Rules for Writers Rule for Work

The Guardian newspaper has been publishing a series called Rules for writers.

These rules are the personal dos and don'ts of successful authors but I reckon there's more on offer.

The subject of these Top 10 lists is writing but some authors are also sharing the very heart of their relationship with work.

If that sounds interesting, go take a look

or I can work a bit harder and whet your appetite a little more...

You often see a lot after a tough climb

[Image courtesy of RMP87 on Flickr]

Here's a cut from Jeanette Winterson's Top 10:

✪ Turn up for work

✪ Never stop when you are stuck

✪ Be honest with yourself

✪ Be ambitious for the work and not for the reward

These may be the words of an author talking about writing but they're also the words of someone who has made their mind up, decided what she wants, confirmed that this is what it takes, resolved that this is what she has to do.

Imagine asking Jeanette where she wants her career to go...

I reckon she'd give a good answer.

All the best for now,

Paul

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So what would be on your Top 10 or Top 5 list like this?

Bear in mind that these things change

Lists like this rarely stay the same

But they always contain:

Values: What's important to you

Talents: What you are good at

Goals: What keeps you going

Who is That Guy?

You know the guy I'm talking about. He's usually on the cover of a book with a smile on his face and a gleam in his eye.

He's got neat hair and white teeth too. And he really, really wants you to be successful. But how important is your personal success to that guy?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he wants you to do badly. I actually believe he wants you to do well. That guy knows what's best for you but there's one thing he can't know, and that's what you want.

That guy will probably sue me*

Figuring out what you want is a big part of career success. That guy did it his way but success at work might mean something different for you. You might value things differently. You might enjoy different things. You may have different priorities when it comes to grooming.

That guy won't ask what you want and really listen to the answer. But he's not all bad. It's not his fault. He is trying to help after all. And there's a great deal we can learn from him about figuring out what we want and getting motivated. He did that successfully after all.

We know his individual story but what of our own?

Maybe it's not up to that guy to ask us this question. Maybe it's up to us to find out more for ourselves.

Why not make it your business to find out what you want. Ask questions and explore your career for yourself. Find individual answers and make important discoveries based on your experience.

Questions like:

What's important to me?

What am I good at?

What keeps me going?

When did work last give me a good feeling?

Where should my career go in the future?

Share your career answers, ideas and questions below if you want to. Jump to That Guy's defence if he has helped your career move forward.

I want to hear what you have to say. That Guy doesn't have a monopoly any more.

All the best for now,

Paul

[*Disclaimer: Any resemblance between the above photograph of my Uncle Brian and any persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.]

Alvin's Story - Career Perspective

Is Alvin alone facing this challenge?

Recently, Alvin became frustrated with his career because it felt to him like a series of false starts. To see if he could break out of this pattern, Alvin took the opportunity to look at his career as a whole.

So what did he find out?

Across all of his different work and jobs [and changes that ranged from the uniform he wore to the industry sectors he worked in] Alvin could find out what his experiences had in common. Studying his career as a whole, he could see what joined his experiences together and explore what was important to him, what his strengths were and what he found motivational.

[Hadleigh Castle in Essex. A wonderful example of open plan design]

In Alvin’s case, his work with people proved to be the biggest unifying factor. Usually when we say someone is a ‘people person’ we mean they are good with relationships. Good at solving problems or helping people out with issues or tricky situations. We might also mean they help other people to see the value in things they would otherwise overlook. In Alvin’s case this is all true but it’s only half of the story because he is also a gifted leader. People respect Alvin [They just can’t help it!]. They respect his experience and his opinion. They respect the care he takes answering questions and resolving their issues so patiently and positively.

From the traditional viewpoint Alvin always had of his career nothing of this leadership potential was visible to him. This was compounded by regular moves and changes which didn’t allow Alvin to understand the impact he had on people or see the improvements he left behind. Junior job titles and 'nitty-gritty' roles also meant that Alvin’s achievements were too easily swallowed up by a chain of command here or a non-meritocratic management structure there.

Alvin couldn’t see his determination, diligence, perseverance and intellectual rigour or the difference they made to people over time. He didn’t know that his humility and unyielding effort with people - especially those who would otherwise be left behind - was a hallmark of great leadership and of a leader with great future potential.

Before you start thinking this post should also be addressed to the Nobel Peace Prize people, you should also know that Alvin has a long way to go before his strengths and potential can be fully realised. Like most of us, Alvin isn't quite perfect!

Alvin has only just started to gather this insight for himself but for the first time, it gives him the opportunity to look forward and mould himself into the professional and the person he wants to be. For the first time in ages he has the motivation to gain the experiences and acquire the new skills that will broaden his leadership appeal and allow him to create new advantages for more people in the future.

The most important single thing however is this. Alvin’s career no longer needs to be started over or begun again because Alvin now knows his career is well and truly underway.

As for Alvin's future, in this impartial observer’s opinion anyway, it couldn’t be any brighter! :)

So, Do you think Alvin is alone? What might we all have in common with him? It would be great to hear your opinion!

All the best for now,

Paul

The Trappings of Success

Why trappings?

Why make success sound like a trap?

[Trapped? Looks pretty good to me :) - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

Some language students call the English language, 'easy to learn but difficult to master'. I suppose that goes for most languages but maybe it is words like 'trappings' that make things tricky. Even life-long English speakers could be forgiven for wondering about this one.

Is the English language confused or is it highly enlightened. Are they just words or do some words offer us a tangible, everyday link to the full range of human experience and learning throughout the ages? Yes it describes but can it really teach us pitfalls at the same time?

In my opinion [around the subject of careers of course] trappings can only make us feel trapped if they are things we don't want. If the trappings of career success also deliver fundamental satisfaction and fulfilment, you are unlikely to feel trapped.

If however you feel forced to follow a particular career path [i.e. your career decisions are limited by the trappings of success] feelings of discontent, disappointment or dissatisfaction would seem more likely at some point in the future.

What are your thoughts on the trappings of success?

All the best for now,

Paul

Make it known!

A formidable lady I worked for used to say, "Have the guts to ask!"

Get your intentions out there.

Once you know what you want, make it known to others.

Part of this is being prepared for any answer. If the thing we want is close to our heart, none of us want to hear we can't have it or that it's beyond our reach for now.

[Golden Bay - see more at Saundra's Flickr Photostream here]

It makes sense to test first when it comes to your career. When you know what is important to you, what you are good at and what you want for the future, you can define it for others. You know what to ask for.

You might not get the answer you want first time around but any answer you get can be learnt from. In every answer there will be something to help you move forward.

If you are unsure what to ask for, you can examine your experience and your values, talents and goals. When you are sure what you want, prepare yourself for every possible answer and go out and ask for it!

Follow these links for more on career decision-making and your values, talents and goals:

✪ Career choice

✪ Where the research leads...

✪ Failure & Success: Inseparable Career Twins

✪ work/life fusion: values

✪ work/life fusion: talents

✪ work/life fusion: goals

All the best for now,

Paul