Archive for the 'Career' Category

Growing up I used to have many dreams where I was flying. In the dream it was easy. I would just jump and flap my arms a few times and instantly I was flying through the air. The cool thing was I could instantly fly over my house and down the street. I could go high or low and I could easily land on a rooftop or telephone pole.

I was like superman without all the fanfare. While these dreams were very cool and many times I would want to go back to sleep just to fly some more, I quickly realized that this was just pure fantasy when I woke up. As much as I wanted to fly, there was no current way to do it like I did in my dream.

In high school I had another dream. I wanted to be able to speak like Martin Luther King, or John F. Kennedy. I wanted to be able to motivate people like Zig Ziglar or Billy Graham. I had a whole bunch of words inside of me that I wanted to share with the world. Yet I was scared to death to get up in front of the audience.

In my dream public speaking was easy, but when I woke up, reality was a much different place. Through the years I just about gave up on the dream. Fortunately someone invited me to a Toastmasters group. In Toastmasters I was able to give my first scary speech in front of a group of supportive people. And you know what… I didn’t die!

In fact I actually did pretty good my first time out. I remembered most of my speech and I didn’t need my notes as much as I thought. The cool thing was, all those words that had been trapped inside of me for years had a way to finally come out. Within weeks I was doing additional speeches, each time with more passion and confidence. Toastmasters helped me take the fear out of public speaking.

While both of these dreams were pure fantasy at first, public speaking became a reality because it was a doable thing. Others had blazed a trail and all I had to do was follow. Someday we’ll all be able to fly. Someone will blaze a trail and come up with an invention that will free us all from gravity.

Maybe that person will be you?

But for now, personal flying is a fantasy. We can dream it but we can’t do it.

Are you pursuing dreams in your life that are realistic and doable… or are they just fantasies blowing in the wind?

As an example, I have many co-workers that play the lottery every week. They probably spend an average of 10 dollars a week or 40 dollars a month pursuing this fantasy. No one has ever won the lottery where I work, but people play just the same.

The interesting thing is, those same people could amass a fortune over the years by taking that same money and investing it in an investment account that compounds interest. The path is straight and the concept is proven, but many people do not follow it.

The choose fantasy over reality.

We have all seen the people that try out for American Idol that can’t sing. They have this misplaced notion that they have singing talent when they really don’t. It’s somewhat humorous but often just sad to watch them give it their all. Their singing fantasies just don’t come true.

I would love to be able to sing and participate in a TV show. But my natural talents don’t include singing. While I could spend many years with a speech coach trying to improve my singing voice, it would probably be better for me to pursue something that I’m naturally good at.

One of the best ways to find out what a person will be good at is to have them take a strengths test. The Gallup organization has put out an online test that will help you find out your top 5 strengths. It’s quick to take and the results can really help you see your areas of excellence.

The test is part of a book entitled Strengths Finder 2.0 written by Tom Rath. For under 20 dollars you get the test and a book full of helpful advice to take your individual talents to the next level. Researchers have found that you are much more likely to be successful focusing on your strengths rather than your weaknesses.

My five top strengths include, Ideation, Positivity, Learning, Futuristic, and Individualization. The materials in this book and on the accompanying web site have been very helpful in setting my sites on what is truly achievable in my life. Instead of just dreams and fantasies I now have a road map to reality.

In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a man going on a journey. This man entrusts his servants with “talents” before he leaves.

1. To the first servant he gives five talents
2. To the second servant he gives two talents
3. To the third servant he gives one talent

A talent in those days was a considerable sum of money, worth thousands of dollars in today’s economy.

In Matthew 25- Jesus relates their actions…

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. It is interesting to note the rewards of their actions…

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

The man with the two talents also came.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Then the man who had received the one talent came.  “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

While there is great significance in this parable from a spiritual and moral sense, it is interesting to view this in the concept of our personal talents. We all have talents, but like the third servant, many of them may be covered up or buried deep in the ground.

From a personal development viewpoint, we may have considerable buried treasure in our lives, just waiting to be dug up and opened. As in the parable above…

• If we uncover our talents and invest them wisely, there will be a considerable reward.
• If we do nothing with them, one day we may be called to account for them and find that difficult consequences await.

This parable hits home with me in various ways. From a career standpoint, I have found that there are many talents that are needed for today’s modern workplace. One simple example comes back to me almost everyday.

I took Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint classes back in the late 1990’s. I didn’t realize the importance of the classes at the time, but they have been incredibly helpful over the years.

Just knowing how to setup a graph in Excel or create an outline in Word, have been very useful on my job. I use them almost every day.

I can’t tell you how many people that I work with struggle with Powerpoint presentations. I am often called in at the last moment to get a presentation going or to get the computer to communicate with the projector.

Using our talents can have a profound effect on our lives. Instead of just letting our lives move aimlessly along, if we develop our talents, we can move ahead in a successful and deliberate manner. We can turn these individual talents into an incredible treasure.

For many of us this personal treasure can be explored by looking into seven different areas… and asking some direct questions…

Who
1. Who am I and what are my strengths?
2. Who are my customers/clients?
3. Who are my mentors?

