24 Feb 2008 03:13:17 | Debbie Brown, MBA, MSW
Redefining Success in an Uncertain World
Deborah R. Brown, MBA, MSW
"Everything had changed suddenly—the tone, the moral
climate; you didn't know what to think, whom to listen to. As if
all your life you had been led by the hand like a small child
and suddenly you were on your own, you had to learn to walk by
yourself. ....At such a time you felt the need of committing
yourself to something absolute—life or truth or
beauty—of being ruled by it in place of the man-made rules
that had been discarded. " Boris Pasternak Doctor Zhivago
Over the past two years we have experienced many changes. The
stock market tumbled when the dot.com bubble burst, ending the
exuberance of the 1990's. The shocking events of 9/11 forced us
to recognize that we are vulnerable to the terrorist attacks
that are commonplace in other areas of the world. We no longer
feel safe. These events placed a further strain on our economy
and expanded the recession. Corporate scandals with far reaching
negative financial implications accentuated the greed and lack
of integrity in the top management of several companies.
Some of us lost our jobs or took reductions in income. For those
who invested in the stock market, our retirement savings have
been reduced. For some these events have meant downscaling our
lifestyles, and for others, that we need to work several more
years before we can retire.
Even for those who have not suffered financially, it has meant
taking stock of what is important, being grateful for what we
have, and realigning our priorities. Like Dr. Zhivago during the
Russian Revolution, we now recognize that we need to re-evaluate
the rules we have followed for so long - the rules that define
how we should manage our careers and our lives - the rules that
tell us how we should define success.
Our jobs represent a public statement of our identity that
provides a means of self-expression, status and structure to our
lives. Traditional thinking dictates that if people work hard
they will be rewarded with challenging work, fancier job titles
and higher salaries. But the nature of business, work and jobs
has changed. People can no longer be assured of making more
money every year. The lay-offs and downsizings with management
that started with the recession of the early 1990's continue
today. More people are competing for a smaller number of
management positions. Many companies that give raises in the
current economy are merely adjusting for inflation.
At this time we can all benefit by re-evaluating what success
means to us. Perhaps for some it does not mean making as much
money as possible. For some it might mean spending more time
with our families - working less, rather than working more. For
others it might mean being able to express creativity in their
work. For one client, who tearfully told me that her
relationship with God was most important to her, it meant
reducing her 65-hour workweeks to allow for regular attendance
at religious services. For some it means owning our own
business. For others it means finding employment in 2003.
One client in mid -life, formerly the CEO of a start-up
technical firm, currently finds himself out of work with no
comparable employment in sight. Although he loves his chosen
field, he questions what he wants, and has difficulty becoming
inspired. He frequently fantasizes about owning his own
business. We joke about "the hot dog stand" venture. He can't
tolerate the thought of being an employee of some company,
filling a narrowly defined role. And he does not miss the stress
and long hours that his former CEO position required. But he
misses having a sense of purpose, direction and being thoroughly
engaged in meaningful work.
Another client has been a successful consultant. But he plays
only a peripheral role in the development of the organization.
He would like to be more intricately involved in a company, so
that he can influence the direction and contribute more fully.
Someday, he would love to own several small gift shops and be
able to leave the large metropolitan area where he now resides.
An accomplished attorney in a small southern town realizes he is
out of place in this conservative environment and wants to
relocate to a larger metropolitan area. Although he understands
that he initially may have to take a job in the legal field, he
looks forward to the time when he can explore work that more
completely draws on his strengths and is more fulfilling.
Recently I got a call from a person who works for a large
financial consulting firm. She stated that she is no longer
willing to work for a company that asks her to compromise her
values. She continues to be committed to her colleagues, but is
no longer committed to the company.
An unemployed former CFO in his mid fifties realizes that his
goal is not to find "perceived" security with a firm that will
provide a salary and benefits. Instead of continuing to look for
a company to hire him, he now intends to rely on his own
resourcefulness. He plans to open his own public accounting
office in a small town where his services are needed.
These people have several things in common. It isn't that they
don't want to work hard anymore. They do. All of these
individuals desire a change in lifestyle that would allow them
to work hard to achieve their own goals in environments that
value integrity. They want more control over their lives and
their work.
Defining Success
How do we go about defining what is important to us at this
time? How do we define success for us at this time in our lives?
There are many ways to start exploring this process. My clients
rank in importance a list of 18 values (priorities). I also
provide them with a balance worksheet to help them identify
areas of imbalance and to develop a plan of action steps to
achieve more balance, satisfaction and happiness in their lives.
I offer my clients an exercise by Coachville.com that recommends
completing the following statement in three different ways: "I
know how successful I am by how....."
Another exercise is to identify the time in your life when you
felt the most successful and the happiest. Describe what you did
during these times and the common themes that recur throughout
the best times in your life.
Sometimes we reach a point of no return, a point where we are
just not going to settle for work and a life that leave us
feeling stressed, unappreciated and unfulfilled. When that time
comes there is no turning back, and we must find the courage and
determination to move ahead. Like Dr. Zhivago, we need to commit
ourselves to something absolute, something that we feel in the
core of our being - something that will not change with the
latest business fad or decline in the stock market. Then we can
define what we need to feel successful and happy, and develop an
action plan to get there.
Deborah R. Brown, MBA, MSW D & B Consulting 3475 Lenox Road,
Suite 400 Atlanta, GA 30326 Voice: 404-240-8063 Email:
Debbie@DandBconsulting.com Fax: 678-530-0661 Web Site:
http://www.DandBconsulting.com
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