BLOG.MYCAREERIMPACT.COM

On receiving bad career advice

Steve Broe — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:55:14 GMT

Go to law school, my dad told me. My career was long underway, now I was looking for new directions. Why law school? My dad admired the legal profession, and had used attorneys many times. My little sister was an attorney, and I think I have the right mental discipline to do well in a study of law. Tempting.

One little problem: Law school was not my goal. It didn’t interest me. My choice committed me to a doctoral program for the next five years; really, I have never regretted my choice.

Has anyone ever given you bad career advice? If I could live my life as another person, I might be a great lawyer. People with advice may be pushing their friends to fulfill their dream. Here's my advice, for what its worth: Go ahead and listen. Some people with advice may be convincing, knowledgeable, and wrong. When you act on advice, you will need to know that the advice works for you. Some advice may be excellent. Check it out anyway.

What really scares me about advice-givers is being directed by someone who has never taken my kind of risk. A majority of people in the world don't take career-shaking risks. Without some "roll the dice" risks, a person will never get to their personal victory.

Integrity as a leadership quality

Steve Broe — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:19:00 GMT

Leaders live consistently with their values. Integrity is that quality we celebrate in a person who makes their values a priority. We know that leaders are reliable with their values.

Leaders may hold different values. When we think about leaders, we may not even like or agree with their values, but we know that the values define the leader. For a person of integrity, the values are more than just talking points – the leader consistently acts in accord with the principles of his life. Values guide a person of integrity in small decisions and large.

Some people are cavalier with their values; they are convenient qualities used to make the person sound good in talking points. For a leader with integrity, it may be completely irrelevant if anyone else understands that the values are important to him or her. What is consistently important to a leader is the close connection between personal values and the many choices of life.

For a person with integrity, we should be able to review a person’s behaviors and acts and list the values that they represent. The values come alive by the things we do.

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

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Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader

Distinguish Yourself as an Idea Person

Steve Broe — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:54:53 GMT

Make yourself more valuable at work by being a source of fresh ideas. Train your mind to see fresh options, and offer new ideas as a flexible thinker. Distinguish yourself as a person who can identify the possibilities.

Far too many people practice a quiet conformity. The idea person takes risks. The idea person gets noticed. You may be vulnerable; however you can practice a fleetness of thinking that keeps you in motion. Don’t be one of the conformists who mimic what other people have said. Look for useful new ways of thinking that set you apart.

Continually ask yourself, “What else is going on here?” Look for patterns that surround the object. The conformist thinker may be content to measure what is known. On any big project, has the thinking been complete? Is there more that will affect the outcome? Perhaps there are other forces that push or pull your project. Perhaps these forces will only be felt under moments of transition. How can you demonstrate what might be going on?

The conformist thinker often works in straight lines. When a situation is considered, the ordinary thinker will think “A, B, then C, D, and E.” The person with fresh ideas may start with A and B, but will then ask about numbers, colors and physical dimensions. Explore the subject beyond what is known and presented. Ask and consider. Let your mind play.

Think quantity of ideas. Be abundant in generating the possibilities. Not all ideas will be useful. Good ideas tend to be surrounded by other ideas, not all are dressed in working clothes. Let your idea generation be a process of experiencing a flow of possibilities. Record them all. Don’t stop to evaluate the best ideas, simply feel the flow and be grateful to be the mouthpiece for a fresh perspective.

Do your generating privately, unless you are taking place in a brainstorming session. Others may not respect or value the work that you put into generating ideas. Give yourself the luxury of ample idea generation, without the judgmental eyes of others.

I think that creativity works like a muscle – we are all capable of it, but when the muscle is exercised regularly, it is stronger and more effective. Creative thinking happens faster with a person who uses this muscle. Keep in shape; practice your alternative thinking regularly.

What’s your strategic career plan?

Steve Broe — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:54:18 GMT

Even if your career is going well, you need a strategic career plan. Our world is in constant flux. The good conditions of today may change in another season. Where will you be in five years time? Here are some elements to consider for your sustained success.

Exploration. What questions are you asking yourself? If you could place yourself someplace better in one year’s time, where would be? Explore the possibilities you have in the coming future. Learn to think of the many choices that you have available to you. Every choice you make will open new possibilities, and close others. Reflect on what you will choose. Pause before you take action. Increase your informed level of responsive action.