What
1. What great thing would I do if I knew I could not fail?
2. What small things can I learn that will help me along the way?

Where
1. Where do I work?
2. Where is my mission field?
3. Where am I going?

When
1. When will I start?
2. When will I finish?
3. When is success?

How
1. How will I get there?
2. 12 month, One Year, and Three Year Goals

Why
1. Why am I doing this?
2. What is my purpose?

Risk
1. What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
2. What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
3. What is the best thing that can happen if I don’t do this?
4. What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t do this?

Answering these questions can take some doing. First we have to find and dig up our treasure chest. Then we have to unlock it and discover the hidden talents. Then comes the fun part… once the talents have been cleaned up and polished, we get to spend our treasure. With our new found talents it might be a business, a new job, or a mission trip to a far off land. The possibilities are endless.

Are you ready to find your treasure?

Have you ever been in a class that was so impactful that you came away so excited that you wanted to tell all of your friends about it? Have you had a teacher with the extraodinary talent to keep you totally immersed in the subject, where everything just seems to click? Have you had a teacher take the extra time to find out your needs and to personally help you with a project or assignment?

I have had a few teachers like this in my life. You walk away from their class excited and with a renewed sense of direction. You want to do the assignments and learn more. All of a sudden learning has gone from laborious and boring to exciting and rewarding. It takes a special person to do this. It’s not just facts and figures, but stories and personal experiences. It’s a learning experience that matches your unique learning style.

In thinking back to some of the teachers that have had the greatest impact in my life, I can think of three important things that they did that made a difference. Practices that may not be recognizable at first but have a subtle impact to your learning experience.

1. Their teaching matches your learning style. There are three primary learning styles, Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic/Tactile. Visual learners learn through seeing, Auditory Learners learn by listening, and Kinesthetic Learners learn through moving, doing and touching. If a teachers presentation matches your particular learning style you’ll come away with more retained knowledge. Really great teachers know this and may include all three styles in their presentation.
2. Individual attention. Everyone learns a little differently and we all have different goals and aspirations. Through individual attention, teachers can custom tailor their presentations to our individual needs. This is especially helpful for kinesthetic learners that may need a more hands on approach. A great approach is to say it, then show it, and then have the student do it himself. This can take more time than just telling us the facts and figures, but the results are incredibly powerful.
3. Passion for Teaching. Great teachers have a passion for their profession. They have a vision for each student and really care about the outcome. Instead of just sharing a lot of data, excellent teachers are results oriented. They take the time to work with each individual student and learn about their aspirations. Some of my best teachers were more interested in where I was going than I was. Their aspirations for my life and career helped change the direction of my life.

I did some career retraining in the mid 90’s and as a fill in to my computer network training I took some free classes at the San Diego Career Center. I had a teacher named Karen Owen who had an incredible gift of teaching. She taught classes in Word, Access, Excel and Photoshop. Every one of her classes was an amazing adventure. She taught by telling us what we were going to do, then showing us the exercise, and then having us do the project hands on. She also got to know each one of her students and really had a vision for each one of us. Her goals were big and audacious. She wanted us to all have incredible careers… she wanted us all to be extraordinary.

I can truly say that the knowledge I learned in her classes changed my life. This knowledge is a help everyday on my job. I am constantly in Word, Access, and Excel. She instilled in me a passion for Photoshop and the graphic arts. She made learning fun. This is what true teaching is all about. She truly created hundreds of student evangelists, excited about technology, and with a vision for the future.

As American author William Arthur Ward says… The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

Thank you Karen for the inspiration to do truly great things!

Thomas Friedman’s sobering new book, “The World is Flat,” is a must read for students and career minded individuals. Friedman explains that the effects of globalization and the advent of cheap communications are having a “flattening effect” on the world.  Work that involves the transfer of data or phone communications can now be done as easily by a worker in Bangalore India as someone in DallasTexas.

What is more sobering is Friedman’s treatment of Bill Gates’ statement about the American education system…

“When I compare our high schools to what I see when I’m traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they’re in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, U.S. students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. . . . The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the United States did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor’s degrees as the U.S., and they have six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind.

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As someone who works in the education field I find this is an extremely important book to read. While much of the historical content is common knowledge, the overall effect is much more profound than the individual pieces. I listened to the audio book version while shopping at the local mall. All you have to do to realize the impact is to listen while you pick up items in a store. Just turn them over and see where they are made. We don’t manufacture many things in America anymore.

I came away with some important points. In America we need to educate our students to be able to compete in this rapidly changing global landscape. Students need both left brain and right brained job skills. It’s not enough anymore to know how to do something, you also need to know how to innovate, create, and market new products and services.

It is really important that our students embrace creativity through the I-Force. This is a profound set of inspirations that will help students in the new century.

1. Inspiration thru Information

a. The what, where, why, and how

2. Inspiration thru Innovation

a. Can an existing thing be made bigger, better, faster etc.

3. Inspiration thru Imagination

a. Can you imagine the possibilities?

