Podcasts about birkman assessment

In this episode, Lisa and Rebecca discuss:Shifting from a deficit-based to a strengths-based model for career development for neurodiverse studentsThe importance of self-awareness in career planning and decision-makingHow experiential learning enhances career exploration and job fit for all studentsChallenges and strategies for neurodiverse students pursuing STEM careersKey Takeaways: Traditional education focuses on the deficits of neurodiverse students, but they thrive by recognizing strengths through tools like Myers-Briggs, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, CliftonStrengths, and the Birkman Assessment that both Rebecca Matte and Lisa use.The Birkman Assessment identifies both behavior and workplace needs, helping students find roles where they thrive and avoid poor job fits.As seen in Landmark College's NSF grant program, experiential learning and mentorship guide students through outreach, projects, and internships to explore careers before committing. This approach can benefit all students.Interdependence is crucial for neurodiverse professionals, as recognizing strengths and weaknesses helps them find complementary partners for better teamwork and career satisfaction.“If you know yourself, you can find your compatible work partners and more readily identify and name the traits of someone with whom you might work.” – Rebecca Whittaker MatteAbout Rebecca Whittaker Matte: Rebecca Whittaker Matte, M.S., is an Associate Professor of Education at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont, with nearly 30 years of experience in neurodiversity and learning disabilities. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire and an M.S. in Human Service Administration from New England College. A certified consultant for the Birkman Method and Gallup CliftonStrengths, as well as an ICF Certified Coach, she is a long-standing advocate of strengths-based approaches. As a co-principal investigator on the National Science Foundation's Access to Innovative Education in STEM grant, she develops programming and mentorship to support low-income, neurodivergent students while also caring for her ill-mannered rescue dog and staying active as she ages.Episode References:Episode #043 College Major Identification with the Birkman Method: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/podcast/043-college-major-identification-with-the-birkman-method/Get Lisa's Free on-demand video: How-to guide for your teen to choose the right major, college, & career...(without painting themselves into a corner, missing crucial deadlines, or risking choices you both regret). flourishcoachingco.com/video Connect with Rebecca Whittaker:Website: https://www.landmark.edu/Email: rmatte@landmark.eduLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-whittaker-matte/Connect with Lisa:Website: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flourishcoachingcoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishcoachingco/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flourish-coaching-co

On this week's episode of The Destination Marketing Podcast, Adam takes the show on the road to the Destinations International Annual Convention. He is joined by Chad Kearns, Vice President and Lead Practitioner at Fired Up Culture, to talk about the importance of culture in organizations. They discuss how culture starts with relationships and communication - not just values displayed on a wall. They also touch on the Birkman Assessment, a tool used to identify workplace personality traits; they explore how utilizing the assessment can impact a company's culture and why understanding individual team members' needs is so important. "Culture starts with relationships. How do we communicate with each other? How do we work with each other? How do we respect each other? What are the norms of the organization? Culture's not the values on a wall, it's how we treat each other." -Chad Kearns Fired Up Culture The Tourism Teacher Follow the Destination Marketing Podcast on social media: Instagram Twitter YouTube TikTok Do you want to be featured on the show? Send us a voice message! If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! The Destination Marketing Podcast is a part of the Destination Marketing Podcast Network. It is hosted by Adam Stoker and produced by Relic. If you are interested in any of Relic's services,  please email adam@relicagency.com or visit www.relicagency.com. To learn more about the Destination Marketing Podcast network and to listen to our other shows, please visit www.thedmpn.com. If you are interested in joining the network, please email adam@relicagency.com.

 Welcome to this episode of Alopecia Life. Today's guest is Joyel Crawford. Some of you may have already watched her recent Tedx Talk. Others may have purchased her book "Show Your Ask" - Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career. It's very cool to see the many ways her work in leadership also relates to her alopecia diagnosis. Check out the show notes for all the awesome ways Joyel is impacting the career and leadership world. Thanks for joining us today for this fun conversation.  More about Joyel: Recently awarded for the third time as one of the Best Career Coaching Services in Philadelphia by Find My Profession in 2023, Joyel Crawford of Crawford Leadership Strategies grows leaders for a living. She is a Certified Professional Career Coach, Certified Virtual Presenter and Leadership Development Consultant, TEDx Speaker and the Amazon Bestselling author of “Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.” Before her consulting career, Joyel supported professionals within all functional groups for 18 years at Verizon Wireless. Throughout her career, she mainly worked in HR. Joyel hosts a podcast called “Career View Mirror®.” She also holds PHR,DISC, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Birkman Assessment certifications. Her career advice is featured in Forbes, Black Enterprise, The Wall Street Journal, Essence, Newsweek, and many more.Thank you for sharing your time with Joyel and me today. I want to thank Danielle, from the Humans of NY Interview back in season 2, who recommended I reach out to Joyel aftering watching her Tedx Talk. All the ways to follow, and connect with Joyel are here in the show notes. Come on over to the Facebook Alopecia Life group or on Instagram to comment about this episode. These are both great ways to keep the conversation about alopecia going. Website: https://www.crawfordleadership.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyelcrawfordTwitter: https://twitter.com/joyelcrawford Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrawfordLeadershipStrategiesLLCTEDx Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/joyel_crawford_why_we_should_go_bald_togetherLink to Book “Show Your Ask”: https://www.amazon.com/Show-Your-Ask-Advocate-Yourself/dp/B09HPKVTFPSupport the showAlopecia Life provides free resources for school and home education, including a growing list of alopecia books, education videos on YouTube, links to support groups within the US, UK, Canada and more. You will also find access to Head-On, Stories of Alopecia, the Alopecia 101 free course, paid Alopecia Roadmap course for parents of children living with alopecia, and personalized coaching. Together, we can make a difference. To find out more, https://www.alopecialife.com/

Earlier this year, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith interviewed Sharon Birkman, the CEO of Birkman International, about finding your “why” using their proprietary social and psychological assessment, the Birkman Assessment. Since then, Jeff and Lauren have each taken the Assessment and personally debrief with Sharon. In this episode of The Green Zone Podcast, Jeff, Lauren and Sharon come back together to discuss:What the Birkman Assessment isWhy the Birkman Assessment is a great tool for retirees as they consider the next phases of their livesJeff and Lauren's individual Birkman Assessment resultsHow we can all can leverage the Birkman Assessment to work better togetherResourcesWant to take The Birkman Assessment? Email Sharon directly: sbirkman@birkman.comUnderstanding The Birkman's Colors Connect with Sharon BirkmanEmail Sharon: sbirkman@birkman.com Call Birkman: 800-215-2760Birkman International Website About Our Guest: Sharon Birkman, CEO of Birkman InternationalAs the daughter of company founder and influential industrial-organizational psychologist Dr. Roger W. Birkman, Sharon Birkman cultivated her deep expertise in human perception and organizational behavior through her lifelong interest in The Birkman Method.Sharon, CEO of Birkman International, has been recognized with a multitude of awards, including EY's Entrepreneur of the Year, the Women President's Organization's Mary Lehman MacLachlan Award, National Best and Brightest Places to Work For, and the Houston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award.In addition to her responsibilities at Birkman, Sharon volunteers her services as a Board Member of Houston Public Media, Goodwill Industries of Houston, and a long-time Board member for ESCAPE Family Resource Center. Sharon co-authored the book “The Birkman Method: Your Personality at Work” and authored the book “Creatures of Contact” by ForbesBooks.Birkman International is an industry-leading behavioral and occupational assessment company founded by innovative organizational psychologist Dr. Roger W. Birkman in 1951.The Birkman Method remains a preferred instrument to better understand interpersonal dynamics through positive psychology. It is used widely in the fields of career and life coaching, leadership development, human resources management, and organizational design today. Connect With Green Financial Group:jeff@greenfinancialgrp.com(713) 244-3030Schedule A Call With Jeff or LaurenGreen Financial GroupLinkedIn: Jeff GreenLinkedIn: Lauren Smith

Do you know what motivates you? Do you know what fulfills you? Do you know what your “why” is? These are big questions, but the Birkman Method can help you answer them with confidence (and it's backed by 70+ years of data). This 30-minute assessment helps individuals understand their motivation, self-perception, social perception and mindset – and how to leverage each of these things to find more satisfaction in their lives. In this episode of The Green Zone Podcast, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith sit down with Sharon Birkman, CEO of Birkman International, for an in-depth and eye-opening discussion on how Birkman can help us plan for a fulfilling future – especially with retirement in mind. They discuss:The fascinating origin story of Birkman InternationalWhat the Birkman Assessment is and how it's different from others, such as DISC and Myers BriggsHow the Assessment is used with companies and individualsHow you can use the Birkman to plan for a fulfilling retirement centered around your “why”And more! Note: Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse the services of Sharon Birkman or Birkman International. ResourcesWant to take The Birkman Assessment? Email Sharon directly: sbirkman@birkman.comUnderstanding The Birkman's Colors Connect with Sharon BirkmanEmail Sharon: sbirkman@birkman.com Call Birkman: 800-215-2760Birkman International Website  About Our Guest: Sharon Birkman, CEO of Birkman InternationalAs the daughter of company founder and influential industrial-organizational psychologist Dr. Roger W. Birkman, Sharon Birkman cultivated her deep expertise in human perception and organizational behavior through her lifelong interest in The Birkman Method.Sharon, CEO of Birkman International, has been recognized with a multitude of awards, including EY's Entrepreneur of the Year, the Women President's Organization's Mary Lehman MacLachlan Award, National Best and Brightest Places to Work For, and the Houston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award.In addition to her responsibilities at Birkman, Sharon volunteers her services as a Board Member of Houston Public Media, Goodwill Industries of Houston, and a long-time Board member for ESCAPE Family Resource Center. Sharon co-authored the book “The Birkman Method: Your Personality at Work” and authored the book “Creatures of Contact” by ForbesBooks.Birkman International is an industry-leading behavioral and occupational assessment company founded by innovative organizational psychologist Dr. Roger W. Birkman in 1951.The Birkman Method remains a preferred instrument to better understand interpersonal dynamics through positive psychology. It is used widely in the fields of career and life coaching, leadership development, human resources management, and organizational design today. Connect With Green Financial Group:jeff@greenfinancialgrp.com(713) 244-3030Schedule A Call With Jeff or LaurenGreen Financial GroupLinkedIn: Jeff GreenLinkedIn: Lauren Smith

Welcome to another season of Operations Avenue! Like the last, you'll hear from new student and volunteer guest stars each episode. First up, Jessica Williams from Nova Southeastern and Takayla Patterson from Loyola-Chicago discuss the process of becoming Brotherhood Unbounded Ambassadors and the benefits this program provides to AKPsi chapters, including access to the Birkman Method Assessment in the MyAKPsi Community.Learn more about Brotherhood UnboundedTake the Birkman Assessment

This episode is all about helping your student write a killer resume their college will love. We know that not all colleges require resumes for admission, but many scholarships and selective programs do. Learn how to help your student practice self-acceptance to get in touch with themselves, so they are able to focus on developing their own personal brand. Access show notes at brightfuturesllc.com/ep15. Resources: Schedule your Birkman Assessment to get valuable information about yourself so you can build your resume around those strengths.

Did you enjoy taking the Birkman Assessment? What colors are you? Amber, Coral, and Alec review sections of their Birkman results to explain their meaning, personal importance, and value for working as a team in your chapter.

