
Volume 3, No. 1		Friday, February 13, 2004
	In difficult economic times like these, putting out precious time and energy toward the goal of creating a work-life that aligns your personal values with the skills you most enjoy using may seem unrealistic and a luxury you can't afford. But is it really? In a new article by Beverly Ryle, Director of the Center for Career and Business Development, and the quote-of-the-month, the Feburary issue of Taking Care of Business looks at the very real practical value of authenticity in business and the workplace Authenticity as a Competitive Edge by Beverly Ryle, Director, The Center for Career and Business Development We may not be to bread lines yet, but unless you've been in a coma or you're independently wealthy you probably can't help noticing that these are hard times. Job "insecurity" is affecting all but the highest rungs on the employment ladder. The economic repercussions of 9/11, the ongoing replacement of people with technologies, the outsourcing of ever-growing numbers of manufacturing and service jobs to foreign countries, all are making it harder and harder to feel confident that America is still the land of opportunity. And this is true even for those of us with a good education and in-demand skills. For some, this is no time to fool around with impractical notions about searching for work that reflects their life's purpose. The name of the game is either to get a job, any job, or to hold on to the one you have at all costs. While it's true that numbers, as in mortgage payments, car payments, utility bills, college tuition, etc., are inescapable realities, it could be that the "hard" pursuit of traditional solutions at the expense of doing the "soft" work of knowing yourself and seeking work that suits your talents and desires is counterproductive in the long run. Why? Because an employer looking to hire someone is always going to give the edge to the person she believes will do more with the job than just get it done. Regardless of the task, there is always an aura of the *craftsman* about the person who brings to his work a joyful alignment between it and himself. Consider this ... As a business owner, who would you rather have write your company's brochure? A person with an active interest in your industry who derives pure pleasure from stringing words together? Or a bored copywriter in an agency pool who's programmed to churn out x number of pages a day? As a manager, who will you assign that high visibility project to? The person who's been interested and involved in the organizational mission from day one and who's worked hard to stay up to speed? Or the person who happens to be next in the queue? As a homeowner, who would you rather have your residence decorated by? An interior designer who started out decorating her doll's house at the age of 8 and after 30 years feels the same excitement now as she did then? Or a fine arts graduate looking for extra income? Today the market for work is a buyer's market. How do you stand out? How do you make yourself visible? The answer is simple but not easy: by knowing exactly what you want to do and why you are the person who is ideally suited to do it. If the purchaser of a service (we used to call them employers) can pick and choose from a large pool of candidates, then authenticity—being absolutely the right person for the task—is not simply a competitive edge; it may well be decisive. Three Steps Toward Achieving "Career Authenticity" Begin by finding out who you are (consider doing this even if you're pretty sure you already know). Self-assessment tools like the Strong Interest InventoryŽ and the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorŽ are particularly helpful. Proven resources, such as the exercises in Richard Bolles' classic, What Color is Your Parachute? are, too. Seek support and feedback from a professional. Write your career autobiography, the whole story of where you've been and what you've done (next month's issue of Taking Care of Business will focus on this topic). But don't stop there: write stories about incidents in your life (professional and personal) that gave you a deep sense of personal fulfillment. Share those stories with a partner, peer and/or a professional to identify themes and patterns. Draft at least three statements that define the key selling points of your core identity. Continually refine this message until it resonates deeply within you (don't minimize this—it's very hard work). A final word about timing. Don't launch your work search until you know your product, which is YOU, thoroughly. Branding is the same for individuals as it is for products. You'd never catch Coke or Pepsi putting a product on the market before they knew everything they could about what they were trying to sell! Comings and Goings News from the Center for Career and Business Development January 28: BizWiz Training Conference and Marketplace sponsored by the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce at the Sheraton Hyannis Resort in Hyannis, MA (www.ecapechamber.com). Beverly Ryle's address on the topic, "Understanding Customers", used case study analysis to demonstrate ways that customers make a buying decisions, and focused on four proven principles of customer service. More than 200 established businesses, start-ups and non-profits attended the six-hour event. February 13: Legislative Breakfast at Cape Cod Community College. Beverly will brief legislators and advisors on focus group data reported by the Center for Career and Business Development in January, 2003. February 25: Celebrating Hospitality program offered by the Workforce Education Resource Center (WERC) of Cape Cod Community College (www.capecod.edu/werc). Beverly will offer workshops focusing on building customer loyalty and training for supervisors in customer service coaching. February 28: "Understanding Transition as a Lifelong Career Process" will be the subject of an alumni event at Bentley College (www.bentley.edu/alumni) in Waltham, MA. In this day long seminar, Beverly will help participants gain a deeper awareness of the value of consciously being in transition and provide practical tools for moving through transition with greater comfort and confidence.	In this month's issue ... Authenticity as a Competitive Edge by Beverly Ryle Quote-of-the-Month Comings and Goings News from the Center for Career and Business Development About Us Privacy Policy As we move forward into the 21st century it's pretty obvious to just about everyone that work isn't what it used to be. Whether we work for ourselves, or for someone else, or are in transition, things are changing rapidly and we're caught in a shift of seismic proportions. Many things are being demanded of us, and it's going to require more than just new skills to survive and thrive. We're going to need to learn how to get serious about taking care of the business of our professional lives. Taking Care of Business was created to focus on issues related to this re-education process. If you find it helpful, please pass it on to others you know who are trying to find their way through the new realities of the world of work. And we invite you to let us know your thoughts by emailing us at: info@career-retreats.com Quote-of-the-Month "A primary characteristic of leadership is authenticity ... To become leaders of our own work lives each of us needs to develop our capacity for authenticity. Awareness and authenticity allow us to translate our intentions into congruent behaviors and committed action." Kenneth Cloke & Joan Goldsmith The Art of Waking People Up


	40 Oak Leaf Rd PO Box 156 North Eastham, Cape Cod, MA 02651-0156 508.240.04326 www.successonyourownterms.com About Us The Center for Career and Business Development specializes in teaching people how to manage their professional lives by providing customized counseling and educational programs which integrate conceptual thinking with practical training. Our long-term relationships with clients, recognition by peers, and growing reputation as a community resource speak to the excellence of the services we provide and our commitment to making the world of work a better place for all. Privacy Policy You are receiving Taking Care of Business because you are a subscribed member of our mailing list. We at the Center for Career and Business Development respect your privacy: we do not sell, rent, share or otherwise misuse any data which we may have about you; its only purpose is to send you information which we believe will be of value to you. If you don't want to receive this newsletter, click the SafeUnsubscribe™ link below and your name will be promptly removed from our list. The stick illustrations in this issue are by Eloise Morley, Tracks Across the Page Copyright © 2004 The Center for Career and Business Development. All rights reserved (but you're welcome to copy, post, quote, and forward this newsletter as desired)