Expand your dream. Do you remember the dream that got you this far? I had put my dream far behind me, until I couldn’t stand the distance. I was at a distance from my energizing essence! I was disconnected from my dream. Finding my dream helped me restore personal energy. Now I have launched new directions and see new places. I’m keeping my dream alive; more than that, I’m expanding it!

Review your strengths. Read one of the books about career strengths by Marcus Buckingham, and learn more about your vital energy. Why would you want to work in weakness? Once you know what your strength areas are, you can include more of them in your future. When you work in your strength area, you enjoy your work, and accomplish more with ease. Choose your strengths, and include them in your strategic career plan.

Networking. We expand our potential by surrounding ourselves with effective people. Include networking in your plan. Consider well: who are the people that can help you succeed? Few of us achieve anything great by ourselves. Expand the circle of people who trust you, and whom you trust. Perhaps you should work on a new networking skill, such as a social media application.

A learning plan. Have you noticed that the rate of change is continuing to pick up? Reinvest in your knowledge base. You don’t have to earn a new degree. You don’t have to even take a class. Become master of your field by reading and talking to people who make a difference in your work. Build your specialized expertise. With study and meaningful work, you can be the person that everyone thinks of when an expert is needed. Invest in your intellectual capital!

Launch the next phase of your future. Your career strategic plan helps you review your potential gains, and overcome threats to your current position. This is important. Your strategic plan should be used in times of relative security to help you make the best decisions in the coming crossroads of your life. A victim waits until he or she is at risk. A great career plan will keep you in the game at a high level. When you design your own career strategic plan, you have participated in creating the game of personal success!

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

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Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader.

Show me the productivity

Steve Broe — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 22:30:45 GMT

Are you a productive person? Even if you say “yes,” I believe you can press the accelerator for your inclination to action. Productivity demonstrates that one has intelligence, action, and a will to move. The right “friends” will help you get going, and increase speed.

Here are your friends for getting things done:

A sense of urgency
A vision of where you are going
A burning need to create change in your life.

Here are your enemies for personal productivity:

Sleeping late

Lack of discipline

Willing to avoid action

A pattern of procrastination

Want to get things done? Your power to think original, inspiring thought can take you to completion faster. Dynamic thought combined with a commitment to action can lead to remarkable results. Applied consistently over a period of time, dynamic thought will change the landscape of work. Personal productivity will lead your forward. A discipline must be applied to the thought, discipline that converts mental consideration into action.

Mental power can also bog one down in a swamp. Mind power is tremendous when it is coupled to action, however many people don’t convert good thoughts with action. A productive leader will ask, “what needs to be done?” and use mental power to go further with minimal effort. A slouch will start thinking, move into dreaming, and then wander into a land filled with distraction. Without a commitment to action, original thought will be unfulfilled.

Spend time in intelligent thought. Then get moving. You don’t have to have a complete roadmap. You probably won’t have all the resources you need to complete a major goal. It doesn’t matter. The person committed to action combined with mindpower will attract all the resources needed. If there are bridges to cross, you will find the toll as you move forward. A sense of momentum generates a powerful feeling of value for any productive effort.

Give the performance review a kick

Steve Broe — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:28:36 GMT

Do you believe that synergy exists at work? Synergy is that quality of energy when two components come together and generate more vitality than existed separately. In order for synergy to work, YOU must contribute to the meeting, you must give of yourself, and you must add to the magic of the moment.

Give the performance review a kick – help your subordinate discover the magic. To do that, you must believe that great things are possible, and you also believe in your colleague. Set the expectations up before the meeting – this is the chance for your subordinate and you to become mighty champions in your organization working together. Train your mind to see the positive in the possibility – its there, yet you may have to look for it. Shine the light of intention into the meeting before you ever get there.

Get to work preparing. Understand your subordinate. What is his or her most outstanding characteristic that contributes to your business success? Begin with this point; identify the outstanding quality that will lift your direct report. Find three good reasons why this quality makes a difference for the business. Link it to what you need doing. Make it real with detail. You are going to help your subordinate take this quality and go even farther with it, so start by describing how this quality serves your business.

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

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Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader.

