Finding Your New Career Just Got Easier

In my last blog post I wrote about changing careers.  As scary and drastic as that can be, it can make comfortable sense, when you find a unique niche and innovate.  By finding a unique niche and innovating into it, you can carry your, hard earned, highest valued, skills and background with you, which can create a competitive edge for you, that propels you way ahead of the new kids on the block.  

This morning, I ran across an example of an enterprise that takes advantage of the training, experience and skill sets, already obtained by workers in a related industry and applies them in a new niche market.  At the same time, this new niche opens a market that had been completely missed by their hotel, and apartment complex first cousins.  What that company is doing for themselves, you can also do for yourself, when you are ready to retool and launch into a new career.  Here’s the company and what they do.

They are called Value Place, and they are a cross between the traditional hotel and a traditional apartment complex.  Their rooms and suites are rented weekly and monthly only.  They have no pool, no dining room, etc.  No extraordinary office hours are kept.  In fact, their office hours are very limited.  They are more short term rentals than an apartment complex, and more long term and affordable than a hotel.

The beauty of their concept is that they have none of the overhead of pools, club houses, etc., and they can hire direct from the multifamily housing business to get seasoned, well trained employees.  That one tactic enables Value Place to completely minimize the training period of new employees, and therefore do more with less.  It takes fewer, seasoned, highly skilled, employees to operate this kind of business than one where people must be trained from the ground up.  And, every one of those seasoned employees comes to the table with a few tricks up their sleeves for cutting cost, improving efficiency, and ramping up customer service and satisfaction.  Additionally, each one of them comes already equipped and seasoned in wearing multiple hats in the operation.

Value Place has five core values that all employees are expected to embrace and employ; Affordable, Cleaner, Safer, Simple and Flexible.  So far, that formula appears to be dealing the company aces.  If, or when, you decide to ramp up a new career, you, as an individual, can put this same concept to work for yourself, but there are a few things you need to do to prepare before you take the leap.

Skillset Assessment

First, you will want to get an all new, up to date assessment of your current skillset.  It is very likely that over the years you have developed additional valuable skills, such as diplomacy, salesmanship, problem solving, and others, that you may be overlooking in yourself.  

 

Cataloged Knowledge Base

Secondly, catalog and take into consideration how your knowledge base has expanded from years of training and experience.  That gained knowledge is a valuable asset.

Other Life Experience Assets

Thirdly, recognize and make note of other skills, knowledge, and special expertise that you have developed off the job, perhaps through a hobby, religious, or civic organization activities.  These experiences, and often the mentoring that is given and received in these situations, has the potential to contribute to your personal and professional growth sometimes beyond professional training and formal education.

Build Your Contact Network Roll

Forth, take a long look at who you have come to know and where they are involved.  One tool that I enlist to help me see just who I know and what arenas they operate in, is Linkedin.com.  This social network for business networking, can be a goldmine when utilized regularly.  Even if you stay away from the internet networks (which could be leaving a lot on the table), then at least start with your phone or contact list and keep adding to it.  Analyze your contacts and identify the field they are in, the job they do, their outside interests, and who they can introduce you to.  You will be pleasantly surprised at how many people you already know outside of your old career culture.

Know Your Passion

Fifth and finally, if you haven’t already, identify your passion.  It’s been said that if you work at what you love, then you never work a day.  And I know that to be true.  Knowing where your passion lies is a key to building a happy tomorrow for yourself, and fundamental in being a success in your chosen new career.  Perhaps I should say, know your passions (plural)  Often it is a through combining multiple passions and interests, that the unique niche is born or at least identified. 

If you have, with some diligence, completed steps one through five, then you will be ready to look where no one else is looking, and to identify niche markets where your particular credentials will fit perfectly.  Be creative!  Out of the box thinking is a necessity!  What you are looking to identify is something that either, doesn’t exist yet, or has never been done exactly the way you will do it. 

To paraphrase a bit, at this point, you should now be prepared to go boldly where no one has gone before, utilizing the things that make you, uniquely you.  That’s why, when your new career launch hits the ground, you will have such a head start and advantage, that it will take years for anyone to catch your dust.  Who else do you know that is exactly like you?  Exactly!

Have you noticed the theme that runs through this process?  It’s this, “Be you!”  If you've been trying to be like everyone else, then stop!  If you are like everyone else, you will do what everyone else does, and get what everyone else gets.  If you want something different, then be something different; YOU!  Be the unique you that you have become!   

By finding a unique niche, for your unique skills, background, training, experience, talents, and passion, and then pouring it all in, you are, after all, just being you.  To me, that doesn’t sound like a bad formula for a career of success.  And it just may be, not only the most successful way, but also the easiest way, to find and start that new career.

Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.

Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins" are welcome!  Follow me on twitter @earlefowler

When Is It Too Late to Change Careers?

When Is It Too Late to Change Careers?  NEVER! 

Consider a few of the following points. 

Work for yourself for a change!

Eighty percent of people end up in the wrong job, therefore changing your career could be the best decision you ever make.  If you don’t become the person you were meant to be now, when will you?  No matter how advanced your age, you've gained an impressive array of skills, plus you have professional wisdom and perspective, acquired only through time.  Put them to work to your advantage!

Life is short!

Do you really want to spend the rest of your working years doing anything other than the work you’d love to do?  David Thomas, chief executive of CRAC, the Careers Research and Advisory Centre, states “For most people, a major career change is a very positive experience and nearly always a success story. If you can find a role that you love, the change will be totally invigorating.”

Base your confidence on reality.

Never let your confidence in yourself, hinge on other people’s lack of confidence or doubt.  Other people’s opinions are just that, opinions, and hold no power over us what so ever, unless we choose so.  If you are going to take advice, seek advice from someone who has done it, and already taken that leap of faith to a career change.  They will better know what they are talking about than those who have never even tried it.

Have no fear.

While change generates fear in most people, you already have within you the experiences of tens of thousands of changes.  Why should you fear change?  You already possess the mental skills and incredible resources of inner strength for managing change.  Once you set fear aside, you the individual are actually among the best equipped in the world to successfully manage changes, to your full advantage.

It’s not starting over. 

It’s starting with your strengths, and you have many!  The more years you have worked, lived, and interacted in society, the more impressive will be your array of skills in general and specific knowledge.  Plus, you have wisdom and perspective acquired only through time, with the lion’s share of it, specific to your profession or work that you love.

Rely on your strengths. 

When deciding on a new career path, don’t dwell on your weaknesses but rather your strengths.  Doing what you are best at and love, is the best recipe for success known to mankind.  Where motivation and ability meet in a focused effort, you can’t be stopped.

What loyalty?

While loyalty was once appreciated by employers, that is no longer the case,  and most don’t even give it in return for employee loyalty.  If you are an older worker, then very likely you are under paid, under-utilized, and under-developed at your current job.  Would a younger person settle for this?  Why should you?   Fact check:  There's no reason why you have to!

What does it take? 

It takes your personal commitment and having the confidence to take a low risk, and make a big change.   If you are finally ready to go do the work that you really love, do it.  Making excuses does not make a career.  As E.E. Cummings said so well, “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”  And, as the lotto motto says, "You can’t win if you don’t play.”  The question is not, "Am I too old for a career change?" but, "Am I old enough for a career change?".  Go for the gold!

Suggested readings:  Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson,

                                  Who Do You Think You Are? by Nick Isbister, and

                                  What Colour is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles

                                  The Holstee Manifesto;

 http://shop.holstee.com/products/holstee-manifesto-poster#.UDey3KOweoY

Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.

Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins" are welcome!  Follow me on twitter @earlefowler

Epilog to Credibility

I felt that I should follow up the post in which I complained of the Lincoln County North Carolina animal control program promising a dog to another shelter instead of adopting the pet out.  As you may remember, I emailed the only county commissioner there with an email account.  Well, I did get a response from the EMS director, (I guess everyone wears two hats or more these days).  

He related to me that the policies and procedures there were changing to give preference to local adoption first, before allowing another shelter to have a dog.  I am pleased.  The way they were doing things previously gave a bad perception to the public, whether or not there was any funny business going on. 

This should help the Lincoln County public relations, provided they follow the plan they have outlined, and document every step they take.  They still need to get their act together when it comes to posting animals on adoption web sites.  The email I received claims that the adoption fee is less than I quoted in my email.  It may be, but the web site they advertised the adoptions on stated otherwise.  I double verified the amounts while writing my email to the county commissioner.  

All in all I am pleased that they are changing policies.  At least I did get a response professing that there would be immediate positive change.  That's more than you can say for most government entities these days.  No matter how proficient any entity is, its credibility is based solely on perception.  That's also true for all of us as individuals.

Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.

Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins" are welcome!  Follow me on twitter @earlefowler

Acknowledging All Natures

It's  been said that there's no day so bad that a cold nose and a wet sloppy kiss can't make better.  Here are the two that I call, "the kids".  The Sneaky Cat and Roscoe Buddy.  Most days they are waiting for me at the front door when I come home from work.  You know what?  Their greeting does make me temporarily lay the day aside.

