Organizations like this are the future of work. Please, before showering me with contempt, go to Google and enter the words: equity investment firms, Silicon Valley.

Thus far, Elon Musk has taken on the insurmountable task of paving the way for an urgent need to transform our world to electric mobility.

10 Years folks. The tipping point of the impossible is taking place right now. Every auto manufacturer is converting to electric, and in its wake, the petrochemical cartel is, shall we say, “acting out?”

The world doesn’t need more armchair critics.

The world needs new workers. Problem solvers. Artisans of their own lives. The roles are infinite. Solutions and beauty. Lest there be any doubt about the urgency at hand, consider the fact that one of the first applications of the technology revolution is cleaning up after the filthy industrial revolution before it.

This helplessness thing does not suit us. Nor does responding to someone’s success with cynicism and contempt.

As for Elon Musk, I study him. Here is a man who didn’t “buy” Twitter. His success as an innovator is so thorough that his name alone financed that purchase.

The post Study Him appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

The most important piece of information is that human beings are able to think about something other than themselves for a maximum of 15-seconds.

The findings made pitch-selling obsolete. But, how does this impact our day-to-day living?

For several years many of us have been proving that being concerned with our own needs and expectations rather than helping others has not helped any of us.

If you are the exception, please speak up.

Over 12,000,000 spam e-mails are sent out for every sale that is made. By not having the respectfulness to find out what we need, continual pitching only shuts us down.

If you have achieved terrific results from continual pitching, please speak up.

We have been yelling at each other for a number of years and all that has accomplished is to make our country an ugly place. When I was a little kid, Lady Bird Johnson (One of the First Lady’s) was on a kick to beautify and clean-up America.

My grade school teacher screeched at us, “When you see trash by the side of the road, what do you think of?”

A kid in the back of the room responded, “Home.”

There is the rub. When trash becomes a way of life, all of us suffer.

My redemption has emerged from being of service. I don’t do it because it is right. I do it because service is the one thing that makes me feel great.

There were times in my life where friends referred to me as the “king of one-liners and put-downs.” It didn’t make me feel better. For one moment, I believed I was better, only to discover that what I had said made me far worse.

Do we want our lives to improve?

Go ask people what they want and need.

If you want our lives to improve,

Give it to them.

The post If You Can Only Think About Me For 15-Seconds, How Will All of Us Move Forward? appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

I’m not big on offering unsolicited advice but 2020 will most likely go down as the most difficult year in our collective history. Yogi Barra once said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” The famed baseball pitcher and philosopher was making a point in how important it is for us to take rather than think about action. This time, it is just as important to take the right action. So, I will do my best to give a few suggestions such as, “If I were in your shoes.”

Today’s Notes Include:

• What happened last weekend?
• Where are 2021s big opportunities?
• Why can December be so very important?

What Happened Last Weekend?

The unprecedented challenges impacting those of us who work pushed us to offer the November Inspired Work Program for $100 rather than $800.

Our participants came from all over the world. They blew away our fears that by making such a crazy reduction our participants would treat the program far too casually. But, they didn’t. They rolled up their sleeves and worked. They produced life-changing results. We were hit with so much goodwill and gratitude that we are completing 2020 with one more $100 program. Up to 100 participants can join us in December for the same fee.

We did this one out of love and my suggestion is to treat the opportunity in the same way. Take yourself into the new year with a new life. Give your friends and loved ones a gift unlike any other.

Where Are 2021s Growth Opportunities?

Let’s start with the obvious. if you work in an industry or organization that is shrinking, leave. Start by exploring the industries that are growing. Explore the ones that capture your imagination and interest. Rather than inundate our readers or turn my primary role into soothsayer, we will ongoingly provide news about “what’s next.”

A few of our hottest markets:

Technology 

Duh! But technology is rapidly growing in areas that might not come to mind. Bio-science is at an accelerative turning point. Incurable diseases are being cured. Health improvements are more widely available and cheaper. New talent hubs are emerging in areas like Southern California but also throughout the world. Investment capital is committed and rich. This is an area ripe for growth with new business and employment. Plus, the dynamics are to be part of something that saves and improves our lives.

We were headed towards a tipping point with communications technology, now we are on fire. As the world became used to Zoom and Skype, business travel as we knew it is over. Consumers have always been the biggest drivers of change. As I write this, I’m looking at Sony Music and Universal Music. Both buildings have been empty for about six months. As commercial real estate undergoes its biggest shake-out ever, look to the organizations that make telecommuting easier, more gratifying, and productive.

Over the last few years, billions have been invested in virtual work technology. This isn’t Zoom or Skype. The drivers offer meetings that we can step into, travel experiences that feel as if we are there. Occulus comes to mind but most every huge technology company is taking high-quality virtual immersion seriously.

Social Entrepreneurism

Social entrepreneurs solve world problems by making the solution wildly profitable.

The category is growing more quickly than other forms of start-ups.

Virtually everyone is in the midst of a direct confrontation with mortality. Often, that leads to an urgency to develop meaning within our own lives. Work is one of the key platforms for such an opportunity. For many, making money is no longer enough. The trend is there for fresh graduates as well. Many no longer go to just any employer website. They look for organizations and leaders that cure disease, offer high-quality and cost-free education, clean-up oceans, and bring greater safety to our communities.

You do not have to move to Silicon Valley to become part of this movement. We find innovation centers throughout the world. There is a growing need for solutions and after we get through this year, I predict we will witness explosive growth.

How can you learn more? Open Google and enter social entrepreneurs, the world’s top social entrepreneurs, etc. Look to authors such as Peter Diamandis, Kevin Kelly, and, of course, Daniel Pink.

Media Content

We are in the midst of the greatest explosion of media content since having three Television networks. 2020 has been tough on media organizations and while quite painful, much change will be positive. Entertainment options have grown explosively for the last ten years. The pandemic became a big pothole for new development and production. As it comes back, we will find large volumes of employment and business opportunities.

Really, reruns of Charlie’s Angels can only go so far.

What is the Big Deal About December?

If you regularly ask people, “Where do you winter?” There is no need to continue.

Employers and larger clients are in the midst of finishing up their 2020 budget. That means many leaders want to spend what’s left of their existing budget, which will be gone in just a few short weeks.

When I was in the staffing industry, I offered people bonuses to stay in town. We routinely produced our largest billings.

Of all the times we have secured business, here’s my favorite story: We were in New York on a variety of business development calls. One was to meet the entire human capital team of a global media company. We were grilled for about an hour and felt the conversation had gone well. About five minutes after leaving the building, my phone rang. It was the leader of the meeting.

She said, “Would you please send us, immediately, a retainer invoice for $185K?”

Our administrator had just left for the holidays. So, I asked, “When do you need it?”

“We need it for a 2’clock payment run.”

We raced back to the hotel, sent an invoice, and two days later, received the funds. The project was delivered the following summer.

I live by a spiritual philosophy that has served me quite well. It is to raise our probability of success. But, the results are up to God. What I have noticed is that those of us who work hard, with open hearts, and a smile whenever possible, often turn out to be quite lucky.

Folks, we welcome your comments and participation.

The post What Everyone Ought to Know About December appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

I could plaster all types of examples of participants that have established meaningful careers, and what we ten to do when we realize we haven’t spent much time on what is meaningful to us personally. When that doesn’t line up with how we make a living, changes often occur pretty quickly.