Give the performance review a kick

Steve Broe — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:28:35 GMT

Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader.

How can a manager motivate and create positive change with a performance review?

Steve Broe — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:10:55 GMT

Coming up next week – a performance review meeting with five of your key employees. You would like to make the most of the meeting. You know that your thoughts and words in the meeting are important. By preparing intelligently for the coming performance review sessions, you will have a chance to see your people work harder, possibly even commit to doing more for your unit. However if you fail to make a positive impact, your employees may leave feeling discouraged, and their work performance may degrade. Your own rating in the company may suffer?

How do you prepare for performance review meetings? Don’t wing it; take the time to prepare for your feedback sessions. Spend the time to look at each employee, and put your thoughts in writing. This process may take several sessions. Treat each private review as an iteration to help you motivate and create positive change – a big demand, but certainly possible if you prepare properly.

Begin by deciding on the top three things that you want your employees to know and understand. Organize the information this way before you get started. First consider the positive news that you have to deliver. Secondly, point out the biggest area of change that you expect from your direct report. Third, point out to your employee, an area of opportunity that this employee can do which will exceed your expectations. This third area should be something beyond simple expectations. Roughly considered, this plan of review is positive, negative, and possible. You will deliver good news, hard news, and open the door to doing even better.

By following this process you will first open the heart of the employee to be positive too. The employee will expect negative feedback, and you are going to deliver it quickly, without hesitation. Then you are going to surprise the employee by showing that it may be possible to do an exceptional job. Open the door to possibility, and get the employee to be a bit inspired. You may want to tell the employee that you see potential to go even further, and convince yourself that you really mean it! The realm of the possible is the direction that the employee can take to get the attention of all the leaders in your company.

Most managers won’t offer the realm of the possible to their employees. They will offer positive and negative feedback, and leave it there. Show your employees that much more is possible – and you believe in them.

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After a successful life transition, choose a positive risk in the direction of a dream.

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Does your purpose fill you (and others) with passion? Send a note to me at drsteve@mycareerimpact.com

An introduction to Leaders in Transition

Steve Broe — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:59:50 GMT

I've been working on my book, Leaders in Transition. Here is the introduction to this book, in which I answser the question "How do people change careers, and emerge as a leader in the process?"

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“How did you become a leader after changing your career?”

I asked this question many times over the last few years. I met colleagues at Starbucks, and asked them while we both had warm caffeine. I created an online survey. I tweeted the question, and talked interesting people who were willing to share their stories. I asked other friends, “Who do you know who became a leader after they changed their career?” I found many interesting answers.

I am a fan of leaders. I believe leaders contribute to making this a more satisfying world. Sure, there are bad leaders out there. However, the leaders I know are all trying to improve themselves while they change the world around them. Many people are just getting started as a leader, and they are trying out new skills tentatively, like a baby bird leaving its nest. I call these people “emerging leaders.”

I’ve talked to a sales executive, an elected official, and the executive director of a church. I talked to an NCIS agent. I’ve had coffee with several writers, and a healer. Their situations were quite different. Some of their stories were compelling.

I never got tired of asking people, “How did you become a leader?” I put some of the best answers in this book. I hope you enjoy what I’ve heard.

I have prepared this book with emerging leaders in mind. I know that many people have lost their jobs in the last few years, and some readers are ready to launch careers. To these people, I say, “proceed with confidence and joy!” Consider becoming a leader in the process. This book may help you get there.

I also believe this book will help coaches, people considering a change, and anyone who counsels career changers. In addition, anyone interested in becoming a leader ought to be interested in what I’ve heard from others.

We need more leaders. We need people who are willing to take a stand, work with others, and create a positive change for the community and world. In Leaders in Transition, the reader will discover five principles that have made a difference for emerging leaders. From my knowledge of published research on leadership, these principles are universal. These ideas will help anyone looking to practice the art of leading others.

One friend of mine claims that leadership is love. Anyone who cares enough to assume responsibilities to make the world better for others is serving in love. We offer love to the people we know, and the world beyond, by acting as a leader. Being a leader doesn’t mean we have all the answers, or that one is always right. Leadership is about daring to do the right thing.