Learn how to advocate for your learning differences in college. This is part two in our series devoted to tips for students with learning differences and their families. In this episode, Dr. Beth Dennard is joined by Jennifer Mohr, Bright Futures Educational Consultant in training and the mother of two sons with learning differences (LD). Together, they discuss tips for advocating for your learning differences in college. Access show notes at brightfuturesllc.com/ep14. Resources: Get help from a Bright Futures Counselor in assessing post-high school graduation plans. Schedule your Birkman Assessment to get valuable information about colleges and careers where your LD student can thrive. Try coping with LD by exercising first thing in the morning with this workout routine from John Rainey, CFO of PayPal. Check out this amazing memoir of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind woman to graduate from Harvard Law! The story is filled with her accounts advocating for her needs to support her LDs since early childhood.

Are you a parent with a student who has a learning difference? This is the first episode in a two-part series devoted to tips for students with learning differences and their families. In this episode, Dr. Beth Dennard is joined by Jennifer Mohr, Bright Futures Educational Consultant in training and the mother of two sons with learning differences. Together, they discuss tips for parents and students about managing LD in high school. Access the complete show notes at brightfuturesllc.com/ep13. Resources: Find a Bright Futures Counselor to help your LD student prepare for high school and beyond. Help your student learn more about themself through a Birkman Assessment self-discovery tool.

New year, same old BOD! We’re back at it with an all new episode of #TheBoardMeeting! We get into the level of commitment it takes to stick to new year’s resolutions and break down the results of our Birkman assessment. The Birkman Assessment is a personality, social perception, and occupational interest assessment. We discuss our usual behaviors, stress behaviors, and interests to see where we’re alike and where we differ.

The chapter, “Building on Weak Ties,” from the upcoming third edition of Repurpose Your Career, introduces the principle of weak ties, or former colleagues and associates who are able to connect you to an expanded network of information and opportunities. Marc explains the theory of weak ties and gives practical advice on how to reintroduce yourself to your weak ties and enlist that help to find employment opportunities. Marc shares how a client, Steve was able to discover an invaluable network of his weak ties, and land a job, using only one-on-one contacting, starting with LinkedIn. Finally, Marc offers an action plan for cultivating your own weak ties. Listen in to learn how your weak ties can be your strongest assets.   Key Takeaways: [1:14] Marc welcomes you to Episode 134 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot is the sponsor of this podcast; CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you, free of charge. [1:44] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your neighbors, and colleagues. The more people Marc reaches, the more people he can help. [2:04] Marc has released four chapters of the next edition of Repurpose Your Career to the Repurpose Your Career review team. A fifth chapter will be released in the coming weeks. Sign up to be part of the review team at CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam. [2:24] You will receive new chapters as they become available. Marc is looking for honest feedback and would love to get an honest review on Amazon.com after the book is released. [2:35] Marc’s plan is to release the book in late-September and do both a virtual and a real book tour. He will be in Austin, the NYC Area, and D.C. during the months of September and October. Marc would love to meet his readers and listeners. [2:52] Reach out to Marc at Podcasts@CareerPivot.com if you’d be willing to give him some advice on venues or groups who would be interested in hosting an event. [3:02] Next week, Marc will discuss online networking with his good friend and colleague, Hannah Morgan, a.k.a. Career Sherpa. [3:15] This week, Marc reads the next preview chapter from Repurpose Your Career, “Building on Weak Ties.” This chapter was supposed to be in the last edition but it got dropped in editing. From early comments from the Repurpose Your Career Review Team, this is proving to be a very impactful chapter. Marc hopes you enjoy it. [3:43] “Building on Weak Ties.” People tend to make a very short list of who can help them in their job search; the same people they might ask to help them move — very close friends. That’s a big mistake. [4:06] In 1973, Johns Hopkins sociologist, Mark Granovetter, wrote a paper called “The Strength of Weak Ties.” Malcolm Gladwell brought this paper to the world’s attention in his book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Granovetter was exploring the relationships we have with people we know slightly or by reputation. [4:29] Granovetter postulated that we might be more influenced by people with whom we have weak ties than those with whom we have strong ties. If your best friend buys bright orange shoes, you might think that’s crazy. If you suddenly see people wearing bright orange shoes, your perspective might shift. You start to think it’s a trend. [5:00] Granovetter was talking about the distribution of ideas but the same thing works with behavior. If your partner says your sense of humor is inappropriate, you might take offense. If someone you know slightly through business ties tells you the same thing, you will probably give the thought a lot more weight. [5:29] When you talk to those with whom you have strong ties, you don’t give them your background. When you talk with those with you know less well, you are more explicit. You need to state exactly what you want and why. This can force you to articulate for yourself what you need. [6:00] A great explanation from the Changing Minds website says “In the familiarity of strong ties, we use simple, restrictive codes where much is implicit and taken for granted. In communicating through weak ties, we need more explicit elaborated codes for meaning to be fully communicated.” Elaboration gives more scope for creativity. [6:27] Elaboration stimulates thought. Innovation becomes a likely result. The more weak ties we have, the more connected to the world we are. We are more likely to receive important information about ideas, threats, and opportunities in time to respond to them. [6:42] Our acquaintances’ networks and our networks have a very small intersection. Our weak ties know people that we don’t know. This makes them very valuable during a career move. Your weak ties are all the people you’ve ever worked with, volunteered with, belonged to organizations with, been neighbors with, or watched kids’ sports with. [7:14] You might think you could never reach out to those people since they are virtual strangers. Marc was introduced to the concept of weak ties through the book Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant. Grant writes about Granovetter’s survey of professionals who had recently changed jobs. [7:43] Granovetter wrote that about 17% heard about the job from a strong tie. Their friends and trusted colleagues gave them plenty of leads. Surprisingly, people were more likely to benefit from weak ties. Almost 28% heard about the job from a weak tie. Strong ties provide bonds but weak ties serve as efficient bridges to new information. [8:10] Strong ties travel in the same circles and know the same opportunities as we do. Weak ties open new networks with new opportunities. [8:27] Everyone you’ve ever worked with or known has gone on to new jobs, made new friends, and created new business contacts. By this calculation your network is huge! For a variety of reasons, it is tough to ask weak ties for help. [8:58] Ask yourself, “What would I do if the shoe was on the other foot?” You can expect your weak ties to respond to you the way you would respond to them. [9:20] Be a giver. In the workplace, there are givers, takers, and matchers. Givers do prosper and takers don’t. Givers look for opportunities to help. Marc explains how a giver is motivated. [9:59] Takers are always self-interested. They look for what they can get out of a relationship or exchange. Marc talks about a taker’s motivation. These are not good sources of help. [10:21] Matchers will give if they can see a personal benefit arising from it. They don’t want to give more than the other person or team. Marc explains the behavior of matchers. They will help you if they can see how you can help them back. They are the most common workplace type. [10:57] The lines between these styles are not “hard and fast.’ You have probably worked with all three. You can spot the differences between these types at a networking event. Marc tells how to see it. [11:34] If you recognize yourself as a taker, now is a good time to assess and change your behavior. What is your mindset when you interact with people? Is it to make a friend, see if you can help, or to quickly run through all the ways this person could help you? If that’s the way you’re thinking, you probably haven’t built many bridges. [11:55] Your first order of business might be to start looking for places to give. Volunteer. Answer questions on social media threads if you have expertise. Offer to mentor or assist former colleagues or acquaintances who can benefit from your knowledge base. [12:13] If you’re a giver, it may be even more challenging for you to ask others for anything. It’s actually easier to give than it is to be the one who needs help. You’d like people to respond to your giving. Many people are actually delighted to give back. [12:39] Marc shares the example of working with Steve, an introverted account manager. He was a “farmer” who was very good at cultivating relationships. Then his job was cut and he was scared. Marc used the Birkman Assessment and the Career Pivot evaluation process with Steve to analyze his needs and personality. [13:41] From the evaluation, they created a set of branding statements to work with. They reworked his LinkedIn profile focusing on the complex products he sold in his previous position. [13:56] Marc developed a set of open-ended questions Steve could use in any interview. He was then prepared to explain why the right company should hire him. [14:12] Using LinkedIn, Steve reached out to colleagues he had worked with over the past 20-plus years. It was incredibly difficult for him to admit he was unemployed at this stage. He learned that most of the people he reached out to had experienced unemployment in the last decade. [14:32] We are long past the time when others assume that being unemployed means there is something wrong with you. The more Steve reached out, the easier it got. Steve is a really nice guy and a giver. He had built a lot of bridges and burned none of them. People remembered him and were willing to help. [14:55] Marc tells how it works. Build a list of people you have worked with over the last 20 years. Divide the list into two: people who worked in the same function as you and people who worked in a different function. Find these weak ties using LinkedIn search. Use the current company or past company options to locate them. [15:20] For people who worked in the same function as you, see where they currently work. Did they change functional areas? If so, reach out and ask them how they did it. [15:36] For people who worked in a different function, what company or industry are they working in, now? If they changed industries, ask them how they did it. [15:47] Weak ties are easy to approach. Send them a personalized LinkedIn connection request that reminds them of your connection and why you are reaching out to former colleagues. Ask if they are willing to schedule a short phone call to see how they are doing and ask them to accept this invitation to connect. [16:14] This is the time to ask for AIR — Advice, Insights, and Recommendations. Marc shares sample questions. Ask if they will introduce you to someone at their company or another company. [16:34] Steve was amazed at how many weak ties were delighted to hear from him. He was more amazed at how many were willing to assist him in his job search. This greatly expanded his network and his visibility to companies and jobs. His weak ties proved to be invaluable. He found companies that needed his account management expertise. [16:58] Next, Steve started with his last employer and used the Similar Companies section on LinkedIn to find companies that were either direct competitors or in adjacent industries. After following this deliberate process, Steve found the perfect match through a weak tie at a company that supplied parts for his former employer. [17:23] This company needed a national account manager. The “courting process” of the interviewing went pretty quickly. It was only six weeks from the time he was introduced to the company to the time he received an offer. As an introvert, Steve had not attended any networking events. [17:45] Steve spent all his time reconnecting with weak ties and researching companies capable of hiring him. He did all his networking one-on-one via email and phone conversations. He leveraged his network to the fullest. His network was larger than he had believed. [18:07] Once Steve realized that just about everyone was willing to help, the whole process became a lot more comfortable. Marc had told Steve early on that this next job would come through a relationship and that he had no control over the timing. That is exactly what happened. [18:25] If you had a career of any duration, making use of weak ties, whether for ideas, encouragement, or connections, your extended network is probably a lot more powerful than you think. And when you talk to them, ask them if there is anything you can do to help them. [18:44] When you cultivate your giving tendencies all along the way, you can develop a reputation in your extended network of being a giver. It’s also a nicer way to live. [18:55] Action Steps. Build a list of people you’ve worked with over the last 20 years. Begin to reach out to them over LinkedIn. Make sure you approach your search as a giver. If you haven’t been a giver, look for opportunities to give. If you’ve been a giver, let someone else have the fun of giving, this time. [19:16] Used LinkedIn’s Advanced People Search to find people in similar functions and similar companies to the one you’re interested in. Send these contacts a short note to see if they’re open to a call or coffee about positions in their company or industry. Ask for AIR. [19:35] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. The concept of weak ties is so critical to most of our future success. Marc hopes you will implement it throughout your career. [19:48] The Career Pivot Membership Community continues to help the approximately 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project to grow and thrive. The community has moved on to the next phase where community members who have experienced success share their successes and teach others. [20:06] Gene is presenting on how he obtained his first consulting client through LinkedIn Sales Navigator and using the methods described in the book Getting Naked: A Business Fable about Shedding the Three Fears that Sabotage Client Loyalty, by Patrick Lencioni. This is a great book on consultative selling, even for introverts.[20:40] This is a community where everyone is there to help everyone else out. Marc is recruiting members for the next cohort.[20:47] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. [21:02] Those who are in these initial cohorts set the direction. This is a paid membership community with group coaching and special content. More importantly, it’s a community where you can seek help. Please go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more. They are starting a group for bloggers, writers, authors, and publishers.[21:35] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you listen to this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter. [21:56 Please come back next week, when Marc will talk with Hannah Morgan on online networking. [22:04] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [22:09] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-134.  [22:17] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, the Overcast app, or the Spotify app.