When all of us are aware of how quickly life can end, it is only natural to wonder about the meaning of it all. We find a spectrum from Christian, Hebrew, Islamic, and religious doctrine all to Elon Musk’s belief that we are living in a virtual reality game run by an advanced society.

A year-and-a-half ago, my partner and I were having dinner. We suddenly heard blood-curdling screams from the hallway outside our condo. The desperate cries were coming from a neighbor we found quite irritating for five years. Her mentally disabled son was on top of her, blood was everywhere, and he was well on his of murdering her in front of us. We don’t keep guns, but we have utensils. I grabbed a rolling pin and my partner got on the phone with the police.

Her face was unrecognizable. I yelled that if he didn’t stop, I was going to hit him. Then, I did it and he kept coming back as if he hadn’t felt a thing. It took the police over 40 minutes to arrive. Our other neighbors didn’t come to help. Even the security guard on our property didn’t spring into action. The head of the paramedic team shared doubts that she wouldn’t make it to the hospital. They had to revive her three times and after almost two months of healing and surgery, she made it home.

People routinely called us heroes. For the first time, I understood why so many people have difficulty accepting that title. A few weeks later, friends were over for dinner, and after telling them what happened, a dear woman said, “Life is sacred. The two of you know that and what you did was a sacred act.” From that vantage point, we had to do everything we could to save her life. Because if we did not, we would turn into men without any sense of life being sacred. This is why the action that we take does far more to define us than words.

Over the years, I’ve worked with so many people who have dared to speak up and commit to careers that bring meaning into their lives. We have also encountered many people with the same need, but they choose comfort over action.

Work dominates most of our waking hours. As we weather this storm, we expect a new flood of participants coming to Inspired Work to define and find meaningful professional lives. Because this is the first time, we have experienced the spectrum of mortality together every single day, for over six months. For many, settling for just a paycheck will no longer be enough.

Our society is also in the direct experience of the difference between empathy and self-centeredness, which turns out to be the most efficient way to turn us into very small packages.

But, rather than regaling you with glamorous stories about our clients, I would like to share how touched I’ve been with the heroes that are around us every single day.

Before sharing the truth, I have only recently entered the protected age class at Whole Foods, so I’ve learned to cop to my age by showing up at 7 a.m. I get to be there when there are few customers in the store. The workers have a deep sense of pride in how they present food to us. They genuinely care and pay attention to their customers. The produce department is a work of art. At first, I was reminded of stepping into a cafe in Barcelona for breakfast. I asked for fruit and yogurt. Here, we would have a glass filled with yogurt and some fruit thrown on the top. The Spaniards will turn fruit and yogurt into an art piece. I asked our waiter why the spent so much time on a fairly common dish. He smiled and said, “We don’t want to be common and beauty makes all of our lives better.”

Progressing through Whole Foods brings me to Stella, my first lady butcher. She was in rock bands before and she wears her tattoos as a badge of honor. She has these turned up glasses with nicely set rhinestones – just two or there. I often ask how she is being treated. The answer is always the same, “Most of my customers are patient and kind. There are more people that seem to be angry all the time. But, I don’t take it personally. They are going through a lot right now.”

A lot? She has four children to support and takes the bus in from the valley. She is just as afraid as the rest of us and yet, she shows up and has the decency to keep giving people love and the benefit of the doubt in Santa Monica, filled with self-appointed elites. Stella looks at them with compassion. Because life is sacred.

I was at Cedar-Sinai hospital last month to prepare to get rid of the injury on my thumb. It felt like walking into a war zone. Before getting into the clinic, there was a line with about eight people in front of me. At the front was a beautiful and cordial woman checking temperatures, issuing masks, and handing out sanitizer. A man in front of me started yelling at her to speed up. I raised my voice and said, “She is here for us. She puts her life on the line for all of us.” Most of the line broke into applause. When I got to her she whispered, “If the circumstances were different, I would hug you.” I suggested she had earned hugs from all of us every single day.

These are the people that put their lives on the line to take care of us. They are the heroes.

These are the people that deserve our attention and applause. Because they have the depth and courage to be empathetic and kind, even to the people walking around without much gratitude because they are so very important.

As for you?

If this tidal wave of a year has created a thirst for meaning in your professional life, give us a call.

The post The Real Heros appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

Before the pandemic, about half of America’s workers characterized themselves as under-employed. Most are hard-working and conscientious but with each passing year, their work becomes more difficult and less valuable. As an election year sweeps past us, we have yet to find one member of either dominant party providing true leadership on the challenge of underemployment. They make promises when the nation’s workers need guidance, understanding, and encouragement. On that front, Germany, China, Japan, South Korea, and Canada are way ahead of us in making sure their citizens have the current skills necessary to continue building their lives as well as their country’s economy.

Over here, we dismiss their best practices as socialism.

That brings up the need for all of us to take deep responsibility in having a relationship with our work that works. Without that, times will be tougher than before.

Many business owners have even greater difficulty with change because to do so requires a stack of additional challenges. I gave a keynote to a group of petroleum entrepreneurs in Canada. At the time, the global energy market was under siege and the Q & A centered around their challenges. I brought up the fact that petroleum will come back in fits but overall, it will decline as consumers will lose interest. I added that if they didn’t change the world, their children would.

Ouch!

I have promised good news.

We spend an enormous amount of time in our culture studying dysfunction, bad news, and pain. But, there is an entirely new tribe of business leaders that is reshaping how we view work. Today’s social entrepreneur insists on growing businesses by making a solution to a world problem profitable.

That day in Canada, I posed a question:

“What is Al Gore up to these days?”

For one, he is making tons of money. In 2019 his net worth doubled from $200Million to $400Million. This happened because several venture capitalists from Goldman Sachs and Silicon Valley’s legendary Kleiner Perkins that have been working with Vice President Gore in making green energy more profitable than petroleum, natural gas, and fracking.

All of this began by realizing the only way to create vast and sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest problems, we have to make the solution itself wildly profitable. Today, the start-ups that Gore and his partners invested in had to get through one of the most vigorous vetting processes that require pristine business plans, fully competent management teams, and strongly engaged oversite.

Peter Diamandis, the pied piper of social entrepreneurs, says, “If you want to become a billionaire, help a billion people.” Peter’s brilliance as well as the smarts that are common to our new board insists that it is no longer enough to just make money. The new icons change the world by helping others. In Los Angeles, Diamandis is the co-founder of X-Prize. The organization began when Richard Branson made an announcement offering a truckload of money to the first engineering team that could come up with a feasible way to provide access to commercial space travel.

A close friend of Branson, Peter saw an opportunity to bring this funding model into solving problems where sustainability has proven elusive. After launching X-Prize, Diamandis and his team have been bringing in billionaires and companies to fund solutions to our biggest problems. Just a few examples include the 4ocean, the machines that are now cleaning plastic from our oceans. They recently funded portable CatScan and MRI devices, that are saving thousands of lives in third world countries by being able to get a diagnosis rather than taking a critically ill patient through hours of difficult travel.

Why am I so excited about this segment?

For one, they are my new tribe and most of them have jobs.