Geriatric experts tell us that the elderly that have a pet to care for tend to be healthier and live longer than their pet-less counterparts.  There is a reason for that.  We humans are wired to care for others, and to give of ourselves outside of ourselves.  We are wired to be social, with something like a pack mentality, much like dogs, and to hunt and provide in pairs, much like cats.  If you've never watched a pair of cats team up on a dangerous prey such as a snake, then you've really missed an exciting show of serious teamwork and deadly synchronized attack. 

I'm rambling though all of this to say that in all of your studies, goal setting, planning, and strategizing, don't forget the basics.  Don't forget your human nature and that of your team mates.  Don't forget to rely on it.  Don't try to sidestep it.  Don't think for a moment that you don't have it and are somehow above it all.  Take what I am about to tell you to the bank.  Every time that you begin to think that you are above your basic human nature, and that it holds no claim to you, you are baring you Achilles heel to the world, and your worst enemy will recognize it and close in on it.  Embracing your humanity is the only way to live.

Now go pet your cat and give your dog an extra scratch behind the ears.  They deserve that and more for putting up with you.  I'm off to learn a few new things, because you can teach an old human new tricks.  What's your next new trick?

Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.

Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins" are welcome!  Follow me on twitter @earlefowler

A "Tail" of Credibility

This morning I tweeted out this line, "In life, not just business, credibility is the total lack of any appearance of impropriety...ANY!"  Now, for the story behind the tweet.

When I was a young lad, I owned a beloved Boston Terrier, named Ring.  For many years I have wanted another Boston, but life was just too busy to work one in to my schedule.  Or, at least I thought it was.  We all do that kind of self deception by getting way too busy with way too many things that just WAY don't really matter when the laundry is done.  Anyway, after decluttering my life a bit and planning even more decluttering, I decided, that at my age, or any age for that matter, life is getting shorter by the minute, and I should do more of what makes me happy and more of what helps others or improves the world at large.  So, the search for a Boston Terrier began.

In this day and time, where do you start?  The interweb of course!  There are tons of Bostons online!  I mean zillions!  So, first off I had to narrow down my search to what was within reach, both in mileage and fiscally.  That narrowed scope honed down the available list to a few hundred.  From that the search was narrowed even further to shelters, because (a) the kennel pups run from $500 to $600, and (b) still have to be house trained, obedience trained, and raised to adulthood.  That involves missing socks, chewed shoes, lamp cords, etc., not to mention carpet and upholstery cleaning and repair bills.  So a pound dog it was to be.  That narrowed the pool but expanded the mileage range a bit.

The first Boston located was Spike at the Greenville South Carolina Humane Society, a no kill shelter.  The dog read like a dream in his ad.  House trained, sits, stays, rolls over, fetches, and other tricks.  Spike's picture was beautiful.  I was at the shelter the next day when they opened.  He was adopted the day before.  What a let down!  But, we all get let downs and move on.

Next was Woody, a Boston Terrier, at a rescue shelter in Waynesville North Carolina, I wrote them an email, filled in an online application and waited.  Woody and his sister were adopted to a home as a matched set.  That's a little twisted, but all shelter dogs are spayed or neutered.  Woody was a handsome dog, but his poor sister, looked like some grouchy old woman old enough to be his mother.  How many brothers and sisters do you see like that?  Anyway, I moved on.

My next adoption attempt was Buster in a rescue shelter in Rock Hill.  I registered on their web site, and sent them an email.  I called their phone number a zillion times and always got voice mail.  I received automated email responses to my email and to registering on their site and even an automated alert that they had Buddy, a Boston Terrier which was the breed that I had registered interest in.  But I got no live email returns, and three days later haven't had as much as a phone call.  Their mailing address is a PO box, so I couldn't locate them.  The Pet Smart in Rock Hill says the rescue shelter does adoption shows at their store every other week.  So, I could wait another week and then meet a human who could tell me if they still have Buster for adoption, or keep moving.  I wasn't up for waiting a week to be disappointed yet again.

The next Boston I followed up on is where the whole issue of credibility and appearances of impropriety came into play.  Lincoln County North Carolina has an Animal Control center that had posted a cute little Boston named Max, and they are open partial days on Saturday.  So, a quick run into Lincolnton North Carolina with the aid of the good old GPS, located the shelter in a little over an hour. 

Max the Boston was still there, and the animal control officer thought that he must be available, because he had not been there long enough to even go up for adoption yet.  He said the dogs have to stay a certain period first.  That made perfect sense in case an owner came forward and claimed the animal and then there are vaccines, spay/neuter procedures, etc.  He said that I could probably leave a deposit and pick up the dog when he became available.  He even let me visit with Max.  He was a super friendly little Boston with a really great, loving, personality.  So far, this was looking really promising!

