Career (Page 4)

Imposter Syndrome

In: Career

Impostor syndrome—the idea that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications has been around for quite a while, it was first identified in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. Its is a common scenario that many very successful leaders face, feeling like a fraud in their role. Mike Cannon Brookes (Jnr) co-founder of Atlassian talks extensively about how he felt an imposter in his Ted presentation in 2018 and he is now worth billions. He also wrote about it on the company blog how he felt like a fraud including how he used the “Fake it till you make it playbook” including a personal story about how he used it to meet his wife. Melissa Ben-Ishay was 24 when she lost her advertising job at the beginning of the 2008 recession. She turned her passion (baking cupcakes) into her purposeContinue Reading

In: Career, Career Development

’70 is the new 30′ it does seem hard to believe that we have the ability to out perform a peer 40 years our junior, but that is what a recent survey from Finland recently established. They found that the physical and cognitive health of adults today is significantly better than it was 30 years ago. Positive changes in nutrition, healthcare, education and an improved working life have contributed to superior functionality (according to the research). “the most important underlying factor behind the cohort differences in cognitive performance was longer education.” Kaisa Koivunen (researcher) According to author Daniel Levitin (Author of The Changing Mind: A Neuroscientists Guide to Ageing) its not that 70 or 80 year olds are the same as 30 year olds physically but mentally the older person has distinct advantages including impulse control, ability to get along with others and structured decision making Many of us believeContinue Reading

RBG

In: Career

This article looks at some sage advice from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, about knowing when to be ‘a little deaf’ and how it can help any professional career. “In every good marriage, it helps sometimes to be a little deaf. I have followed that advice assiduously, and not only at home through 56 years of a marital partnership nonpareil. I have employed it as well in every workplace, including the Supreme Court. When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg Being a little deaf to thoughtless and unkind words is essential to having. successful and fulfilling career. It is the basis of being able to accept constructive criticism and not letting poorly considered comments impact your emotions. The author has been running a survey into how resilient people are which found that lessContinue Reading

In: Career, Career Development

What is gut instinct? A mix of knowledge, lived experience, prediction and risk management. So what do we do when the world has changed so much and gut instinct is no longer accurate? When our experience, knowledge, predictive abilities and risk taking reflection no longer give us the relevant knowledge to make an informed decision? The world is so different right now that often there isn’t a ‘right decision’ and no matter what you choose outcomes still have the potential to suck. I Don’t Know As a leader, a teacher or a subject matter expert it is hard to say ‘I don’t know’ but in this different environment that the world is in it is ok to say that you don’t know because the whole world is dealing with similar problems. Saying I don’t know, establishes your authenticity, it recognises that your decisions might not be as well informed asContinue Reading

Purpose

In: Career, Purpose, Uncategorized

Activate your purpose and generate a shared identity for your organisation and employees and you navigate the transition. Organise for the future Leaders are planning for a post pandemic future recognise that purpose can not be relegated to broad goals, high level intentions, or catchy slogans. Increasingly businesses as part of their social contract are expected to take lead in addressing how to create a more sustainable and equitable world. This sees business leaders taking on a renewed dedication to solving societal challenges and addressing broader human needs. Doing this requires the leader to have a clear and authentic purpose that guides their decisions and their overall strategy. Move from Why to How Setting your purpose into action connects your organisation’s core strengths and differentiation to the societal goals and progress that the organisation seeks to support. Having a meaningful purpose cultivates “a shared identity that informs how the companyContinue Reading

Level Up

In: Career, Career Development

When you move up a level, you need to make sure you empower your team and effectively delegate to be successful without you. The strengths that make you terrific at hands-on delivery don’t always serve you perfectly once you’re responsible for juggling multiple teams, issues, and priorities — some of which are always going to be in conflict. Liz Kislik Adjust your relationship with your team It is a crucial step detaching from the way you were working with the team, it will be very important as you start delegating responsibility and helping your team member to become more capable and effective. Stop answering everything – in team sessions the questions will keep coming to you so, either keep quiet or direct it to the best person in the team with the knowledge to answer it. Support independent thinking – help your team figure out the plan and solve the problemContinue Reading

In: Career, Career Development

This article explores the core mindsets and skills of effective learners, those who master that capability are referred to as Intentional Learners – possessors of a fundamental skill for professionals to cultivate in coming years. The process of unlocking that capability will create tremendous value for themselves and for those they lead and manage. Learning itself is a skill. Unlocking the mindsets and skills to develop it can boost personal and professional lives and deliver a competitive edge. McKinsey Quarterly Unlocking Intentionality Formal learning only accounts for a tiny percentage of the learning every professional requires during the course of their career. Intentional learners treat every moment as a learning opportunity, embracing the need to learn not as a seperate task or type of work but as an almost unconscious, reflexive way of working. Every experience, conversation, meeting and deliverable carries with it an opportunity to develop and grow andContinue Reading

In: Virtual Teams, Working From Home

This article reflects on the organisational culture at GitLab a company who is Transparent and Remote. GitLab have been been at the cutting edge of remote work models since the company was formed in 2011. With a staff of over 1300 people, GitLab has been touted the largest all remote organisation in the world (up until now…). Team members are spread across 67 countries. The company is radically transparent, if you look at its website you can see a list of everyone who works there (with a photo), Management Group policies are explicitly shared on the company website where everyone is aware of what is expected. GitLab are a competitor to Github (which was acquired by Microsoft in 2018 for $7.5 billion USD) but while the product is similar the company culture is radically different. Vibrant (virtual) Watercooler Meetings Recognising that an all remote workforce needed to have a structuredContinue Reading

Being made redundant

In: Career, Career Development, Working From Home

This article talks to some of the personal experiences people are having being made redundant during CoVID19, how people are being told they are no longer required by video meeting and have no opportunity for closure with colleagues and friends at events. A workplace where you have been employed for a long time can heavily influence who you are, it can be hard to lose a connection to the company, former fellow employees and your purpose at one time. The changing market conditions has also knocked the optimism of some people who would potentially be more buoyant about a change of career and looking for new opportunities. For employers It is important that employers recognise this is a difficult time for people changing roles and looking for new opportunities. Empathy for the situation is critical and while the rules around redundancy in Australia can make it difficult with what youContinue Reading

In: Career

The author is quick to point out that having a positive outlook is widely regarded as being inherently beneficial and that certain cultures around the world have a greater or lesser degree of positivity (Americans high / Finns lower). Reality helps avoid a false sense of securityWe do tend to have a built in level of pragmatism for everyday risks, such as crossing the road. If you recognise the risk of getting hit while crossing the road, you are more likely to take care than have a false sense of security. However this same pragmatism may instead be replaced by over optimism with health related risks (smoking, drinking, or over eating), career related aspirations (I will get promoted even if I don’t work hard), or gambling (I win at the casino more often than not). Humans are pre-wired for optimismWhen it comes to predicting what we are expecting to happenContinue Reading