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Browse every published article connected to Craig Nathanson, with exact attribution and full-archive search.
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There are too many examples of the lack of integrity today in management. If you wish to be a manager who gets great results with people, focusing on your integrity is a good place to start. What is integrity? Many people discuss integrity but may not understand it completely.r
Not since the great depression of 1929 have we seen such a financial crisis, and frankly, the lack of national leadership that we are experiencing now. Banks are failing ove ight, Wall Street greed and the chase after quick money has finally caused this country to grind to a financial halt. All ...
1. Life moves fast and work will consume the majority of your hours in your life. Use them wisely and your life will be fulfilled and meaningful. 2. If you choose work which best fits you, you can generate happiness from your work which can last a lifetime. 3. Your work affects everything else in your life. Don't underestimate the impact on your mood and your health when you spend endless hours waiting for time to pass.r
This is the third in a ten-part series exploring the “Ten P” model developed by Craig Nathanson, The Vocational Coach, to help mid-life adults discover and do what they love. When Murray and Heather Rand of Canada sold their St. Thomas, Ontario, home and moved permanently aboard their sailboat, ...
The big question: What’s really important? The message I deliver most to mid-life professionals is that a key ingredient of happiness is finding vocational passion. It’s finding the perfect alignment of interests and abilities that make going to work seem like it isn’t work at all. People who ...
Let’s face it: Most people spend way too much money on things they don’t really need. The more money we make, the more we tend to spend. This endless cycle of materialism has led many people to confuse the word “need” with the word “want.” As in, “we need a big-screen TV for our new home ...
Early one morning, Robert awoke, made his wife of 41 years some banana bread, took out the garbage and called to cancel a doctors appointment scheduled for the next day. He wrote a note to remind his wife to pick up the dry cleaning. All things considered, it seemed like a normal day. n Robert ...
People work to live, but most also live to work. A study on the meaning of work conducted back in 1987 revealed a strong attachment to work as a way of life. The study found that 86 percent of people would continue working even if they had enough money never to work another day. There could be ...
Over 40? Make your passions Work for you! February, 2007 By Craig Nathanson - The Vocational Coach™ Why is this important? Making your passions WORK for you is important because your happiness MATTERS and makes a difference in your life. Waking up to a day you really look forward to can make ...
Faith Shades did all the right things—all the things society expected. She attended law school, was involved in television and news production and was a top producing real estate agent. Suddenly one day a new perspective emerged about her life and what she really wanted. Today, Faith is the ...
There isn’t a better time Have you defined and written down exactly what you want in your vocational life? Have you talked about it with others? Now is a perfect time to follow your heart and become a magnet for your dreams. Give yourself permission to live the life you choose This is harder ...
You are not alone After 20 or more years of working we seldom acknowledge that our work life is no longer meeting our needs for meaning and fulfillment. After all, who has the time for this self-reflection? Between worrying about growing older, staying in shape, keeping the relationship alive, ...
Hank Bochenski’s story proves it is never too late to walk away from a life you feel trapped in and do something that you really love. n Hank spent 30 years in demanding senior positions at large high-tech companies. By the time he went home each day, he felt like all the blood had been drained ...
People gain their self-esteem from their work Work takes up the majority of one's life. The contributions we make, the feedback we receive, the new opportunities – all contribute to our self-esteem. When people feel good about their work, they communicate better, establish better working relationships, and feel more positive. When people are not treated fairly, they hold back ideas, don't help their peers as much and sometimes might even have negative things to say to customers about where they work. All this is bad for the business. The role of the manager
Over 40? Vocation starts now!
Struggling with life transition? This happens to many of us. This can be a result of many factors such as a job loss, a death in the family, a divorce, a financial crisis, or just a sense of feeling empty and unsure what to do next with your life. During this time, it is important to get clear about what is most important for you and what new goals should be moved forward without delay. Life transition brings you to a new perspective, new way of living in the world, and an overall sense of a new beginning.
Why big changes are important when feeling stuck
Why many teams don’t work well together Have you ever wondered why the team that you were on didn’t work very well together? Many teams originally were set up to fail. In sports, you build teams from individuals with best achievements. In business, we hear many times, the sports analogy applied but in most cases it couldn’t be farther from reality. In business, teams are seldom picked and mixed together based on the best individuals and their skills. Typically, people wind up on a team based on a range of factors.