The chapter, “Life as a Square Peg: Gets Tougher as You Age,” from the upcoming third edition of Repurpose Your Career, addresses the challenges of working in a career or a workplace environment that does not fit well with your personality. Marc explains how to learn what type of work personality you have, and how to find the unique work environment and qualities that will fit you best, so you don’t have to fit a square peg into a hole of the wrong shape for you.   Key Takeaways: [1:04] Marc welcomes you to Episode 129 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot brings this podcast to you; CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you, free of charge. [1:33] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your neighbors, and colleagues. The more people Marc reaches, the more people he can help. [1:54] Next week, Marc will interview Rich Karlgaard, who is the publisher of Forbes Magazine and the author of Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement. [2:12] This week, Marc will read a chapter from the third edition of Repurpose Your Career called “Life is a Square Peg: Gets Tougher As You Age.” [2:25] This chapter, along with the two previously released chapters, is now available to the Repurpose Your Career review team. If you’d like to be part of that team, please go to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam and you’ll receive new chapters as they become available. [2:48] Marc is looking for honest feedback and would love to get an honest review on Amazon.com after the book has been released. [2:57] Marc currently plans to release the book in mid-to-late September with both a virtual and a real book tour. He will be in Austin, NYC Area, and D.C. during the months of September and October. Marc would love to meet his readers and listeners. [3:15] Reach out to Marc at Podcasts@CareerPivot.com if you’d be willing to give him some advice on venues or groups that would be interested in hosting an event. [3:28] “Life is a Square Peg: Gets Tougher As You Age.” You play a role at work. The closer that role is to your authentic self, the happier you are likely to be. We act on the job to fit into the culture. We behave as we believe our boss or team expects us to. [3:54] Many business cultures show little value for interest in the arts, expect employees to follow the rules, award employees for being extroverted, want you to check your emotions at the door, and value strong, engaged leadership. Some of these behaviors may differ from how you normally function. [4:17] When you’re younger, it seems easier to be an actor at work. The older you get, the more exhausting it is to put on ‘the show.’ After decades of acting, you just want to be left alone to do what you do best. You don’t want to pretend interest in things that aren’t relevant to doing your job. You know your job better than your boss does. [5:01] This is especially hard when you’re a square peg in a round hole. Some people are square pegs because their personality doesn’t lend itself to the social dynamics of the workplace. That is Marc’s situation. Marc is an introvert but he has to act the role of an extrovert. [5:24] Some people are square pegs because the culture of their industry doesn’t fit them, like an engineer who is highly emotionally intelligent. Sometimes they came to a job from another country and everything about this culture requires them to act in a way that is different from how they grew up behaving. [5:44] Marc has been working with quite a few square pegs who do not fit into the traditional roles that organizations define. Some squeeze themselves into those roles and end up unhappy and unhealthy. Stress wreaks havoc on their health. [6:09] Personality Square Pegs: Marc, an introvert, used to be able to stay in character as an extrovert for a long time, in his 20s, 30s, and 40s. In his 50s, staying in character became exhausting. Periodically, Marc would be completely depleted, which was not how people knew him. He would take a long time to recharge, especially if drained. [6:41] Our society is biased toward extroverts. Extroverts make more money. They are taken more seriously as leaders. They are perceived as more competent. Susan Cain pointed out in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking that many of our great thinkers and artists have been introverts. [7:03] That’s only one kind of square peg. There are others. [7:08] Creatives: Creative people have a high interest in music, art, and literature. Many creatives have abandoned those interests because they can’t fit into what our economy values or is willing to pay for. These people often express their creativity in colorful spreadsheets or attractive Powerpoint presentations. [7:32] Autonomous: Autonomous people don’t like staying between the lines. They want the freedom to do it their way. They’re good in chaotic situations where they get to make the rules. [7:44] High Empathy: People with high empathy treat people with kindness and caring and want their colleagues to treat them in the same way. Marc has worked in high-tech for most of his career. High-empathy people are not generally welcomed or considered the norm. [8:01] Low Authority: Low-authority people would prefer having a colleague to a boss. Trying to micro-manage them is not pretty. Their personality is largely incompatible with today’s work environment. [8:18] Industry or Company Mismatch: The Project Manager. Marc had a client who was a top-flight IT project manager. Her boss would give her a project; she would run it for a year, then her boss would give her a new project just like it. This was a dream scenario for a lot of project managers, but not for her. [8:45] Unusual for her profession, she wanted to constantly learn new things and tackle new challenges to develop in her career. She talked to her boss who was surprised. He had been keeping her in her comfort zone. That was the last thing she wanted. [9:12] Musical Technologist: Marc has met multiple musical technologists. It’s very common for engineers to have a high interest in music. Marc talked to “Ron,” who works for a large hospital system. He evaluates systems and stays on top of all the technology the hospital implements. [9:36] Electronic Medical Records and related technology have accelerated the rate of change. Ron has a huge interest in music that he put aside for years. Ron can keep up with the technology but he doesn’t want to. What was once fun is now a lot of work. He spent the last years caring for elderly parents. He is done fitting into the round hole. [10:23] The Creative Technologist: “Sam” wandered into technology a long time ago when he graduated from college. He has worked in IT departments of large companies and gotten pretty good at it. Now he’s in IT security, a hot area, but he is sick of it. He is both mentally and physically tired. In his 50s, he no longer fits into the round hole. [11:01] He is physically fit and can do his job but he no longer wants to do it. Sam is highly creative and would love to marry his technical knowledge with some form of art. He is now exploring video options with virtual and augmented reality. Can he make a go of this and keep putting his children through college at the same time? [11:27] Cultural Dyslexia: These are people born in an indirect culture, such as India, China, Japan, but who spent their teenage years in a direct culture, such as the United States and Europe. They attend Western universities and acquire Western personality traits. They do not feel they belong in either their birth culture or their adopted culture. [12:00] We will see a lot more cultural dyslexia as people move around the world. Marc has seen cultural dyslexia cause people great angst as they try to fit in that round hole. [12:18] Square Pegs and Financial Requirements for the Second Half of Life: Marc was blessed that his first tech startup job left him debt-free in his late 40s. Marc had children in his late 20s. Many others waited to establish their careers before having children. Many in their 50s are putting children through college. [12:48] We have lived through two horrible recessions that decimated retirement savings and children’s college savings. Many square pegs feel they have no choice but to stay in their ill-fitting niche. This is one reason Marc and his wife moved to Mexico. They enjoy a lower cost of living and a slower pace of life. [13:16] For many people, the task is to define and then find their own unique career hole. Marc shows his process for helping square pegs find their unique career hole. [13:28] Define Your Career Hole: Another way to put this is “Know thyself.” You cannot target your ideal working environment unless you know what it is. You cannot find your unique career hole if you can’t define it. Can you clearly articulate what your ideal working environment looks like? For 99% of you, the answer is no. [13:54] Reflect on when you’ve been happy in seven different areas in your career: Boss. When did you have a boss you really liked? What made that person a good boss? Team. When did you have a really great team? What was the makeup of that team? Value. When did you feel valued at work? What made you feel valued? [14:20] Structure. How much structure do you need at work? Who should create that structure? Variety. How much variety do you need in a day? Emotions. Do you need a supportive emotional environment at work? Activity. How much activity do you need? [14:40] You can use Marc’s Career Reflection Worksheet to help with this. Once you have clearly defined when things were really good in the past, go back to times when things were really bad. [14:54] Marc uses the Birkman Assessment with his clients to pick out situations that highlight what causes them stress. Once you have identified those situations, you can determine how to avoid them. You can clearly identify the shape of that unique career hole. You can start the search, locating your unique career hole. [15:15] Now, you have figured out what kind of peg you are and what kind of career hole you need. Create a list of open-ended questions you will use to investigate the companies where you’re thinking of working, to find out if they fit the bill. These questions will evolve, over time. Marc lists sample questions you might use. [15:48] Develop a set of questions for each of the seven areas above. [15:52] Next, target companies within your industry or profession that can hire you. You can dutifully use your questions to determine what companies have a unique career hole that matches your requirements. It will take a great deal of tenacity and patience. [16:11] For some square pegs, it means going to work for themselves. For others, it means working for small organizations that are willing to create unique career holes for you. Do you know the shape of your unique career hole? Are you ready to define it? [16:27] Find restorative niches. Marc appears to be an extrovert because he is a great public speaker. He can work a networking event with the best of them. He can meet and mingle with strangers with ease. When Marc is done, he is exhausted! [16:46] Marc’s extrovert abilities did not develop overnight. In 22 years at IBM, he slowly became “a geek who could speak.” He was paid more money to do this. By his late 30s and 40s, his back would spasm one or more times a year and down for a week or more. [17:07] Finally, Marc had a disk rupture and after taking three months off for bed rest, he kept going. Now that he is over 60, he has to be careful how much public speaking he does. Like other square pegs, Marc has to learn to take time to recover. [17:23] Recently, Marc presented a workshop in Dallas, on working for a multi-generational company. He drove for three hours from Austin to Dallas in the morning, listening to podcasts, gave the two-hour workshop, and drove three hours back again. The time in the car gave Marc a restorative niche. [17:44] Marc has to allow a lot of ‘alone time’ before and after being around people. If he does not, he is ‘dead’ for the rest of the day. As good as Marc is at being around people and presenting workshops, he is a square peg. ‘Shoving himself’ into that round hole is exhausting, especially now that he is older. [18:08] If you are a square peg, a restorative niche might be listening to your favorite music while you work, doing creative projects in your spare time, or connecting with people with a similar cultural background. You still need to do the work to find your right-shaped niche, but this will keep you sane while you do it. [18:31] Marc repeats his opening statement: In pretty much every job, you have to play a role, even if you work for yourself. You have to play a role with your customers or clients. The closer your role is to who you are, the happier you will be. [18:47] Action Steps: Are you a square peg? Write down what roles you have been playing throughout your career that you would like to stop playing, now. Write down some of your personal square peg attributes and how they could be useful in different jobs and businesses. How can you find a way to work around them, where necessary? [19:10] Write down some questions you can ask an employer that would help you see how well you and the organization’s culture could fit. [19:18] Marc hopes you enjoyed this chapter. Marc is very much a square peg. Marc has never fit neatly in corporate roles. He has always forced himself to fit. When he hit his 50s, he found life to be exhausting. Marc now implements regular restorative niches whenever he does things that suck the life out of him, like being around a lot of people. [19:45] You will find a link to the Career Reflection Worksheet mentioned in the chapter in the Show Notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-129. [19:59] The Career Pivot Community website has become a valuable resource for the 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc is preparing to recruit new members for the next cohort. [20:11] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. [20:25] Those who are in these initial cohorts set the direction of this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with group coaching and special content. More importantly, it’s a community where you can seek help. Please go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more. They are now starting a writers’ group. [20:59] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you heard Marc on this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter. [21:19] Please come back next week, when Marc interviews Rich Karlgaard, who is the publisher of Forbes Magazine and the Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement. [21:35] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [21:40] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-129. [21:48] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, the Overcast app, or the Spotify app.