Officer Maxwell, (I'm not making this up.  The Boston was named Max and the officer was named Maxwell)..anyway...Officer Maxwell, said he would try to contact the adoption coordinator, Lisa Douglas, who was off for the day, and find out if it would be possible to put up a deposit and how much.  Officer Maxwell really went out of his way to be accommodating and helpful.  He searched through his cell phone for her number and finally locating it, called her.  When he reached Lisa Douglas on the phone she told him Max was not available, but had been already promised to a rescue shelter.  I couldn't believe my ears!  What?  Really!?!

Why would a animal control center that adopts out dogs, to get them a good home, rather give the animal to a rescue shelter who adopts out dogs to get them a home?  Really!?!  They would give the animal over to a rescue shelter rather then someone wishing to pay the $150 adoption fee and give the little Max a great loving home!?!  Really!?!  The rescue shelter would rather the dog be turned over to them to find Max a great loving home than for the animal control center to find Max a great loving home?  Really!?!  Why would either of these entities rather Max be passed to yet another shelter to find a home than go to a ready and waiting loving home?  I couldn't let this rest! 

It made no sense!  Weren't both of these institutions purportedly interested in the best interest of Max?  Weren't they both primarily interested in seeing him placed in a suitable loving home where he would be properly cared for?  Or were they both primarily interested in something else?  That's the only thing that made any sense.  It was time for a little further investigation and consideration of the issues at hand. 

After revisiting the various web sites offering adoptable Bostons, one great difference stood out between the animal control center of Lincoln County North Carolina and the "rescue shelter".  The fee for adoption at Lincoln County Animal Control Center, is $150.  The adoption fee at the "North Carolina Boston Terrier Rescue Shelter" is $350.  That's what clicked in my head.  The exact same thing that is clicking in your head right now as you read this. 

 

As I was later relating this story, someone pointed out to me, that a rescue center can do a background check on the potential new owners and that the animal control center couldn't.  Bologna! Baloney!  Anyone can legally run a background check if they have a signed release from the party being investigated.  And it isn't that expensive.  I get them every day in my line of work, and credit and criminal background checks are combined less then $20.  So that doesn't explain the $200 difference in adoption fees.  I smell something mercenary!

Maybe it was already being repeatedly disappointed or maybe just my encountering so many scammers from my day job environment.  You tell me.  Does it sound like someone is skimming profits off of pound pups to you?  Don't get me wrong, I could have adopted a mongrel mutt that day from the Lincoln County Animal Control for $150 as a done deal.  It was the purebred dog that became the issue.  I couldn't adopt it at all!  If Lincoln County had asked additional money for a purebred dog, I wouldn't have blinked.  It was the fact that the dog under some circumstance was being turned over to another shelter that would jack up the price that fired me up.  That, and the fact that they rather move Max the Boston on to another shelter than give him a good, loving home.

But for my part, all ended well.  Another dog was located at a legitimate animal rescue in Ashville North Carolina.  The folks at the Animal Compassion Network were just super to work with.  The Boston formerly known as Roscoe, was located on the net, late Saturday afternoon, just before they closed business for the day.  A quick phone call and hope was kindled once again that a Boston would bless my life and home. 

On Sunday afternoon when they reopened their operation at Pet Harmony, I visited their adoption event and met the former Roscoe the Boston Terrier, who needed a permanent home.  We bonded immediately.  What can I say?  Paperwork, background checks, and a $200 adoption fee for a purebred and a few other purchases later, then Roscoe snoozed most of the way back to South Carolina.  I did say the "former" Roscoe the Boston Terrier.  His new name is, Roscoe "Buddy" Fowler.  When he registers at the vet that's what his file will read. 

I call him Buddy for short, because he seems to react sheepishly to Roscoe.  I think it was because he was fussed at and maybe abused.  He seems to love it when he's called Buddy, so being a respectable dog now with a proper home and all, I figured Roscoe was due a full name.  Roscoe Buddy Fowler.  I may have had a cousin by that name, but that's not relevant.  The point I am making here is, there is a difference in how people perceive different businesses and entities, even government and non-profits, based on how they do business.  Ethics and propriety are important, and appearances are as important as realities.

