New Leaf Blog
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Creating the Career, and Life, You Want
I notice that my clients are a creative bunch. When they come to me they say they want to find a fulfilling job. It doesn’t take long before it becomes clear that what they want is to create work that makes a difference to the world in a way that they find fulfilling.
That word ‘create’ is important.
On one level it means that I get a lot of artists, entrepreneurs and leaders as clients. Sometimes they don’t know it when they arrive, but deep down these people are visionaries – they have a powerful vision of themselves and the difference they would like to make smouldering inside them. One of the first things we do in coaching is start to see what really matters to them in that vision.
But creating the work you love is important for people with a job or seeking a job too. It is a way of being – an authentic way to behave throughout our lives that allows us to proactively choose to build possibility into our work. Employers love it.
How can you bring creativity to your job search?
A couple of weeks ago I suggested a new way of writing a CV – starting from what problem you are solving for the prospective employer. That is a creative approach to job hunting. It gives you the ability to explore with yourself what you bring to the employer, demonstrate your insight into their needs and build a relationship of trust from the first contact you make with them.
Fundamentally it is based on insight, authenticity and connection. Insight into you and what you can bring, into the employer and into how you might fit together for mutual enrichment.
My free teleseminar on 1st September will discuss this too. Sign up for the call if you want to work through how you might do this in your own life.
Now imagine you brought creativity and authenticity to work every day
The thought is awe inspiring. What powerful qualities would you tap into if you were able to be truly authentic in your work? Which parts of you could be expressed that you currently hold at bay in case they are not ‘appropriate’ for the office? How inspiring would your vision be if you had permission to believe in it?
Imagine a world of people operating like that in their jobs, whatever those jobs were. The thought of it fills me with awe.
Nice idea, but surely its not realistic – is it?
Some of the things that hold us back may be external: a petty or bullying boss, an over-heavy workload, a job that is so dull that you have to drag yourself there each day. If those apply to you, you might think about what changes you can make to give yourself space. But I believe the most powerful inhibitors are actually the messages we tell ourselves. Do any of these sound familiar?
- If I did that, people would think I was crazy / dangerous / a dreamer
- I’ve never done that before – I don’t know how
- That feels arrogant – who am I to tell people how to run things
- I need more experience / a qualification before I can do that
- But I have responsibilities – mouths to feed. I can’t be irresponsible
- Add your own messages here – what does the little voice in your head tell you?
What if you gave yourself permission? What if you were allowed to try and perhaps to fail? What if you took the risk of truly being yourself?
This week, choose a personal quality you would like to bring authentically to your work. Perhaps it is ‘love of adventure’, ‘artistic creativity’, ‘love and personal connection’. Try bringing that quality with you when you go to work and see what it generates in yourself and others.