In Part 1 of this series, Marc covers the first half of the first feedback session with Sarah for her personality assessment.   Key Takeaways: [1:35] Marc welcomes you to Episode 93 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast.[1:48] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. [1:53] Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people. [2:12] The next two weeks, Marc will present the next career pivot evaluation series with “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” Sarah (not her real name) is employed, a closet creative, and a structured anarchist. Her personality is quite interesting. Marc has seen all aspects of her personality in other clients, but not in this combination. [2:37] This week, Marc will play the first half of the first feedback session and next week, Marc will play the second half. Then Marc will take a break with a Q&A episode and maybe an interview before concluding the series “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?”. You will find all of the reports for this episode at https://careerpivot.com/sara [2:57] Marc welcomes Sarah to the podcast and invites Sarah to give her background for the audience. [3:13] Sarah is a group leader in marketing communications. She manages the company’s advertising and promotion process. She works closely with marketing managers, sales training managers, and account reps in the field to create and distribute collateral that helps sell products and services to customers. [3:49] Sarah is a creative and her current role does not allow her to use as much creativity as she would like. She feels frustrated. [4:08] Sarah looks at the signature summary for the Birkman Assessment. Marc explains the two numbers for each component. ‘The usual’ is how Sarah described herself; ‘your needs’ is how Sarah wants to be treated in that same area.[4:33] A big gap between the numbers means you don’t behave the way you want to be treated. It often indicates you are not treated as you want to be. A narrow gap very often means a blind spot. Marc says the science of the assessment is that how you describe other people is actually how you want to be treated. [5:07] In components where the numbers are close to equal, that means Sarah believes she is just like everybody else. Marc says, we know that’s not true. Marc notes Sarah has some very low, low scores. He says this session will be very informative for Sarah. [5:28] Next is the Birkman Interests, showing what you are interested in, not necessarily what you are good at doing. Things that you are really interested in, make you happy and give you energy when you do them. Things that are really low, you may be able to do them, but when you do them too much, they drain you. [5:56] Sarah is very low in numerical, which does not surprise her. She is also introverted according to the Birkman map. [6:19] On the signature report, page 13, Sarah has a 99 rating for artistic. Anything over 90 is something you have to have in your life. Sarah started her career as a floral designer. She loves art projects, gardening, and making things around her pretty and interesting to look at. She loves working with her hands. [7:10] This doesn’t play out at Sarah’s work, which is a point of increasing frustration. However, there is a lot of creation going on, but in her role, she supports other people’s projects. She doesn’t like being in the role of an order taker. She has been doing it for 10 years. She does decorate her cubicle. [8:57] Marc finds people who have high creative interests go into the corporate world and don’t get to fulfill those, and then, what happens is, the life gets sucked out of them. [9:16] Sarah is rated 95 literary. Sarah loves to read. She got into communication from writing and editing. One of her first roles out of college was writing and editing corporate publications and she misses that. Sarah reads business publications and fiction, especially forensic novels. [10:59] Sarah reads for enjoyment, relaxation, and education. She reads before she goes to bed. It’s undisturbed time. [12:09] Marc gives Sarah a suggestion. When Sarah goes into a soul-sucking meeting, or all-day events, that she take 15-minute reading breaks and schedule them into her day. This comes from a book, Quiet, by Susan Cain. It’s about introversion. She talks about restorative niches. Highly creative people should schedule them into their day. [13:01] Marc has a former client who knows to take her drawing pad out two or three times a day. It makes her feel good and re-energizes her. Sarah should schedule reading breaks into her day. [13:22] Sarah is rated 94 musical. She used to play musical instruments at school. She listens to music in the home, usually letting her husband select it. In the car, she listens to podcasts. Marc suggests Sarah should get her phone out and turn on her tunes when she is at a point where she feels exhausted. [14:46] Sarah’s artistic, literary, and musical interests don’t get fulfilled at work. Marc suggests that she needs to insert those interests into work.[15:26] Marc encourages Sarah to take the Start a Blog Course by ProBlogger. Several people in Marc’s online community are going through the course. Marc says Sarah should go write. [16:02] Technical is the next area. Sarah is moderately high in outdoor and scientific. She likes to research. Sarah is low persuasive, which rules out selling her ideas. Sarah is low in administrative. She doesn’t like rules unless they are hers. Sarah is low in numerical. She doesn’t enjoy spreadsheets, but she can understand them. [17:11] Sarah is low in social services, which is not unusual for highly creative people. Sarah questions the administrative and social services scores. She is good at system tracking, record keeping and categorizing for her job. Marc agrees she can do it, but it sucks the life out of her when she has to do too much of it. [18:08] We learn the skills our employer demands of us. We get good at them and may enjoy them, but they are tied to our low interests. When we overuse them, we get burnt out. Marc talks about being a phenomenally good public speaker as an introvert. It sucks the life out of him, though. [19:19] You have to differentiate between the things you are good at and that may bring you some comfort, and the things you are actually interested in doing. [19:35] Next Marc and Sarah look at the behaviors matrix. The behaviors are broken into three areas: interpersonal, organizational, and time management/planning. Marc comments that for someone with such creative interests, Sarah is pretty comfortable with ambiguity. Sarah agrees. Marc points out that is unusual for creative people. [20:51] Marc directs Sarah to the signature report, page 20. There are three bars on the page: usual behavior, needs, and what happens when you don’t get treated the way she wants to be treated. Sarah’s numbers are 6, 31, and 31. The medians in the population are 25, 50, and 50. [21:43] Marc asks Sarah to read about dealing one-on-one. Sarah is direct and straightforward, with objectivity and frankness. She is unevasive, matter-of-fact, frank, and open. Sarah agrees. She has learned the value of directness over time in the business world. She prefers to work with men. [23:50] Sarah’s needs are that she is most comfortable when others are frank and direct toward her. When being praised, she needs to feel that the compliment is genuine and free of sentiment. Sarah agrees. Sarah gets highly impatient when others ramble or evade. It is tiring for her to interact with shy people. [25:19] Sarah’s causes of stress and her stress reactions are that in the presence of shyness or evasiveness, she is likely to feel uncomfortable. She does not respond well to subtlety from others, sometimes making it difficult to recognize their personal needs and feelings. She reacts with reduced concern, detachment, and tactlessness. [26:03] Marc says not to be surprised if she thinks of a tactless statement without saying it. Sarah replies, “All the time!” Sarah husband is also very direct. Stress reactions are more likely to be acted out with our family than at work. We are more comfortable with our family and we know they won’t beat us up. [27:04] On page 17, Sarah’s social energy rating for dealing one-on-many is shown. Sarah’s generally pleasant and outgoing manner makes her at ease in group activities. Her warm and accepting attitude helps her meet people easily. Her usual behavior is sociable, at ease in groups and communicative. Sarah is 84. The median is 75. [27:50] Sarah is pretty social. She does well at networking events. Sarah’s needs: the comfort she displays in social settings conceals her underlying need for considerable time by herself or in the company of one or two significant individuals. Sarah is a closet introvert who has learned to behave like an extrovert. She has a people threshold. [30:03] Sarah likes being around people. She’s good at it. But it sucks the life out of her. [30:54] Marc tells Sarah she’s not getting energy from people, they are pulling it out of her. She just has a large reservoir to pull from and like adrenalin, it wears off. Marc suggests that Sarah bring her books and music when she has to be around people a lot and periodically take downtime during the day. [31:30] Marc had a client who had to present six times in two days at a conference. Marc advised him to take a book and go read in his room for 45 minutes between each presentation. At the end of two days, he actually wasn’t exhausted. [32:04] Sarah’s causes of stress: Continuous pressure to be in social or group sessions can upset her sense of well-being. Without sufficient time to herself, she is likely to become withdrawn, possibly to a surprising extent. [32:45] If the purpose of being with people is a real purpose, Sarah is less likely to feel stress. Getting together for small talk makes her skin crawl. Sarah’s stress reactions are withdrawal, tendency to ignore groups, and becoming impatient. Sarah sees herself. [33:42] Page 23 shows Sarah’s incentives: A predominantly idealistic person, Sarah values cooperative effort and concepts of trust, loyalty, and team spirit. Sarah can think and reason in terms of intangible benefits and prefers to minimize face-to-face, competitive rivalry. Sarah’s behaviors are trustful, loyal, and service-oriented. [34:23] Sarah is a team player. Sarah’s needs: a certain amount of competition and some assurance concerning her personal advancement. While Sarah values team effort, it is good for her to receive recognition for individual effort. [34:45] By nature, Sarah does not consider herself competitive. Sarah’s causes of stress: Her respectful attitude complicates matters when in face-to-face conflict since her feelings and opinions are stronger than they appear to be. People who are opportunistic or unrealistic can be a source of discomfort. [35:52] Sarah is far less competitive than expected for someone who is as direct as she is. Sarah’s stress reactions: becoming distrustful, becoming impractical (idealistic). [36:39] People who are highly artistic tend to be stealth competitors. Sarah is a really good team player. She has learned this behavior to get ahead in business. [37:46] Page 19 shows Sarah’s emotional energy. She prefers to balance between cautious detachment and sincere emotional involvement. She avoids excessive emotionalism and complete detachment. Sarah agrees. Her usual behaviors: objective, yet sympathetic, warm, yet practical. Sarah is at 37. Median is at 25. [39:08] Sarah’s needs: Sarah needs a similar balance in her surroundings. She is at her best in the presence of people who combine logic and practicality with a certain amount of sympathy and understanding for personal feelings. [39:26] Sarah feels suffocated and gets impatient with people who are really emotional and she gets angry and disappointed with people who don’t care about her needs. Both extremes bother her. [40:15] Marc refers back to an episode with “Tim,” who was angry when his boss came to his father’s wake but didn’t say a word after that. Emotionally cold people annoy Sarah. [40:49] Sarah’s causes of stress: extremes in others are likely to put pressure on her own moderation. Too much emotionalism from others can add to her tension, while she may tend to magnify her own problems when others are too detached. Sarah’s stress reactions: dejection, becoming too impersonal, loss of optimism. Sarah agrees. [41:23] Marc will work with Sarah to help her spot her own stress reactions. If she can spot them, she can do something about them, early. [42:59] Check back next week, when Marc finishes the first feedback session in the “Can Sarah Repurpose Her Career?” series.   Mentioned in This Episode: Sara’s Reports Careerpivot.com Birkman Assessments Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain “FREE Ultimate Guide to Start a Blog Course” by ProBlogger   Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.   Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Those in the initial cohorts are guiding him in this endeavor. Shortly, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help.   CareerPivot.com/Episode-93 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.   Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com

