I do a lot of work with people who are 45+, trying to navigate an economy that they didn't expect--one that doesn't necessarily respect longevity or loyalty and that doesn't always seem to value what these people bring to the table.  In this work, I've begun to identify some new career management skills that I think we 45+ people need to get better at in order to not only survive, but thrive in a new economy. Note that at 52, I fall squarely into the group of people I'm giving advice to, so this is coming from someone who gets you.  Here are a few skills that are essential to we mid-career folks: 1. Working gracefully for younger supervisors I talk to a LOT of people who have supervisors who are younger than they are--often 15 or more years younger. Some people are able to handle this, but I've seen a lot of people who can't. They make it clear that they don't have a lot of respect for the younger manager, questioning their judgement and generally assuming that this youngster doesn't know what they're doing.  Clearly this is a problem--one that will quickly get you tagged as someone who is NOT a team player. The reality is, more and more of us in the 45+ category will be working for people in their 20's and 30's. We need to get over the idea that this "shouldn't" be happening (it is) and figure out how we can create a productive, positive relationship with younger bosses.  2. Starting over A few weeks ago, I wrote about how 50 is the new 65 in the job market, and how many people are getting laid off at the peak of their careers. While some of us may be lucky enough to find new employment in our old occupation, many more people are finding that they have to completely reinvent themselves and their careers.  Having to start over when we are moving into that stage of work when we thought that things might ease up a little can be incredibly frustrating and disheartening. But it's a reality of the modern economy and a skill that our younger co-workers understand is part of the deal.  One of the reasons I am such a fanatic about multiple income streams and side gigs is because starting over is a lot easier when you've been building a bridge to something new already. It becomes less about starting over and more about gearing up in another area.  3. Diversifying and expanding our connections As we hit our middle years, we have a tendency to kind of hunker down into the relationships we've developed earlier in our lives. We can be less likely to be looking for new connections and groups of people because we may already feel like we're set with our circles.  But the reality is that at mid-life, we may need to be making new connections even more than when we were younger. These new people can bring in new opportunities, new possibilities, new information and new ideas. These are the things that keep us fresh and resilient and able to navigate whatever comes our way.  4. Letting go I talk to a lot of people in their 40's and 50's who are clearly unhappy with their work lives. They've settled into something that is either incredibly boring or deeply unsatisfying to them and they spend much of their time fighting the inner knowledge that it's time to move on.  I get this. Fear and the need to maintain a certain standard of living are powerful chains that link us to work that is long past its "sell by" date. But this inability to let go and move on can make you stagnant and bitter. And believe me, these are not great ways to be at work.  We have to get better at recognizing when the season for something has passed and when it's time to move on to something different. When we do this, we can move on our terms, rather than when someone else decides it's time to go, which means we're much less likely to have to start over.  These are a few of the skills I'm seeing a need for us to develop as we age in our careers. What career management skills do you see us needing to develop? And how are you handling this? 

