The only constant is you

Posted on February 20, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Only Constant You IsWhen Toby and I started scribbling the ideas that became More than a living, we were trying to find a way to describe the business ennui in which we both found ourselves seemingly irrevocably ensconced.

Part of that cathartic process was giving our goal a name. That concept was “more than a living.” That’s what we were seeking. We knew that we needed a paycheck, but we also knew that there had to be something more.

And this idea resonated with almost everyone to whom we introduced it. Everyone was feeling it. And that’s why we eventually started the More than a living blog. To start capturing those ideas and to help foster a bit of that like-minded community.

Well, that’s not the whole story. There was also a slightly more cynical thread to that discussion. Something that was scratched in pencil on that same page. Right next to “more than a living.”

That concept? “The only constant is you.”

And that’s been coming through, loud and clear, as of late. In the quotes that we’ve posted. In the conversations we’ve been having. In what we’ve been reading.

The only constant is you.

You are responsible. Not the business. Not your peers. Not your boss. Certainly not HR. You. You have to take responsibility for your career. For your growth. And for your advancement.

The only constant is you.

It’s not one of the postulates. But it is the very foundation of each of the postulates. The foundation of More than a living.

You see, we no longer live in the days of the two-page resume. The days where we could start at the bottom and claw our way up to middle management, year after year after year.

Working for a single company. Once. Maybe twice. Spending decades at the same establishment. Getting our cost of living increase and our Christmas bonuses. Only to retire with a fat pension. And be seemingly happy with the whole process.

The two-page resume is a thing of the past. Most of us have had more jobs-and even careers-before 30 than our parents had their entire lives.

But the system has not adapted. The only constant is you, but the systems that are supposed support you are owned by the corporation. Human resources. The performance reviews. Benefits. The assessments. The permanent file.

How many of you actually have the performance reports from your focal reviews at your last job? How about the job before that? How many of you think to ask for a copy of your employee file before you leave a gig? How many of you have ever even seen your employee file?

The only constant is you. But the system doesn’t support that. It supports the company as the constant. The equation is flawed.

That has to change.

You have to start taking responsibility.

In the same way you would refuse to let the company manage your bank account or your family life or your time outside of work. You need to take responsibility for your career and your growth. And how people provide that feedback for your growth.

You create content on your blog. Or YouTube. Or del.icio.us. Or Digg. Or LinkedIn. Or Second Life. Or MySpace. Or Flickr. Or any other multitude of social networking sites.

You manage your social activities in a more stringent fashion than you manage your work and your performance. You need to take a little of that thinking into your career. Into your work. Because, as I’ve said before, work-life balance isn’t going to get you there from here.

The only constant is you.

But that doesn’t mean you’re alone.

We want to help. Join us, won’t you?

Posted in Autonomy, Career, Goals, Growth, Happiness, Meaning, Passion, Performance, Purpose, Responsibility | 4 Comments

Sometimes your support structure is neither supportive nor structured, discuss

Posted on February 17, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Who said this quoteI’m just a magnet for these things lately. It’s beginning to unnerve me. But, I’m continuing to encounter quotes from famous folks that just really hit home. Maybe I’m looking for inspiration. Maybe I’m just riding a strange wave of synchronicity.

In any case, another entry on my quote-happy kick:

The human resources department is not responsible for taking care of you; you are. Know what you are good at, make sure your results are equal to your expectations, and manage yourself. Continually ask yourself, “What should MY contribution be?”

Any guesses on the author?

Posted in Accountability, Career, HR, Human Resources, Responsibility | 5 Comments

David Maister: Manage your own career. No one else will.

Posted on February 13, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

David MaisterSometimes, I feel like this blog becomes a “Yeah, what he said!” kind of thing. But maybe you’ll keep reading because you like the links. Or maybe we’ll introduce you to someone you should really be reading. Or maybe we’ll just keep this up until you tell–nay beg–us to stop.

In any case, David Maister has done it again. A dozen points about career management–your career management–encapsulated in Perspective on Careers.

Yeah, what he said!

No really. I couldn’t have said it any better myself. We tried, but in all honesty, he wins.

Manage your own career. No one else will.

Can I get an “Amen”?

Posted in Career, Responsibility | 1 Comment

Who said this?

Posted on February 13, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Who said this quoteI’ve no idea where my proclivity for quotes is coming from lately, but here’s another that struck me. And rather than lay it all out for you, I thought it might be better to provide the quote sans author.

Who do you think said this?

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. Don’t settle [for less]. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.

Posted in Career, Change, Fulfillment, Happiness, Passion | 5 Comments

The way I see Starbucks "The Way I See It #183"

Posted on February 12, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

StarbucksI never believed it would happen to me.

Lo and behold, I actually read one of those little quotes on the back of a Starbucks cup and, instead of shrugging and drinking my drink, I actually caught myself saying, “Interesting!”