For 30 years, Jeanne Yocum has been self-employed as a public relations consultant and ghostwriter. This Spring, Rowman and Littlefield published Jeanne’s first solo book, The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. Jeanne previously authored two books: The New Product Launch: 10 Proven Strategies and Ban the Humorous Bazooka: [and Avoid the Roadblocks and Speed Bumps Along the Innovation Highway]. She has also ghostwritten books on open innovation, strategic partnerships, and leading fast-growth companies. A Pennsylvania native, Jeanne holds a BA in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University and a Masters in Journalism from Boston University. After spending most of her career in Greater Boston and in Western Massachusetts, she now lives in Durham, North Carolina. She credits her parents for fostering skills that have enabled her to succeed as her own boss. Her mother was a high school teacher who led her to love writing. Her father was self-employed and served as her example on how to succeed out there on your own.   Key Takeaways: [1:23] Marc welcomes you to Episode 89 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people. [1:52] Next week’s episode is planned to be the fourth episode of the four-part series “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” You’ll want to come back and hear the closing episode of Juan’s saga! [2:04] This week, Marc has an interesting interview with Jeanne Yocum. Marc shares her biography. [3:25] Marc welcomes Jeanne Yocum to the podcast. Marc says he relates to The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. For three years, setting up CareerPivot, Marc was going through much of the mindset described in the book. He sometimes thinks he works for the worst boss ever. [3:49] As her own boss, Jeanne indulged her own requests for days off, usually. [4:15] Jeanne had been self-employed for 25 years when she started writing this book. In addition to her own experience, a significant number of her public relations and event planning clients were self-employed. She also worked with self-employed graphic designers. [4:52] Jeanne didn’t find any books that addressed the nitty-gritty of running your business and the perplexing people problems you run into on a day-to-day basis. So she decided to write that book as a resource for others. [6:01] When Marc first got started he hired a business coach who walked him through understanding the types of clients he wanted and those he didn’t and learning how to determine the difference quickly. Marc has come up with a business model where he asks for a lot of his money up front. [6:33] Jeanne discusses the question of whether someone can succeed in self-employment. Everyone likes to think they could. Then they start asking about staying motivated. (Well, the mortgage comes due every month! How’s that?) [7:16] There’s a mindset that you do need, including some specific characteristics. Some of them can be learned. You can be great with your product or service, but are you great with the people issues? [8:04] When Marc got started, he was used to being an employee, not self-employed. It took him a long time to get the self-employment mindset. [8:24] Persistence, decisiveness, risk tolerance, self-motivation, confidence, and optimism are the six characteristics Jeanne recommends you need before deciding to become self-employed. [8:52] Most of us working for anybody else rely on someone above us to make final decisions. That is not the case for the self-employed. [9:22] Marc’s problem as a self-employed person was in being his own biggest critic. [9:37] Some people starting out lack persistence. It’s easy to get discouraged from people who are not interested or keep you dangling. Get used to rejection and get used to going after people who owe you money. Not everybody says yes and not everybody pays on time. Take assertiveness training. [11:07] You have to be decisive. Put a strategy in place and give it a good, honest chance to succeed. You have to work toward something. Jeanne shares a client story. If you get queasy about being the decider, you need to give this serious thought. Self-employment may not be right for you. [12:43] Marc runs into some people who can’t make decisions and others who make slap-dash decisions without thinking enough about them. Do the research but set a time-limit to how long you research before the decision. [13:48] Marc asks how long to hold onto an idea before letting it die as unworkable. Don’t worry how much time you have invested in it. Investing more time won’t make it work. Marc notes his own flopped ideas before he started this podcast. [14:27] Don’t keep digging a hole that you’re in over your head. If you never make the decision, then you really have made a decision not to do something. You’re going to face risks day-to-day, through no fault of your own. If you just can’t tolerate risk, self-employment will make you unhappy. [15:39] Jeanne started her business at the beginning of a recession and has survived two more. She was worried. She lost a major client. But somebody else came along. [16:16] You’ll need self-motivation. When you’re self-employed, you have to have it within yourself to do what needs to be done. [16:45]  Don’t fall for distractions. When business is down, it’s no time to paint a bedroom. Get back to your desk and do something to produce income. [17:10] You have to build up your self-motivation. You have to want the business to succeed. Many businesses fail before the five-year mark, largely because the owner lacked self-motivation. [17:35] Marc discusses the Birkman Assessment. One of the measurements is ‘change/insistence.’ Marc is very low ‘change.’ He has to separate himself from ‘devices’ because he is too easily distracted. He has taken Facebook off his phone. He moved his podcast setup into a closet to isolate himself. [18:57] Jeanne addresses myths: ‘Life will be better without a boss.” Think of all the decisions the boss makes. You have to understand the accounting, especially about taxes. [19:53] When you’re self-employed, you have multiple bosses — all your clients. Each of them wants to feel they are the most important person on your schedule that day and that you will jump when they call. Jeanne talks about clients trying to micromanage her. [21:27] Don’t make the decision to be self-employed because you are unhappy with your current boss. You have to see if you have the self-employment mindset, a solid plan, a market who will buy from you, and the expectation of making a living off the price you can charge in that market. If you want to escape your boss, find a better boss. [22:57] If you are running to something, not away from something, self-employment may be right for you. [23:10] Will your work/life balance be so much better when you are self-employed? Eventually, that may be true. In the startup phase (the first couple of years), your work/life balance may be worse than when you work for someone else. [23:33] Marc has not had a work/life balance for five years! If you want to run a lifestyle business, you may not build up much business. It takes time to create a business. [25:13] You will go to early-morning networking breakfasts, after-hours meetings at the end of the day, and do all sorts of work running the business that you don’t get paid to do. You have to run your business. You will need accounting training, etc. You don’t get to do just what you love (providing your service or product). [27:38] Marc makes two points: it’s very important to work on the business, not in it, and figure out what you are not good at or do not like to do and find other people to do that. Don’t think you can’t afford to hire. You can’t afford not to. [28:17] Marc can do any of the tasks in his business. So he needs to learn how to outsource to people who will do it faster than he can, and for less money. [29:02] Look at what your own time is worth writing business proposals rather than writing code for your website. Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow is the mantra of the self-employed. [30:02] Marc asks how to deal with income and workflow fluctuations. [30:08] Jeanne says, keep at it. If you have “just a little” work to do, don’t put it off to do your grocery shopping or mow the lawn. Do the paid work first, then spend the rest of the day bringing in new business. You can’t let up. Do chores outside of business hours. When things are down, don’t let that distract you. Keep it up. [31:21] Another aspect of the self-employment mindset is optimism. When business slows down, you can get discouraged or you can open another door. If you just keep at it, your plate will get full again. [32:04] When you have too much work, outsource new work to a known and trusted vendor. Or ask the client if they can wait until next month when you can devote time to them. [33:27] Kay McManus of K-Kan says when you get started, the only qualification for a new client is a pulse. It’s hard to run away from a client with money but sometimes you have to trust your instinct. You don’t want to work with clients that take energy away from you. It takes a while to trust your instincts, Jeanne says. Meet them for lunch. [34:48] If you have dollar signs in your eyes, you never learn to listen to your instincts. But you can’t afford not to do your best work for everybody. Word will spread. It helps if you have clients that are really great. If something is putting you off, just walk away. [36:00] Jeanne’s last words — “Buy my book!” Jeanne also invites you to her blog, Succeeding in Small Business. Find yourself some friends who are self-employed, not necessarily a mentor (but get mentors, too), with whom you can commiserate. Having someone in the same situation to talk to will be a big help. [37:55] Marc ties this into his online community where he asks people to get an accountability buddy. [38:20] Jeanne says you can buy the book on Amazon and it is also available in a Kindle version. Barnes & Noble carries the book in many locations. Or check your independent bookstore. Also available in Audible format. Jeanne shares her contact information (see below). [40:52] Check back next week, when Marc will air the fourth and final part of “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?”   Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Careerpivot.com/Juan The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss, by Jeanne Yocum Birkman Assessment Kay McManus / Kay-Kan.com Succeeding in Small Business — Jeanne Yocum blog The Self-Employment Survival Guide on Facebook   Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.   Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. In a few weeks, Marc will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and a community where you can seek help.   CareerPivot.com/Episode-89 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.   Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com