I spent yesterday at a meeting with a number of smart, passionate people who want to make a difference in their industry. The industry doesn't matter because there are smart, passionate people in every industry, people who want to make a difference and create lasting impact. And all of these people encounter the same issue.  This was a strategic planning meeting, looking at opportunities and possibilities. It involved key stakeholders, all of whom share similar assumptions about how their world works. And that was the problem.  The people in this group don't know what they don't know.  They share similar world views, similar paradigms and make the same assumptions about how their industry operates and, therefore, how it should operate in the future. There is no one in their group who can say: "Hey--you know what? There are OTHER ways of operating, other ways of viewing and thinking about this work that you're doing. But you don't know that you don't know about them."  The "Homophily" Problem There's a word for what happens when "birds of a feather flock together"--that human tendency to gather with like-minded people who will tend to confirm, rather than test our core beliefs. That word is "homophily." And it's a problem for us in our work.  Homophily causes us to get into groupthink, where we quickly affirm for one another that we are on the right track, without testing our core assumptions--or even knowing that we HAVE core assumptions. We follow the same tired tracks toward solutions and have the same tired conversations because we don't have the new blood of different ideas.  While connecting to like-minded people can help us quickly create bonds of trust and communication, it also makes it less likely that we will be exposed to new ideas, new thinking, and new ways of doing things, which are key to innovation and resilience.  Our focus on "best practices" in our industries and occupations can contribute to this tendency. While of course we want to learn from what's working well in our fields, we also need to look OUTSIDE of our regular communities. What's happening in industries and occupations that are vastly different from our own? What could we learn from what is happening in other places and how could these ideas feed career and industry innovation? How to Find Out What You Don't Know One of the things I encourage people to do on a regular basis to develop their career  resilience is to connect to people in different fields. Do this not to persuade someone to your own way of thinking, but to LISTEN AND LEARN.  How are they approaching the work that they do? What trends and ideas are showing up in their work and how might it apply in yours? What's happening with technology? Could these changes be coming to your work or be used in your field? What "thought leadership" ideas are going on? How might they be brought into your industry or occupation?  This is an approach that needs to be applied on an organizational level as well.  Awhile ago I wrote about the problem of conference homophily and suggested that we need to find ways to bring people together from different industries and occupations so that they can learn from one another in a conference setting.  For strategic planning, we could do something similar--start with some learning sessions that expose people to ideas that are completely outside of "best practices" to give them some new frameworks and possibilities. The purpose would be to talk about how new ideas could apply in your setting, rather than simply focusing on implementing the same strategies that didn't work from your previous planning.  Resilience and growth come not only from our own, familiar circles, but also from areas that are very different from our own. What happens if you spend some time intentionally connecting with people and organizations that actually challenge your assumptions about the work that you do? What happens if you spend some time finding out what you don't know, rather than confirming what you DO know?

  After 20 years in the career development business, I recognize that there are two kinds of people in the world.  There are people who build their careers based on what's required.  And there are people who build their careers based on what's possible.  I have also observed that the people who are having the most difficulty navigating today's economy--who are most likely to be laid off, who struggle the most with growing and advancing in their work--they are the ones who have focused on meeting requirements.  The people who have focused on possibility? They have been able to be responsive and adaptive, assuming leadership roles in their occupations and industries. They are less likely to lose their jobs and more likely to be engaged in their work in meaningful, impactful ways.  Here's why.  The Problem of a Requirements-Focused Career We establish requirements in an industry or occupation or organization as a way of codifying what we think will bring success. Requirements are about rules and regulations, policies and procedures, job descriptions and KSAs. When industries and careers were more stable--when we stayed in a career for 30 years--creating your career path based on requirements made a lot more sense. Steps for advancement and growth were clearly delineated and success meant doing a good job of following those steps.  But now, we operate in a world where "requirements" change on a regular basis. By the time you've followed the instructions for what it means to succeed in your chosen occupation, you discover that those requirements no longer apply and that there are new rules to follow that you didn't realize even existed.  As workers, when we build our careers on what's required, we can be so consumed with following "the rules" and instructions that we miss how the world is changing around us.  Of course there are many good reasons to have requirements and many times we wouldn't get very far if we ignored requirements at work. You have to be able to follow the rules of a game if you want to play. The problems show up when we find ourselves spending most of our time continually asking about and focused on meeting requirements with little thinking about how the rules of the game might be changing without anyone really noticing. We are also assuming that other people actually know what the requirements should be. We are putting our trust in people and systems that often are as clueless as we are.  And we are also less likely to feel empowered about taking charge of our own career development and much more likely to be waiting for that promotion or for someone to send us to a training or class.  Career Planning Based on Possibility When we approach our careers from a place of what's possible, we have a different fundamental orientation to our work.  Yes, we may need to meet certain requirements--obtaining particular credentials, for example. But while we are mindful of where we may need to play by the rules of the game, we are also very aware of the ways in which those rules may change.  People who plan from possibility know and honor their sparks and their strengths. They ask themselves if they are doing work that aligns with their lives and they take steps to make changes when necessary.  Planning from possibility is also about asking a lot of questions. How could I create my own career path?  What impact could technology have on my career and how could I prepare for this?  What new trends and big issues are showing up in my industry and occupation and how could I integrate these into my own path?  How do I use my strengths and talents to create multiple income streams?  What experiences and education do I need that will help me evolve and grow in the ways that are most meaningful and important to me?  Ultimately, planning from possibility rather than from what's required is about doing what Seth Godin calls "Choosing your Impact": You can choose to merely do your job, to meet spec and to follow someone else's path. Or, you can dig in and transform your contribution. You can level up, taking advantage of the world-changing array of tools and connections our new economy is making available. Access to tools is a small part of it. Mostly, it’s about taking control over where you go and what you do with your gifts. When you choose your impact, you are in the driver's seat of your career--setting an agenda, rather than following one.  This isn't always the easiest path. One of the reasons people tend to focus on meeting requirements is because it's much easier to say "What am I supposed to do?" and then try to do it, than it is to figure out your own path.  However, taking the "What's possible?" approach rather than the "What's required" approach is far more rewarding and certainly gives you a greater ability to take control of the shape and form of your work. So here's your question for the day: Are you planning your career based on what's required or based on what's possible?   

