Working from the heart

InTech, Oct 2006 by Policastro, Ellen Fussell

It's clear the employment landscape is changing in today's economy and in automation. But even in the midst of change and sometimes seemingly dire circumstances, you might find contentment with your career and even passion if you look from within, instead of outside at the passing scenery. In their book. Make it Work: Navigate Your Career without Leaving Your Organization, Joe Frodsham and Bill Gargiulo offer some key insights to career fulfillment.

One gem of advice for finding true happiness in your career is "go to the source, your heart," the authors wrote. What are your true motivations for being in the career you have chosen for yourself? Find your passion. Building a career based on your passions is the secret to career success.

Myths, truths, exceptions

The book uncovers hidden truths to address what the authors call myths about how to be successful in your career.

One myth is you must manage your image; be your own brand. "With this approach rather than spending your time creating and shaping what most matters to you, you're spending your time determining whether your actions fit with how you want to be seen," the authors said, thereby incarcerating yourself "in a prison of your own making."

Daisy Red, manufacturing engineer and environmental manager at DaimlerChrysler, Kenosha Engine Plant in Wisconsin, disagrees. "I see myself as a product I need to market," she said. "In order to be marketable, I need to be the most flexible product available. This means my experience, educational knowledge, and health must be in top condition. Only I can ensure I can be marketable globally such that I can do anything I want, anywhere, for a corporation. This also requires being in constant communication with my customers to ensure my capabilities are what they're looking for."

Getting ahead by doing what key managers want is also a myth according to the book. "Being a yes-person will limit and frustrate you in your career," the authors wrote. Meeting expectations of managers is really part of overall advancement; however, we should also find opportunities to exceed those expectations," said Tomesah Harrison, human resources manager at GE Aviation in Durham, N.C. "I coach employees to think outside the box and look for ways to make a difference on every project," she said. "Employees must take risks and develop a reputation for executing or delivering results. If you don't understand how to get ideas implemented, you are going to be frustrated more than likely anyway."

Another myth the authors hope to dispel is progression requires a formal career path. "You can't plan a career, so be ready to improvise," they said. Red disagrees. "I should have my career planned out, and I should be working the plan to get to wherever I want to get to." Nick Sands, a process control technology manager at DuPont in Newark, Del., agrees in part; you can't really set a plan, "but you must have some goals to guide you," he said, "and you should have some idea of your career as a path, and not just a goal."

Breaking out of a stereotype is not as easy as the authors would like us to think either. "You must focus on the work, not others' perceptions of you," they said. But Sands said he believes "while the company may not stereotype you, the managers will." And sometimes "it can be very difficult to change their perceptions, and perhaps easier to change positions." While Harrison agrees being competent and focusing on the work is a truth, she said you should also "take it a step further to develop credibility and a great reputation so the office airways about you are not only true, but helping you grow your career and not hindering your success."

The myth the company will take care of you has been around for awhile. The authors believe "you are your own company; take care of yourself." But what about the whole concept of fostering teamwork to build cohesive relationships in a company? "The relationship between a company and you must be a partnership," said Tim Hurst, principal at Hurst Technologies in Angleton, Tex. "You cannot continuously think of yourself. Work is done by teams not individuals."

The concept of teamwork also stands behind another proclaimed truth. Some people might hold onto the illusion that to get ahead, you just need to do a good job. The authors claim the truth is politics are inevitable, and you must learn how to navigate them. If you think company decisions are based on rationale, you are forgetting companies are the products of human beings who can be political, irrational, and complex. Instead of being a critical bystander, learn to accept political realities in your organization. Sands agrees. "If you only criticize the decisions your company makes, you may come to despise your company," he said. Hurst also believes to do a good job, "you need to build relationships with your peers and managers. You cannot survive as an island," he said.

You've heard people say they paid their dues to get to the top. But the authors contend paying dues is "truly a waste of time." Joe Bingham, president of AES Automation in Anaheim, Calif., disagrees. "I've interviewed some engineering students who think as soon as they graduate, they'll make $100,000 a year," he said. "No company will pay you that as soon as you get out of school. You have to earn it. Once you graduate, that's not the end of your education. Part of paying your dues is learning your field, educating yourself. I've spent thousands of hours reading up on new technology I was working with because I didn't have time during the work week," he said.