Posts Tagged ‘work’

Do A New You – Reinventing Yourself

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Challenge Yourself

Eight-track tapes to cassettes to CDs to MP3s to streaming online. In roughly 40 years, music has stayed the same but the delivery medium has changed. Madonna, the musical mother of reinvention, has experimented with her musical style so many times that she’s now on her third “greatest hits” CD!

Master change artist Madonna has reinvented herself too (and extended her career in the process). How about you? Have you changed? If you’re still functioning the same way in your life and work, are you surprised at the results? More than sixty-nine percent of Boomers plan to work past retirement age. Many of them are embarking on second, third and even fourth careers. You can simultaneously draw from past experiences and still transition into new career paths that are less stressful and more fulfilling. After all, it’s not just about your career – it’s about your life. Here are some thoughts on how to get started:

Dare to dream. Interior designers like to start with a clean, empty room. Take yourself on a mental trip. What does your new career look like? What does it feel like to live and work differently? Do you work from home, in an office, or at the local Starbucks? Are you working in the same state or country you’re living in? Take the limits off your dreams.

Research your dream. The Internet is an amazing resource. Use it to learn more about your new life. Attend a local Meetup group. There’s another company called Vocation Vacations that offers “vacations” working in your prospective career.

Study the experts. Identify five people who are excellent at reinvention. They don’t have to be in your city, or even people you know. They don’t have to be in your industry. Study them. Read their interviews. How they face their fears. If they are accessible and available, reach out to them. Create five questions you’d like to ask, and then submit them via email, LinkedIn, Plaxo or another social networking site. Respect their time. If you’re fortunate enough to get a brief visit, respect their time. Follow up with a thank you. You may just earn a new mentor.

Volunteer a few hours in the industry you’re interested in. The time spent may help make the difference between a “go and a no go in your decision.

Face Your Fears

Face your fears. Sometimes there’s simply no template for what you do. That’s OK – It’s time for you to do it! Ignore the naysayers.

How have you (or someone you know) reinvented yourself into a fabulous new life?

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Will You Work Till You Drop?

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Work Til You Drop

“I’ll work till I drop” used to be a cliché. But with depleted retirement savings and as 401(k) dropping and more than 14 million people in the job market, it looks like more American workers are delaying retirement indefinitely. A recent survey shows nearly four in 10 workers over age 62 say they have delayed their retirement because of the recession. In my book, Blueprint for Success, I note that since boomers (born between 1945 and 1965) are healthier, more active and living longer, are going to work longer, and since other generations are now in and entering the workforce, we are going to have five generations in the workplace as well as expanding lifestyles.

I believe the most effective way to handle this is to create a multi-cultural generational “salad” with an emphasis on hiring employees of various ages and stages who possess creative thinking and passion for what they do.

How do you think the trend of working boomers will affect your company? Thoughts?

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Are You Ready to ROWE?

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

Are You Ready to ROWE

The workplace has long been familiar with the notion of flextime and telecommuting. Now, there’s ROWE: Results Only Work Environment. ROWE was created by two former Best Buy employees who wanted to reshape their company’s culture. Now Gap Outlet has adopted the practice for its more than 137 employees.

ROWE is a corporate culture initiative designed to significantly improve employee productivity, accountability and engagement. Departments that implement a ROWE environment empower their employees to work when and wherever they want to – as long as their performance goals are met.

ROWE methodology is different from simple “flextime” in two key ways: 1) it’s employee-driven and 2) it’s self-policing. In a ROWE environment, the emphasis is taken off time/hours worked and placed on performance. The fear of employees abusing ROWE is minimal, as each employee has a stake in their ability to work in an incredibly freeing environment. They’re not afraid to “snitch” on someone who could sink the ship! ROWE deals with nonadaptees in a performance management framework, thus removing the “I worked 60 hours this week” excuses of workers who still don’t hit performance targets.

The program seems to be working: Productivity increased more than 21 percent at the GAP outlet. A post-pilot assessment conducted in February 2009 revealed that productivity increased 21 percent and quality improved 15 percent among the pilot group.

The ROWE program was adopted in San Francisco, one of the worst cities in the U.S. in terms of commuting. They found it particularly helpful to female employees working to balance work and family needs.

In my book, Blueprint for Success, I noted that there will be a sonic boom as part-time baby boomers and flextime Generation X & Y’s collide. It’s important that we hire the best talent that we possibly can, and adapt to their skills and demands. Generations X and Y are highly motivated by autonomy and flexibility.

If your company is considering a ROWE-type experiment, be sure to do your homework. It promises to a remarkably effective generational bridge.

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