We launched Inspired Work in 1990. Over the years thousands of people have used our program to launch new careers, start their first business or go back to work with a solution to a big problem. Of the thousands of changes that have occurred with our participants, the most common thread is meaning. One of the truths about life is the only meaning we can use is the meaning we define for ourselves, which is beautiful and unique each and every time.

Our new company workskunk will help solve underemployment by making the best possible programs available without charge. Inspired Work will still be here, but that audience has differing needs and expectations. But there is urgency and meaning to solving the problem of underemployment. When people look ahead and cannot find a place where they will make a good living, of course, we will find turmoil.

My office is in the center of Silicon Beach. I am looking at organizations like HBO, Cornerstone on Demand, Interscope, and Sony Music. While editing this article, we also watched a family walk through the neighborhood. One parent was pushing a shopping cart filled with two kids. The other was pushing a shopping cart with their belongings. This is what I mean by urgency.

I hope that America is still the most abundant country in the world. But, it feels like our country is going through one of the most untoward periods of adolescence in the world. The movement of social entrepreneurism is based on the recognition that running a business to just make money, that’s for people who still don’t care. But, we also insist on making the kind of money that pushes innovation past the old decaying formulas.

We are in the midst of a huge restructuring and task-based jobs are going the way of the mainframe computer. If you are one of the many millions of people impacted by this change, stop waiting. Learn how to change as quickly and as humanly as possible. Then, go do it.

We might have to become more skilled in drawing attention to ourselves. Many of us run from the possibility of getting hurt feelings, but the alternative is starvation. In many cases, the prospect of staying in jobs that are in decline is spiritual starvation.

I get to work with social entrepreneurs. Some of them are devoting their lives to curing cancer and other horrific diseases. One of my clients pulled me into his lab and turned back to say, “Welcome to my temple of hope.” I don’t know about you, but that is far more compelling than being in an environment that is there solely for shareholder value. Other clients are engaged in bringing cost-free higher education to everyone that has a computer or tablet. Others are focused on net-zero reality. What I find time and time again, is that finding the work that matters to us is the first and most important into this new future.

What I hope to convey here is that it is time for many of you to find your way in from the cold and to come up with a solution for work that has greater value than simply paying the bills. It isn’t enough.

I used to be nice about this subject called work. But, when the pandemic hit, many of those jobs that slid down the rabbit hole and will not be coming back. If that is impacting you then this is the time to change, to find your way into a new life, and to develop the faith as well as the courage to take action.

To summarize:

If it is time to change, look for a target that provides for your family, that nourishes your soul, and that brings meaning and purpose to your life.

Do that and one day you will look in the mirror and see redemption.

The post The Best News About Work – Ever appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

Over the next few weeks, we are running a series of articles highlighting some of the remarkable people that have not only changed their work, they have transformed every aspect of how they make a living.

We help people find their way to the truth. Anyone who comes through our programs emerges with clarity of their unique purpose and an understanding in how to become successful doing that. In some cases, the discovery helps them succeed in their existing work. Others make significant career changes into new jobs. Others launch businesses for the first time.

We treat work as a relationship, one that consumes most of our waking hours. Just as in romance, the success of that relationship is based on finding the work we love and developing the life skills that sustain our success.

The intent in sharing these stories is to provide insight in just how far with a bit of courage and humility can have life-changing and successful change in relatively short periods of time.

Some of the stories are from clients and participants that have permitted us to tell their stories without disclosing names. Others are comfortable with revealing their identities.

This particular story is one that I will never forget.

Several months after we launched Inspired Work, a group of human resource executives came to the program. They were from a financial institution that was starting to implode. After the experience, they offered the program to anyone who wanted more than a “transition.” The sent the employees who wanted to elevate this change in their lives as a turning point.

One young man walked in the door and I was immediately struck with how other participants responded to him. His story was a bit breathtaking. He grew up with a family of immigrant farmers. He was the first person from that family to graduate from college. In fact, his performance was so strong that he received a scholarship to Harvard for his MBA.

By his mid-thirties, he was the CFO of a big financial institution. In less than ten years he had risen to the youngest C-level executive in the organization. Now, we sat in front of us without a job.

We do not tell people what to do with their lives. For many of us, that is where our career troubles began. We help people define what their heart, mind, and soul most wants with such detail, taking action can take place immediately.

We ask questions, and as our participants write out the answers, a comprehensive picture emerges. We don’t pressure people to share their responses. However, most of them become quite enthused with their discoveries.

The CFO raised his hand and began sharing a surprising story.

“I grew up in the fields of Central California. All of my family members worked on farms. It was a difficult life, but I loved it.”

He looked down for a moment and back-up. It became clear he was telling one crucial truth for the first time in his life.

“All that I ever wanted to do was to grow things. For me, the experience of being outdoors, planting seeds, nurturing their growth, and doing that with my family, that was magic.”

I asked, “Why did you move so far away from the work you most loved?”

He gave an ironic smile. “I always excelled in school. When I left for Harvard. they were proud and joyous. Our entire community talked about what I had accomplished. As I got carried along from their enthusiasm, I didn’t have the courage to tell them that I was unhappy about work for a long time.”

As gently as possible, I asked,

“Since the day you left home. how much have you learned about business?”

He began an inventory of his knowledge and skills. He understood how to grow a business, raise funds, and make informed decisions about the strengths and shortcomings of business plans. He had facilitated large commercial real estate transactions.

I waved my hand to take a break.

“I’m getting the sense that you feel you either have to turn your back on business in order to return to the farm.”

He nodded.

“Are you planning on going back without those gifts? The truth is that you have grown into a person very different than the boy who left the fields. How could you take that and make a triumphant return to all that you love?”

The next morning, he walked into the room, and it was clear he had set himself free.

The moment I asked the participants to describe what happened and what they wanted to accomplish, his hand shot up.

We ask to hear about everyone’s progress so that we are in the best position possible to help as the second day unfolds. His hand shot up.

He announced, “I’m buying a farm.”

We are not big on ritualized excitement. But, the group began to applaud and it could have been the one moment that he experienced just how much people want us to be happy.

I asked, “What are you going to do with your family?”

He smiled broadly, “I’m making them part of the business.”

A few years later, he called me out of the blue. I can recall his enthusiasm and the music in his voice as if the call took place today.

He developed a farm in Ventura County that brings the most beautiful produce for the finest restaurants on the western seaboard. He wanted me to know that his breakthrough became a turning point for his entire family. In fact, all of them have equity in the business.

He added, “Most every day, I get here early. But, I pick that time for myself. I get to watch the sun come up over the hills. As our fields come into view I realize that God has watched over all of us. That sense of magic has never grown old.”

What is the lesson for us? When we open our eyes and commit to the work we were born to do, life falls into place. I have worked with thousands of people like them. Each one found their way into work that is as detailed and exquisite as their DNA.

What have I learned?

Everyone has imprint within that is as detailed and as moving as our thumbprint. When we develop the initiative to find that, the courage to grow that, a big portion of our lives come together as well.

We live in a place in time where I knowledge grows more swiftly than at any other point in our history. This is the time to stop settling for work that doesn’t suit us, especially if it is based on mind-numbing tasks.

Technology offers all of us the freedom to deliver work that is essential, that matters, and that solves one of the billions of problems that have results because of accelerating change.

