What do we need to do to be happy and fulfilled: to make considered decisions, operate well, know what we want and how to articulate it, and be confident to drive our own development?
For some years, I taught an evening class at Wellington High School Community Education Centre entitled “Find a Job You Can Love”. I met many wonderful people on these courses who had a variety of motivations for attending: tired of the job they were in, wanting a way to think more purposefully about their work and lives, wanting to meet with others to hear about their careers and seek out similar experiences – to name a few.
One of the first exercises we did was to set up three groups to debate which aspect was the most important in career development – Knowing how? Knowing why? or Knowing Whom? The conclusion was always that they were equally important – that investing in these three aspects of career increases the likelihood of positive experiences and outcomes, and leads to better work opportunities and ongoing employability.
For some years, I taught an evening class at Wellington High School Community Education Centre entitled “Find a Job You Can Love”. I met many wonderful people on these courses who had a variety of motivations for attending: tired of the job they were in, wanting a way to think more purposefully about their work and lives, wanting to meet with others to hear about their careers and seek out similar experiences – to name a few.
One of the first exercises we did was to set up three groups to debate which aspect was the most important in career development – Knowing how? Knowing why? or Knowing Whom? The conclusion was always that they were equally important – that investing in these three aspects of career increases the likelihood of positive experiences and outcomes, and leads to better work opportunities and ongoing employability.
As a result of the assessment work we did together, one participant Diane discovered that until then her thinking about her career had been two dimensional. She was a very good networker, and she had invested heavily in education, training and experience. What she had never thought about were her motivations – what was most important to her in her work and life, what gave her a sense of meaning and purpose, what was the source of her energy? Making this discovery provided another dimension to inform and empower her thoughts and decisions about her career.
Awhina had come to the course certain that she wanted to change from a career in which she had committed much in terms of qualifications and training. After completing an exercise around her deeply held needs for her work and life, and reflecting on this, she had come to an interesting conclusion. Her career was a good choice. However, she identified that there were some aspects of her job she would like to be doing far less of, and other aspects she would like to be doing more of. During the four weeks of the course, she put these thoughts down in writing, and was then able to articulate clearly to her manager how she would like to develop in her role. She was listened to, and was excited that her manager was open to providing some of the opportunities and changes that she had identified.
If career development seems like a mystery to you, and you would like to make a balanced investment in your career, do get in touch to discuss possibilities for working together.
Nga mihi
Beth
The framework of Knowing How, Knowing Why and Knowing Whom was the result of research by Kerr Inkson and Michael B Arthur. Their article “How to Be a Successful Career Capitalist” was published in the Academic Journal Organizational Dynamics; Summer 2001, Vol.39 Issue 1, p.48. It is still highly cited today.
Awhina had come to the course certain that she wanted to change from a career in which she had committed much in terms of qualifications and training. After completing an exercise around her deeply held needs for her work and life, and reflecting on this, she had come to an interesting conclusion. Her career was a good choice. However, she identified that there were some aspects of her job she would like to be doing far less of, and other aspects she would like to be doing more of. During the four weeks of the course, she put these thoughts down in writing, and was then able to articulate clearly to her manager how she would like to develop in her role. She was listened to, and was excited that her manager was open to providing some of the opportunities and changes that she had identified.
If career development seems like a mystery to you, and you would like to make a balanced investment in your career, do get in touch to discuss possibilities for working together.
Nga mihi
Beth
The framework of Knowing How, Knowing Why and Knowing Whom was the result of research by Kerr Inkson and Michael B Arthur. Their article “How to Be a Successful Career Capitalist” was published in the Academic Journal Organizational Dynamics; Summer 2001, Vol.39 Issue 1, p.48. It is still highly cited today.
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