07 Sep 2018
A 9-year old kid: Tell me about work and what you do. What positive benefits do you get out of your work? What do you like about what you do?
Me: I help people solve problems using IT. The benefit is that I help the company sell more. I like what I do because I help others.
The 9-year old kid: Tell me more.
Me: IT is always changing, so I have to always learn about new knowledge so I know how it can be useful.
May 2009
The purpose of influence
“Intelligence? Checked. Career? Checked. Money? Checked. Professional and social networks? Checked. Now what?” These questions get asked often by high powered individuals, but the answers do not always satisfy. An interesting approach to find the answer is through understanding one's sphere of influence and then defining a purpose with which to focus his / her influence.
Obviously, every one is different. An answer that satisfies one person may not satisfy another. At the same time, the process of how to get to the answer may be applicable for many individuals. The following tells a story of one person's journey to find his answer.
When his book became one of the all time best selling book in the world, Rick Warren started seeing millions of US dollars flow from his book proceeds. In other words, he had done it; he had arrived. The following video shows a TED Conference talk where Rick recalled how he dealt with his “now what” question by focusing his influence and affluence into three areas: AIDS, poverty, and leadership development.
Aug 2008
Topping off a successful career
For some executives at the top of their career, it is not always easy to move on, but success can be enriched in more than one way.
Many people grow up having some sort of ideals for a better world... And then life happens. Financial wants, family responsibilities, career ambitions, et cetera take priority and those ideals got de-prioritised. These ideals are not forgotten completely. Once in a while, opportunities present themselves to live out these ideals, although not everyone has the courage to go for it.
CEO of a multi-billion dollar UK-based company, Richard Harvey, went for it. He set out to live and do volunteer work for a year in Africa, accompanied by his wife. (*) He went to apply his management skills to help create sustainable solutions for real world challenges that many poor Africans face. Other executives may think this is just an identity crisis, a season that will eventually go away. But that is missing the point.
Many people are at least as wealthy and as successful as Mr. Harvey, but very few do what he did. There is no benchmark on how much money one needs to have nor what career one should have had to qualify. For many successful executives, loss of income for a year or two is not a financial concern. The smart ones have saved enough in their financial coffers to retire whenever they want to.
No, it is not about money. It is about state of mind. It is about fear of the unknown. It is about family support. It is about feeling secure in oneself to not worry what others might think. (Usually very positive, by the way.) Mr. Harvey was secure enough, financially, and successful enough, career-wise, that he could move his life in a totally different direction to pursue a more fulfilled life.
Those who would follow Mr. Harvey's lead, may find their minds expanded and their perspectives enriched, such that when they decide to go back to the corporate world, they will have the edge over other executives. Not to mention that it will round up their curriculum vitae / resumes and make for an interesting interview discussions.