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Dreams – A Poem by Langston Hughes

Eileen Kohan 1 Comment

Today’s poem comes from one of the leading literary figures of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes. As a writer his work included short stories, translations, children’s books and anthologies. But he was best known for his poems. His writing reflected the idea that black culture should be celebrated, because it is just as valuable as white culture, a historical sentiment relevant to today’s refrain of ‘black lives matter’.

‘Dreams’ was written in the early years of the civil rights movement. The words hold the promise of hope and signal the consequences ‘when dreams go’. The poem gives us encouragement to break through whatever roadblocks we encounter on the way to fulfilling our life goals.

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

 

 

 

This Is Your Life

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Who is telling your story? Take a minute to think before you respond. It’s so easy to get caught up in the expectations of others that we often lose track of our own narrative, and after time it’s so buried beneath the voices of others that we need a team of archeologists to sift through several layers to find traces of our original thoughts.

It’s a basic question of ownership. Anna Quindlen describes it as “custody of your life” in her 2000 book,  ‘A Short Guide to a Happy Life’:

“When you leave college, there are thousands of people out there with the same degree you have; when you get a job, there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living.

But you are the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on the bus, or in the car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank account, but your soul.”

At the beginning of a freshman seminar each fall I gave each student a simple black lined Moleskine notebook. The idea was that they would ‘write’ their life in ‘real time’, scribbling snippets of their new adventure in college and hopefully initiate a practice that  would catalog their days long after commencement. I did not want this to be an electronic record, but life captured in the written word with pen and paper with time for reflection.

There was no expectation tied to the gift of the notebook, and I’m not sure how many students continued the practice of keeping a journal after the first few weeks. What I do know, is that keeping a written account of our days allows us to return and read our story as it evolves. If we have captured our hopes and dreams on paper, we can watch them emerge over time and even pinpoint when outside influences begin to redirect our path. And that awareness will inform our decisions.

You are the only person who can write your ‘true’ story. Keeping a journal, writing your life in real time, is one way to claim ownership of your career and your life.

 

                                                                    

 

 

 

‘Painting’ a Picture of Your Dream

Eileen Kohan 1 Comment

For a number of years I taught an undergraduate course on career theories. Hang in there; I am not about to anesthetize you with the syllabus. As you may imagine, the content was a bit challenging and it took some imagination and good humor to engage students in the material.

In a nutshell, our career decisions reflect three major spheres of influence:

Our individual background including: age, gender, self concept, personality, values, ability and interests

Our social circle: family, friends, community, workplace and education

Our environment: political decisions, globalization, job market, socio-economic status and geographic location

All three are parts of a puzzle, when solved reveals a picture of our future.

Back to the undergraduate class. I think it helps to visualize how all these parts come together. To do this, we came up with the idea to create a collage that would illustrate, for each student, the evolution of their dream.

Starting with stacks of old magazines, poster board and lots of glue we all found our spot on the floor and returned to our kindergarten days, cutting and pasting, creating a vision that incorporated values, hopes, dreams and detours. In the subsequent class each student had the opportunity to present their collage and articulate their career vision. Lively discussion followed and in one case, a student who was being influenced to join a family business, found a substitute to introduce to his father – another classmate whose dream was to work in the type of organization his father managed.

All this to suggest a way to uncover your passion is to create a visual that creates a narrative for your journey. You can go old school and create a collage or use Pinterest to start a ‘career board’.

Creating a visual representation of your work life is a learning process, confirming your values and setting your GPS toward your career home.

 

 

 

It’s about the relationship – a visit to the dentist

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It’s Monday and the first appointment on my agenda was a visit to the dentist. Not my favorite day. Not my favorite place to go.

In finding a dentist I went through all the steps I would take to research a potential employer. In my world view, when a degree of competence is required and my smile is at risk. It’s about the relationship and trust.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at my dentist’s office this morning and the dental assistant kept referring to the dentist as ‘he’ when my dentist was a ‘she’. Apparently my dentist had left the practice after giving two weeks notice and the administrative staff failed to communicate. So I left. And I think they were surprised.

I explained the reason I chose their practice was initially the credentials of my dentist, and over time, the trust I experienced in the relationship kept me connected.

Often businesses view their product as a commodity; easily exchanged for an alternate when the original is not available. This approach probably results in the view that clients are interchangeable as well. And in the case of this dental practice, they may be right. But I don’t think that’s a sustainable view.

We’re all managing relationships in our workplace; with colleagues, leadership and customers.

Today, on the last page of The New York Times sports section there is a photo essay: ‘Standing Till The End’ about the employees who have worked at the Nassau Coliseum as ushers for the NY Islanders Hockey Team. This is the last season the team will be playing on Long Island. They move to Brooklyn and the Barclays Center next season. Reporter Allan Kreda described the scene at a recent game: “Standing at ice level and facing the Islander’s runway, Mike Artusa smiled broadly and had a handshake for all the familiar faces. And there was a seemingly endless supply of those…Like so much at the arena, which dates to 1972, Artusa and his fellow ushers, ticket takers and security guards are fixtures. And they revel in their roles, treating the jobs more like a family reunion that work.”

