (think more sophisticated analytics less  x-y spreadsheet). Make sure you don’t get hit by the hurricane; or if you do be prepared. I think this will explain why I always travel with extra batteries, tuna in pouches and cocktail wieners (because everyone needs a good cocktail wiener during a disaster, it makes them smile).

Promise me to give your summer trampoline lift? Get prepared and use the time to get skilled! You’ll position yourself for success and have something to tell everyone after Labor Day what you did on your summer vacation. Have fun, be brilliant and as I always tell my daughter: fulfill your destiny.

 

Post Notes:

1.       Official Florida Hurricane Preparedness List

2.       Project Management templates – free and fee

3.       Take a look at Mindtools for gap analysis overview and tools

4.       Dang, there is a real thing called The Trampoline Effect.. perhaps ours should be the Hance Trampoline Effect going forward. So much for thinking we cornered the market on something potentially marketable.. oy! Next time.