The single most important lesson from this journey is my truth. Each and every one of you who read this article, you have a unique purpose. If you are living in that place, I don’t have to say another word. We are living in challenging times. Human nature is such that when our financial survival is at stake, we lower our standards. But, the world in which that might have worked is gone.

One of my clients is a former chief human resource executives from a variety of large organizations. He developed a vital and unique business that manages human capital during mergers and acquisitions. In his first year of business, he called to tell me his CPA had just informed him that he made more in the first year of business than his best year with a job. Both of us were so moved that we shed tears together.

He just finished his second year with more growth. I acknowledged him for having a variety of options and picking the one that offered the greatest fulfillment. He laughed, “Options! I didn’t have options. By the time we finished the questioning process the only work that made sense was this one, the one that I love and that makes the best use of my skills.”

If you or someone that you love has been struggling with the big changes and the turmoil roiling through our country, keep our eyes on positive outcomes. Task work is turning into powder. Whatever is left will turn out to be cheaper, shorter and even less satisfying.

But, we have progressed at a high rate of speed into new work that demands more of us, that often makes the world a better place to live, work that is far more engaging and meaningful.

For my friends and readers, this is the most important statement in the article:

The new world of work is offering us freedom. 

Some are already thinking, “I wasn’t looking for freedom. I want my job back.”

For years, our home has always had a couple of dachshunds. The first one that came into our house had been in a cage for about a month. We placed her in a crate that was quite similar in size to the cage. When we got home, we opened the door and invited her out. Eventually, she began moving around in a rectangle that fit the dimensions of her old home. She was terrified. Then, she looked up and realized she was in a whole new world.

This new reality raises the most important question to answer:

How do you want to use your freedom?

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

Schedule 15-Minutes to Discuss Your Workplace or Career with David (Here)

(C) Copyright, 2020, Inspired Work, Inc. – (All Rights Reserved)

The post How Did One CFO Become a Wealthy Farmer? appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

John F. Kennedy

As the pandemic hit our country, our workers were already in distress from underemployment. On the surface, we were given glowing reports of the lowest unemployment rate in history, hovering at about 3.8%. The actual truth was far more startling.

For several years, about half of our country’s workers have characterized themselves as “underemployed.” This state is characterized by millions of people that hold 2-3 jobs to keep a roof over their heads. We can find countless graduate students trying to keep stiff upper lips while serving coffee. Even more, sit in obsolete jobs as the market shrinks around them.

When half of our country’s workers look into the future and cannot envision where they will fit in, what happens? I believe this is the largest source of our turmoil.

America doesn’t need more promises. We need guidance. We need to be told the truth. The truth will set us free, but first, it will piss us off. In this particular case, task-based jobs have been disappearing for 20 years. The pandemic has thrown timelines out the window.

Now, we are being forced to change. Sell-change tends to require courage. Without meaningful guidance, many of our brothers and sisters who desperately need to reinvent themselves feel that doing so will add more risk to an already crowded table. Comfortable inaction will be the worst and most frightening choice of all. But in a country rich with abundance, most of us have become rather skilled in settling into our version of comfort. If we need to snap out of it and could use voices that replace hope with optimism, messages that encourage us to take action, and reminders that our lives are about to become much better.

In fact, the pipeline of work that is coming out of our vast change is far more exciting and it can give all of us more fulfillment and meaning. We sure could use leadership that points out what is in it for us if we let go and pay the price to become productive members of the new workplace.

We can begin a new mindset by recognizing that rapidly accelerating technology is offering us freedom. Just to let that in is frightening for so many of us, especially if we have hitched our livelihood to rote and monotonous work. Our home has been filled with Dachshunds since 1982. When Pablo Picasso found his dachshund he said that the family’s boxer was “large and simple” and their wiener dog “Lump” was “small and complicated.”

We brought that beautiful little puppy home in a small carrying crate. When we got home, we opened the door. She looked terrified. When she popped out of the crate, she spent a few minutes moving as if she was still in the cage she had been living in for a few weeks. Suddenly, she looked up more surprised than terrified. In a few minutes, Golda was running with glee throughout the house. The next evening, she stepped outside, killed a field rat that was bigger than her, dragged it into the house, and threw it at our feet.

Whenever I watch someone step into the life they were meant to have, I always remember her.

We need voices that replace hope with optimism, messages that instill confidence that through action, our lives will get better. In fact, what is coming down the pipeline of work is exciting and provides all of us with opportunities to have far more fulfillment than hanging on to obsolete and mind-numbing work.

The quality of our human capital has become the biggest contributor to an organization’s success. This is also true for the success of our countries. China, Canada, Germany, South Korea, and Japan have developed vigorous programs that not only minimize underemployment, but they also grow their talent to become bigger assets.

Let’s take a look at two shining examples:

Angela Merkel – Germany

For years, Germany’s automakers have built cars that have the strongest technological edge. Their factories lead the world in the use of robotic and software technology. However, they rarely lay off their workers. Angela Merkel developed partnerships with government, educational institutions, and employers. The government subsidizes apprenticeships for citizens entering the workplace and tax breaks to employers that train their workers to remain competitive. By the time new technology takes over the tasks of an employee, that person has moved on to roles that are quite reflective of the work hitting the market right now.

A number of our political leaders dismissed Germany’s model as a form of “socialism.” They view the practice as good business. Talent executives are able to build institutional knowledge of each worker, employee, and income tax revenue grows, and workers are more engaged because the work environment requires it.

Justin Trudeau – Canada

During his entire time in office, Justin Trudeau has consistently crafted policies and outlooks that keep Canada’s workers employed. Once again, education and establishing expectations play an enormous role in their success. Time and time again, Trudeau tells Canadians that change is inevitable and resisting change is futile.

Canada also provides tax incentives, clear policies, and strategic partnerships to avoid laying workers off via education.

Trudeau is consistent and passionate about turning Canada into a hotbed with Artificial Intelligence. In addition to attracting AI rock stars from other countries, dedicated professionals are focused on determining how AI will impact workers. Throughout all of the statements Trudeau has made to the press, does he blame technology for the stress of personal change. He characterizes progress as an opportunity to learn, grow one’s career, and bring sustainability to Canada’s economic success.

What Can We Do?

One of my colleagues and closest friends is the Mayor of one of our most interesting beach communities. About two months ago, the CDC led a call about the pandemic with over a thousand mayors. During the conversation, they were told to not wait for the federal government to work things out. They made it very clear that our mayors and governors ought to behave as if help will never arrive.

It is hard to fathom what would have happened if that call to action had never been made.

Protecting each other’s health is a sacred act. I propose the same standard regarding our livelihoods.

Do not wait one minute for a politician to solve our problems. Compare the following statements to the consistent messaging from leaders like Trudeau and Merkel:

Statement:

“These coal miners ought to go into trucking. There are a lot of jobs in trucking.” 

Mitch McConnell – Senator

Truth:

Robotic self-driving trucks are already shrinking trucking jobs from a current high of 5.2Million positions to about 600Thousand roles in just six years.

Statement:

“Technology is rendering millions of jobs as obsolete. Technology companies own information about every aspect of our lives. As a result, I will see that every American is given a basic income of $12,000 per year, with no strings attached.”

Andrew Yang, former Democratic candidate for President.

Truth:

Americans love free stuff. But Mr. Yang perpetuates the notion that we are being victimized. How does this viewpoint motivate people to change their lives? If one reader has an answer, please forward it to my attention.

