THE world is filled with workers whose week long motto is "when will the weekend be here?". And then, "thank God its Friday".
It is a well kept secret that many executives feel the same way. Some of them are bored because even though they know what they would prefer to be doing, they cannot get out of their jobs. But too many others are bored simply because they have never taken the time to think out what they uniquely can do or what they uniquely have to offer the company.
For 27 years the gentle former Episcopalian minister Mr Richard Nelson Bolles has been helping people all over the world to find their occupational vocation. His famous job hunting and career change book What Colour is your Parachute had five million copies in print worldwide. It has been translated into seven languages and sells 24,000 copies a month worldwide.
What is less well known is that Mr Bolles' approach is as applicable to those currently working as it is to those seeking employment. The approach has been described as the ultimate self help guide for changing your career. Mr Bolles does an excellent job of detailing a step by step process which assesses where your interests lie and shows you how to go about achieving a career change.
In Ireland people are beginning to experience the truth of forecasts by experts like Mr Bolles and Mr Charles Handy that in today's jobs market they should count on having between three and six careers during their lifetime. Even if not changing companies, many executives will feel the need to retool during mid career. This could be as a result of new opportunities overseas or as the prospect of moving into a top man role looms.
Other senior people, having achieved security in their professions, may feel that life has lost either meaning or enjoyment. Some may have been working 80 hour weeks and now feel that it is time to smell the flowers before it is too late. Stress at work can be from either under or over stimulation. The experts describe this as either "rust out" or "burn out". Either way it may be time to reassess.
Companies may well be at a loss as to how to assist executives who either feel stuck or disillusioned. Big companies may have different possibilities for their executives if those executives are clear about what their own career path should be. Companies are always concerned about motivation and job satisfaction. They are often at a loss as to how to help individual executives who may have lost some of their drive.
It is surprising how many senior executives will have no difficulty in working through a strategic analysis of their company, beginning with the basis purpose or mission. Ask these executives as individuals what the purpose or meaning of their own lives is and answers will not come so readily. Many executives take more care of their cars and houses than their own bodies, so it is not surprising that personal fulfilment and optimisation receive little attention.
Mr Stephen Covey in The Seven Habits of Effective People tells us how to do it when he advises us to start with the end in mind. What do we want out of life?. Mr Bolles has an elegant and practical system for finding out. When individuals are helped to undergo a systematic analysis of their career preferences, the results are often dramatic both for the individual and the company.
The starting point of happiness in careers as well as in life is knowing what we want. Mr Bolles gift to the world has been a practical step by step guide to find out exactly that.
Fortune magazine in 1996 described it as the gold standard of career guides if you are a midcareer professional pondering a change of direction there is no better help available.