Meet Kyle Kyle is 42 years old, married with two small children 12 and 10. Kyle has worked the last 16 years in the financial services industry. Through hard work and long hours he is now a director at his firm making $125,000 a year. He leaves his house daily at 6:15 a.m. to get to his office 90 minutes later after bumper to bumper traffic. He returns home each night between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. after his 90 minute commute. This leaves him barely time to eat, say hello to his family, and get to bed by 10 since he gets up at 5 a.m.
Failure to communicate Failure in communication is the biggest problem of management. When this occurs, it affects everything. Overall performance of people decreases, goals are not clear, people build incorrect assumptions, and relationships at work suffer. Especially during challenging times, it’s critical to be more effective when communicating. Employees want to know what is going on during times of change. This is when the breakdown usually occurs.
What is a system? A system is comprised of many processes. These processes have ins and outs. Processes have starts and stops. They can be mature, or developing. Some of them work smooth and some have multiple broken links. It can be helpful to look upon management work as running a complex system. For example, let’s say, you manage a call center, which takes hundreds of calls a day from customers. One day 4 employees call in sick. As a manager this shortage of 4 people will impact the system.
Let's start with some definitions First let's define the difference between right work and wrong work. Wrong work is work which you don't enjoy. The work feels stifling and constraining. Having wrong work you don't look forward to going there every day. You secretly hope some crisis occurs so you don't have to go because any alte ative seems better then another wasted day at the office. Wrong work causes stress, anxiety, health problems, and relationship problems. Wrong work leaves you drained at the end of the day.
Are you over 40? Good. Then you won't need permission from your parents to read this article. If you are under 40, I give you permission now! I would guess if you are over 40 you have begun to question your life and your work. Good. This is normal and healthy. Perhaps you have also started to question your contributions to society. Perhaps your accomplishments for this period of your life have not reached up to your internal or exte al expectations. That’s ok. Life tends to get in the way as we are making plans.
I get asked a lot what it is like to live a self-described authentic life filled with happiness, joy, fulfillment, and a sense of making a contribution. So with this article I decided to share what I do. Try out these steps for yourself and you will also see an emerging life which works better for you! 1. Surround yourself with people you care about Prior to 40 most people do what they can to network, build contacts and attend conferences to get to know even more people. Just take a look at Facebook, Twitter, Linked–In and hundreds of other networking sites.
Managing and coaching is different Think of the best coach you ever had, either at work or outside of work. What did the coach do that was effective? How did the coach interact with you? What kinds of things did the coach help you to achieve? Now think of the best manager you ever had at work? What did he or she help you to achieve? How did this manager interact with you and treat you?
Incorrect starting point Almost everywhere you turn there seems to be another rewards based incentive program to motivate people. This approach can work short term only for people who don't like their work. But with the time these people will only demand larger rewards to gain the same satisfaction. And for people who actually enjoy their work, their performance and motivation will most likely decrease short and long term since they are the ones who don't require exte al factors to do what they enjoy.
Crisis in management education There is no consistency today in the way we educate managers. Larger organizations tend to have more comprehensive programs. If we look at the business results of the past year it will show that these programs have not been very successful. In the US over 99.9% of all organizations have less than 500 workers. Many of these organizations have little to non-existent management education. There is a great opportunity now to improve. Most of the big companies use the traditional approach.
What is happiness? In many ways happiness is very subjective and judged differently by each person. My observation is that people are most happy when they feel in control of their life. Much of one’s life occurs at work thus happiness at work is an important factor to consider. Many factors can contribute to happiness at work. As a manager it is important to be aware of these factors. Most important is to make sure that each person is aligning challenging work and high skills to perform their duties. Is a person skilled but not using these skills in their work?
Employee recognition Does this sound familiar? It’s a Friday and another day at the office. Today is employee recognition day. As usual once a month the department manager gathers the whole group for a one hour meeting. Employees come to the faceless conference room and await the monthly employee recognition celebration. A committee of managers and a human resources representative meet monthly to decide which employees will be given the award. The group selects 5 people around some subjective criteria and the award winners are announced in this team meeting.
Myth One: Work leads to retirement This is the biggest myth of all. First of all, most people simply can no longer afford to stop working. Even for those who do stop working soon they find their lives are filled with too much leisure time. Not too long after a feeling of wanting to make a greater difference in the world will emerge. For most of us it is the question how can I keep working? It seems now organizations are hiring the youngest workers at the lowest price they can get.
