Evolutionary Provocateur

The Self-Employed Mind Set

Cliff Hakim published ‘We Are All Self-Employed' in 1994 with the intention of taking people from surviving to succeeding whether it was as an employee or as an entrepreneur. His advice is as relevant today as it was then. As more and more people take charge of their career change by starting their own businesses, paying attention to the shift in mind set is essential. The change from thinking of oneself as employed and thinking of oneself as self-employed has exactly the same elements as the change in the spirit when one moves from barely surviving in this world to creating life's experiences.

He defined surviving as continually making adjustments to a shifting culture resulting in unfulfilled angry people who make routine changes to adapt rather than engaging in the action of fully taking charge for their self-fulfillment and the corresponding self-knowledge. Succeeding is synonymous with creating.

In his forward Hakim states, "Dependence on the organization is obsolete... Loyalty to the organization no longer guarantees job security....Today and for the foreseeable future, people's employability lies in their own hands." (p.xiii, We Are All Self-Employed, Berrett-Koehler, 1994)

An employed attitude is a dependent one which embodies the following beliefs*:

1. My boss is in charge. If he/she is wrong then it's their fault things didn't work out. Customers don't know what they want. It's my job to influence them all to see things my way. (You can see where our reliance on leader as master manipulator comes from.)
2. If I work hard I will be safe from uncertainty. They owe it to me to keep me on.
3. The company and customers will look after me. They know what I do best. Whatever job offer I get, I'll take.
4. I work for the company and they look after me. If I don't agree with them, it is my job to do what is expected, listen to what they need and do it.
5. If I focus on my successes, I'll be happy. I know how to work with the politics so I don't get burned. If something I don't like comes up, it's my job to suck it up.
6. I am just here doing a job. I take my body to work and leave my spirit and passion at home. That's where it is safe.

A self-employed attitude embodies these beliefs*:

1. The process of change starts with me. I assess my skills and values and focus on priorities at work.
2. I actively face my fears and replace them with passion. Through sharing and inquiry I gain clarity on what I bring to help me focus on what I can contribute to company goals.
3. I am myself - no apologies. I fully integrate independence and interdependence. I choose the job that is right for me. The interview is about a match not a catch.
4. I will join an organization and my customers providing service based on competence regardless of who I work for.
5. My personal growth and commitment to continuous learning is an integral part of expanding my thinking and capacity to contribute. Questioning precedes forming conclusion.
6. I create work that holds meaning for me. I am able to give value to my work and make a contribution regardless of the level. I am an active goal-oriented team member.

[*Adapted/drawn from ‘We Are All Self-Employed' by Cliff Hakim.]

With so many people in career transition this is the time to face those fears of dependence and convert them into an independent and interdependent relationship with yourself, your work and the community you contribute to. As Hakim put it, you now can give yourself ‘permission' to live from your integrity and Whole self. Self-actualized leadership then, isn't a woo-woo concept that life and health insurance companies roll their eyes over, but becomes the conduit for engaged, empowered talent to contribute.

The Story of One Executive's Journey from Job Loss to Rediscovery

For a while now I have been posting a chapter a week of The Backyard Portal as I transcribe the feature film script into book form. It seemed to be a bit cumbersome for readers trying to catch up so I have moved the whole book to www.FromINsightToAction.com Click on the Film and Book button and you can read the 12 existing chapters there. One will be added each week.

The story was inspired by the reality that job loss can provide an opening for reinvention and discovery not only of who you are but of what you can contribute to social, economic and environmental change. Ironically in the story at least, the lead character is resistant to change, and is also experiencing marital difficulties, though he doesn't want to deal with them. As his world implodes, he is faced with his own implosion... unless he seizes the opportunity to learn from an ecletic group of mentors including his five-year old autistic mute daughter.

I welcome comments but the website doesn't have the capacity for that so please post them on EPDawna_Jones on Twitter.

Employee or Self-employed? That is the Question!

As the new co-facilitator of Happen Vancouver, a networking organizations for professionals in transition, I can't help but notice the number of very employable, experienced creative professionals who are seeking work BUT they aren't from here. Now Here could be anywhere but lets pretend for a moment that HERE is anyplace where someone who is talented, experienced, credentialed up the wazoo BUT who gets overlooked because he or she comes from Mexico, England, Argentina with or without Canadian experience. This is not unlike the one-armed office wizard who was overlooked by 80 legal firms because she didn't fit their paradigm of what a worker looked like. She was hired by a company that hired for merit not looks or appearance. That story was told at the Burnaby Board of Trade meeting a couple of years ago. I'd like to think that things have changed but somehow I doubt it.

So who changes? The prospective employee to fit the not so progressive employer? Or the employer who has operated by the same belief system and assumption for a gjillion years and is still thinking it works in a changed work. A leading and loaded question I know but one worth asking in times when theoretically the work force is changing yet the workplace is still retains some same-old; same old notions of how things work.