Statements:

“14 million people she’s gotten jobs for,” referring to Ivanka. “Her goal when she started it two years ago was 500,000 jobs. She’s done over 14 million, so that’s really something.”

“Manufacturing jobs are all coming back. Don’t move. Don’t sell your house.”

Truth:

If I add just one more quote to this pile, I will develop a facial tick and run to the kitchen for the “Party-Sized” bag of potato chips.

If we were to glue together these statements into a cohesive statement, it might sound like this.

“It’s going to be great. Keep doing what you’re doing. Role model my daughter. She’s created billions of jobs. Besides, we’re sending you a thousand dollars a month to compensate for all of those evil tech companies in California. You know that coal is coming back. We’re big on coal. But if you need an income right now, take some of the money you are hiding under the mattress and go to trucking school.”

Do not wait. If you are having challenges with your work, get help today. If you want to change but don’t know how, get others to help you.

Arieti, one of the world’s most influential psychiatrist once said, “Our mental institutions are filled with creative thinkers.” His point led up to a basic truth. Creative thinking is not creativity. Creativity is based on taking action. If we sit in front of the TV and imagine becoming great artists, is that art?

Is There Good News?

There is fantastic news for those of us who look for it. I will not give a step-by-step list. That’s what task workers do.

However, we could all use new mindsets:

Technology is taking away task-based jobs. The pandemic is accelerating the change. It is time to move on.

Today’s technology is giving us freedom.

If you have any doubts about this, study social entrepreneurs, the fastest growing sector in business start-ups. This is one of the sectors that reveals exactly where we are headed. It is a world where wealth is generated by solving a world problem that is attached to a rigorous business model.

By the time many of our best and brightest students graduate, they are not going to the want ads. They are looking for leaders and organizations that are bringing good into the world.

I have been in the rather challenging game of bringing people to the work they were designed to do. What has been especially gratifying is bringing people to the work they most love. In addition, we have failed if that person doesn’t go back into their world and make a financial and lifestyle success out of that mission.

This is the new world. We cannot have happiness from work that generates deep ambivalence or outright dislike. But, we cannot have happiness unless we built the skills and mindset that shows us how to succeed.

We are being offered the freedom to do the work that we love. In fact, love will turn out to be the most potent fuel that overcomes our resistance to change. I found my life’s work in 1990. Since then, I have helped thousands of people define and succeed in the work they love. From our career development, leadership, and employee engagement programs, all of the outcomes have been focused on harnessing our truth and organizing that truth into a result that begins and ends with love.

And, you, over there! Yes, the CEO crunching up your face with cynicism. How on earth could we produce sustainable success without creating environments in which the right people are happy? Where they find meaning? If you can’t find a way to produce that, don’t let the door hit you from behind.

I love my work so much that I have been willing to practice persistence during some of the most difficult times in my life. Loving my work has humbled me to the point that someone who is brilliant makes a suggestion and I accept it and run with it right away. There have been times where I am mortally afraid. But, my work required that I build the kind of support system where there is always an answer.

I don’t wake up in the morning and think, “On boy, I sure could use some change today.”

We are deep in the trenches right now building a new company that sits on a sophisticated digital platform. I was aware that we needed to do this fifteen years ago. Making that commitment was so confronting that I went to one of my fallbacks, which is to ask God, wherever she or he might be at the moment, to send me a sign. Pardon the shift, but one of my greatest role models is Kathryn Graham, whose husband was the editor-in-chief of The Washington Post. He shot himself in their home. When she was at the lowest point in her life, she stood up and placed her family’s company at risk by condoning the release of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate.

A few days after making the decision to change everything, a client called. She came to us at one of the lowest points in her life. Since then, she has managed the estates of some of the world’s most famous and wealthiest icons. I’m always so happy to see or hear from her. I asked what was going on and she responded with a question.

“Would you like to have Kathryn Graham’s desk from the Washington Post?”

I have come to believe that my God sends “messages” designed to penetrate one of the thickest skulls in our country. So, here I sit at a desk where one woman, far more afraid, made the decision to do the right thing.

This is the time to act quickly. Just a few months ago I was telling people they had time to change and for those that were not ready to work with us, I thought to myself, “They will either get pushed by the pain or pulled by the vision.” I cannot control their decision. Now, there is no time left. If you haven’t retooled to meet the opportunities ahead, I will be a very sad man indeed.

Here is an example of the mindset I am suggesting.

Over the weekend, I dropped everything to spend time with three clients. Each one had been offered a wonderful job. For one, it was a perfect fit. The other two had also received great offers but were conflicted about accepting them. At one point, I burst out laughing. She responded, “What’s so funny?”

“Here we sit in the midst of this huge and disruptive health crisis. Perhaps we should not watch the news at all because it appears the world is coming to an end and you are about to turn down an offer from what could be framed as a dream job.”

We discussed the mindset of these three rather wonderful women. Each had taken the time to thoroughly examine what she wanted to do with her life. None of them fell into the victim game ever. They made sure the produced better results, more profit, greater innovation, and more effective teams than many of their peers. These are the types of role models that I believe women could use today. They take full responsibility for their lives and the well-being of their families. They don’t look for shortcuts, they are too busy exceeding everyone’s expectations. They do whatever it takes to shine and deliver on their commitments. They look for help and mentorship all of the time. When it shows up, they respond with humility, not the kind of humility that makes us feel bad, they are open and respectful. They take guidance and input and then send love notes when it all comes together.

That’s what we need.

I have weathered many storms to experience moments like this.

This is what I want for everyone that connects with these words today.

If we are going to experience the profound benefits of living in a world where the best choice is the work that we love.

For God’s sake, start looking for those of us who are thriving!

In a world where the most contemptuous demonize anyone with money, study the social entrepreneur movement where billions are being made by cleaning up the planet, growing solutions for education, and investing in cures for fatal illness. By playing with them, I bring more to everyone else. I learn more from these individuals in ten minutes than a year with many of my other learning options.

I want you to wake up in the morning and rather than rehearsing what you are going to do when the boss from hell greets you at the door, to confidently move onto to a boss who could mentor you and change your life.

I want parents to become the role models that have come through our programs. They are not presenting work as a necessary evil or something that isn’t much fun. These are the role models that tell their children to find the work that they love. I want our parents to recognize how wrong it is to dictate what is done with their lives. Giving them the support and freedom to do that will cause a detour around the rebellion that leaves wounds so many families.

I want you to have the kind of confidence to walk away from circumstances that are not growing your life and build the kinds of support systems that give you the freedom to be yourself.

This is what I want for you and we better hurry!

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

Schedule 15-Minutes to Discuss Your Workplace or Career with David (Here)

(C) Copyright, 2020, Inspired Work, Inc. – (All Rights Reserved)

The post If America is Failing Today’s Workers, What must we do? appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

One of my best friends called and invited us to a community event regarding an emerging health crisis. He practically ordered us to come. There were hundreds of people in the grand ballroom of a hotel where the world came crashing down on top of us.

At the podium was a physician named Michael Gottlieb. A renowned immunologist, he had identified the HIV virus. The medical community had not yet determined how it spread, but the impact was horrific. People were coming down with fatal pneumonia, aggressive forms of cancer, mental deterioration, and more. There was no cure, and most patients were gone in blindingly short periods.