Approximately 34% of the workforce is engaged in freelance/contract work, a trend that shows no signs of stopping. According to Forbes within 5 years, we could be looking at numbers as high as 50%.  Unfortunately, the career advice we often receive is based on more traditional ways of working and people are having to figure out for themselves how to manage their careers in a world based on projects and having to hustle to get your next piece of work.  Having been self-employed myself for the past 15 years, I'm well aware of the different skill sets it takes to be successful in a freelance world. These are some of the skills I see as being necessary to navigate this new landscape.  1. Building a career based on problems and challenges we are good at solving, rather than on job tasks and responsibilities.  In a job, we become accustomed to thinking of ourselves in terms of our daily responsibilities. Advancement becomes a matter of expanding our scope of responsibility and changing the tasks we are working on.  But in a freelance world, we need to shift our thinking. We become more aware of our skills and how we can bring them to bear to solve particular problems or to enhance specific projects. We learn to become aware of where our strengths and assets can do the most good.  2. Self-direction.  In a job, we learn to be an employee. We have bosses who tell us where to focus and what to do and we put our efforts in that direction. When we shift to a freelance mindset, we have to direct ourselves. This means we have to learn to work without the guidance of a boss telling us what to do. We are setting the goals, we are creating the outcomes and we are bearing the responsibility for both success and failure.  3. Creating and nurturing your own team. When you work for a company, your team is decided for you. You may have the ability to hire and fire people, but always within the context of what your company desires. In a freelance economy, you have to create your own team. This means thinking much more deeply about who helps you be most successful? Who complements your skills and abilities? Who challenges you and brings you new ideas? And how do you continue to develop and deepen relationships while you are also doing the hustling? 4. Working "out loud."  In a freelance world, people want to SEE what you can do, even more so than when you worked as an employee. You have to learn to document your work on a regular basis and to create a portfolio of accomplishments that you can share with potential customers. You also need to document your progress so you can learn from what is and isn't working. "Working out loud" means paying attention to not only WHAT you do, but HOW you do it so you can build on success and learn from failure.  Working "out loud" is also about working like a designer or an artist. They use sketchbooks to experiment, to write down ideas or questions, to reflect on and practice their craft. Freelancers need to work this way too. Often the seeds for your next opportunity lie in the scraps of thought and the stray ideas you keep in that notebook.  5. Asking good questions. Einstein once said that given 60 minutes to solve a problem, he would spend the first 55 minutes defining the problem and then the last 5 on the solution. Most of us suck at asking questions, grabbing at the first or most obvious framing of the problem without going any further. Success in a freelance economy is often about learning to ask better questions--helping people to be sure they're working on the right problem before offering solutions. I would argue that this is a skill that we all need to learn, but in particular it's a critical freelance skill as it helps you uncover where you can provide the most value.  6. Agile Learning Agile learners remain open to new ways of thinking and are focused on continuous learning. Freelance success depends on your ability to continue to grow your skills and to be incorporating new ideas and new information into your work.  7. Hustling Unless we are employed in sales, most of us don't have to worry about bringing in new clients. But in the freelance economy, it's all about the hustle. How are you creating new opportunities for yourself? How can you generate leads and turn them into paying customers? In a regular job, your mind is on doing the work. As a freelancer you are always thinking about two things--doing the work AND getting the work.  8. Self-promotion and branding. Most of us hate having to sell ourselves. One of the reasons we hate looking for a new job is because it requires us to market ourselves in ways that can feel uncomfortable, if not downright painful. In the freelance economy, you're always have to market yourself--while avoiding that nasty feeling that you are engaged in self-promotion. It's all about creating your "personal brand" and being able to regularly articulate that brand value.  These are a few of the new career skills I see us needing to be successful in the gig economy. What are your thoughts and reactions? 