In a way, it is both seductive and addictive to think that as the world shifts to warp ten speed companies can still operate using a narrow lens to perceive the world. While it may feel safe enough, it is going to be anything but safe as the need for quantum consciousness emerges. The interconnectivity of all things is laid wide open with that level of consciousness. So is the talent that lies within and without. Looks don't matter. Desire to contribute to innovation does.

As I review the on-line chat on how to dress for an interview it occurred to me that unless you dressed for success (where women still dress like men and men still dress like men), and tightly followed both a food and dress unstated protocol your chances for a job were slim. There is a lot of talent waiting in the wings to be seen. It might help to remove employer's blinkers so the peripheral vision can kick in.

Coffee Shop Culture & Layoffs

As I embark on keeping the Vancouver branch of Happen.ca moving forward it gives me a good opportunity to contact old friends. Gregg Taylor at Transitions Career Counselling has launched his blog with an interesting title: The Coffee Shop Office.

The very title of the blog  speaks to the many colleagues who have given up bricks and mortar for a more Cappiccino way of doing business. Gregg's firm is one in line for a lot of business as people prepare to take chargeof their own transitions - career and otherwise. Taking over the reins of Happen.ca has allowed me to learn how outplacement firms differentiate themselves. Most seem to be preoccupied by the mechanics of job search minus the entrepreneurial option which, quite frankly, a lot of people will choose over finding the next insecure 'secure' position. The boss you know (YOU) is likely to be better than the boss you don't.

Gregg' firm specializes in helping people reconnect with themselves enough to know what their values are. Many people wander through life and career with that knowledge operating subsurface. When career choice must be made intentionally, self-awareness is the essential launch pad.

Make no mistake, moving from a structured office environment to the relatively unstructured coffee shop environment is a jump. And it just might be the best thing you have ever done for yourself.

Learning from the Loss of a Pension

Around the world, many countries are experiencing economic crises on an astounding scale.  Long gone, so it seems, are the days of prosperity; it is now crunch time for businesses the world over.  Rather than planning for the future, a great number of businesses have displayed reactionary behavior to the fluctuating markets, which has shown a lack in not only character, but planning as well.  The   end results have been staggering, with many companies closing their doors and leaving employees devoid of any compensation whatsoever, including pension plans.

 

The loss of a hard-earned pension is no doubt a devastating blow.  There will naturally be many emotions tied to the loss of a job and pension; fear and loss are tied closely together.  What can be learned from an experience such as this?  There are many, a few of which will be shared below.

 

Powerlessness

 

A great loss can bring about feelings of powerlessness over the future.  This is true in many cases.  Although we can work and try as hard as we can, there are some things that are out of our hands.  We cannot will our company to stay in business, nor can we make the economy better.  Sometimes we will gain our greatest lessons out of adversity and be all the better for it.

 

History Lessons

 

If we look back to the days of the Great Depression, the entire nation was on the verge of coming apart at the seams.  Many people lost fortunes, people began to move around looking for work, and the economy seemed as though it would never turn around.  We know now, however, that things did eventually turn around and that the people and the country were stronger than ever because of it.

 

These situations are not what we anticipated, but could signal the beginnings of a massive overhaul of the way we conduct business and look at our economy in the future.  We are at a crossroads and are able to witness the transformation.

 

Best Laid Plans

 

While we can try to plan for the future, many of us have learned over time that plans rarely turn out as we had, well, planned.  Losing a pension is a difficult situation to deal with, but keep in mind that people of all walks of life have been adversely affected by this economic downturn and that it will take some time to right the wrongs.  Whether you had saved it yourself or left it in the hands of your employer, chances are you lost big this year.

 

Whatever the case may be, now is not the time to give up.  Rather, it should be a time when we work together to look for solutions to our problems and try our best to make sure that these kinds of mistakes don’t happen again.  As we moved forward, solutions will begin to present themselves and things will certainly change for the better.

 

By-line:

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of job search sites. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

Career at a Crossroads Part 2-Intuitive Guidance

Integrating recent research from the Heart Math Institute, the second in the series on career explains what your intuition is made of and how it can help you navigate the uncertainty of career change.

Careers at the Crossroads-The Power of Your Personal Spirit

With many people experiencing job loss or in a career transition by choice or circumstance I thought I would do a series of videos that help you tap into talent you have to reignite and renew your direction. Enjoy and remember that the answers lie within. 

This complements an earlier post that explains the link between personal growth and global change. By the way, this is part of a series of Executive Fireside Chats that are not restricted to executives. Take a look at YouTube: EPDawna if you are curious. I am just getting started at this so film makers... forgive me.