I looked around the room as hundreds of faces looked back. Terror and grief were etched on their faces. Several of them appeared to critically ill. I leaned over to a friend and whispered, “Do you know anyone with this illness?”

He whispered back that his partner of ten years had it and was actually dying.

In the coming months, I watched countless members of our community disappear. Insurance companies began bearing down on employers to get rid of anyone who tested positive for the virus. For some gay men that became critically ill, it was the first time their families learned their son was gay. There were families that refused to visit them.

By grace or by luck, we did not have the virus. But, it became one of those non-negotiable influences on our lives. For a while, I turned into someone that I didn’t want to be. Looking back, I could never count the times that I felt disloyal. I could not bring myself to be physically close to someone who was ill. All of that changed when I accepted a new job.

The company was founded and run by women. On the day that I joined them, my boss took me to various offices to meet staff members and managers. One of the offices was a few floors down from their headquarters. There was a young man I will call Jonathan for the sake of privacy. He had just returned to work after spending a couple of weeks in the hospital fighting AIDs induced pneumonia. He was handsome, friendly, gracious, and gaunt. The young man quickly stood up, walked over, and shook my hand.

He said, “I’ve heard a lot about you. We’re excited you have decided to join us.”

I smiled and thanked him. Inside? Panic. How could I get out the door quickly enough to go and wash my hands? I turned to my boss and said, “Excuse me for just a moment, I need a quick bathroom break.”

I scrubbed my hands with the energy of a surgeon. But, when I returned my outlook and unreasonable fear quickly changed. My boss, the office manager, and another owner were in Jonathan’s office hugging him, touching his hand, and giving him affection.

In one instant, my entire mindset changed.

Today, every time I see a nurse or doctor in a spacesuit, I think back to Jonathan. He passed away just a few weeks after we met. Whenever I see relatives looking through the glass towards sick loved ones, I think of the thousands of men who died alone.

In the years since I’ve come to realize that connectedness is perhaps the single most important need for human health. During our current health crisis, I’ve been quite moved by the mindfulness most people are using to stay connected with others.

My colleague Dr. Robert Maurer has studied the behavior of people who are succeeding in every important area of their life. There are four behaviors these fortunate individuals have in common and each one is learnable. He tells us that humans are the single most dependent species on the face of the earth. Successful people are fully OK with that dependence. On a professional level, they reach out to get help from the right people. On a personal level, they are constantly praising others and accepting praise with graciousness. Bob often shows longevity tables for people who are married, in a relationship, or isolated. He even has a column for single people with pets. Of course, isolated individuals have the highest mortality rate.

Right now, we are in a world where connecting with others will help them survive and thrive. Encouraging friends and family members to reach out is one of the healthiest ways to get through this. If we have sent employees home, stay in touch with them. If we have a friend that is alone, this is the time to reach out.

Mortality has become one of my greatest sources of growth. About six months before we delivered the first Inspired Work Program, I sublet an office in Century City. As I worked on our curriculum, I used it with individuals who wanted and needed help. Friends began making referrals.

One of my first clients was a man in his forties. I had asked him over the phone what he hoped to accomplish, and he asked if that could wait until we sat down together. He was in his early forties, and he looked as if what he was about to tell me was strikingly awkward.

Once again, I asked, “What would you like to accomplish if we work together?”‘

He said, “I am dying from AIDs. I’ve been in the hospital twice, and it is not going to get better. I told a friend of mine that what I would want to feel before I leave is to help as many people as possible. He suggested that I meet with you. Can you help me?”

The man that sent him was the friend sitting next to us at that terrible event with Dr. Gottleib.

I smiled and said, “I will help you.”

I had no idea how that was going to happen, but I made one of those internal contracts to do whatever it would take to establish more meaning and fulfillment.

We worked together for about nine months. One day, his mother called to tell me he was gone. She thanked me for bringing so much joy into his life. I stopped her and said, “Your son taught me more about life than anyone.”

He did. Working with him taught me more about just how precious time really is. When we treat time like junk food we lose our appetite for life. That gentleman had the courage to reach out and elevate all that remained of his time.

This is a momentous time. All of us are being given choices in how we respond to the pandemic. Many of us will seek comfort rather than taking action. Others will recognize that the world of work is changing so quickly this is the time to reinvent and retool our future.

My life is devoted to helping people find their place in the future of work. That future will not respond well to ambivalence about our work. I’m finding that those of us who love our work are willing to change ourselves. That will always require courage. Time and time again, I find the results are surprising and moving.

We have been developing a digital platform that will deliver all that we do in a brand new way. Some of our fans view me as one of the most willing to changes people they know. I respond that it has taken almost 30 years for me to make this change.

Much of our learning programs are ready to move onto the new platform.

The Inspired Work Program has been the one that routinely changes people’s lives. It is the environment where I learn the most and am emotionally moved all of the time. I was never emotionally ready to move the program out of nice hotels and universities to the Internet.

Then, the world changed. It has been clear to me that our nation’s workers need to retool, to let go of old ideas and replace them with a new mindset. Technology isn’t taking away work, it is offering us freedom from mind-numbing tasks. However, with no adequate leadership from either political party, we find that half of America’s workers are now underemployed.

I am a perfectionist but the pandemic changed that. This past weekend, I delivered the first Inspired Work Program on the Internet. I was actually terrified. The program has been effective because it harnesses logic, emotions, and intuition to produce profound deliverables. What if that did not happen? There has always been a bonding that takes place between our participants. What if they lost that value?

The thing is, it was just as powerful as the programs we have delivered in live settings. That is a turning point. I had clung to this old model for so long that when we were finished, I was ready to ask valet parking to bring my car around. Instead, I opened the door to my office and our two dachshunds rushed in to welcome me to the rest of the house.

Last year, I had lunch with my former boss. We hadn’t seen each other in 25 years. I suggested having lunch by the pool at the Avalon Hotel. As she walked through the door, I felt an urge to check the date because she looked the same as when we had that first interview. She sold that company and became a renowned artist. What a role model she was to me.

Before I could say a word, she asked, “I just want to hear one thing first. What is it like to wake up in the morning, and be you?”

I chuckled, “You have always beat me to asking the most disarming question.”

She smiled, “David, I’m dead serious. You moved on, and you have helped thousands of people transform their work. What does that feel like?”

The years, the observations, engaging with angels and devils, the extraordinary lessons I have learned from thousands of amazing people, all of that rushed through my system, and I smiled back.

“It feels like redemption.”

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

Schedule 15-Minutes to Discuss Your Workplace or Career with David (Here)

(C) Copyright, 2020, Inspired Work, Inc. – (All Rights Reserved)

The post My Last Pandemic appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

Much of today’s turmoil involves ongoing collisions with change and for many, Harvey Weinstein’s conviction represents a turning point. But, a turning point for what?

Advancing technology is part of it. The democratization of technology is even bigger. Growing transparency is forcing changes in how we behave, do business, and treat others. Change is accelerating at such a rapid clip that new mindsets are in order for how we define work, careers, and personal value.

One of those seismic shifts in front of America is in women taking the lead in achieving full equality in our culture, especially with their income and financial parity at home.

Why is this so important?