Whoa. Hold your horses. It was compelling.

No, I’m serious. I read it, and then I actually thought about it.

No, it wasn’t one of the musicians. And, actually, I misread it in a more generalized sense. And this misinterpretation made it more powerful to me.

(No doubt, people experience that selfsame kind of thing, here. I’m often more compelling when misread. Trust me.)

So if you’ve never seen The Way I See It #183, let me give you a little background. It’s from John Sweeney, author of Innovation at the Speed of Laughter. And it’s based on “improvisers.” But, as I said, I have generalized it, and to me, that made it a great deal more powerful.

Here’s my interpretation of Sweeney’s quote:

Don’t look at change as an obstacle; look at it as fuel. The next great idea lies just on the other side of change. We should be constantly asking ourselves, “What can I do to incite change?” Well?

(I’ve provided the strikethrough below which wasn’t quite legible, but I wanted you to see what I had changed.)

Improvisers d[D]on’t look at change as an obstacle; we look at it as fuel. We know that t[T]he next great idea lies just on the other side of change. We are [should be] constantly asking ourselves, “What can I do to incite change?” Well?

Posted in Change | 2 Comments

You've got to be kidding me

Posted on February 8, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

You've Got to Be KiddingI can’t tell you how many times I’ve uttered that phrase when the business makes–what seem to me to be–an inane request of me, in terms my emotional relationship with the company.

“We’re having a party!”

“Join us for a team building exercise!”

“Wear this shirt on this day!”

And every single time, my response? You’ve got to be kidding me.

But here’s the thing I wanted you to remember: “You’ve got to be kidding me” is a telltale sign. Pay attention.

If you’re anything like me, “You’ve got to be kidding me” is often followed by a pang of guilt. Which is immediately followed by self-criticism. I should be more of a team player. I should do what they want. I must be doing something wrong because I’m not feeling it.

But don’t be fooled. “You’ve got to be kidding me” is your intuition telling you that something is wrong. Listen to it.

“You’ve got to be kidding me” is a warning that a request is, at best, out of character and, at worst, completely insincere.

Think of companies that enjoy a near-cultish employee base. Do you think most Nike employees would respond with “You’ve got to be kidding me” if everyone was asked to wear their favorite pair of Air Jordans the day that Michael Jordan was showing up on campus? Do you think most Starbucks employees would scoff if asked to learn the names of the regulars?

No. Of course not. The company is making requests that are both in line with company goals and are sincere requests to participate in the company culture. Those employees subscribe to that culture because of its sincerity. Because it seems like the right thing to do. Because it seems honest for the company to make those kinds of requests.

“You’ve got to be kidding me” is telling you that the company is pretending. Or trying to hard. Or making a subpar effort. Or trying to take a giant leap of faith, hoping to fix a problem the easy way.

So, listen to “You’ve got to be kidding me.” It’s not the incorrect reaction. Far from it.

Posted in Career, Corporate Culture, Culture | 2 Comments

Kathy Sierra's four killer questions

Posted on February 7, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Passionate workerI could spend this post regurgitating the brilliance to be found in Kathy Sierra’s recent post, Don’t ask employees to be passionate about the company, but I’ll assume that you’re reading her stuff on a regular basis.

You are reading her stuff aren’t you?

I’m going to pretend you said yes.

But what I did want to borrow steal were the 4 killer questions from her post. If you can answer these questions, you are likely passionate about the things you do:

  1. When was the last time you read a trade/professional journal or book related to your work? (can substitute “attended an industry conference or took a course”)
  2. Name at least two of the key people in your field.
  3. If you had to, would you spend your own money to buy tools or other materials that would improve the quality of your work?
  4. If you did not do this for work, would you still do it (or something related to it) as a hobby?

How did you do?

Toby and I spend a great deal of time discussing #4. But we tend to phrase it as “If money were no object, would you still do what you do?” or “If you were independently wealthy, would you still do this work during your free time?”

That seems to get to the core of it. Is what you do so part of your being that you have to do it?

Posted in Passion, Purpose | 3 Comments

Thanks for contributing to More than a living

Posted on January 31, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

David Maister does a brilliant job of recognizing the people who take time to participate on his blog. We, here at More than a living, really like the idea, so we’re borrowing it. Stealing it, really. But for a good cause: recognizing those who have taken the time to contribute to our discussions, so far.

It’s not a big list, but we’re hoping–with some careful care and feeding–it will grow.

Very heartfelt thanks to…

Posted in Recognition, Thanks | 3 Comments

Sludge at Work

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Toby Lucich

Preparing to sling sludgeIf you haven’t heard of CultureRx, it’s worth a peek.