  In a few minutes, I'll be heading out the door to spend a day with other creative business owners, talking about what we want for our businesses in 2016. Because I'm self-employed, I have to intentionally make the space in my business life to do some reflection and planning even though in the next few weeks, I have several pieces of business I need to complete.  I treasure this time with trusted colleagues because I can freely share my hopes and dreams for the future and participate in helping them achieve their own possibilities. This is powerful work and I know I need to make time for it in my life.  We structure our time together by giving each person 30-45 minutes of our focused attention. Each person chooses how they want to use that time and what they want to ask the rest of us to give them. I'll be sharing a book I'm planning and some marketing materials I want feedback on. Someone else is interested in exploring how she can increase revenue while still holding on to the customers she has who can't afford to pay more. And another member of the group wants to look at how she can combine her full-time job and her side gig into a life that feels cohesive and do-able.  Taking time out from the To Do lists and the pressure of productivity is critical to our personal and professional growth. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with smart, thoughtful, creative people who value reflection and are willing to take the time out with me.  I also find that this work strengthens our relationships and helps us build the trust and care that sometimes feels like it's missing from our work lives. Yes, I will get great ideas and feedback, but I will also feel the amazing rush of connecting to the dreams and aspirations of people I really care for. I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday.  How do you make space in your life to plan for the future and connect with others to help them achieve their dreams? 

I've been looking for new ways to engage with folks online and decided that it was time to jump in to Blab. Not only can I bring on scheduled guests with this live video-streaming platform, I can also invite YOU in to participate and ask questions, which is extremely cool! I've scheduled 3 upcoming sessions to address questions that have been coming into me via social media.  I've listed them below, along with information on how to join us.  The Career Clinics November 2, 2015--7 p.m. (EST)--My Organization Didn't Promote Me-Now What?! What happens when you do everything right and you don’t even get invited to interview for a promotional opportunity with your organization? That’s what one of our clients asked us and we’re going to break it down in this Blab Career Clinic. We’ll talk about how to deal with the disappointment and anger and what next steps you can take. We’ll also be taking your questions and comments! November 4, 2015--7 p.m. (EST)--Navigating Careers After 50 When I asked for questions on social media, I got a lot of questions about navigating careers after you turn 50. In this Blab Career Clinic we’re here to answer them! We’ll talk about how to make a career change and how to communicate your value to younger bosses and potential employers. We’ll also talk about how you can open up more options. And we’ll be taking your questions LIVE! November 11, 2015--7 p.m. (EST)--Finding Mentors, Sponsors and Other People You Need for Career Success Professional and personal success is all about making connections. In this Blab Career Clinic we’ll explore the different kinds of people you need to have in your network and how to develop the relationships that help you grow in your career. We’ll also be taking your questions and comments! How to Participate You can participate in a Blab session from your laptop/desktop or from your iPhone or iPad. If you plan to use your mobile device, you'll need to visit the App store to download the Blab app.  Now for some specifics.  If you're on Twitter, you can "subscribe" to a specific Blab session by going to my Blab profile page here and then clicking on "subscribe." You'll be prompted to sign in through your Twitter account and then will receive a notification reminder when the Blab goes live.  2. You don't HAVE to subscribe to attend!  You can also just click on the appropriate title link above, which will take you to the Blab session page. Bookmark the page for the session you want to attend and add it to your calendar.  When you're ready to attend, you can just click on that link and it will take you into the live session.  3. I've put together a quick Blab Tip Sheet that you can access here. You may want to keep this handy the first time you join in.    I'm really excited to see how we can use Blab for career conversations and to build community. I hope you'll join us!  