In Part 3 of this series, Marc covers the second feedback session with Juan for his personality assessment. Key Takeaways: [1:40] Marc welcomes you to Episode 88 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast (the intro of which he is recording inside his closet in Ajijic) and invites you to share this podcast with others. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people. [2:31] Next week’s episode is an interesting interview with Jeanne Yocum. Jeanne has been self-employed as a public relations consultant and ghostwriter for over 30 years. This Spring, Jeanne published her first solo book, The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss. This book really resonated with Marc. [2:58] This week is the third episode of the four-part series “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer and educator, adjunct professor, and multipotentialite. Juan is figuring out what is next.[3:19] If you have not listened to the first two parts of this series, please stop now and listen to Episode 83 and Episode 84 before listening to this third part. You will find all the reports for the series to download at Careerpivot.com/Juan. Marc added more reports for this Episode 88. [4:00] Marc has already gotten feedback from a number of people about how this series resonates with them. [4:09] Marc introduces Juan. This episode is the second feedback session for Juan. [4:17] Juan reports on his homework from the first feedback session. Juan recalls the stress of leaving a union teaching position to going to a freelance situation, and what that meant to him. The security and convenience of benefits are alluring but Juan felt unchallenged and stagnant in a protected job. [6:01] Juan learned a lot about his personality and natural predispositions in the first feedback session. He says the Birkman Assessment was on the spot. Juan wants to be high-challenged. He was happy doing freelancing. He enjoyed traveling a lot. [7:37] Marc introduces the Preferred Work Styles (PWS) report. This covers Juan’s natural management style, how he fits into the corporate work environment, social adaptability and social responsibilities, and how Juan makes decisions. [8:40] Juan is a global conceptual thinker. [9:03] Juan’s knowledge specialist rank is 7/10. This is common for Marc’s clientele. Juan reads the knowledge specialist description. Juan leads by example. [9:59] Juan ranks 3/10 in directive management. Juan reads the description. Juan doesn’t lead by telling. [11:00] Juan ranks 2/10 in delegative management. Juan is not interested in a VP or CIO position. [12:37] In the PWS document, Juan’s work motivation is ranked at 2/10. He needs to see value in his work to get motivated. Just having work is not motivation enough. [13:59] Marc shares an example of someone who goes crazy with assignments given without explaining their purpose. Marc and Juan apply the rating to Juan’s experience in the public school system. Juan needs work he believes in. [15:57] Juans ranks 4/10 in corporate adaptability. Juan reads the description for the level of commitment to the organization. Someone with a score of 3 or lower does not participate in organizational politics. Juan was proud to work for the organizations where he was given a lot of freedom and flexibility. [1718] Juan identifies more with the good managers he has had than with the corporations where they worked. [18:55] Juan ranks 7/10 in self-development. Juan reads the description. A rank of 7 shows he learns a job best in a structured onboarding process. Being left on his own is uncomfortable for him. [21:26] Juan ranks 6/10 in social adaptability. This is about his opinions of other people in general, relating to trust. A low-trust individual would make a good policeman. A high-trust individual tends to get burned. Marc always recommends, in a new job situation, regardless of your trust ranking, to find ways to let people earn your trust. [23:36] Juan ranks 5/10 in social responsibility. He is right in the middle. Juan reads the description. A rank of five and above shows a willingness to go along with the rules and conform to social expectations. Juan was a good corporate citizen. Juan, as a Latin-American, has bucked the traditional cultural trend to marry and have a family. [28:00] Juan ranks 5/10 in public contact and 6/10 in detail. Juan reads the public contact and detail descriptions. Being in the middle of both areas means Juan doesn’t want to be around people all the time, but some time is good. [29:45] Juan ranks 7/10 global and 4/10 linear. Juan reads the global and linear descriptions. Juan follows a relational and holistic approach to solve problems. Low-middle linear means Juan is not mostly logical but uses intuition as well. He thinks big. By contrast, Marc is a 10 linear. For Marc, everything is a process. [30:37] Juan ranks 8/10 conceptual and 3/10 concrete. Juan reads the descriptions. Conceptual utilizes abstract information, experience, intuition, and knowledge to find fresh solutions. Concrete uses analysis and facts to solve problems. Juan prefers to use intuition and experience before facts. [31:24] In combinations of problem-solving, Juan is a conceptual global thinker. Juan reads the description. Juan is a strategic thinker and is comfortable with ambiguity. He is open to new ideas and will consider all facets of an issue before taking action. His approach is more intuitive than fact-based. [32:10] The priority of a conceptual global thinker is to make sure a problem has been fully identified and defined. Then they move to take action to solve the problem. Juan sees this as 100% on-target. [32:41] Marc gives Juan some homework to use this as a framework to consider how he solves problems and find three problems he solved at work and three problems he solved in his personal life and report back to Marc how he did it. Marc wants Juan to be able to see a pattern and explain it. [33:07] Marc is a linear concrete thinker. A linear concrete thinker and a conceptual global thinker can either complement each other or “kill” one another. They think very differently. Marc asks Juan to observe how his own brain works. If he can explain that in a job interview the hiring manager will have a better idea if Juan will fit in. [34:03] One of the big problems a hiring manager has is thinking everyone thinks like them. We are all different. [34:48] The Birkman Map Summary shows what Juan likes to do. “You may like to innovate or create, plan how to do things, consider the future, create new approaches, and look at things theoretically.” [35:21] Juan self-describes as “You prefer to be enthusiastic and flexible, assertive and competitive, logical and objective, energetic, direct, and open.” [35:43] In the next feedback session, Marc will discuss in detail with Juan his stress report and how he wants to be treated. In short, Juan wants people to show they appreciate him, are interested in his feelings, as well as logic, give him time for complex decisions, give him time alone or with one or two others, and not overschedule him. [36:18] Marc observes that Juan wants to be around a small number of people he likes and who like him. He doesn’t want to be rushed on decisions. He wants some alone time and wants to manage his own schedule. [36:39] Marc points out that how Juan behaves and how he wants to be treated are very different. Juan is a closet introvert. He has learned to behave differently because he is expected to. [37:06] Last, are Juan’s primary stress behaviors. Marc gives Juan an assignment to cut them out and place them where he will see them frequently. If he catches them early, he can change the behavior. Juan’s stress behaviors are withdrawing, fatigue, indecisiveness, pessimism, over-sensitivity to criticism. [37:49] Juan recognizes withdrawing as a career pattern after completing an assignment or being laid off. He also recognizes fatigue in the office, and indecisiveness while a freelancer. [38:48] Marc gives Juan a homework assignment to translate 8-15 of the usual behavior phrases into ‘Juan-talk,’ figure out his problem-solving style, and fill out a career reflection worksheet about the times he was the happiest with his boss, his team, and when he felt valued, with the right level of activity. [40:16] When Juan understands what are the best conditions for him, and what are the worst conditions, he can run to the good stuff, instead of running from the bad stuff. Marc just wants Juan to make sure he doesn’t go back to a bad circumstance. If he stays a freelancer he has fewer constraints; if he goes to teaching he has security. [41:26] Marc talks about relapsing and uses himself as an example. He went back to something — a tech startup — that was familiar. It wasn’t healthy for him. [42:05] Juan tells how grateful he is for Marc’s insight and helping him find the right course. [42:33] Marc describes why Juan, being a multipotentialite, has bounced around in his career. He thought with enough education he would be recession-proof. He wanted to do something different every few years. In his mid-fifties, with no clear direction, the goal is to steer to a path of success. [44:38] Check back next week, when Marc will interview Jeanne Yocum.   Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss, by Jeanne Yocum Careerpivot.com/Juan CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1” CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 2” Birkman Assessment Reports used in the Feedback Session with Juan Doe   Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon.   Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has five initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He will start recruiting members for the sixth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and a community where you can seek help.   CareerPivot.com/Episode-88 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.   Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com

Marc shares with the audience how he got to where he is today as a coach, author, and podcast host. He gives case studies from some of his clients and suggestions for action.   Key Takeaways: [:57] Marc welcomes you to Episode 85 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with others. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues. [1:34] Last week’s episode was part two of a four-part series called “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Marc will return to that series in a couple of weeks. [1:45] Next week’s episode will cover Marc’s and his wife’s driving to Mexico the last week of June. It will be the next of a series about becoming an expat in Mexico and taking Career Pivot with him. [1:57] This episode comes from when Denise King interviewed Marc during the “Escape the Corporate World Now” Summit. [2:07] Denise, the host, welcomes the audience to “Escape the Corporate World Now Summit” and introduces her guest, Marc Miller. Marc gives his bio — he is a Baby Boomer, raised to be an employee of a company that would take care of him for 30-40 years. They ‘moved his cheese,’ and it didn’t happen. [3:20] Marc graduated in the mid-to-late 70’s with an engineering degree and went to work for IBM. After 22 years of ‘wandering’ from area to area at IBM, they cut his pension plan. He left to work for a successful tech startup that was quickly acquired by Lucent. [4:34] On July 11, 2002, Marc had a bicycling accident going downhill on a blind turn. He crashed head-first into a vehicle going uphill at about his speed. He broke or dislocated several bones but had no internal or brain injuries. In three days, he was on crutches. In 10 weeks, he was on a bike. In four months, he was flying to China, into the bird flu. [5:43] Marc wondered why he was doing that. His first tech startup left him debt-free and mortgage-free, even after he had put his son through college. He was grateful that his accident gave him more time with his son. After four years at school, his son came back and listened to Marc. [7:06] The year after his accident, Marc laid himself off and got his Math teaching certificate. Then he went to teach high school math. He devotes a chapter of his book to this experience. He wasn’t the best fit for the job and it wasn’t a good fit for him. Years of teaching adults had not prepared him for teaching high school. [7:56] Next, Marc moved to fund-raising for the Jewish Community Center in Austin. That was an interesting experience, but not for him. He relapsed into working for a tech startup. Logitech bought them and it “got really, really ugly, really, really fast.” He timed his resignation to get the optimal financial reward. [9:15] That’s when Marc started Career Pivot, primarily because he had changed careers seven times, using a process for change. That process is a pivot, changing from position to position in incremental steps. [9:57] You can either change a business skill or switch industries using the same skill. It doesn’t work well to try a new skill in a different industry. Marc gives a case study of a successful pivot done over years. [11:58] When Marc came out of teaching and went back to a startup he was feeling lost. He watched his friends still at IBM and other companies who were being spat out in their early 50s, and they were totally lost. Marc joined the board of LaunchPad Job Club and wondered who was helping his generation. [12:42] When Marc started at the startup LifeSize, the great recession of 2008 hit. He searched for career books or a career website for Baby Boomers. Marc found nothing. Marc hired a student intern to do some Boomer research. Boomers were expected to retire. State pensions are in debt. Most Boomers will not retire. [14:21] Marc wants to work on his terms at something he loves. He launched the Career Pivot Brand in 2012 because nobody else was addressing this problem. Even still, a Google search today shows Career Pivot to be the only site focused on Boomer careers. [15:58] For hundreds of years new technologies have replaced old technologies in a form of creative destruction. It used to talk 50 years, now it happens quickly. Think what the iPhone has done to cellular and what Amazon has done to retail. [17:10] Marc has a creative destruction workshop he gives. He explains how to stay ahead of the creative destruction. Your growth will be funded by you. No one’s going to take care of you, anymore. You have to stay on top of things. [19:59] In the corporate world we play roles. If we do it long enough, we believe the role. Marc explained how he behaves as an extrovert, because it pays, even though it exhausts him. [21:13] Marc uses the Birkman Assessment for clients one-on-one, to poke them while assessing them. The assessment shows not only how you behave in an area, but how you want to be treated in that area. [21:49] Marc describes case studies of structured anarchists. They love order, so long as it is their order. They are good at fixing stuff. Then they want to move on to something else. [23:49] Marc continues explaining how the Birkman Assessment analyzes your worst and best times in your career. Then it covers your needs. The idea is to get you very self-aware about what you want. [24:41] Our environment and who we work with are more important than what the job is. If it’s the right environment, it probably will be a job you want to do. [26:26] Marc suggested to one client to go find a problem to solve. The problems he solves will lead him in the direction he wants to go. What drives you? What gets you up in the morning? [27:37] Most Boomers need to find something they want to go do, with a financial element to it. There’s a balance between what you want to do, and what society will pay you for. Marc does not think anyone would pay him to be in a band. [28:55] Quiet, by Susan Cain talks about restored niches. Some people need to exercise, some pick up a book to read, or write or draw something. [3108] Marc opens how much the Birkman Assessment revealed about him. Marc is very, very low-change. Don’t interrupt him, and don’t get in the way of his schedule. Marc had to make some changes. [31.59] Birkman’s category of “organizational focus” helped Marc to understand his personality compared to other people. Marc has a client he describes as a square peg because his scores are so different from others. [32:58] Denise relates to not fitting in. Her mother was an artist, and her father was an investment banker. Denise sees that there was no combining those two roles in one job. [33:54] Technology has created a lot of activities. For instance, recording a podcast. That was not widely available a decade ago. PCs, the internet, and telecommunication are easily affordable. Be open to new roles that were never available. [35:12] Marc’s parting words: You need to keep an open mind. You need to know who you are. For those born in the 50s and 60s, there is a ton of data (based on life experiences). When have you been happy at work, and why? What didn’t you like to do, and why? Don’t repeat familiar experiences of the past. Run to a role, not away from it. [36.06] Marc presents some free offers of content from CareerPivot.com. [36:51] Marc says you can either walk off a cliff, let someone push you off the cliff, or best yet, plan the trip and wear a parachute. Plan your career. [39:39] Check back next week, when Marc will air the episode recorded during their trip to Ajijic, Mexico.   Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Careerpivot.com/Juan IBM Lucent Jewish Community Center of Austin LaunchPad Job Club LifeSize iPhone Amazon The Birkman Assessment Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain   Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon. Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has four initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He is recruiting members for the fifth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, and a community where you can seek help. CareerPivot.com/Episode-85 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.   Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com

