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In two previous posts I discussed career decision-making and traits of gifted workers. In my next three posts, we're going to look at 10 tips for managing-- and thriving-- in your career. A caveat: there is no one “quick fix” that will work for everyone, and no blog can provide the depth needed to fully develop each idea. These 10 tips are ideas to consider and research further. I am a strong believer in bibliotherapy and the power of books (fiction and nonfiction) to change our lives, improve our situations, learn new strategies, or just not feel so alone in the world, so where appropriate I have recommended further reading. In addition, you might decide that it would be better to meet with a good career coach, counselor, or psychologist to talk through the issues you uncover. With those factors in mind, here are the first three tips to consider as you develop your thoughts on where you will thrive in your career.
Gifted Career Thriving Tip #1. Analyze Your Work History.
Career management begins with career analysis. Take a good look at your work history. Go back to your summer jobs in high school if you wish. Go beyond your resume to focus on the factors you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about your work experiences. Consider writing short essays (or at least jotting down notes) to help gain clarity and insight. This tried and true method of essay-writing is similar to that recommended by Richard Bolles in the classic book, What Color Is Your Parachute?
Here are some questions to ponder:
- How many jobs have you held, how often have you changed them, and why?
- What was your best experience in a workplace? Conversely, what went wrong in previous workplaces?
- As you look over your experiences, are there patterns or themes?
- Do you start out enthusiastic and then get bored?
- Do you have challenges with supervisors? Who was your best supervisor, and why?
- Do you get along well with co-workers? Where have you experienced challenges with co-workers?
- What tasks or projects have you enjoyed the most?
- When do you feel you were at your all-time best?
- Is your education a factor in your job satisfaction? Are you over- or under-educated for your profession and/or your work setting?
- Have you been chronically under-employed? Is this by choice or circumstance?
Take a day or two away from your writing and then re-examine it. What have you uncovered? Is there a pattern you need to break to ensure better job satisfaction? How many of your issues are due to being gifted? You may find that your dissatisfaction is based on issues like salary or the commute, which likely have little to do with your giftedness. Or you may uncover some chronic issues you would like to discuss with a coach, counselor, or psychologist.
Gifted Career Thriving Tip #2. Determine The Setting Where You Will Thrive.
Based on what you’ve learned through your previous analysis, can you devise a more ideal career setting? Recent research in positive psychology points out the need for certain conditions to be present in the workplace for one to “thrive.” In his book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, Dr. Martin Seligman explains the importance of PERMA: five essential elements needed for well-being. They are Positive Emotions, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishments/Achievement. How often are you experiencing those elements in your current workplace?
One common workplace challenge is a discrepancy between your work style and the office culture. As I’m writing this blog post, an article in the New York Times is describing the challenging (seemingly punishing) workplace environment of Amazon, describing “how far they can push white-collar workers.” Would the pressure in this type of environment help you thrive and propel your competitive nature, as some Amazon workers described, or would it exacerbate your perfectionist tendencies, create undue stress, or wreak havoc on your personal life?
Certain environments are more likely to hire gifted individuals: medical practices; law firms; educational institutions; think tanks and research organizations; consulting firms; public policy institutes, etc. Just because you are gifted, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that these will be your best environments, and even these environments vary greatly depending on leadership and mission. While you may find that you would fit intellectually in a variety of settings (often due to your natural curiosity and multiple interests), how do the different environments make you feel? In my work I have encountered many dissatisfied lawyers, for example, who have found that switching law firms is sometimes the solution, while others find it necessary to change specialties or get out of law altogether.
- Where are you most content and happy?
- Where would you find the most meaning?
- Where do you feel most connected to colleagues, customers or clients?
- What/who motivates you to do better?
- What would the ideal environment look like? Where would you thrive?
You might prefer to be a solo practitioner of your craft and create the ideal environment by running your own business. Self-employment (entrepreneurship) is an excellent option if you have the personality and talent to run your own business. Portfolio careers (a cobbling together of free-lance and part-time work in a variety of fields) can be a way to explore and take advantage of your varied interests.
Conversely, you might want a routine position that isn't challenging so that you can invest your energy in writing that novel or completing that painting. If you are creative by nature, I highly recommend the books of Eric Maisel.
In their excellent book, A Path Appears, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn provide examples of ways to make a difference in your community (or the world) and could provide the inspiration you need to move into nonprofit management or social entrepreneurship.
Once you complete this part of your analysis you may discover that it’s time to switch jobs or even careers. There are myriad resources to help you with this, and this might be a good place to find a career coach, counselor, or psychologist to assist.
Gifted Career Thriving Tip #3. Let Your Light Shine: Promote your strengths and keep learning new skills.
Many gifted individuals report the need to “dummy down” in the workplace. They don’t discuss their interests or hobbies because they fear others will not understand, or perhaps even ridicule them. While there is always a risk to being open, it’s important to consider the negative effects of holding yourself in all the time. To paraphrase Marianne Williamson, it may be time to let your light shine.
If you’re holding back and not doing your best at work, ask yourself why. Is this a choice you’re comfortable with, or would a different setting allow you to be more fully yourself and use your talents? If you can’t be yourself at work, do you have a way to express yourself outside of work through hobbies or other activities? If not, you’re setting up a scenario for burnout or worse.
Take a moment to list your interests and strengths. How does your job stand up to that list? One test which can help you identify key strengths is the Strengthsfinder which identifies certain traits you naturally use. You can pay for the test, or purchase one of the books which will give you a code to take the test for free.
While a 100% match between your strengths and interests and the work you do is seldom possible, does your day-to-day work allow you to express your talents? Does your employer take advantage of your potential? Or are you caught up in someone else’s “to-do” list of responsibilities that hamstring you? This is almost always a balancing act; very few jobs allow someone to do what they want all the time, but it’s helpful to aim for that classic 80/20 split where you are actively interested and engaged at least 80% of the time.
Are you continuing to learn through your work? Do you have more skills or knowledge now than you had a year ago or are you getting a little stale? Gifted workers describe themselves as always curious and interested in a variety of things. How can you keep learning? Check with your human resources office about any continuing education benefits you might have. Some workplaces pay for college tuition, offer certificates, continuing education, and/or training programs. We often learn best by teaching; perhaps you could offer a training program for your colleagues through your organization's professional development center.
No opportunities to learn more through your workplace? Design your own education plan. What skills/knowledge would you like to acquire by one year from now? Check out online learning opportunities through EdX, Coursera, or Udemy if a local educational resource isn’t handy or relevant. Meet with people outside your workplace who share your interests. Meetup.com can be a way to find like-minded individuals in your community.
At this point you should have a good picture and analysis of your past work experiences, some thoughts about an ideal (or at least better) work environment for the future, and a list of your strengths and talents (both current and to be developed). In the next post, we’ll look at personality factors which can help or hinder your career, followed by a third post on how to take your newly acquired knowledge and move forward in your career (and life).
©2015 Katharine S. Brooks. All rights reserved. Find me on Facebook and Twitter.
Photo Credit: Cory Doctorow. Redonkulus "Inspiration Room", Hotel Zaza, Houston, TX. Flickr Creative Commons.
