July 2010: Another year older, wiser and closer to living out some childhood dreams
Ever since the Jetson’s introduced me to holograms I’ve looked forward to the day that a similar type of technology would be within my reach. Over the last month several things happened that bring me closer living this dream. It’s exciting times.
Instead of going into the detail about how my life rocks what I would like to say is that the freedom I have gained ~ as an aspiring social entrepreneur ~ to choose how I apply my talent and time to this life, is my pursuit of happiness. I am blessed to have in my life many talented, beautiful people that inspire, challenge, support and love me.
Life is beautiful | live your talent | pursue you dream
I’m not saying that applying your talent to pursue you dreams is easy, where would the fun in that be? And although I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t envy my income at the moment, as cliche as this is, happiness is not something money can buy.
You can choose the work that you want. By creating an online talent profile with us and sharing your talents, your values and your passion with the world you too can begin to discover the beauty of living your dreams.
You’ve got a great education, you’re keen to learn, you want to work and contribute to society yet it seems that to get the job that you want you need work experience, which first means you need to get a job
The transition from study to the workforce can be difficult even when you know exactly what is is you want and how you plan to get there.
Yet it is the minority of students that emerge from study that well prepared. More often than not, our work prospects and aspirations are about as clear as mud.
Talent vs Degree
I worry that our education system does not adequately prepare people for the realities of the workforce and that the career guidance taken up does little to inspire in young people the pursuit of the dream.
In fact in some cases, being sent off to talk to the local branch of some national or multinational company that has a internship programme that matches your degree, might be the completely wrong direction in terms of matching one’s talents and values.
As was indicated during a conversation I recently had with a final year commerce student (FYCS) – Majoring in Economics
Renee: So you’re final year right?, what do you wanna do next year? Work?
FYCS : Not really sure yet,
Renee: You can do anything you want, you know
FYCS: I’m kinda interested in writing…
Renee: Yeah cool, I majored in journalism. What do you think is you greatest talent?
FYCS: I’m not really sure…
Renee: Everyone’s got talents [usual expectant pause] ok then …how about looking at it like this. If you could have any job in the world what would you do?
FYCS: Writing, or design, maybe advertising?
Renee: So I’m hearing, something creative right?
FYCS: Yeah, but its not really my major”
Renee: Your major doesn’t really matter, it shows that you have discipline and you’ve already learnt the most important lesson, how to learn. Being able to learn, being able to solve problems you can take those skills anywhere. You can choose to do a job you will love.”
FYCS: But I worry about my grades”
Renee: Your grades won’t matter what matters is work experience. Find a company that you want to work with and offer to volunteer. It’s a foot in the door and I reckon volunteer work experience will trump your grades
FYCS: Thinks about this for a nanosecond and smiles
FYCS: You’ve just made me shift my idea of what I could do from here to here (indicating with hands an expanded vision)
While the above tale is unlikely to be a completely accurate replay – there were umms & ahhhh’s, frequent head nodding and gestures - it’s the outcome that mattered.
It’s amazingly encouraging to have seen and heard someone gain even just an ounce more hope for the future. Score 1 to me! in favour of the pursuit of talent vs degree based career paths.
Volunteer Work Experience
We see volunteering as a highly effective means for young people to gain work experience, develop work ethic and build work skills.
Some of the skills volunteers can develop include:-
* Leadership & team building skills
* Relationship building skills
* Communication skills
* Negotiation skills
* Creative thinking skills
* Organisation & time management skills
Most importantly it is a testament to one’s willingness to work which, in my work experience, counts for a whole lot more than grades ever will. Welcome to the workforce people.
Four Simple Steps Towards Your Dream Job
It may seem too simple and idealistic but it’s worked for me. I love my job and would like to see more people living the work life balance that we enjoy
Identify you talents, your passion, your interest and values as it is these qualities when combined with work that will put you on the path to a job that you love!