On a cultural and political level, it is time to remove unneeded turmoil from our culture. From my perspective, half of America’s workers characterize themselves as underemployed. This is a direct reflection of a country that does not take a leadership position in keeping its workers competitive. As per equal pay for equal work, big business is learning that equal pay is good business. But, at its very core is the need for women to throw off any outlook, belief, or fallback on the victim card. In moving forward, nothing less than transmutation is in order. That can begin by ending the story of being victimized.

In my 20s, I was at a human potential event with about 500 people locked in a room at the LA Convention Center. A middle-aged woman kept raising her hand and it became progressively more clear she had something important to share. When the leader recognized her, she stood up, began crying, and revealed a shocking history of sexual abuse by her father. Finally, the facilitator interrupted her and asked, “How long have you been telling this story?”

A shock wave rolled over the crowd. But, he kept asking her until she replied, “30 years.”

His voice raised another pitch, “What do you get out of telling this story?”

This went back and forth until she literally screamed, “I get to be better than him.”

Why do I have any license to bring this up? I’m at the early stages of onset baby-boomer-ism and I’ve had long experience with successfully stepping into similar turf.

As a gay man, I stepped out of the closet at work, to my family, and in the community when I was 27 years old. Strategically, I always made sure that I was bringing in more profit than any of my colleagues. It was hard work. But, I got to drive better cars and be myself.

In the 80s, much of the LGBTQ community was its own worst enemy. This is what can happen when fathers impress on little boys that becoming a serial killer was preferable to becoming a fairy. But, in the workplace, revenue almost always won out. As time went on, I noticed that most straight men and women didn’t care about my gender preference. What mattered was bringing success to the team, kindness, competitiveness, integrity, and a deep a law-abiding sense of humor. Many of the gay men and women that I knew were far more homophobic than the straight people around me. For any group that has been pushed to the sidelines by turf, it is only natural to blame others for our discomfort.

However, for all of us, the time comes where we can tell the story of our repression over and over and over. Or, we choose to outcompete, out strategize and move ahead of our competition. But, if we choose to complain, to blame, or especially to be righteous, we miss the point. Right now, there is a big opening for women to forge ahead and balance the scales. Right now, the world’s most successful women have become the role models of choice. Being right has always been one of the world’s most hollow of victories. Besides, righteousness is exhausting in the workplace. Hey you, in the Prius, you’re blocking the fast lane. I know you are right at the speed limit and you are right in keeping the law. So, I will downshift, blast past you and in just a few minutes forget it ever happened.

In this new landscape, women are being given the opportunity to outcompete men. But, entitlement and righteousness will destroy the opportunity. Get the right horsepower, understand the rules of the road, learn to fly with skill and get the most successful women that you know to help you.

Why is this such an opportune time?

For the first time in history, technology is offering us freedom from mind-numbing task work. The acceleration of change can be overwhelming but wise mentors can show us how to make use of change. For those of us who are unwilling to learn how to change, the competition will work or zoom around us. For example, as we move from one era to the next, baby boomer powerhouses are deep in the last gasps of protecting an economy based on petroleum, military spending, smoke and mirrors, and a “do whatever it takes” outlook on retaining turf and power.

To further the point, we are in a moment where all bets are off. Women have a new road in front of them. But, borrowing from my experience, here are a few suggestions for a new mindset:

Replace Entitlement with Results

No matter the history behind it, when a true businessperson hears entitlement, he or she will forget about that individual’s value to mission, vision, and purpose.

Righteousness is Exhausting

Often, right is right. But, for those of us who are creating value, building positive cultures, and exceeding expectations, righteousness is exhausting. It is exhausting to walk on top of eggshells, tiresome to have someone point out what is wrong with us. The righteous do not inherit the earth, they are too busy irritating people.

Give Up the Victim

Not long ago, Jane Fonda was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. There was a moment where Colbert was talking about how “You still got it.” At that moment, Fonda turned into a vamp, got up, walked over to him, sat on his lap, and well into her late 70s, reduced him to a puddle of discomfort. “You still got it” is victim language and Fonda blew it out of the water.

Replace Activity with Value

76% of human resource professionals are women. The challenges facing this profession are just as daunting as others. Technology and cheap outsourcing are removing task-work from this profession every single day. The challenges here are reflective of any type of work that has been treated as an expense rather than a revenue stream.

When a CEO asks a human resource professional for updates, the majority will offer up a checklist of complete projects and tasks. Many of them will have worked until late into the night taking care of every single thing that needed to be done.

A modern human capital professional will point out how all of the positions in Atlanta were filled by trying a new strategy. In addition to saving a lot of overstressed talent, the project saved the company $1.2million in recruitment costs. Another example is the cumbersome open enrollment process that ate away at manhours? It has been replaced by a wonderful new app that not only makes open enrollment a snap, it also provides instant feedback for a wide range of healthcare, insurance, eligibility issues.

Do Whatever You Can to Tie Your Work to Profit Instead of Expenses

A few years ago, I was helping a high-flying company reorganize its talent strategy. There was an individual that people described as the “IT” guy. But, I looked at his work and he was generating the most spectacularly beautiful advertising. He later described that he almost threw up when I asked a question after shaking his hand,

“Tell me, are you considered a profit maker or are you overhead?”

In a relatively short period of time, we protected one of the company’s larger assets by reframing his role from one that generated expense to one that generated revenue.

Women have a long history of working in areas that are considered “overhead.” There is almost always an enormous price to pay for landing in the category. People are expected to work harder, get less in return, stay late, and if there is a downturn, forfeit a raise. The profit makers, however, are always treated better.

Even if you are in an area that rigidly continues to be reported as an expense, always tie your work to profitmaking.

This isn’t a woman problem, it is a business issue.

Make Sure You Have Everything Required in the New Workplace

In the years ahead, adopting these behaviors will increase everyone’s probability of success:

• Active learners own the future of work. They do not become obsolete.
• Don’t complain about technology, embrace it and outcompete everyone in using it.
• Never ever put down young people.
• Praise everyone who deserves it.
• Build support systems that all but guarantee your success.

This is where I choose to end. Years ago, a rather famous CEO asked what I wanted to accomplish with Inspired Work. I told him I wanted to build the world’s most successful career and talent development company.

He tossed our brochure to me and said, “It is a mistake to fixate on success.”

I smiled as politely as possible and said, “So great Swami, what are you suggesting?”

He summarized the whole game.

“In this life, there are never guarantees for success. So, rather than fixating on success, wouldn’t it be more honest to fixate on increasing the probability of success?”

To all of my readers who are women, there is an opening to gain more ground. Stop looking for the men to stop you. Go for it, pedal to the metal, with your hair on fire, and with a mentor who has walked down that road before you.

I don’t go to single friends for advice on my marriage.

Don’t go to victims for insight on how to succeed.

Find a woman who has already left the competition in the dust.

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

Schedule 15-Minutes to Discuss Your Workplace or Career with David (Here)

(C) Copyright, 2020, Inspired Work, Inc. – (All Rights Reserved)

The post Success Will Never Care if You Are a Man or a Woman appeared first on Inspired Work Services.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

Soft skills deserve a big fat apology from most human capital, training, and sales professionals.

Why do we so easily dismiss the very skills that can make anyone successful?