Scholar Warren Bennis has taught that leadership is an art form. It is a performance act that involves other people to permanently transform the world around us. Leaders may not have certainty, but with vision and values in mind, leaders know what is right. The art of leadership is finding the best way to get there.

To all of you changing careers or thinking about it, I hope you choose to be a leader. You may bring love and art into your world.

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Express your creative talents as a leader. Send a note to DrSteve@mycareerimpact.com

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Time to shake things up?

Steve Broe — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:36:17 GMT

Going to shake things up? Make it positive. If you are going to challenge the process, get people excited about the journey. Tell people, “We are going to make this so much better!” Use words of excitement, dynamic energy, and rewarding to enlist people in your cause. You have an important destination in mind – now launch the journey with excitement in your heart!

Make the Challenge Meaningful - Recent studies in motivation tell us that people want meaningful challenges. They want to more than earn money; they want to contribute to something that will last. People seek to lead a meaningful life! One they can talk about, dream about, and even brag about. A life invested in meaning is one that captures the essence of the soul. People work harder for meaning.

How can you make challenges meaningful? Show people the big picture. Show people that they are not just building a wall; they are building a cathedral that will stand for centuries and will provide a place for spiritual teaching. Then show people how each one makes a difference on the effort. Not only is the change meaningful, but YOU play an important part in it – and we’re counting on you!

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

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Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader.

Message and purpose

Steve Broe — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:27:05 GMT

Have a clear message. Can you reduce your take home message to twelve words or less? Plan your speech so that the message is clear within the first minute of your speech. Organize your content so that a persuasive case is built into the structure of your speech. Every argument in your presentation should offer support to the underlying message. Flashy gimmicks or jokes that don’t support the point will dilute your impact. Stay focused on what is important.

Have a purpose. Show the audience what your message means to them. Your meaningful purpose will speak to the soul of the listener – showing the person why they ought to be moved. Many good speakers just deliver facts. Connect with the heart as well as the mind. If you have an important purpose, put it into human terms.

If your speech message is about “justice,” then your meaning level should show what happens when justice works – people live better, immigrants become a part of the social network, diverse people live harmoniously. Tell stories of real people.

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Courage, thought and the leader

Steve Broe — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 23:32:48 GMT

Courage. Observers find this quality in great leaders, yet we know that leaders with courage are not strangers to fear. A person can make a brave choice, and know powerful fear at the same time. We remember the leader for courage, yet fear may have been present.

Somehow, a courageous act propels one beyond the immobilization felt when fear grips the heart. Leaders know this dilemma, and take the bold act. We celebrate leaders when the courageous step makes a difference, hastening a better world.

Even understanding the world around us can be an act of courage. I think sometimes our ego acts to hide us from information that doesn’t support our vision of ourselves. It’s natural, our image protection system (that’s the ego) finds ways to shield us from negative news. The world can be hard, and the effective person must learn to deal with truth. The ego is not a good mirror of the world, it will show us the world as we want it to be.

A courageous person challenges the ego, applies critical thinking, and looks at the world as it is. “Tomorrow’s greatest leaders are those with the courage to face reality and help the people around them face reality,” said Harvard professor Ronald Heifetz. Courage may involve challenging conventional thinking and helping others to do the same.

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Express your creative talents as a leader. Send a note to DrSteve@mycareerimpact.com

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Choice to act is yours

Steve Broe — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 20:27:19 GMT

Do you act or react? Some people only respond to problems in life. Other people take charge of their situation, assess the factors around them, and choose based on a personal plan. People who act are in control of their lives. Those who react fail to make the choices over their own circumstances.

Nathaniel Branden, author of The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, claims that the active approach to life is a foundation of self-esteem. When we choose for ourselves, and take responsibility for our course, we build our level of internal satisfaction. We are designed to be responsible action-takers, people who make choices and move in a corresponding direction.

Are you in charge of your life? The choice to act is yours; no one can give it to you. The gift of determining for yourself is a strong self-esteem, one that can lead you toward your fond dreams. Here are some recommended steps to help you act in your self-interest.

Center yourself. Take some time regularly to abide in the place where you live in stillness and perceive the rest of the world. Know how to get there, and calmly return on a regular basis. You are more than the forces acting on you. When you return to your center, you will be connected to your vital purpose in the world. You need this connection to be active to know how you should be acting.