In my work, I meet a lot of ambitious people who feel stuck in their current jobs. As organizations downsize, "rightsize" and flatten out, the opportunities to stretch and grow within an organization have become more limited.  And many organizations are in survival mode, just trying to hold on, which doesn't create a lot of space for the kind of positive, intentional growth that these people are craving. Being stuck in crisis on a regular basis is just not conducive to a positive career trajectory.  Most people, when faced with this situation, begin looking for a new job with a new organization. This can work for some, but when we still have fewer jobs than job seekers, this isn't going to be the answer for everyone. And frankly, many times the work these people want to do isn't going to be found in a "job." What they are craving is an opportunity to use their strengths and develop their skills in some new ways that may just not be contained in a job opening.  Instead of putting energy into a job search--the endless hours of looking for job openings and tailoring your resume to meet someone else's requirements--consider using that same energy to focus on a passion project.  Using a Passion Project to Power Up Your Career When you put your energy into passion projects, you are focusing on your unique talents, gifts and sparks.  One of my favorite stories of how a passion project can turbocharge your career is Rosetta Thurman of Happy Black Woman. When I first met her 8 years ago, Rosetta was a 20-something nonprofit executive. She enjoyed her work, but also knew that she wanted to stretch and grow in some other ways, so she began going after speaking gigs. At the same time, she was blogging, including creating her Happy Black Woman blog where she was sharing her ideas and thoughts on how to create an empowered happy life.  Eight years later she has a highly successful business that allows her to work from anywhere in the world.  If Rosetta had put her energy into finding another job, she might still be working as a nonprofit exec--maybe at a larger nonprofit. But her passion project led to something much bigger--something that was much more uniquely suited to her talents and gifts. It also gave her the freedom and independence that she craved.      Another person who is using passion projects to power her career growth is Monica Montgomery. While working her full-time job as Action Director at the Lewis Latimer Historic House Museum in New York, she is also the co-founder of Museum Hue  and a speaker at museum events all over the country. Although this work is related to her current job, it allows her to stretch and grow in ways that no job could ever do. She is developing entrepreneurial skills, expanding her networks in ways that support her professional growth goals and creating new opportunities for herself that probably wouldn't through a job.        One of the reasons I believe strongly in the power of passion projects as a way to grow your career is because it is in our passions that we find our best selves. The whole point of a passion project is that it comes from what we care about the most deeply and it calls forth from us our unique talents and gifts.  Working with our passions is more energizing and inspiring, too. We draw to us other people who feel that energy and who can contribute to our success in different ways. This can give us a much-needed boost to go on with our daily work  And our passion projects have us focusing not on what we can do to meet the expectations of an employer, but on our own goals and growth. We are setting the agenda and we are determining how we want to make things happen. This is powerful stuff that can have surprising impacts on our lives.    If you begin to feel stuck in your career, although it may make sense to find another job, you should seriously consider how working on a passion project could be the fix that you need. Don't think of your job as a prison from which you must escape. Instead, think of it as the home base from which you can develop yourself in other ways.  Now--what do you need to do to start that passion project?! ______________________________________________________________________________________ What happens if you went for a promotion and didn't get it? Join me for my first Career Clinic on Blab on November 2 at 7 p.m. (EST) when we'll be talking about how to move on when you're passed over. Check out the other upcoming Career Clinics and get info on how to participate through Blab here. 