 

None of us can afford the appearance of impropriety, at any time.  Just one incidence of the appearance of impropriety destroys all of our previous work to build credibility, and public trust.  In this instance, I lost faith in the Lincoln County Animal Control Adoption coordinator.  But, I gained a tremendous appreciation for the great work that the Animal Compassion Network and other non-breed specific rescue shelters do.  They were upfront about everything, fees and all.  The easier to adopt animals are cheaper and the purebreds are a bit more.  This helps buy the animal food, vaccinations, and pay the rent and utility bills.

Obviously, not all animal rescue shelters are operated on the same level of credibility.  I highly recommend that if you can, lend support to the Animal Compassion Network and patronize their Pet Harmony store, where all profits from pet food and supplies sales goes to help the rescue animals.  Their prices are comparable to other retail centers.  You can visit their web site at http://www.animalcompassionnetwork.org/ 

or visit them at 803 Fairview Street, Ashville, North Carolina. Tell them you heard about them through Roscoe the Boston Terrier.

Lincoln County North Carolina Animal Control has an appearance of impropriety problem!  The lesser intelligent seldom even learn from their own failures, or few successes.  The most intelligent people learn from not only their own, but also other people's, mistakes, and successes. 

Roscoe Buddy happy at home.

Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.

Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins" are welcome!  Follow me on twitter @earlefowler

Mastery; An Illusion or Tangibly Attainable?

The word mastery seems to be the latest buzz word to get kicked to the front and center of the personal achievement noise.    As mastery becomes the new buzz word, it will likely get a good wearing out over the coming months.  I don’t know if that is a good thing or not.  It will depend on where the definition of mastery eventually settles.  Personally, I think the word is being frequently overused and in the wrong way.  With all of the competition in the personal performance guru field, true mastery stands a chance of getting completely lost in the noise.

How many people ever reach complete mastery in a given field where there is competition?  There can be only one number one.  And, for how long can they hold that?  Just because you can best all of your contemporaries at a given point of time, is that true mastery? Is mastery something someone can achieve and then hang on to, or is it soon lost through human frailties?

Mastery for me becomes more of a personal challenge that can be summed up in reaching a level of function that can be maintained for a period of time.  I feel that mastery is not necessarily the best performance competition wise, but it is consistent performance at a standard of expectation that efficiently, and consistently, reaps a desired outcome. 

This whole concept reminds me of two used car dealers that I knew some years back.  Danny was the small lot dealer, with slow and steady sales to mostly repeat customers.  He had built his clientele up over the years, with his reputation of quality, value, and stand behind the product service.  His sales weren’t flashy or high pressured, and neither were the cars he sold.   

Danny knew his customers personally and worked to meet their needs.  He didn’t want to put a customer in a purchasing position that could hurt or strain them financially or otherwise.  He knew his customer base and stocked his lot to their tastes, needs, and financial abilities.

The other car dealer, Mike, had a high traffic location, flashy cars, flashy sales, and flashy sales people.  Almost every sale was a first time buyer.  Each sale was an obvious effort in immediate gratification for the sales people, as well as the way it was pushed to the customer.  No one on that lot ever thought of selling to their customers again in a few years.   They frequently “over sold” customers with too much car, and too much debt. 

For a while this was a high volume lot, and Mike was the high flying new kid on the block, that was showing everyone how the car business worked.  Mike even picked up a few of Danny’s old customers.  Then, an economic downturn came, as is the normal course of all economies.  Soon, Mike’s staff was down to himself and one salesman who talked of leaving for Florida to hunt for a better sales market. 

As the economy worsened, Danny and the one guy that had worked with him for years, just trimmed back their stock selection a little and kept on with almost business as usual.  Some days they spent the entire day, playing checkers in the sales office without a single visitor to the lot, but consistently, they sold a few cars every month, and kept the doors open.  

“ We’ve been here before”, Danny told me, “you expect dips in the economy like this and stay prepared for it.  Now more than ever, people are looking for value in a car, not just show, and that’s what we sell.  We’ll be fine.”  And, they were.

I think you can see the difference.  While Mike exploded on the car sales scene, out selling everyone for a brief period, Danny and company had formed a niche used car market, for both good, and bad, economies.  Even though for a while Mike was number one in sales and profits, Danny was the true master.  I never knew Danny to be number one in sales, except maybe during a really deep recession, and those numbers weren’t huge.  However Danny and his sidekick consistently delivered the goods, operating at a good profit, year in and year out.  Hot shots came and went, but Danny retired a wealthy man.  That is mastery.

Now, you can go back to those performance gurus and read more about mastery.  It actually has a down to earth meaning.  Unique excellence is another term for another day, but mastery for today, is as attainable as a bad habit, or a good one.

Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.

Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins" are welcome!  Follow me on twitter @earlefowler