This consultancy, which came out of Best Buy, works to put focus on the results of work efforts for professionals instead of measuring the sum of hours that are spent by employees in the trenches. Called “ROWE” for Results-Only Work Effort, this group is evangelizing the idea of accountability for deliverables and not simple celebration of the endless hours logged at the office.

One of their maiden blog entries is on the idea of “Sludge“, or the garble that comes out of people’s mouths when they feel they are getting less privillege or special treatment than others. “Sludge” is all the whining about extra breaks for smokers, time-off for parents, and special treatment for those that need it.

I am really taken with the vision of being treated like an adult, working in a setting where management actually takes responsibility for defining deliverables. Not hours to be logged, not the font size on TPS report covers, not weekly report instructions detailing hours at the water cooler.

Deliverables. Autonomous, accountable, and held to a standard. Hmm.
It should get pretty clear whether or not you find purpose in your work if your deliverables are explicit, no? I also like the idea that those things I value – collaboration, mentoring, leadership – are forced to be valued by senior management since they are less likely observed in some implicit way. Clear the halls of corporate america and let people simply deliver their work product, and it would be interesting to see how that corporation functions.

Could this be a possible view into a future world of defined accountability? What might be accomplished in such a setting, with real transparency around scope?

Posted in Accountability, Autonomy, Culture | Leave a comment

Work-Life Balance is a myth

Posted on January 24, 2007 by Rick Turoczy

Work life balance in actionWork-life balance. Oy.

Everybody loves to wax on and on and on about the infamous “work-life balance.” As if it were some mystical answer to all the problems of the business world. How everyone would be happy little clams in the work-a-day world if only–if only–we could all achieve a work-life balance.

“Julie seems a little stressed.”

“You know, she doesn’t have a good work-life balance.”

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

(Both nodding knowingly.)

What a crock.

And I know, you come to blogs like this looking for information on “how to achieve a work-life balance.” I know you do. You’ve been motivated to do it. You’re searching for an answer.

And we don’t help the situation by sprinkling the term throughout our posts. We likely throw the term in, here and there, because it’s a way of describing a concept. We use it because everybody uses it.

Well, I’m tired of jumping off that bridge just because everyone else is.

Work-life balance is wrong. It’s hooey. So forget it. You’re chasing a unicorn, my friend.

You see, work-life balance is not the problem.

Yeah, I said it. Let me repeat it: Work-life balance is not the problem. The problem is lack of meaning.

Allow me to explain.

Your current dissatisfaction has absolutely nothing to do with how much time you spend at work. It has absolutely nothing to do with how much time you spend with your family. Or on vacation. It has to do with your struggle to find meaning.

Let me put it another way. You could spend 99.9999999999999999999% of your time doing things you love love love. Your favorite things in the whole wide world. This could be work. It could be vacation. It could be your family. But let’s, for the sake of argument, assume that this joyful activity is not work. Because, unfortunately, for the vast majority of the population, this is the case. Work is not the enjoyable aspect of one’s life. (Insert sad emoticon here.)

So, the 99.9999999999999999999% is something you love. Can’t get enough of it. You get to do it almost all of the time. Let’s call it “life.” You with me?

Okay. What about the 0.0000000000000000001%? This is something you dread. Let’s call it “work.”

Are you happy? Are you satisfied?

No. Of course not. Because even though get to do what you love for most of your life, you’ve still got this little cloud of dread that interrupts that life from time to time. And no matter how minuscule that commitment actually is, it begins to affect everything else. It grows. It festers. It creeps into your life.

This one little tiny meaningless activity starts to take away from the joy. And that’s the problem. It’s not a problem of how much time you spend with meaning, it’s about how much time you spend without meaning. We’re human. It’s a flaw.

Let me take a more positive spin on describing why I think work-life balance is hooey.

Let’s say you work 60 hours a week. (I know, not a huge leap of fancy, there.) But let’s say you love your work. It’s full of meaning and emotional reward. You love what you do and you make a decent living doing it. 60 hours a week of “work.” Pure meaning.

Now, this doesn’t leave you as much time for “life.” Because, quite frankly, you often get exhausted. But the time you do have for life, don’t you think you’re a little happier to be around? Don’t you think that joy comes through to the rest of your life? Don’t you think your spouse might actually enjoy spending time with you again? It’s high-quality time with meaning.

Because remember, it’s not the time you spend with meaning. It’s the time you spend without meaning.

So, please, for your sake and mine, please quit worshiping at the feet of the false work-life balance idol. Quit chasing that unicorn. Instead, spend your time looking for something that has meaning. Find an occupation that fulfills you. If you do, the rest will take care of itself.

I promise. I mean it.

What do you think? Want to tell me where I can stick the fulcrum of the work-life balance teeter-totter? I’d love to hear it.

Posted in Career, Meaning, Myth, Work-life balance, Wrong | 8 Comments