After 40, this is the most important pursuit in your life. After 40, we start having less tolerance for an empty life. The routine starts to drag on us and we start thinking of what we should do with our life. This is a good thing. The most questioning starts with our work where we spend the ...
It’s easy to put off things that you want to do. There is no limit to the excuses — too tired, no time, what will others think?, no money - the list goes on and on. When it comes to doing the work you really like to do, the list becomes longer. “I’ll wait till I retire. I ...
Go against the grain! When you arrive at 50, those around you will expect you to slow down and retire. They will ask what you are planning to do when you stop working. The marketing messages you see are pushing youth and beauty and the pursuit of material goods. You suddenly realize you ...
Step One: Engage in self-reflection I know — easier said than done. Most of us go through our lives never really getting to know ourselves. After all, life offers us many distractions. Who has time for self-reflection? The only way to to be happy after 40 is to get to know yourself really ...
Evaluate where you are Evaluate where you have been in your life and ask yourself, “Is this enough?” The beginning of the New Year is a great time for re-evaluating your life and plans. What would you do with free time? If you had a day to yourself, what would you do and why? The ...
P is for Perfect: PurposenWhat is life about? How will you make a difference in the world? Your purpose drives your behavior and can provide you with daily energy and happiness. What is the purpose of your life? Think deeply about where you most want to make a contribution in the world. Does ...
We humans are terrible at preparing for the crisis It seems to me that many people tend to ignore their needs in mid-life. We tend to be very good at reacting to a crisis, but terrible at planning for one. I think this is the root of the problem. For example, many people stay in mundane, ...
Have you ever thought about what your perfect work would be? How about the pattern of a typical work day for the rest of your life? What daily routine would get you excited and bring joy and happiness to your work? This didn’t come with the job description The problem with job ...
The importance of joyful work Sadly, most people did not learn at school about the importance of enjoying their work, unless a person was fortunate to have had a parent who taught how important it is. Most commonly, the notion of work to most people is the necessity for providing an income and a way to support one's self and family. Career theories and assessment tests focus on the right fit but rarely joyful work. As a result, many people find themselves in a career which they may be good at but are rarely passionate about. After 40, priorities change
1. First and most important, decide exactly what you want to do. Many people network with the wrong people because they have not figured out what they want to do. 2. Network with people who are doing exactly what you want to do. Many people waste their time on social networks with people hoping someone will give them a lead. Big mistake. Instead, join groups of similar people who are doing what you really want to do. 3. Teach a class, write an article, give a talk. This is the best way to network- discussing what you know about or learning to like minded people.r
What resumes can’t do
1. Ask lots of questions. It worked for Socrates and it can work for you. 2. Have more empathy. Putting yourself in the shoes of a subordinate will change your perspective. 3. Walk around a lot and be more visible. This produces more brief coaching moments which are unplanned and more informal. 4. Show others you care about them. Show interest in people and their entire lives and in return they will become more vested in your goals.r
Why the search for perfect work is important! First, because no one will ever walk up to you in your current job and ask you! Your family members won’t ask you because change can be threatening. This is a question you must ask yourself. Work impacts our sense of self, our self-esteem and our happiness. It starts with asking the right questions. Does your work make you stressed?
What does work mean to you?
1. Give feedback just before the next time the person needs it. (People will not make long term behavior change when evaluated,especially directly after a poor performance) 2. Let people know that you care about them. (When people see that their manager cares, they will be more motivated to listen to any feedback.) 3. Ask lots of questions. (The best managers are teachers helping others to learn. The best teachers ask lots of questions!) 4. Give feedback in private.
The mid-life crisis occurs for a reason
It’s not that complex In the last ten years of working with mid-life adults on finding the right work which aligns interests and abilities, I have come to the conclusion that the criteria for the RIGHT work is very similar. Make a living and make it interesting
Do you want to be the best manager? Here are key areas to pay attention to and you will be well on your way! Productivity
Here are the top ten ways to take positive risks in your life (And what will happen if you do) 1. Decide what you want and then define and take the biggest risk you can think of which will move you closer to your goal. (Taking action towards doing what you wanto do is not a risk) 2. Make a step by step plan towards an important goal and define risks you MUST take to move forward. (Living a status quo life will not change any situation for which you are stuck )