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No 64                                                                               August 2005

Want to Work for Yourself or Work Portfolio?

I was talking to a guy the other week and as we chatted it was very clear that he didn't like working where he was and that he wanted a change but did not really want to start working for a new employer. So why not "Work for yourself?" I asked.

Our discussion went from there and so did the reasons for not making a change. The following is a series of outcomes and hurdles of that discussion. For want of a word, I have called them "myths".

They are not in any particular order, they are not supposed to be read as a progression, so here goes. Before we launch into these, an explanation: terminology is a difficult thing. In these myths, I have used terms such as "employer" or "employee". In using these terms, I don't want to restrict you to thinking that these only apply to the traditional arrangement where a person is "on the payroll" of a company. These were talked about in the context of "working for yourself" or "working portfolio" or being "self-employed".

Likewise, we all have "careers" irrespective of the relationship that we might have with the person who pays us.

I think that is rubbish. Everybody knows what they want to do. Even if you think of the things you don't want to do, by a process of elimination one can usually arrive at a ‘ballpark’ or idea of what you do want to do.

If you think back over your life, there was a time when you had a dream, a long–held ambition or aspiration of what you wanted to do with your career. Often these dreams can become buried or forgotten as we follow the road we feel we ‘should’ take, or decided that what we really want to do is ‘unrealistic’. It may also be true that what you may have wanted to do when you were 10 may not be appropriate for you now, but the essence of the role is often the same. It’s not that you don’t know what you want to do – it’s often just that you’ve forgotten or lost the dream somewhere along the way.

What’s important here is that you do. Often we may find ourselves being influenced by what I call our ‘tribe’ – the people closest to us – when it comes to making decisions about our careers. Many of us started our careers doing "what was expected of us" and not what we really wanted to do. This is often a pattern of behaviour that can be hard to break. So, whilst we may seek the advice of others, it’s important to keep their advice in context. This is because sometimes the objections we hear, are only a reflection of their owner’s fears or doubts about themselves, or the way the world operates. Make sure any concerns you may have about making a career change are your own and have not been inherited from the ‘tribe’ or life long conditioning.

We’ve heard this one many times and my question is "If you’re not 100% happy within yourself, will you be able to give 100% to the people closest to you?" Living a life you love is not about being selfish. It’s about being true to yourself and doing what you love, with the people you love. How many times have we been unhappy about a certain aspect of our lives, only to find our frustrations manifesting in another area of our life and often hurting the people closest to us in the process? So, it goes without saying that the happier and more content we are with our own lives, the more we’re able to give to those around us. Giving yourself permission to have what you want creates a win–win for everyone.

This is another classic we tell ourselves which needs to be addressed head on. First of all lets get it straight – it won’t go away. You may be able to distract it, ignore or even drown it out with enough rational argument to sink the Titanic. But it will always find a way of coming back to the surface, and probably when you least expect it. Secondly, you’re feeling this way for a reason. Ignoring it is like ignoring your own need for growth and change. Change is a natural part of our evolution, so listen to your frustrations and take action accordingly.

First of all, talking to a coach doesn’t take anything away from you as an individual. It just means that you’ve decided to get a second opinion (or a third or fourth one depending on how many perspectives you’re already carrying around in your head). Having someone to bounce ideas off, challenge your thinking, help to clear "the wood from the trees" or to bring a new perspective to your situation, can sometimes be just the stimulus you need to get you moving again. A coach helps facilitate your own decision–making process. You already have the answers inside you; it’s just that you may not realise it yet.

This myth is a bit of a double-edged sword – and one we need to be completely honest about too. On one hand we need to ask ourselves if believing this myth provides us with an opportunity to stop reaching for our dreams and on the other hand we need to ask ourselves what we’re backing this statement up with. Have we researched our ideal career and do we have the information we need to make a decision from a position of strength? Only through research and talking to people who have the facts we need, can we begin to make important decisions about our careers based on facts and not misinformation or negative beliefs.

Sometimes when we no longer feel challenged in our work or lack a sense of achievement, we look for intellectual stimulation elsewhere. We often enrol on a series of short courses or a make a longer-term commitment to study for a new qualification. I’m not saying that professional improvement is not a good thing – in fact I’m all for it – as long as it’s for the right reasons. When we try to find a substitute for what we feel is lacking in our work we’re compensating rather than facing the real issue. It may meet our immediate needs, but often half way through or even once we’ve completed our study, we still feel as though something is missing. This only results in what can often amount to large sums of wasted investment in both time and money. When we face the real issue and identify our ideal career path – we can more effectively channel our energy, and finances, where they need to be.

Richard Bolles, author of What Colour is Your Parachute, describes networking as the "gathering of contacts now, who might be able to help you with your career, or with your job-hunting at some future date". It’s all about talking to people and building relationships. We do it all the time – but often don’t realise that’s what we’re doing. By expanding your network of contacts you can open up new opportunities which may have otherwise remained hidden from you. Remember, a large percentage of work roles are found through the unpublished market, in other words, your network. So, even if you’re not currently looking for a new role or career, it’s worth investing your time in networking now – because you never know when you may need their help in the future.

* There's more and they will be included in the next NEWORKer *

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