In Part 2 of this series, Marc covers the second half of a feedback session with Juan about his personality assessment.   Key Takeaways: [1:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 84 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with others. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues. [1:40] Last week’s episode was part one of a four-part series called “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer, adjunct professor, and multipotentialite. Juan is trying to figure out what is next. [2:04] This episode covers the second half of the first feedback session Marc held with Juan. If you haven’t listened to the first half of the feedback session, please stop and listen to it on episode 83, presented last week, before listening to the rest of this episode. [2:13] You will find all the reports used in this four-episode series at CareerPivot.com/Juan. You may pause the podcast now to download the reports. [2:27] After today’s episode, Marc will take a two-week break in the “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” series, first, with an interview with Denise King and then a report on the Miller family’s pivot to Mexico. Then Marc will present Parts Three and Four of this series, “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” [3:00] Marc directs Juan to the organizational piece of the Birkman Assessment. First comes Juan’s attention to detail. Juan is systematic and process-driven. He likes an environment that’s predictable. He values policies and rules. Juan doesn’t do well in chaos. He is reassured by having a predictable income and stressed without one. [5:52] Juan’s causes of stress are, pressure to change his plan of action, and too much attention to details. Juan’s stress reactions are a de-emphasis on systems and being over-controlling. [6:34] Juan’s assertiveness score: positions of command and control appeal to Juan. Juan is satisfied by giving and carrying out definite, clear-cut directions. Juan organizes, initiates, and carries out his own activities and the activities of others. Juan is self-assertive, enjoys directing others, and seeks to influence and excel. [7:46] Marc notes that Juan’s emotional side probably gives him a softer touch in dealing with people, even when being direct. [8:24] Juan needs to know that authority is being exercised in a fair and effective manner. Both the dictator boss and the weak boss will drive Juan “crazy.” [9:34] Juan responds adversely to people who are extreme in handling authority. He will either back off or become argumentative. [10:10] Restlessness, or seeking varied activities, is the next trait discussed. Juan is always ready to start new things and enjoys handling a variety of task at the same time. Juan’s assets are adaptability, responsiveness, and attentiveness. Juan tends very much to be a catalyst to change. He is easy to stimulate, flexible, and attentive. [11:33] Juan’s surroundings should provide a balance of variety and novelty with ample opportunity for him to change his activities. He left school because it was monotonous and devoid of anything creative. [12:58] Juan may find it more and more difficult to discipline himself as changes are imposed upon him. His strengths are related to the extent to which he has control over his daily routine. [14:33] Juan is resistant to abrupt change and annoyed at delays. [15:08] The next topic is time management and decision-making. Juan is energetic, enthusiastic, and vigorous. His natural high energy level leads him to take on many activities and projects, making it easy to neglect rest and relaxation. For optimum performance, he needs time for re-energizing. [16:55] In Juan’s career, he has found himself at full steam and going at high power until he was exhausted and needed to take a break now and then. His high incentive score leads him to compete for the reward. Marc asks him to read Quiet, by Susan Cain. Susan comes up with the idea for restorative niches. This is a tip for introverts. [18:30] Juan should schedule in restorative niches, or ten-minute breaks he can take during the day to do a quick activity he enjoys. [19:38] Marc talks about how, at conferences, he took breaks away from the group, and even went out for dinner by himself. [21:05] In hurried situations where Juan does not have the opportunity to think through a process, he is likely to feel rushed and less-effective. He likes to consider all the possibilities. It took him a month to buy a laptop. He describes making the decision. [24:50] Juan worries about his decision-making about big decisions. [25:35] Situations that require quick and decisive action make Juan feel hurried and rushed. Making decisions when he is not ready is very stressful for him. [26:42] Juan’s stress reactions are over-concern for consequences, postponing decisions, and anxiety. He can procrastinate. [27:04] Marc gives Juan an assignment. Juan needs to remember events when he went into stress and analyze them. What was stressing him? Then he wants Juan to put these into 8-15 statements and distill them into a narrative about himself. [28:24] Marc explains that Juan can perform this exercise with any of the assessments using the strengths finder. [28:48] The next feedback session (in three weeks) will cover Juan’s preferred management workstyles, how he fits in the corporate workstyle, how he fits in society, and how he makes decisions. [29:57] Juan is a global conceptual thinker. He is creative in his decision-making. The more you understand how you think, the more you will see how other people think differently. Marc talks about the next assignment. Juan needs to consider three problems he solved in his personal life and three problems he solved at work. [31:21] Juan will do his homework and then schedule his next session with Marc. Marc wants Juan to be able to explain his decision-making process to potential employers. Meanwhile, he is learning classroom education is not for him. [32:12] In a couple of months, we will do this again with Sarah. Sarah is a creative who has managed to stuff her creative streak in her career. She is a square peg. [34:10] Check back next week, when Marc will air the interview when Denise King interviewed Marc during the “Escape the Corporate World, Now” summit.   Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Careerpivot.com/Juan CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1” CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 2” Birkman Assessment Reports used in the Feedback Session with Juan Doe CareerPivot.com/Episode-48 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 1” Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain   Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon. Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has four initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He will start recruiting members for the fifth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, and a community where you can seek help. CareerPivot.com/Episode-84 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.   Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com

In Part 1 of this series, Marc covers the first half of a feedback session with Juan about his personality assessment. The second half of the feedback session will be in next week’s episode.   Key Takeaways: [1:20] Marc welcomes you to Episode 83 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast and invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues. [1:48] This begins a four-part series called “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Juan is in his mid-fifties, a former school teacher, technology trainer, adjunct professor, and multipotentialite. Juan is trying to figure out what is next. This episode is the first half of the first feedback session Marc held with Juan. You will hear the second half next week. [2:16] You will find all the reports used in this four-episode series at CareerPivot.com/Juan. You may pause the podcast now to download the reports. Or you could listen to the episode, download the reports, and listen to it again. [2:36] Marc will take a two-week break after Episode Two of this series, then he will be back with an interview and then a report on the Miller family’s pivot to Mexico before the Parts Three and Four episodes of this series, “Can Juan Repurpose His Career?” Marc will later do a similar series with “Sarah.” [3:02] Marc thanks Juan for being willing to share his Birkman Assessment with the audience. Juan talks about his background. He attended a community college, a state university, and then earned a Master’s degree. He saw education as an insurance policy that would make him lay-off proof. He has changed his mind about that. [4:51] Juan has been an educator, a computer technology trainer, a financial education trainer, a public school teacher, and taught at a college and a university. He didn’t want to follow the rigid path of his father who worked 40 years at a steel mill.[6:00] Marc points out that a school teacher has a rigid schedule. Juan does not want to return to teaching school if he has other options. [6:44] Marc starts to go into the Birkman Assessment with Juan. Juan’s ego is fed externally. He needs people around him for support. He needs a tribe. He worries and thinks a lot before making big decisions. [7:29] Juan gives his first reaction to reading the personality assessment. He had never taken an assessment and he found it to be insightful and revealing.[8:27] Marc promises Juan more clarity as they explore the report. First comes the Signature Summary. At the top, there are Birkman Components. For each component there is a Usual Behavior number and a Needs number. The first number is how Juan describes his behavior. The second number is how Juan wants to be treated. [8:55] Juan follows the normative pattern but has some big gaps. His Social Energy shows he is a closet introvert. His Self-Consciousness score shows he wants people to treat him with respect — more than he treats them. His Thought score shows he considers himself a quick thinker but big decisions are painful for him. [9:39] In a number of areas, Juan throws off a false persona. In some areas it is real. Juan “looks like” a teacher. [10:03] Next is Birkman Interests. Juan’s numbers indicate he has a wide variety of interests. The Birkman Map of his usual behavior shows that Juan wants to be treated differently than his behavior and interests indicate. He has learned to behave like an introvert. Marc relates to that. [11:11] Next Marc covers the Birkman Interests page. Numbers above 90 refer to ‘must-haves.’ Juan has only one area above 90: Literary. He loves to read books on business, biographies, history, science, spiritual topics, sociology, nature. He reads at least an hour a day for enjoyment, relaxation, and education. [12:21] Marc recommends taking a 15-minute book break when Juan gets stressed. Juan also likes writing on a blog or for a copy. He journals a few lines every day. Marc notes that you can’t always get paid for writing. The next highest area is Scientific. Juan likes figuring things out in research. He lists a few interests. [15:02] Juan also has a high Musical number. He gives a few of his musical interests. Juan has a moderately high Technical number. He likes solving problems. [15:57] Juan has a lot of categories in the middle: Administrative, Artistic, Persuasive, Outdoors, Social Service. Numerical is his lowest number. Most of Juan’s interest are in the middle range. Every few years in Juan’s career he has gotten bored and moved on. [17:21] Marc describes Juan as a multipotentialite. Ten to fifteen percent of the population fits this category. They are generalists. Corporate America values specialists, not generalists. [18:07] Marc goes to the Behavioral Matrix for three areas: Interpersonal, Organizational and Time Management/Planning (decision making). Marc compares Juan’s numbers with the median numbers. [19:38] The first topic is Self-Consciousness and sensitivity when dealing with others. Juan’s usual behaviors are Frank, Direct, and Matter-of-Fact. His score is a six compared to the median score of 25. His Needs are to be treated with more respect than he treats others. If he is berated, it bothers him. [22:21] Juan's needs are not obvious from his usual behavior. It is easy for others to mistakenly assume he needs to be treated in a frank and direct manner. His feelings may be hurt, on occasion. He wears his emotions. [23:31] Juan’s Stress Reactions are Embarrassment, Shyness, and Oversensitivity. As a child he enjoyed being alone, reading, and working by himself. [25:07] Juan’s Social Energy is that he is generally pleasant, outgoing, and at ease and comfortable in group activities. His warm manner helps him meet people easily, which is good in social situations. Juan’s Usual Behaviors are Sociable, Communicative, and At Ease in Groups. His Social number is 98 against the median of 75. [25:30] Juan’s Needs: his high Social number conceals Juan's need to spend time alone or in the company of one or two significant individuals. He has learned how to behave socially but it consumes a lot of his energy. When he networks it has to be for a specific interest. [27:38] Continuous pressure to be in social situations can upset his sense of well-being. Without sufficient time to himself, Juan is likely to become withdrawn, possible to a surprising extent. [28:30] Marc recommends that Juan should bracket recharge time before and after a networking event to be alone. Marc gives an example from his own experience. [30:36] Juan reads the Possible Stress Reactions: withdrawal, tendency to ignore groups, impatience. Juan agrees. That is one of the reasons Juan is looking at a career transition. [31:07] Emotional Energy is the next area. Juan is open and comfortable with expressing emotion. Juan prefers not to get too involved in the emotional problems of other people and finds it important to keep the facts in sight. At the same time Juan has a genuine understanding and sympathy for people’s feelings. [31:34] Juan’s Usual Behaviors are objective yet warm, sympathetic yet practical. Juan’s number is 51 against the median of 25. For a male, he is pretty emotional. He talks about how he relates in difficult emotional situations. [32:26] Juan’s Needs number is 82. His Needs are that he functions best in surroundings that allow him and others to express and work out their emotional responses. He needs to feel that others are aware of his feelings and value them. He wants to feel significant and valued. [33:11] As Juan looks back, he sees his career has tilted more toward female-dominated career areas. Marc says this is where men who are emotional will do better. Marc compared this to “Tim’s” experience. Tim and Juan both want people to outwardly care about them. [35:59] Juan’s causes of stress: when Juan thinks others are overlooking his feelings, he tends to overemphasize the importance of his feelings and become dispirited. Juan’s Stress Reactions are becoming overly sensitive, loss of objectivity, and strong discouragement. [36:48] Juan’s usual behaviors in Drive for Personal Rewards are being competitive and business-like and he values what will promote immediate purposes and objectives. Juan enjoys personal competition and finds bargaining stimulating and desirable. [37:05] Juan is competitive, resourceful, and opportunity-minded. This behavior is not typical of an educator. Juan’s needs are very typical of an educator. [38:10] Juan needs an environment that encourages individual performance and motivates people with individual incentives. It is important to Juan that personal efforts and achievements are continually recognized and rewarded. He wants people to notice his good work. The education system is not oriented around recognizing educators. [39:18] Marc says that for people who have a high need to feel valued, there are six motivators for them, the mission (non-profits or military), public recognition, the bonus check, and the pat on the back from your boss, your team, or your client. [39:57] Marc gives Juan an assignment to get clear about what he wants. He needs to reflect back on when he has been the happiest, when he has felt the most valued, and what they did to make him feel that way. People want to be rewarded in their own way. The only way to communicate that to your boss is to go ask for it. [40:54] Marc shares when he received no client feedback, vs. ‘Wow!’ client feedback. [42:02] Juan’s causes of stress: his basic attitudes cause him to put his own interests above the interests of others, without being fully aware of it. People who are too trusting and idealistic annoy Juan. He sees them as phony. Juan’s stress reactions are to act self-protectively, become materialistic, and be self-promoting. [43:59] Non-profits and schools, which tend to be very idealistic, are not great long-term environments for Juan. Juan has just realized they are not a good match for his personality. [43:25] Marc’s last thoughts: Juan, as a multipotentialite, bounced around in his career, doing something different, every few years. Now in his mid-fifties, with no obvious direction, Marc will attempt to steer Juan to the path to success. [45:06] Check back next week, when Marc will finish the first feedback session with Juan.   Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com Careerpivot.com/Juan CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 “Can Juan Repurpose His Career? Part 1” Birkman Assessment CareerPivot.com/Episode-48 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 1”   Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon. Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has four initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. They are guiding him on what to build. He is looking for individuals for the fifth cohort who are motivated to take action and give Marc input on what he should produce next. He’s currently working on LinkedIn, blogging, and book publishing training. Marc is bringing someone in to guide members on how to write a book. The next topic will be business formation and there will be lots of other things. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, and a community where you can seek help. CareerPivot.com/Episode-83 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.   Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com