Reflect regularly. Do you understand what you are trying to achieve? Have you stated your direction in writing? If not, get to it. Put your pen to paper, or launch your word processor. Decide on your personal worthy effort. Think of this process as a dialogue you have with your highest part of yourself.

Know your legacy. Think beyond yourself. How does your work provide a benefit to the world? Don’t just state it, believe it. Make sure that you see a connection between your actions, and how you make your community a better place. We all leave legacies; make yours an intentional one. When you know that your work helps orphans to grow up healthy, you will be positive about acting. Your concern is than your personal needs. The drive to create a legacy that helps others tends to add urgency to the effort.

Set a blueprint. My daily blueprint is probably similar to your daily task list. By calling it a “blueprint” however, I remind myself that this is a plan, subject to change, and that I created it. What I created, I can change, depending on the needs of the moment. The blueprint is also a kind reminder that other forces can demand hours from my day. What I have not been able to complete before the sun goes down can be added to tomorrow’s effort.

If you are feeling aimless, if you have settled into a passive mode of living, decide to change. Your self-esteem will grow as you take action. Begin your transformation by pausing in your center, reflecting on your life purpose, and remember that you have an opportunity to help others. These internal steps will sustain your efforts to become effective and confident.

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

* * * *

Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader

Work is based on assumptions

Steve Broe — Mon, 23 May 2011 22:02:50 GMT

Dattner and Hogan, writing in the Harvard Business Review, suggest four strategies for learning about assumptions. How many of these do you employ? If you do employ them, can you go further?

We can learn of our assumptions by talking to other people. Listen, communicate, and be open. Exchange ideas, and ponder new ideas that come from others. Do not defend your own position without first asking, “Is there something I can learn from her approach?” An open posture to new information helps us examine the assumptions we have made.

Spend some time reflecting on the situation and the people. Look beyond the obvious. Notice how the situation works – or doesn’t work. Ask yourself, why does it work this way? Why couldn’t it work another way? Consider the impact of people – we all have our personality factors working in the situation. Would the situation be different if it were run by poets? If it were run by the fire department? What if Masai warriors led the situation? Conduct a thought experiment, and ask yourself a few questions. What would it take to run this situation under other conditions?

Use your reflection time to challenge your assumptions. If the project doesn’t work under other conditions, perhaps you have exposed an assumption. If you are not sure, let the doubt go unresolved for a while. Assumptions like to hide! Employ the power of your mind to find assumptions even while you are not focusing on them. A state of being unresolved can help you find the assumptions at work.

Think before you act. Imagine what you know, and what you do not know before you take action. Within that collection of uncertainty, you may identify a few assumptions. Be careful, the assumptions may be slippery, and avoid your direct attention. Use the power of the pause, and the assumptions may nag you into taking action. Be alert!

Think also, about how your strategy works. Visualize the processes involved. Express in words what is going on. Then ask yourself, “Do I know this to be true? Or is what I am saying my best guess?” Look for the assumptions that may be lurking in the background.

After the process has worked, look for a lesson. What have you learned by applying this effort? If you succeeded, ask the question even though you are satisfied with a result. Often, we can learn more from a failure simply because we ask, “What went wrong?” Few of us ask, “What went right?” The lessons may be available to you if you construct a large picture, and you may discover the lesson behind the actions. Try to gain meaning from everything you do. Assumptions may push us into a particular view. So ask, “What else could be going on?”

Build more awareness about the way you work. Examine the process, and find the hidden assumptions. Physics teaches us that objects that appear to be solid is actually mostly empty space. Ask if the assumption in your work is always true, or just “often true.” You may be able to find an exception to the rule to treat as certainty.

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Shining with an original spark

Steve Broe — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:55:00 GMT

In the tradition of Zen, there is a teaching, “Show me your face before you were born.” This koan teaches us to focus on the original gift of life, without distractions from the pleasures or challenges of the world of papers and paychecks. Can you find your essence that is not a reflection of the life you have lived? Removed of all other influences, you have a spark of life different from the people around you. You are not a copy. Know your center.

As I advance in my years, now moving into the grandparent age, I find that my essence is discovered by looking inward. I cannot play social games, engage in politics, or influence others and learn about my inner world. My essential center is a spark of energy and life that I alone nurture. I have been given this piece of the universe in trust to share with others. No one else has the franchise!