These three “big picture” skills will help our students compete but they are not enough. Students also need to learn communication and leadership skills. It is imperative that students rise above “commoditization” and become truly gifted leaders. Organizations that teach these skills such as Toastmasters International are becoming more important every day.

Mr. Friedman wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you’re going to be trampled if you don’t keep up with it.

This is one of the most important books of our time.

Read it, take note, and hold on.

Picture a boat on a lake gliding along. Behind it is an ever increasing wake, spreading out from side to side. Is the wake smooth or is it choppy and rough? Is there a water skier riding the top of the wake smiling and happy or is it so choppy that he falls into the water. For Dr. Henry Cloud, an author, clinical psychologist and corporate consultant, this “wake” is an example of our lives as we sail through our jobs at work. Do we leave a smooth wake of finished tasks on one side and a wake of good personal relationships on the other or is our path leaving something different… something choppy and rough causing others around us pain and agony.

“Integrity” is Dr. Clouds latest book and it is profound. This is a book that will open your eyes with it’s simple premise and let you dig deep into the real meaning of integrity. The French and Latin meanings of the word hint at its origins, “that the whole thing is working well, undivided, integrated, intact and uncorrupted.” According to Cloud, achieving this “wholeness” requires the development of six character traits…

1. Creates trust
2. Unafraid of reality
3. Results-oriented
4. Solves “negative realities”
5. Causes growth
6. Finds meaning in life

I picked up this book in Audio format and have been listening to it as part of my “MBA on the Run” program. This program is like a bottle of Windex, clearing away the cloudy grime and letting you see clearly what true integrity really is. In Audio format the book runs for five hours and my first listen was over 90 minutes. I started listening on my usual two mile evening walk but found it so compelling that I made three loops.

Dr Cloud uses business experiences of his CEO friends and clients and stories like Proctor and Gamble’s success in China to illustrate each character trait. What each of his stories has in common is how success, often great success across multiple fields, is fueled by openness, honesty to one’s self and to others, and a “true trust,” which is truly borne out of someone’s goodness and not dependent on anything.

The book helps you come to grips with adversity, learn from it and reshape life patterns that will help you succeed. Over the next week we’ll take a look a each one of the six traits and explore how we can build on each one to become more successful in our everyday lives.

I spent this last weekend in Las Vegas, the home of glitz, glamour, and gambling. My wife and I came up for the NASCAR race and I was amazed at the dichotomy of the city. We stayed in North Las Vegas so we would be closer to the Speedway. All around our very nice Hotel/Casino was abject poverty. How could this be, I wondered? As we drove out of the driveway the shining lights quickly dimmed and graffitti and decrepit buildings surrounded us.

As the hotel became a distant speck in the rear view mirror a huge billboard anounced “Strike it Rich”. The next billboard announced “paycheck advance” and I noticed a congregation of homeless people underneath. How could this town that rakes in billions of dollars have so much poverty? We drove down the strip later that night and the lights and glitz were unbelievable. It seemed that the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer.

When we arrived back at our hotel later that night we walked through the casino. The noise of the machines and the blue haze of the smoke made a somewhat eerie sight. Here was the largest congregation of people on Oxygen I had ever seen… many of them still smoking. The flashing lights declared large sums of money up for grabs… just put some pennies, nickels, and dimes in the machines. There was something new this visit… service charges on everything. There was a $4.95 daily service fee for the hotel. If you wanted money from the instant teller the service charge was $3.50. There was a city tax on the meals… this wasn’t the low cost town it used to be.

I sat down at a penny machine for the fun of it and put in five dollars. I was able to play for about 15 minutes but soon the money was gone. The couple down the aisle were arguing over a small payoff and it seemed to get pretty serious over 5 or 10 dollars. Here right in front of me was the promise of big riches. Just put in another five dollars… or better yet how about a twenty? The lights flashed and the progressive payout sign declared I could win $150,000 on the very machine I was just playing… I reached into my wallet and grabbed a twenty. I was just getting ready to put it in when the fighting couple got really loud.

I decided to move and I realized that what was entertainment to me was awful serious business for others. It was obvious that this fighting couple’s payout was the last money they had. One person wanted to keep playing and the other wanted dinner… I’m not sure who won out. After seeing this little spectacle play out in front of my eyes the thought of “investing” more money quickly diminished. It was obvious that behind the glitz and glamour, this town had some serious problems.

When I got home I opened my home page and the daily scripture verse caught my attention. It was Proverbs 11:24 and 25

24. Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor.

25. Whoever gives to others will get richer; those who help others will themselves be helped.

I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if many of the regulars you find in Las Vegas would take the no-return route. Instead of putting money in a machine… what if they gave money to the poor and needy? What if they gave this “recreational” money to others without expecting anything back?

What would happen?

What if they wrote a check for job training for a needy person?

What if they provided a hot meal for a homeless person?

What if they bought a computer for a poor student who couldn’t afford one?

Many people set a limit of $20, $100, or even $500 on each trip to Vegas…

What would happen if they took the no-return path?

 What would the payoff be?