A:

Thanks, Gail! 

I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying Plugged In and using it in your teaching and training.  There’s a Manager’s Guide available on my website that you may find helpful, as well – it includes a discussion guide to use in conversations with Gen Y’s.

I think one of the best books available on adult careers is Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career by Herminia Ibarra (Harvard Business School Press, 2003).  Ibarra is a respected academic; most of her research-based papers appear in academic journals.  This book, written for a lay audience but based on her wonderful research, documents how adults reinvent themselves.

I quote several of Ibarra’s key findings in the book I wrote for Boomers, Retire Retirement:  Career Strategies for the Boomer Generation.  Like Plugged In, this book contains frameworks for thinking about the work that you’ll find most satisfying and engaging – in this case, if you’re a Boomer, looking to shape a second career path.

Another book I recommend is Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50 by David D. Corbett and Richard Higgins (Jossey-Bass, November 2006).  As the title indicates, the book discusses how to blend a variety of activities into a satisfying life.

And, I’d love to speak to your group.  My speaking engagements are handled by Jacqueline Lewis of Monitor Talent; her information is included on the “contact” page of this site.

Thank you again,

Warmly,

Tammy

A:

Dear Tushar,

Thanks for this question – innovation is one of my favorite topics.

I have three practical suggestions for increasing innovation in the workplace.

1. Build trust-base relationships with colleagues.  I call this strengthening your organization’s “collaborative capacity” because my research shows that people do not share ideas – that is, collaborate – unless they trust each other.  And, unless you’re willing to share ideas with others, the likelihood of innovation is limited to only what resides in one individual’s head – usually not enough for sustained success!

2. Introduce diverse perspectives and new information.  Make sure you and your colleagues are continually exposed to fresh thinking – even if it is not immediately apparent that it relates to the work at hand.  It’s impossible to predict where that “ah ha” spark will come from.  Observing and learning from a variety of sources is important stimuli.

3. Ask great questions.  People don’t innovate because you ask them to innovate.  They innovate because they are intrigued by a question or problem that they’d like to solve.  Innovation is fundamentally a discretionary activity – people must be drawn to doing it.  Provocative, compelling, important questions are the magnet.
I hope this helps – best wishes for much success.

Warmly,

Tammy

A:

Oh dear – I’m sorry to hear that your work experience is not proving to be stimulating or engaging for you.  I strongly believe that everyone deserves to enjoy their work – life is too short, and work is too large a component of it, not to find something that you are excited about.

I talk about this in Plugged In and have developed some self-assessments that you might find helpful.  You can download them from this website.
Try to pinpoint the characteristics of situations that you do enjoy – outside work, perhaps in school, or sports, or any other sphere of activity where you have a passion.  What exactly are you doing when you feel completely focused on the task, when you perhaps lose track of time, when you’re “in the flow,” as some would say?  Then consider whether you can identify work experiences that would have similar characteristics.

For example, maybe you get really excited when you’re interacting with a lot of people, while your current role involves primarily independent activity.  Or that you thrive on time-pressured challenges, but your current work is focused on a long-term, distant goal.  Whatever you conclude, these considerations will help guide you as you evolve toward a more satisfying role.

It may be that you will need to look for options for work that are quite different from what you’re doing now.  Or, once you have a clearer understanding of what you enjoy, you may be able to request roles within your current firm that are better aligned with your interests.

Whatever you conclude, I hope you’ll continue to look for work that you find personally stimulating and rewarding – and that you succeed in your search.

Sincerely,

Tammy

A:

Dear Roy,

Congratulations – on multiple counts!  It’s nice to hear how successful your first half has been – and wonderful to hear that you’re thinking explicitly about how to have an equally great second half.

My book Retire Retirement is about just that – preparing for a second round.  Here are several key suggestions:

1. Think about creating a portfolio of activities.  Most people I’ve interviewed want to do a variety of things in the second half – learning, giving back, earning money, enjoying family, and so on.  Don’t limit yourself to trying to pick one thing.

2. Reflect on the characteristics of the work that you’ve enjoyed most during the first half – not the specific work itself, but the attributes that would describe it.  Was it team-based, for example, or when you were working alone?  Was it when you were working against a deadline or at a steady, predictable pace?  And so on.  The book lists a number of other possible characteristics – the key is that you want to choose activities that have similar characteristics, if possible, even if they are in very different fields.

3. Assess the practical realities of your life going forward.  For example, how do you anticipate interacting with your grandchildren?  Will you want to live near them and see them multiple times a week, perhaps even share in the care-giving – or are quarterly visits more your style?  How much additional money, realistically, will you need?  These considerations, and others outlined in Retire Retirement, should guide your choices.

4. Try things!  Adults shift careers most effectively through experimentation – not intellectualized planning.  Develop a list of possibilities and find ways to ‘test run’ your top candidates until you settle into ones that bring great satisfaction.

As you’ve realized, you – and all Boomers – have the great gift of a long life expectancy.  Warm wishes for much happiness as you make full use of yours.

Sincerely,

Tammy

A:

That’s a tough one, because his rational could include any or all of the above—or other things, as well.  For example, it’s possible that some members of his team are questioning why someone was brought in from the outside for this role, rather than promoting from within.  The CEO may be giving you an opportunity to show the depth of expertise you bring.

My strategy would be to talk about On Air Promotions, but illustrate how creativity, design and semiotics contribute to making a memorable clip.  (For those of you reading along, I had to look “semiotics” up, too—it’s the study of how meaning is constructed and understood, including through the use of signs and symbols—sounds like a talk I’d love to hear!).  Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as you put the session together:
* You want the audience to come away recognizing that you bring an extraordinary set of skills and knowledge to the organization, without perceiving you as arrogant.
* To avoid appearing arrogant—and increase the entertainment quotient—don’t “tell” them about the things you know, show them.  Use lots of examples of OAPs that didn’t work well (preferably not from your organization’s archives, unless you’re sure that doing so won’t step on any toes) and examples of ones that did, pointing out why.
* Broadly outline your goals for the department—ways in which you believe your team will be making a significant contribution going forward.  Make the connections between what you bring to the table and the overall goals of the organization explicit.  Demonstrate that you’re committed to the organization’s success (not just your department’s).

I hope that helps—best wishes for a successful session, and an enjoyable new career.

Tammy