These are people who will be out of work in a few weeks. But they understand and continue to demonstrate the fundamental values of their workplace and manage the relationships with their customers ‘as family’.

Is there a connection between the expectations we have visiting a dentist office vs. how we are treated at a sporting event? Going to the dentist, my expectation is not to have a good time, as I would at a hockey game. I don’t expect the staff to be ‘fixtures’, lacking career mobility. But I do expect professionals who value their patients.

When it comes to customer service, we can all improve with experience and observation. Maybe the dental office staff should go to a hockey game.

 

 

The week @ work – March 2 – 8

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Today we celebrate International Women’s Day.  The day is being marked by a variety of events and online activities including a ‘google doodle’ and a popular YouTube campaign encouraging women to write a letter to their younger self, #DearMe, providing advice and encouragement to be who you are – confidence is key.

The first National Women’s Day was celebrated in the US in 1909 to commemorate the 1908 strike in New York by women garment workers protesting against working conditions. From its’ historical roots to today, International Women’s Day is about working women campaigning for change. Harriet Minter writing in today’s Guardian cautions those who believe we no longer need IWD:

“The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “make it happen”. Yes, we’ve made things happen since 1909 but we haven’t achieved enough, there is still more to do. So let’s celebrate this IWD but let’s also remember, we’re a long way away from no longer needing it.’

This week the national jobs report showed lower unemployment but average hourly earnings only increasing by .01%. If you are in the workforce, this finding is not breaking news. Is the message here that you need to move to increase your income?

Last week I shared the story of Lynsey Addario, the photojournalist. This week it was announced that Stephen Spielberg will adapt her memoir and Jennifer Lawrence will play Ms. Addario in the film.

And for some workplace humor: ‘The Diary of the Left Shark’ by Kelly Stout in The New Yorker. You may remember the left shark from the Super Bowl halftime show. Here is his journal of events leading up to the performance and it’s aftermath. It’s an imagined story of workplace stress, sabotage and the resulting reevaluation of career direction. “Downloaded application to Columbia Teachers College. Think I could maybe make a difference in the lives of youth…Feeling O.K. about the future. Dance world maybe too toxic for a shark like me. Perhaps whole episode not humiliation but wake-up call! Considering move to Austin.”

 

 

 

The Power of Taking a Break & the Unexpected Inspiration of Reading

Eileen Kohan 1 Comment

On Sunday tickets will go on sale for the musical ‘Hamilton’ as it moves from the Public Theater in New York to begin it’s Broadway run at the Richard Rodgers in mid July. It’s off Broadway performances which began last month, have received positive reviews from theater critics for its’ unique staging and musical interpretation of the life of Alexander Hamilton.

So why the theater update on a blog about work?  The New Yorker staff writer, Rebecca Mead answers in her profile of writer, composer and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda. He was on vacation in Mexico 2009 “…and while bobbing in the pool on an inflatable lounger he started to read a book that he bought on impulse: Ron Chernow’s eight-hundred-page biography of Alexander Hamilton. Miranda was seized by the story of Hamilton’s early life. Born out of wedlock, raised in poverty in St. Croix, abandoned by his father, and orphaned by his mother as a child, Hamilton transplanted himself as an adolescent to a New York City filled with revolutionary fervor…”

If Mr. Miranda had not been on vacation, taking time away from work, we may have been deprived of his creativity and ability to connect the dots as he developed his perspective for the play: “Miranda saw Hamilton’s relentlessness, brilliance, linguistic dexterity, and self-destructive stubbornness through his own idiosyncratic lens. It was, he thought, a hip-hop story, and immigrant’s story.”

Ms. Mead’s article tells the story of the evolution of Mr. Miranda’s career, the development of ‘Hamilton’, and the connections he has made along the way with mentors and creative partnerships.

Sometimes we think creativity belongs to the artist and we struggle to find opportunities to relate to our own workplace. But creativity is about imagination and storytelling our way to solving a problem.  Taking time away allows for a different view. If we are open to the unexpected we can connect the dots and reframe the narrative. And, maybe be online Sunday to buy tickets and see how it’s done.

 

 

Week in Review – February 23 – March 1- From Hollywood to a War Zone

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This week began with the lively internet response to Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette’s call for support in the campaign for equal pay for women. Although Hollywood actors receive criticism for using awards acceptance speeches to raise the profile of a particular social issue, it’s their few minutes in the spotlight before the music plays them off stage. Many have worked their entire lives to achieve this honor and in the case of the film industry, there are some serious issues still needing attention when it comes to women’s compensation.

Reading the thread of tweets in response to Ms. Arquette’s comments starting on Sunday evening and carrying through the week,  it became clear that this issue is not confined to Hollywood. It demonstrated the growing trend of competing critical ‘internet bullies’ who went beyond the limits of civility in sharing their opinions.

In that vein, the blog on ‘internet shaming’ was my attempt to highlight an aspect of online discourse that has resulted in a number of people, seemingly unaware of their online visibility losing their jobs as a result of an incident.

