Becoming Career Fit American Institute of Chemical Engineers 2006

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Becoming Career FitAmerican Institute of
Chemical Engineers2006

• Ron Elsdon, Ph.D.
• Elsdon Organizational Renewal and
• New Beginnings Career and College Guidance
• [phone], renewal_at_elsdon.com
• www.elsdon.com

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So You Think You Have a Job?(Calvin Associates
from Money, 1994)

• Nobody has a job anymore. All you have is an
  assignment. Its like an actor who lands a part.
  You dont know how long it may last. You are
  your own small business whether you like it or
  not.

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Career Development Gone Wrong
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Personal Path

• Ph.D. Chemical Engineer to
• Research Engineer to
• Strategic Planner to
• Business Development Specialist to
• Marketing Manager to
• Manager of Business Development to
• General Manager of a Business Unit to
• Non-Profit Management - Career Development and
  Private Practice Career Counseling to
• Account Management Organizational Consulting to
• Practice Leader Organizational Consulting to
• Private Practices Organizational Consulting
  Career Counseling and Coaching

How many of these changes happened after I was 40?
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Personal Path

• Ph.D. Chemical Engineer to
• Research Engineer to
• Strategic Planner to
• Business Development Specialist to
• Marketing Manager to
• Manager of Business Development to
• General Manager of a Business Unit to
• Non-Profit Management - Career Development and
  Private Practice Career Counseling to
• Account Management Organizational Consulting to
• Practice Leader Organizational Consulting to
• Private Practices Organizational Consulting
  Career Counseling and Coaching

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Outline

• Environment
• Change and Transition
• Career Implications
• Path Forward

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Environment
How is the work world changing?
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Changing Nature of Our Work Environment

• Younger to older
• Same to different
• Many to few
• Local to global
• Inequality to ?
• Lifelong commitment to engagement for mutual
  benefit
• Information deficit to data overload
• Hierarchy to fluidity
• Constant skills to constant learning

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• What might these changes mean for us?

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Change and Transition
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Change and Transition

• CHANGE
• A situational event
• External
• Often starts with a new beginning

• TRANSITION
• A process over time
• Internal
• Must start with an ending

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A Transition Checklist

• Take your time
• Arrange temporary structures
• Dont act for the sake of action
• Recognize why you are uncomfortable
• Take care of yourself in little ways
• Explore the other side of the change
• Get someone to talk to
• Find out what is waiting in the wings of your
  life
• Use this transition as the impetus to a new kind
  of learning
• Recognize that transition has a characteristic
  shape
• Rite of passage lens through which to magnify
  the experience

William Bridges, Transitions
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Career Implications

• Know Yourself
• Know Your Options
• Know the Landscape
• Keep Learning
• Avoid Being Caught by Surprise
• Take Control of Your Path Forward

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Know Yourself

• What gives meaning and value to your life
• the spirit within us, found in the core of
  our own selves, that slowly and painfully weaves
  its way through anxiety, confusion, tension and
  conflict to hear the rhythm of our own personal
  tune made up of choices and values that are truly
  our own. (Brewi and Brennan).
• Values that you hold dear
• Interests that you want to develop
• Personality preferences and their fit
• Skills to grow and develop

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Motivation and Capability
Capability
Low
High
High
Pursue
Develop
High
Motivation
Low
Avoid
Burnout
Low
Low
High
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Know Your OptionsWhere Would You Place the
Options?
Reward
Risk
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Know the Landscape

• Which Organization?
• Respect We treat others as we would like to be
  treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or
  disrespectful treatment.

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How can you get beneath the surface of an
organization or a department, to find out what it
is really like?
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How To Learn About the Organizations Culture
Reverse Behavioral Interview
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Keep Learning

• College 1998 (Tapscott)
• 45 U.S. college students are 25 and over
• Students 35 and older outnumber those who are 18
  and 19
• Over 55 women, 15 non-white
• From 4 year degree to 40 year degree

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Avoid Being Caught by Surprise

• What are some signals of imminent job change?

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Signals

• Merging or being acquired
• Management changes
• Being reassured that all is well
• Organization missing financial targets
• Regulatory problems
• Sector downturn
• Missing key regulatory hurdle
• Budget woes
• Closed door meetings
• Being visited by outplacement organizations

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Take Control of Your Path Forward
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Process
Re-assessing Strategy
Building Strategy
Self and Significant Others
Executing Strategy
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Finding Positions

• What of people find positions through Internet
  job postings?
• What of people find positions by connecting
  with others?
• Where should you spend your time?

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Making the Needed Links

• What does connecting with others mean to you?
• Connecting is
• The process of gathering and distributing
  information for the mutual benefit of you and the
  people in your network
• Building relationships to prosper in todays
  fluid world (Career Action Center)
• Connecting is not
• Selling, using people strictly for personal gain,
  manipulating or badgering others

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How of Connecting with OthersIt Begins with
Giving

• Think of a situation when you freely gave to
  someone at work, beyond your job requirements
• What was the situation?
• What did you do?
• What was the result?
• How did you feel?

Source Career Action Center
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If its so good, why dont we do more connecting?
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Possible Barriers(Fisher and Vilas)

• I cant stand rejection.
• If they support me, what will they expect from
  me?
• I need to look like I have it all together.
• I dont have time to connect with others.
• If it means having to be pushy and aggressive. I
  cant do it.
• It seems impersonal, forced and cold.

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How Might Our Personality Affect Connecting?
Source Career Action Center
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Building and Nurturing Your Network Possible
Contacts in Your Network

• Business/organizational
• Bosses, Peers, Direct Reports
• General professional
• Professional organizations, alumni groups,
  recruiters, advisors
• Educational
• Students, Staff
• Social
• Relatives, friends, neighbors

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Preparing for Your Path Forward

• Use tools of self assessment to provide a
  foundation
• Maintain an active network
• Colleagues, Professional organizations
• Stay current with external trends
• Monitor signals of change in your organization
• Keep your portfolio current
• Resume, interviewing skills
• Continue learning and developing
• Begin now

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Personal Action Steps

• What are three specific actions that I will take
  in the next 60 days?

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Recommended References

• Transitions by Bill Bridges
• Lifelaunch by Frederic Hudson
• Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
• Passion for Life by Anne Brennan and Janice Brewi
• Power Networking by Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas
• The Ultimate Interview by John Caple
• Affiliation in the Workplace by Ron Elsdon
• Leadership Jazz by Max DePree

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Thank You and Best Wishes