My colleague Lolly Daskal has written that “comparing ourselves to others will destroy our chances of being the best we can be.” The best teachers help us find our own way, without copying another path. We are originals, so we should remove from the canvas of our life all brushstrokes which come from the emulation of others. We become a work of art by removing that which is not uniquely ours, and accenting our personal dynamic force.

I find that people who know their “original face” have a vibration that feels unique. Like a great temple bell that has a unique pitch, our essential center sounds the voice of a gong which is recognized by our community. When we learn to find our tone center, the vibration is clearer and sweeter to the ear.

Learn about your own strengths; don’t try to copy someone else’s feats. You will gain influence in the world by sharing your personal gift, your viewpoint on the path of majesty. Your perspective is unique!

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Express your creative talents as a leader. Send a note to

Neko ni koban.

Cats love shiny round things. If a Japanese family had raised you, your parents would teach you this truth according to tradition. Gold coins ought to delight a cat – yet the feline never understands why the gold is valuable. The cat simply appreciates the appearance of a coin. If you talk of “gold coins to a cat,” you point out that an object is valued without understanding its potential value or purpose.

Cats will play with a piece of string, and never consider its value. The cat just likes to play. We may make the same mistake, finding something in our attic and not realizing its potential on the Antique Roadshow. We may use the classic vase to hold daisies, without knowing that it once belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

The value of things depends on its potential usefulness, or to its connection with something valued. At Yale University, a scholar found a painting in its historical vault, with no known artist. Admiring the anonymous work for a number of months, the historian became convinced the work was created by Diego Velasquez, the Spanish painter from the court of King Philip the IV. Not only historically significant, a recent canvas by Velasquez had recently sold for $17 million in auction.

Now, Yale University treats this work as a priceless work from the baroque period, and will probably never sell it. Scholars think this work demonstrates an early work from a master who produced very few paintings. Previously, it gathered dust!

Do you have talents and skills that you are not putting to use? Could your true value be as “gold coins to a cat?”

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

* * * *

Call me at 602-993-6070 if you would like to explore your inner leader.

The passionate light of a leader

Steve Broe — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:28:00 GMT

The highly effective leader is a changed man (or woman). The most effective leaders influence others through their passion.

Leaders create movement. A Jedi can be moved by the power of the Force, a positive light side of power that works for good. A Jedi can be tempted equally by the dark side, a force that encourages selfish internal motives. The dark side can be powerful; however the light side is more attractive and brings people along willingly. The dark side binds people.

I find a parallel in the driving power of a contemporary leader. One colleague (Georgia Feiste) asks this important question, “As a leader, what drives you – passion or ego?” Leaders may draw people by positive passion or by the greed that follows the ego.

A leader’s passion can be a future pull – a draw to a vision of a possible future landscape that entices, like Dorothy drawn to the Land of Oz A leader’s experience of this potential destination can inspire passion in the self and others. This passion is a source of power in the present. Passion is the real thing.

The dark side alternative is ego. Ego is a tempting power; it seduces the soul just as the dark side power offered Jedis a chance to dominate others. Ego can create power; it is never as sweet as genuine passion.

The ego is a force that drives people. I like to think that ego is limited in its ability to connect with people, that selfish purposes have power but limited range in them – the power of the ego cannot be sustained as long as the power of passion. Ego burns itself out faster. It never satisfies as long as passion.

Perhaps we all have some passion motivation in us, as well as some ego motivation. Don’t worry about the presence of the ego – but be excited about the presence of passion in your soul! This source of influence is dynamic and positive – it turns people on!

When you show people the way forward, they will read your intention. Connect with passion.

Be brilliant. The light from your passion is like a 150 bright bulb- the incandescent kind! Your shine will draw people of talent, purpose and positivity to you.

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After a successful life transition, choose a positive risk in the direction of a dream.

* * * *

Does your purpose fill you (and others) with passion? Send a note to me at drsteve@mycareerimpact.com

Live the mystery

Steve Broe — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:35:00 GMT

Life is often mysterious. A life mystery defies easy understanding. A good mystery is fascinating anyway.