We found an interview question that can be used equally by an employer or a candidate to uncover individual and organizational values with the simple: What was you best workday ever?

And finally, in the story of Lynsey Addario, The New York Times photojournalist, we found another question that we should be asking, just to take the temperature of where we are in our current position: Why do we do what we do?

At a point in our culture where our identity is increasingly tied to what we do, and that identity is displayed for all to see in our internet presence, we need to assess the truth of what we do at work and how we put a face on it to the world.

‘This is What I Do’ Lynsey Addario’s Story

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Lynsey Addario is a photojournalist who exemplifies the work ethic needed to succeed in any competitive career. As a photojournalist, she learned at an early stage that photography was a medium to tell a story.

In March 2011, while on assignment for The New York Times in Libya, she and her three fellow journalists were captured by soldiers in Muammar el-Qaddafi and held for six days before being released.

In her new book ‘It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War’ published earlier that month, Ms. Addario writes in the Prelude: “That day in Libya I asked myself the questions that still haunt me: Why do you do this work? Why do you risk your life for a photograph?… The truth is that few of us are born into this work. It is something we discover accidentally, something that happens gradually. We get a glimpse of this unusual life and this extraordinary profession, and we want to keep doing it, no matter how exhausting, stressful, or dangerous it becomes. It is the way we make a living, but it feels more like a responsibility, or a calling. It makes us happy, because it gives us a sense of purpose…”

Ms. Addario developed an interest in photography when her father gave her a camera at the age of 13, not realizing at the time that this gift would lead toward a career.

Her story is one of hard work, proving her talent in a profession still dominated by men. In an excerpt from book published in The New York Times Magazine, she describes the attitude among the four captured journalists: “Each one of us knew that this work was an intrinsic part of who we were: it was what we believed in; it governed our lives.”

Describing her life: “Leaving at the last minute, jumping on planes, feeling a responsibility to cover wars and famines and human rights crises was my job. To stop doing those things would be like firing myself.”

This is a personal story about adventure, family and tradeoffs. The art and humanity of her photography appears throughout. It’s a book about work and life and balance.

Most of us do not risk our lives each day covering international conflicts, getting in close to capture the truth in a photograph. Reading her story, we learn her answer to the question and we are left to ask ourselves: Why do you do this work?

A 19th century poem of work

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When we think of work today, it’s often disconnected from manual labor and rarely would we describe it in song. Six years ago, author Matthew Crawford wrote of his experience leaving a white collar position to follow his dream, working with his hands.

“Working in an office, you often find it difficult to see any tangible result from your efforts. What exactly have you accomplished at the end of any given day? Where the chain of cause and effect is opaque and responsibility diffuse, the experience of individual agency can be elusive.”

He concluded: “The good life comes in a variety of forms. This variety has become difficult to see; our field of aspiration has narrowed into certain channels. But the current perplexity in the economy seems to be softening our gaze. Our peripheral vision is perhaps recovering, allowing us to consider the full range of lives worth choosing. For anyone who feels ill suited by disposition to spend his days sitting in an office, the question of what a good job looks like is now wide open.”

With that in mind, the 19th century Whitman poem follows below in which workers express “the experience of individual agency” in song, “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else..”

‘I Hear America Singing’

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the
deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the
morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at
work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

Walt Whitman, 1819 – 1892

When being the #1 trend on Twitter can cost you your job

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Since the inception of the first social networking sites there has been concern about the ultimate consequences of sharing private thoughts in a public space. I doubt the majority initially sharing their comments and photos imagined the possibility of losing their job as a result.

In those early days, in the first forays into private space, employers used interns to gain access to the online presence of potential candidates. Hiring managers obtained access to information that previously would be illegal to have about a candidate prior to an interview: race, religion, political preferences and sexual orientation. Screening via the internet allowed employers to take a short cut around accepted hiring practices.

As individual’s online profiles expanded to include multiple online platforms, the public information data base grew exponentially. The pressure to be online, 24×7, posting photos of meals, videos of pets and stream of consciousness tweets opened the door to abuse.

Employers continued to monitor the online profiles of employees and candidates with an expanded supply of information.

Rather than have a conversation, we text. Emotion is replaced at a distance with free associative updates. There is no editor, just ears to fingers to the vast space of online commentary.

In disassociating with emotion, we connect unaware of the impact of our words.

Laura Hudson writing in a July 2013 article for Wired Magazine comments, “Increasingly, our failure to grasp our online power has become a liability — personally, professionally, and morally. We need to think twice before we unleash it.”

If you have online followers, you have the potential for a career ending accident.

Jon Ronson, the author of a new book, ‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’, previewed the content in a New York Times Magazine article on February 12. Recounting the stories of a number of people whose tweets slipped out of their control, he describes the role of public shaming that has become a new form of online entertainment and in most cases results in those involved losing their jobs.

Conor Friedersdorf proposes in his article, ‘A Social-Media Mistake Is No Reason to Be Fired’, “…a new social norm…Here’s what corporations should say in the future: “Sorry, we have a general policy against firing people based on social media campaigns. We’re against digital mobs.”

Until that policy takes effect, manage your online communications the way you communicate face to face.