Create you talent profile and list your talents, passion, interests and value and using the magik of the interweb we will match your talent profile with volunteer work opportunities
Put yourself out there to work and learn more about what motivates and inspires you
Gather references that testify to your work experience so you can expand your options & pursue the dream then repeat
Pretty simple really. It’s about mindset and taking action don’t let others define your future for you. Start working towards you dream job, begin now.
I found Sir Ken Robinson’s Ted talk immensely inspiring and encouraging but it leads me to wonder why did it take me so long (15yrs) to choose my passion and talent over my need for achievement?
…we make very poor use of our talents…I meet all kinds of people who don’t think they are really good at anything…who don’t enjoy what they do they, they simply go through their lives getting on with it, they get no great pleasure from what they do, they endure it rather than enjoy it… but I also meet people who LOVE what they do…it isn’t what they do, it is who they are…their most authentic self… Sir Ken Robinson”
My talents and aspirations didn’t align because I was self centered and vain. Now, I was blessed to be raised in a family that nurtured my talents, surrounded by people that assured me that I could do anything I wanted. The education system, with which I am now thoroughly disenchanted was – up until I was about 15 years old – an environment in which I thrived upon learning and the ongoing recognition of academic, sporting and cultural achievement.
Yet for a long time now I have not lived up to the potential, that others saw in me. Despite the fact that I studied, worked and strived to become a better person, I was so self centered and focused on my own goals and achievements that I could not see opportunities to do what I most aspired to – help people and effect change – passing me by.
Over the last year, working as an aspiring social entrepreneur, I’ve recognised that I had things round the wrong way. Even as lately as January 2009, I thought that if I could make myself “a better person” then I could help others. Yet it now seems so apparent that only by helping others first will I ever be the person I aspire to.
The How: Helping Others Employ Their Talents
Using social networking to create a community in which people can feel OK about promoting and sharing their talents
“…natural talents: human resources are like natural resources, they are often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they’re not just lying around on the surface you have to create the circumstances where they show themselves…” Sir Ken Robinson
This is not going to be an easy cause to gather people to and therein lies the challenge: to effect the national mind set.
We kiwi’s are not known for our self promotion, why would we when tall poppy syndrome is so alive and well in this country, ready to cut back down to size those that are too confident, too successful or aspire to lofty goals. One way I have found to overcome this barrier of talking about talents and strengths is simply to ask:
what are your interests?
what do you like to do?
what are you passionate about?
what interests would you want to share with other people?
By creating a talent profile and sharing you passion, talents, interests and values with the world we can match you with opportunities to LOVE what you.
Sailing is an investment of time that I consider a rather noble pursuit but then I am biased because my dad was an avid sailor - John Lee, Skipper of the Leeway – and he was easily one of the hero’s of my life.
leeway: To slip sideways downwind while moving forward.
Yet this adds weight to the fact that I’ve heard several people talking about sailing this year, from simply learning how to sail to planned journeys around the world.
And it is their sense of purposeful adventure and discovery that has inspired my thoughts on the direction of my personal endeavors as well as our company this year.
Time to change tack
I resolved earlier this year to keep a written journal, a common device of those sailing the oceans. Indeed, I much prefer the creative process of writing ones thoughts vs blogging and I struggled immensely over the past week to find the inspiration to add value to our blog conversation so far.
Beside commenting on articles that inspire conversation or challenge my thinking it seems 2009 provided all the time needed to convey our vision, values and service. Upon reflection I realise that I have said all I need to say about Worknow and it is simply time to change tack.
Tacking – Basic sailing maneuver refers to turning the bow of the boat through the wind so that the wind changes from one side of the boat to the other side.
While we maintain our heading, we now power up the sails with the stories of those with whom we collaborate and whose bearing impacts on the work that we do.
Indeed, it is only through the collaboration and support of people, with the vision and creativity to apply Time Trade as a tool to encourage volunteering in their own community, can we hope to reach our way-points.