(Devi Download) Evaluating Your Values.  In this episode, Devi presences the importance evaluating your values in your life & business as a Spiritual Entrepreneur.  You'll often hear of evaluating the value of a company or enterprise, but when was the last time that you evaluated your values?  Your values and how you speak to and align with your client's values will greatly affect the market value of your company. Resources Mentioned in this episode: Dr Demartini’s Episode: http://spiritualentrepreneur.com/episode-065-evolve-your-consciousness-with-dr-john-demartini/ Values assessment on their site @ https://drdemartini.com/values/ Carl Hick’s episode: http://spiritualentrepreneur.com/episode-011-devi-adea-chats-with-carl-hicks-ph-d/ Birkman Assessment from the Growth Group: http://www.thehicksfix.com/strategic-connections/ DISC Values Assessment: https://discinsights.com/values-style-assessment.html/?SID=98ktces384scbkmtrbd9jipf45 Connect with Devi on her main website @deviadea.com. Have you ever thought about hosting your own podcast?  If so, we’d love to have you join us in Devi’s new online course, Podcast on Purpose.  To get all of the details, visit PodcastonPurpose.com.

In this episode, Marc reads a chapter of his new audiobook. The topic is knowing yourself. Marc explains the difficulties people cause themselves when they take jobs that are not suited for their personalities, and gives tips for how to cope in situations that are not optimal. Marc offers case studies, and what adjustments were made. Marc also describes several career and personality profile assessments that are available to help you personalize your career search so that your personality traits can flourish at work. Listen in to learn how to make sure the career you target is really a career that fits your personal operating system.   Key Takeaways: [2:29] Most of Marc’s clients have their sets of needs, stressors, and behaviors running in the background, like an operating system. This impacts everything about how they feel and function. One might be a deliberate researcher, frustrated by the amount of work his boss gives him. [3:26] The boss doesn’t expect them to research it, just to do it. they need a job where thoroughness would be an asset. Assessments help prevent mismatched expectations. [3:51] The first step to career bliss is to know yourself. Many go after jobs, looking for new circumstances, not knowing where the real problems lay with their previous jobs. Assessments reveal what you need, what stresses you, and what makes you happy. [4:29] Assessments reveal truths about us that we might not realize affect our career. Marc lists several assessments. Marc found the Birkman most valuable for his own assessment. It told him he needed plenty of alone time, balanced with social activity. [6:00] The Birkman Assessment is 298 questions about what you do, think, and believe, and what you think most people do, think, and believe. After all the questions, you sit down with a Birkman advisor, who tells things you sort of knew, deep down. [7:06] Marc’s client scored high on his math SAT, and studied engineering. He was a very emotional, empathetic person. Over the years he learned to act like his colleagues, but he was miserable. The Birkman confirmed that empathy was a strength he hid. [7:53] Marc cites a Fortune Magazine article about the Birkman method. A lot of us behave in ways that are not natural for us, for the sakes of our jobs. That behavior can make us miserable, or we can learn coping skills. We play roles because we get paid to play those roles. Marc schmoozes, but he gets his energy from his time alone. [9:51] Our society is biased towards extroverts. They make more money. They are more accepted as leaders. They are perceived as more competent. Susan Cain says many great thinkers and artists are introverts, and cites a Harvard Business School team exercise where an introvert with the right answer did not speak, and no one asked him. [10:56] If you’re an introvert, find a way to cope so you don’t miss out. Cain, an introvert, pretends to be an extrovert, but found she needed little restorative niches during the day, to do something she enjoys. Marc has a client who takes breaks between meetings to knit. Another brings a book. Another brings a camera. [11:46] A top-level sales rep, married to another top-level sales rep both act like extroverts, but the wife is an introvert. After a conference, she gets room service, while the husband goes out to a group dinner. There are a lot of introverts in extroverts’ clothing. After a social situation, an introvert needs a break, to recharge. [12:38] A giant factor in being happy in a career is figuring out what makes your personal operating system work best. Marc talks about women who are ‘stealth competitors,’ who seem affable, but who are angry that they are not rewarded with recognition and raises for hard work. They ask for very little, and that’s what they get. [14:17] Highly organized people succeed in their fields by prioritizing tasks and focusing their attention and energy where it’s most effective. They are not intimidated by a large workload, as long as they get to decide how to do it. A micromanaging boss will not help them. Some people are uncomfortable with autonomy and need more direction. [15:19] Some people function beautifully with a lot of distractions and switch easily from one task to the next. Others need stretches of uninterrupted work time to accomplish their best results. Being interrupted all the time shatters their thoughts and leaves them frustrated. [16:00] Spend time considering how you work best. It can make all the difference in the world, in terms of job satisfaction and performance. Marc took a trip to Australia to teach a four-day sales class. At the end of the day, some of the class wanted to take him out for drinks. Marc chose a quiet dinner with a few close friends, and watched TV, instead. [16:35] The Birkman taught one of Marc’s clients she was happier with a desk near a window, and plants. Another found she was upset when others with less expertise commented on her part of a project. She learned to handle it gracefully. [17:08] It took Marc months to internalize what he learned in his Birkman report, with the help of his advisor. He still goes back to review the report, and is still learning about himself. He also learned he has an unusual competency for reading a Birkman report. Marc talks about traits that he has learned go together in various personalities. [18:12] Marc has gotten other tools from client Birkman reports, to help them understand their needs, from process thinkers who thought they were creative, to creatives who thought they were process thinkers. Understanding yourself leads to better decisions and outcomes. What could an assessment tell you, to set you right? [20:10] Action Steps: Take a career assessment test, such as the Birkman, to uncover rules and motivators you didn’t even know you had. Contact Marc to schedule an assessment. [20:40] The Birkman is a very complicated assessment, which is why it is not often discussed in the career space. It is used more often in the C-suite. Marc explains how he uses it with his clients. Marc will give you a 20% discount on the Birkman assessment if you mention you heard about it on this podcast episode.   Mentioned in This Episode: CareerPivot.com/blog Marc@CareerPivot.com Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call. Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you get done reading the book, please leave a review on Amazon. CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources (Repurpose Your Career Resources) CareerPivot.com/episode-41 Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. MBTI Disc Profile Kolbe Index Strengths Finder 2.0 Birkman Method Personality Assessment Call Marc for a 20% discount on this test. “Are you a good fit for your job?” by Jennifer Reingold, in Fortune Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain  

In this episode, Marc says he has been getting tremendous feedback from his appearance on the Think, Believe, and Manifest! Online Radio podcast, and he decided to use it as an episode of the Repurpose Your Career Podcast. This time, Marc is the guest! Marc shares career pivot advice and anecdotes from his own career and the pivots of his clients, with host Constance Arnold. Listen in for a refresher course on how to plan for your career pivot.   Key Takeaways: [1:31] Constance Arnold introduces Marc and he goes over his history at IBM, a startup, and his near-fatal bicycle accident, his high school teaching stint, his work with a not-for-profit, another startup, and his inspiration for a career pivot system. [6:15] Marc says people are living longer, and are often dissatisfied with the direction of their current career, so they pivot incrementally to get where they want. The most common way to do it is to repurpose their industry knowledge or their business skills. [7:45] Marc has an intern, Elizabeth, who found she wanted to change careers. She wanted to use her creativity. So she first went from permitting, to business development and marketing at the same company. Then she pivoted to a pure marketing role at a different company. Marc, in his seven pivots, used half steps. He explains that. [10:02] To pivot, first, “know thyself.” You are not the persona you’ve taken on at work. As you prepare to pivot, what skills do you want to carry forward, and what skills do you want to leave behind? Marc uses a practice from Susan Cain’s book, Quiet, ‘restorative niches.’ Schedule into your day something that will restore you, for self-care. [12:38] Sometimes you make a career pivot because you need the money. One in four people over 65 still have college debt, and it comes out of their SS. There has to be a balance between doing what society needs and doing what you want. [14:43] The second step in pivoting is learning not to make assumptions. Marc calls this “MSU Syndrome.” Marc talks about assumptions he made when pivoting to teaching high school. Several of his assumptions were completely wrong. He uses an example. [17:34] The third step is you’re not going to do this alone. Build a tribe — those people you can go to and reliably ask a favor and it be fulfilled. Who are those people? Many of us need a fan club. A fan club is those people around you who, when you’re making this change, and things don’t go right, they will cheer you onward. [22:14] Ask your weak ties for advice, insights, and recommendations. Asking for advice is a compliment. People will rarely turn you down. Ask what should I do next? Is there anyone you can think of I should talk to? [24:32] To help clients know where they want to go, Marc uses the Birkman Assessment. He finds out when they have been the happiest, and when they have been the most miserable, and helps them understand why. Be honest with yourself. Get a coach, or your spouse, or friend to advise you. [29:33] LinkedIn is a valuable tool to find people who look, taste, and smell like you, and where they are working. There is wonderful information in LinkedIn. Represent yourself authentically. [32:33] Someone looking for a career pivot has to be willing to ask for help. Be humble, be willing to move along and go with the flow. Marc gives some examples from past episodes of Repurpose Your Career. [38:52] The possibilities are unlimited. Marc puts people on the podcasts who have made the transitions to say, yes, you can do this. There are a lot of people going through what you’re going through. And they found ways to accomplish it.   Mentioned in This Episode: CareerPivot.com/blog Marc@CareerPivot.com Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call. Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey Think, Believe, and Manifest! Online Radio Birkman Assessment Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain LinkedIn CareerPivot.com/episode-33   Please take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.

Are you a beaver? What's your four letters? What colour of ministry are you? Are you an airy sanguine or a fiery choleric? What's your sign baby? Our ability to be self-aware is greater than ever before thanks to online tests, breakthroughs in psychology and just a general understanding that the more we know, the better we can become. In this podcast we talk to Global Worker Rodney Corcoran about the Birkman Assessment. Rodney is a certified facilitator in one of the best behavioural and strengths assessments out there. He has taken hundreds of people through the insightful and powerful assessment and shares his experience and wisdom with us about it. Why does this matter, you might ask? What does it have to do with global work? Rodney answers these and other questions about the need to know ourselves, how it can help us be more effective in ministry and how to start operating from a place of strength and confidence. We guarantee that after this short but powerful podcast you will want to get a hold of Rodney so he can Birkmanize you or you will just want to know more about how God has designed you.