Short on time but still want to do something that will help you in your career? Here are ideas for you to try that take only two, five or 15 minutes a day. In 2 minutes you can. . .  Do a Power Pose Researcher Amy Cuddy has found that just 2 minutes of power posing per day can improve your performance in a job interview, meeting, etc.    Do a 2-Minute Meditation Meditation breaks can help you re-energize and re-focus. Try this one to get you started.  Keep a One Sentence Journal Do this at the end of your work day as a closing ritual. Write down one thing you learned, one significant experience you had that day or one big question that came up for you.  Declutter your brain Do a 2-minute, stream of consciousness free-write of everything that's on your mind. Then dump it in the trash. It can be a great way to declutter and get back on track.  In 5 minutes you can . . .  Send an "I appreciate you" Email Thriving careers are built on relationships and nothing strengthens a relationship like showing someone you appreciate them. Take 5 minutes to send someone a quick email of thanks or appreciation. It can be for something specific and in the moment ("Wanted to let you know how much I appreciated how you handled that meeting"). Or it can be more general ("I've been thinking about people who have really had an impact on my career and I wanted to thank you for how you've supported me over the years").  The email doesn't have to be long--just sincere and clear about what you appreciate about the person.  Try this at the beginning or end of the day or when you are feeling particularly stressed. Appreciating someone in bad moments can remind you of the good things in your work life.  Expand someone else's network Another great way to build relationships is by connecting two people who don't know each other. Here's a nice article on how to do great email introductions.  Keep track of and celebrate your small wins Teresa Amabile has found that people who keep track of their progress by logging small wins feel more positive and empowered at work. Take 5 minutes to log your wins.  Here's a log that you can use. After you've done this for awhile, take a few minutes more to look back at your entries and see where small progress has become bigger.    In 15 minutes you can . . .  Reflect on these three questions These are a good way to end the week. Try answering them on Friday before you leave or even first thing Saturday morning to think back through your week.  Take an actionable, concrete step on a passion project You know that passion project that's been hanging out in your brain? Do something to make it happen. Make a phone call, send an email, do some research, write something, draw something. People have written books in 15-minute increments. You can take 15 minutes to move your project forward.  If you don't have a passion project, spend 15 minutes planning one.  Help someone else move their passion project forward So you don't have your own passion project going on? That's OK. Build your relationships by helping someone else. How can you take 15 minutes of your day to help someone else be successful in achieving their dream?  Do an accountability call with a partner Schedule 15 minutes a week--7.5 minutes per person--for you and a partner to talk about progress on your personal professional development goals. Say what happened, where you succeeded, where you were challenged and then what you will commit to for the following week. See how you can help each other move forward.    The key to making progress in your career is small steps, taken daily. Try experimenting with some of these and see what happens.  ______________________________________________________________________ What happens when you go for a promotion but don't get it? Join me for my first Career Clinic on Blab on November 2 at 7 p.m. (EST) when we'll be talking about how to move on when you're passed over. Check out the other upcoming Career Clinics and get info on how to participate through Blab here.   

Professional and personal success is all about making connections. In this Blab Career Clinic we’ll explore the different kinds of people you need to have in your network and how to develop the relationships that help you grow in your career. We’ll also be taking your questions and comments! November 11, 2015--7 p.m. EST You can participate in the Blab when we go live from this page! Here's a "Cheat Sheet" of tips you can use if you're new to Blab. If you run into problems viewing here, you can alsocheck it out on the Blab.im site.    

In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, which runs from November 16-22, I've scheduled a special Career Clinic on November 16 at 7 p.m.--How to Start a Side Gig. I'll be talking with Melissa A. Rowe, M.Ed. who is the founder of Capture Greatness, a Philadelphia-based scholarship writing and college coaching initiative created to help first-generation college goers and students from under-resourced schools make their dream of college an educational and economic reality. Melissa works full-time and is a perfect example of how you can create a side business from your passion, so I'm really excited to talk with her and have her share some of her tips for how to get started. We'll also be taking your questions on how to create a side business while you're working at a job and we may even get a few other solopreneurs to join us to share their advice and experiences.  Recently Melissa was recognized as an American Graduate Champion, so you can see a little of what she's about from the video below:   If you're on Twitter, you can go here to subscribe to attend this session or any of the other upcoming Career Clinics.  To learn more about how Blab works (I promise that it's REALLY simple), go here for more info and a tip sheet to participate.    I'll be planning some more activities for Global Entrepreneurship Week, so stay tuned!