Ready About
I hope to increasingly use this blog to share the story of those that serve our communities in the most direct sense of the word. I hope, like me, you will find their stories inspiring and thought provoking.
Most importantly I hope to convey the conscious, collective community spirit under which these people and teams operate in order to inspire and encourage us all to volunteer our time and talent on a regular and ongoing basis.
Using the simple tools now at your fingertips just imagine what we can achieve, what change we can effect and the difference we will make when we work now, together for causes that benefit us all.
The Financial Times has labeled us as ‘every employer’s nightmare’; while Fortune magazine claims we are destined to be the most high-performing in history.
Although leading opinion appears polarised with debate begins the development of a more balanced point of view which in turn moves us towards finding the common ground.
Yet, the scales still tip in favour of identifying problems, so as a solutions focused, Gen Y entrepreneur I’d like to suggest there is promise, despite existing “problems”.
Workplace Culture & Innovation
PROBLEMS of Workplace Culture, will occur for anyone expecting us to conform to the old school culture. Hierarchies, no matter how you construct them, be they pyramid, open or flattened, are simply not flexible or open enough to facilitate the collaborative learning and the construct of shared knowledge.
It’s time we reinvented the way we construct our organisations. Here at Worknow we used interconnected circles vs. square tiered boxes to represent our organisation because I believe the PROMISE of workplace culture is that a collaborative and communicative culture inspires innovation.
Leadership & Potential
It’s true, we have high expectations, which some characterise as making us demanding and needy but let’s consider the education system from which we are not far removed.
It’s an environment where variety, challenge and change are the status quo. Where performance expectations are established at the outset and tested, measured and rewarded.
Is it unrealistic to expect that work might present a greater opportunity for such variety and challenge? or that work expectations be established at the beginning for us to work towards.
PROBLEM is while many of us Gen Y recognise in ourselves a wealth of promise – we’re talented, enthusiastic and educated, connected and informed – in many cases, we lack the planning, time management skills, discipline and experience to fully realise our potential.
Therefore PROMISE exists for those leaders who can inspire, support and encourage the growth and personal development of the Gen Y workforce and in this way provide guidance and reason for us to stick around.
Worknow, Aotearoa NZ
We are gathering a community of talented people that seek more collaborative and flexible ways to work together.
We believe networking technology can help foster and harness the collective potential of existing communities and distributed groups
We encourage and support a more flexible and entrepreneurial work ethic.
We work to connect all that share this philosophy so that together we can build a more entrepreneurial and innovative work culture for NZ.
I came across thinksmall and a conversation on tall poppy syndrome which raised the issue of our cultural tendency to:-
pulls kiwis down for high achieving, and jumps on those who fail on the way
Two solutions were already proposed:
Recognising & Awarding World Class Kiwi’s
Learning to Laugh at Ourselves
Entrepreneurial Education
I love solutions so I mentioned one that has the potential to make a great difference. Entrepreneurial Education a la Onehunga High. Not only because this is a great example of much needed educational reform but because Tall Poppy Syndrome has strong connotations, for me, of high school.
Ashamedly, it was during my high school years that I learned, experienced and participated in this type of ignorance hence I believe schools have a large part to play in allowing this attitude to develop.
Our education system is designed to help establish cultural norms and it is time that the New Zealand Curriculum Framework adapted and aligned itself with a future of work which I believe will be more entrepreneurial, sustainable and flexible.
By educating young people about entrepreneurship, having students read / study / develop case studies about World Class Kiwis that they admire, schools could develop a culture that recognises
success benefits everyone and
making mistakes is part of success
Student Mentor Community
Let’s connect today’s students with our World Class Kiwis who can mentor, inspire and encourage entire classes via live video conference, webinars and podcasts. Let’s create a community that connects and develops high achieving entrepreneurs in a collaborative, supportive environment. Let’s create the antithesis to Tall Poppy Syndrome.
Worknow
Developing communities that encourage entrepreneurship and collaboration and support sustainable, flexible ways of working.