Possibly because these are the skills that require courage to develop:

• Sales
• Presentation skills
• Developing influence
• Building an active online presence
• Skillfully asking for help
• Learning how to fluidly and graciously connect with others.

The thing is, Courage Skills become more and more important as our society speeds up.

During the Inspired Work Program, our participants define what they really want and realize the influences that are in the way. One of those influences rests in our willingness and skillfulness in drawing healthy attention to our selves.

The most common internal pushback is the inner statement, “They’ll hurt me.” It is true that as we become more visible, we increase the possibility of getting hurt. But, when we lower our visibility, we increase the probability of starving. As a result, the norm is to draw just enough attention to get by.

Unfortunately, that behavioral norm turns the careers of many adults and their children into pained mediocrity.

In the academic world, I had the great fortune of becoming friends with Cathy Sandeen, Chancellor from the University of Alaska. For years, Cathy has studied the impact of change on education. Accelerating change driven by the exponential growth of technology is giving us a world where today’s average college graduate will change careers, not jobs, 4-6 times.

Most everyone is already encountering mind-boggling change. The negative results are factual: About half of America’s workers now characterize themselves as “underemployed.”

Turn off our TVs, set down our snacks, stop checking out on our phones, take a break from our games, and give the world around us some attention. As per our children, the greatest gift we can give them is high-quality attention. I’ve been given the great privilege of working and developing some of the most skilled leaders in the country. Many have had difficult childhoods where they had to grow to survive. Others have had parents that gave them constant and high-quality attention.

Once, I interviewed Leonard Maltin at Paramount Studios. He told me, with an almost surreal state of wonder, about having a love affair with the movies since he was a little boy. When Leonard was 15, he published his movie review by using the school lithograph. In the middle of our interview, Leonard asked, “What is your favorite film?” It took me a moment to respond because there are so many. In a couple of moments, the thinking became organized, and I said, “Right now, Avalon is my favorite film.”

So much about him was summarized with his response. His eyes flooded with tears, and he asked why:

I said, “It is such an eloquent tale about how a tightly-knit and loving family fell apart by simply watching and paying attention to something that wasn’t that important.”

Avalon is about an immigrant family that comes to America the land of abundance. The movie opens in Baltimore just after World War II. A few family members have arrived from the old country. They walk through the city on July the 4th with fireworks bursting in slow motion overhead. They are a tight-knit and highly engaged family. The grandfather owns a furniture company. Many of his relatives come work in the store. Every night they gather around a huge dining table. They gossip, crack jokes, insist on feedback from their children, and often relive painful memories. They cry with the sadness of what the war did to members of their family, and the dire straights of their old country.

One afternoon, the grandfather comes home to make a big announcement. “We are going to make a fortune selling this!”

He was holding one of the first Television sets. In the next frame, the family has moved from the table to the living room. Everyone stares at the TV. It is the beginning of that family’s decline. Instead of giving each other attention they were giving it to something that would give nothing back in return.

Today, we can actually predict how life will probably turn out how someone uses his or her technology.

We live in a new world! Advancing technology is rapidly taking away task-based work. This is not and should not be a political issue. But, I cannot find any political leader telling the American people what to do to successfully enter the future of work. We talk about a 3.8% unemployment rate while not bringing up that about half of our workers now characterize themselves as “underemployed.” You know, holding down 2-3 jobs to feed the kids, wondering what happened to the graduate degree as we serve coffee with a smile, hoping the human resources death angel isn’t coming around the corner as we hide in an obsolete job.

This out of sync situation is probably our single biggest source of today’s turmoil.

In a world moving so quickly that jobs, clients, and needs change in weeks rather than years, “connectivity” is now the most important collection of skills to thrive in this new world. Yep. I’m suggesting that we treat the skills more honestly by giving them a dismissive precursor. It’s a bit like telling passengers on a sinking ship that the lifeboats are so uncomfortable, maybe they better run back to the Lido Deck and have a last meal.

At Inspired Work, we call them “Courage Skills.” We propose that everyone does the same. Just this one step raises the probability that we will practice more courage. It’s really, really tough to find a characteristic in the human behavioral warehouse if it isn’t truthfully labeled.

Instead of hiding through isolation or throwing ourselves into the modern frenzy, we learn how to draw healthy and effective attention to ourselves. If we haven’t done this before, if we’ve avoided that skillset at all costs, then the learning itself will include discomfort. We learn how to draw healthy attention to ourselves.

• Define and express our brand (Everyone has one)
• Graciously connect with others in a variety of circumstances
• Learn how to athletically find the needs and expectations of others
• Work on sales, presentations, reaching out, asking for help until you are skilled enough to enjoy it.
• If you don’t believe you can do this, get someone to help.

One of the telling facts about today’s political leadership is that our Senator’s average age is 61.8 years old. Congress is a very youthful 57.8 years old. I get to point the problem because in the old crocodile category called “baby-boomers.” How can these people possibly guide us to the future when their most common promise is to take us back to the past? How can we help people understand what to do when we tell them to move from coal mining to trucking. “There plenty of jobs there.” And yet, technology is taking truck driving positions from 5.2million openings to about 600thousand in just 7 years.

I success now hinges in our ability to fluidly and harmoniously find the right people to help us, to connect with. Recognize that drawing and giving attention isn’t something most of us learn in school or at home.

Today’s average family communicates 7 minutes a day and 4 of those minutes are spent correcting or arguing.

The results of this cultural shortcoming are adult beliefs such as:

• “I’m not a salesperson. Never will be.”
• “I would rather die than make a public presentation.”
• “I’m flying below the radar.”

Sadly, the figures don’t touch upon individuals that grew up in emotional, physical, and sexual violence. Bring up the specter of attention this us and the reaction is violently opposed. I had the first two. The only way that I worked through it was to keep calling prospects! When I went into sales, I stuttered. But, it was through persistence that I became far more comfortable with sales because the alternatives were pretty bleak!

The need to build courage skills into our educational system would require teachers that haven’t spent much of their adult lives running from the learning experience. We can’t find a school system at any level that requires these skills to graduate. The impact of this skill deficit shows up in every area of American culture. Attorneys used to have an almost guaranteed entry into high paying task work. For decades the one difference between two attorneys with equal technical skills that spelled out which one became partner was the one that brought in business. Legal Zoom turned that upside down. Now we have former associates suffering from slave wages without realizing it is time to learn how to connect.

Last year, my colleague Mary and I gave a presentation to a community organization. In the end, the group handed out a “Student of the Month” award to a Junior from a local school. She was so shy that she refused to walk up to the podium to accept the award.

What’s going to happen to her?

Nothing.

What’s going to happen to those of us who persist in the safety of isolation?

Nothing.

As we enter the biggest restructuring of work since the Industrial Revolution, it is easy to get swallowed by the disruption. But, the biggest opportunity here is to do the work we love, do the work that matters, put technology to good use, and let go of mind-numbing work.

What we are discovering here is that finding the work that we love has always improved the lives of our graduates and clients. Now, it is hard to envision much success without it.

Brought to you by David Harder, President – Inspired Work, Inc.

Schedule 15-Minutes to Discuss Your Workplace or Career with David (Here)

(C) Copyright, 2020, Inspired Work, Inc. – (All Rights Reserved)

The post The Great Big Insult About Soft Skills appeared first on Inspired Work Services.