Friday Favorites
Happy Friday, everyone! We hope you have some fun plans in place for this Labor Day weekend. Before you head out, here’s a summary of what we talked about this week.
Previously on 4word
All week long, we’ve been discussing career goals. No matter where you are in your career, if you haven’t started thinking about your future, now is the perfect time to start. On Monday, Diane shared three tips for planning your work future: know yourself, shape your goals and think strategically.
Of course, even if you have done some strategic planning, you may find out that a job you thought was your ideal isn’t actually a good fit. That’s what happened to Andrea Lucado when she first began her career. She shared the story with us on Wednesday, including her action plan for how to share your concerns with your supervisor and find a position that fits you better.
Don’t worry. There’s more!
Maybe you’re in a similar position to Andrea’s right now. You just aren’t passionate about your current position, and you’re thinking you need to switch jobs or even careers. Or perhaps you’re just beginning your career, and you’re already thinking ahead to the position you’d like to have fifteen years down the road.
Either way, you might be wondering how to start the process Diane talked about on Monday. If so, don’t worry! Diane discusses this in even greater detail in chapter 9 of Work, Love, Pray: “Trade on Your Strengths.” She includes lists of resources to evaluate your strengths and personality type. Some of them are even available online:
- Campbell Interest and Skill Survey
- Career Direct Personality ID Survey (this one’s FREE!)
- Career Fit Test
- Career Liftoff Interest Inventory
- Kiersey Temperament Sorter (the basic report is free)
Around the Blogosphere
The blogosphere is chock full of career advice. Here are a few of this week’s posts that we found particularly interesting.
- “A Winner’s Mindset” – business coach and consultant Melissa Galt tells you “how to profit with passion while doing what you love.”
- On Thursday, the folks over at TalentCulture.com discussed the idea that “If Work Isn’t Fun, You’re Doing It Wrong.”
- On the subject of women’s futures in the C-Suite, corporate director Nilofer Merchant was featured on the Harvard Business Review this week with her argument for why “Quotas for Women on Boards Are Wrong.”
Up Next
While you’re having fun in the last bit of summer sun, don’t forget to check back with us on Monday. Our theme next week is “love,” and on Monday, Diane will be talking about understanding men better. Later next week, we’ll hear from Shaunti Feldhahn, author of the bestselling For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men.