The past two weeks we have been talking about Jim Carrey’s commencement speech at Maharishi University of Management. During that speech, he made two statements that spoke to us and clearly to many of you (based on your notes to us):
You can fail at what you don’t want to do
so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.
AND
The effect you have on others
is the most valuable currency there is.
These statements spoke to us because for the past 20 years we have been passionate about helping people step into their leadership and claim their power, expand their influence, and increase their impact. Knowing our passion for personal leadership, it may not come as a surprise to you that we believe leadership is as important to your career as it is in other aspects of your life. We have been developing a framework for Career Leadership and Jim Carrey helped us set the stage for introducing this concept to you today.
Career Leadership
Your career is one of the most important aspects of your life. Career Leadership is not just about getting a job – it’s about navigating your work life now and into the future.
While it’s tempting to believe that you are tied to the whims of the economy or of your boss, that’s not really the case. Stepping into your Career Leadership is about knowing who you are, what you love, what you want to offer the world, what potential employers and clients need, and showing up effectively and demonstrating that you are a solution. It requires the same things all leadership requires: pausing so that you decrease your reactivity and increase your ability to move strategically; an awareness of yourself and of others you interact with; and being possibility oriented, transparent about your personal passion, building a shared vision for ways that you can contribute to success, action to move forward, and dialogue (feedback) about your influence and impact.
Stepping into your Career Leadership is not always easy. Life gets busy, work gets challenging, finances get stressful, and so it’s tempting to hope someone or something will guide your career. Don’t hope. Lead. Lead toward the opportunities and responsibilities that truly matter to you. As you step into your Career Leadership, begin to look for those opportunities that excite you and explore ways to show your value and create success.
Stepping into your Career Leadership is a lifetime effort. Even if you are thinking about retirement, you can consider the ways that you want to contribute to your community and world. You have a wealth of expertise and wisdom to offer, become of leader of your career – the world needs your best.
Spend some time this week thinking about your career. Notice if you are claiming your leadership or waiting to be noticed. It’s your career – become the leader you are waiting for.