You can choose to live the mystery, or you can try to understand it. You cannot do both. The experience of the mystery moves beyond comprehension. The effort needed to understand will prevent one from entering the portal of mysterious life.

How do you create a new thought, write a sonnet, or tell a tale previously unknown? The creative mind may be one of those mysteries that define knowing. “Creativity is magic. Don’t examine it too closely,” said playwright Edward Albee. If we look too closely at the process, the magic may dissipate, the fascination may evaporate. When we allow ourselves to be creative without study, we can often delight in the experience, and that is enough to produce more magic.

The mysterious, creative path is a way of perception, not of judgment. As Zen teaching offers, the moment we start to make distinctions, we drive away “heaven and earth.” However, the great way is not difficult. It is easily lived. Only go directly, and don’t analyze the journey.

Entering the creative, mysterious life?

Pay attention to perceptions. Don’t try to judge them, just know what you experience. The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung describes one of the great divisions and thought is the ability to perceive, versus the judging mind. The judging mind sorts, classifies – and ends open perception. Open the gates of perception, said Aldous Huxley. Enter the mystery of life enhanced.

Release expectations. Don’t bring your version of heaven with you, walk into the paradise before you. The things you expect probably won’t happen. Spock from the classic Star Trek taught that we should appreciate “infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” The mysterious life in front of you cannot be anticipated. Celebrate what arrives.

Feel the pulse. The mysterious side of life may be as vibrant as a great jazz piece - it comes with its own sophisticated rhythm. Don’t try to impose square 4/4 time on the land of the mysterious. Find the natural rock of the place. Express it, but don’t anticipate it. Try to offer something unique about yourself to add to the pulse of the place. Find your opportunity to sing the cadenza.

None of us can live entirely creative lives. The power of mystery is appealing, yet we all need to pay our bills too. Enter the mystery regularly, as it deepens and colors one’s character. Spend a summer at the beach, get a tan. Spend a season in mystery, and you will speak with resonance and charisma.

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Do you have a mystery waiting to be expressed?

Offer your creative talents as a leader. Send me a note to Career changers told me that they consciously worked to expand their network. The value of the network is more than a numbers game, more than a process of collecting business cards and phone lists. Connections are not about treating people as objects, and friendships are not conquests. The people who emerged as leaders cared about their expanded circle. Other people are vitally important to them, no matter their calculated value to a new business enterprise.

A person in transition renews some neglected connections. Some friendships drift apart while life gets busy. The person in transition understands that all connections are important, and invests authentic emotional contact with old colleagues. Even though the career changer seeks interviews and information, sincere interest in the other person guides the process in a valued connection. If the bond was there before, the person in transition can often rekindle the connection by an honest effort.

The American writer, Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” Our inner life, our perceptions and rich experiences are delights to other people. Yet if we pour too much of our richness out all at once, it can scare the casual encounter. Our differences and unique configuration of values are alien to many other people. To build a great connection, pour slowly. Let other people show you how much they are ready to accept. Be bold, but not too bold, especially at first.

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This blog is an excerpt from Leaders in Transition, Chapter 5.

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Be a leader. Use imagination, career experience, and awareness of your world. Take action.

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Call me if you would like to explore your inner leader.

Your dreams – a long term project

Steve Broe — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:15:00 GMT

Some things are worth dreaming about. High achievers don’t just dream, they create goals and plans, and apply effort to their dreams. Good things, however, often take a while to be realized. For an important dream, to a person with a warm heart, the wait is worthwhile.

Why do we despair if a dream is not realized immediately? I think some people abandon their dreams if results do not show up swiftly. This does not mean the dream is unimportant, however the spirit has been defeated by the challenge of the world.

To my friends with dreams, I counsel patience. Keep the dream alive, and realize that big things get built slowly. “Rome wasn’t built in a day;” you will need momentum too. Because it’s worth it, the short term tasks must be scheduled, given attention. Other tasks must be set aside, so that the dream can have room in your life.

Dreams are a long-term project. Make your dream real by acting on it soon. Start building the foundations, and replace desires with a feeling of fulfillment. The journey is worth it!

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When you discipline yourself to work conscientiously, responsibly and rigorously, you create a tonic against the draining effects of change.

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Do you express greatness in your dreams? Send me a note.