Searching for opportunities

I've had an exciting week. It's not just because the holidays are coming either. I've been working on setting up my own business, a project that will allow me to use my strengths and to focus on the stuff that I excel at. I have Tom Rath to thank for this. After reading his book last year (Strengths Finder 2.0) I've been dogged by the fact that I've historically been in jobs that haven't allowed me to be who I am. The jobs where I've been able to explore my strengths have meant that I've failed at performing some of the key tasks and functions of my role. This knowledge lead me to choose voluntary redundancy last February - probably one of the most important decision of my life. 

Instead of jumping into another job I decided to sit it out for a while. I scanned the horizon for jobs that would suit me but didn't find very many job descriptions that catered to my strengths. After a failed attempt at enrolling into a PhD program here in New Zealand, I was offered an opportunity to teach. Teaching is something I've longed to do, but because of my lack of teaching experience I wasn't able to apply for most of the advertised jobs. Someone was willing to take a punt on me and this opened some exciting doors. 

I started teaching leadership in May at the International College of Auckland. This role has allowed me to use many of my strengths which include: Input, Connectedness, Adaptability, Ideation, and Intellection. If you aren't sure what these are I would encourage you to check out Strengths Finder for yourself. I have excelled in this capacity and have even had the opportunity to travel to India to represent the school.

I'll continue to teach in the new year, hopefully as a contractor working for myself under my new business name (you'll have to wait for it). But I'm also looking out for opportunities to use my strengths in other places. If you think I can help you - lets talk.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. 

The end of the perk?

Travel perks for New Zealand MPs are on the line this week. The issue has sparked a debate (on talk radio at least) about whether or not MPs should still have access to the perk or whether it should be axed in lieu of a pay rise. Mike McRoberts, filling in on Radio Live this morning, suggested that if these perks weren’t available the public would miss out because it might deter the “best and brightest” from making the sacrifice to serve in the public arena.

It got me thinking about teachers, medical professionals, and other workers who provide vital public service without perks like reimbursable travel. In July, Campbell Live ran a story about a NZ teacher who began a Facebook campaign to get Air New Zealand to provide discounted airfares to teachers who don’t have much flexibility in picking when to take their holidays. The only options available are for them to travel at peak times of the year (unless they want to take unpaid time during the term). Granted, teachers get more ‘holidays’ than most, but most of the teachers I know use much of this time to prepare for the coming term. Would discounted travel attract a better quality teacher to the classroom? Maybe. Maybe paying teachers and nurses $130,000 p.a. would attract more quality candidates to Teacher’s College as well. Before this would happen though, there would need to be a shift in our thinking about the strategic value of teachers and nurses to the future of the country. We would have to contemplate the significant contribution they make to our economic potential as they shape the business leaders, politicians, bus drivers and check out operators of the future.

Regardless of the perks, we still have Parliamentarians, Teachers, and Medical professions who do the job for the sake of giving something back. So I wonder whether the perks really do make a difference as to who fronts up for these demanding jobs, or whether those who choose to serve in these positions really do it for altruistic purposes that have nothing to do with the perks of the job at all. We could find out by axing Parliaments travel perks and paying our teachers and medical professionals a MPs salary. Or we could just keep things as they are so we don’t upset the status quo.

Flow to the work

I've been hunting for a job over the last few months. All the jobs I've seen and applied for come with very specific titles and responsibilities. To my wife's dismay, I've had trouble locating one that 'fits' me. I know that there are no perfect jobs and that in times like this one should just settle for whatever they can get. But after going through a few rounds of applications, tests, and interviews, I've been reminded of the importance of finding a job that 'fits' - both me and my potential employer. I've also discovered that I'm a connector. I have interests in multiple areas and I use this fact to bring together diverse ideas and people to make something work. When I look at my CV I see the discrepancies between my job titles and the work that I've actually performed. So what does one do when they find themselves in this nebulous place? 

Flow to the work. Roger Martin highlights this concept as applied by P&G's Global Business Services (GBS) in his book The Design of Business (2009). Martin equates the project-oriented structure of P&G's GBS to that of Design Consultancies. Martin writes:

Designers are accustomed to being assigned a clearly defined project that comes to an end at a specified date. Designers get used to mixing and matching with other designers on ad hoc teams created with a specific purpose in mind." (Martin, 2009, p.119)

As a result, Martin continues, designers have CV's that are more project focused as opposed to a list of progressive job titles. Throughout my career I've been hired for specific positions. But once in those roles I inevitably find myself moving fluidly throughout the organization trying to improve systems, services, and products. I see clearly the connections between various functions and activities. I then focus on getting the people with the right skills to help make it happen. 

At the moment I'm teaching and working on several pro bono projects to help bolster the breadth of my experience. But even in these roles I find it difficult to avert my eyes from the bigger picture. For instance, in going beyond my classroom teaching on leadership I've run a seminar on essay writing and referencing for my class. The School has asked me to do the same for the rest of their students. If any one else needs some assistance in pulling together large projects and groups of people let me know. If you're willing to pay - even better!