by dlavieri
worry if you can’t be precise. Chances are you will be surprised
at how much you already know.
◆
Start your list with pros and cons of your current posi-
tion. First on your list are the things you appreciate about
your job—elements that you hope will continue. Then
consider the negatives: Does each “con” suggest an opposite
“pro” that belongs on your wish list? For example, if you
don’t like the isolation brought by your current project, you
might add a “pro,” like “more frequent social interaction,”
to your list.
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Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO
◆
Jump ahead and look back. Imagine it’s three years from
now, and the past three years were professionally satisfy-
ing. Envision yourself feeling very successful. Now describe
what made the past three-year period so productive and sat-
isfying. What did you do, or what occurred to bring you to
this good place? Maybe, in this imagined future, you met a
new group of people or built your profile on social media?
Does this exercise suggest elements you want to add to your
vision list?
◆
Consider elements you want in your life. Ask yourself
whether the worst part of your job is what it’s doing to
the rest of your life. Should your wish list include time or
opportunities to pursue interests or relationships that would
make your life more meaningful? For example, if what you
really want is to spend more time with your kids, maybe
“less weekend work” should go on your career wish list. Or
perhaps you want to live in a different kind of place?
2) State your most pressing goals. After studying your wish list,
define several achievable goals that could pave the way for your
shift. For many people, three is a good number of goals for get-
ting started. And these initial goals don’t have to be precise. You
might start with something like: (1) broaden my professional
network; (2) learn to better manage stress; and (3) develop exper-
tise in an important technical area.
3) Identify some “Sugar Grains” for each goal. Once you have
identified goals, even if they’re not yet specific, it’s time to
start finding little things—the Sugar Grains—that will move
you roughly in the direction that you want to go. Start a list
of Grains—small action items—for each goal. For example,
your Grains on stress might include taking a meditation class
and ordering a useful book. As you build out your list of future
Grains, keep these points in mind:
◆
It doesn’t matter where you start. I don’t call these little
items “steps” because they aren’t linear. Sugar Grains don’t
need to take you in a logical order along a direct path. The
Grains on your list needn’t be related to one another. And
sometimes they’ll feel pretty random. What matters is that
to make a career shift, start with one grain of sugar
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you start to build momentum by doing something. As you
find more Grains, patterns will emerge and your goals will
become clearer.
◆
Grains vary widely. Let’s say one of your goals is to
become more prominent in your professional circles. Your
first Grains might include sending an e-mail to an old
contact, attending an event you’d typically skip, spending
one hour setting up your LinkedIn account, and buying a
notebook to use for new writing projects. The more varied
and imaginative your Grains are, the better.
◆
Grains will lead to other Grains. I love the way doing one
little thing so often inspires something else. For example, if
you attend a dinner where you meet somebody interesting,
your next Grain could be to send a follow-up note.
4) Commit to a specific pace of Sugar Grains. Once you have a
picture of where you want to go, decide how quickly you need
to move. That will determine how many Grains you’ll want to
accomplish each day, or week, for each goal. For example, if
you’re starting the hunt for a different sort of job, but you’re not
in a hurry, maybe you’ll promise yourself to do just one thing
each week. But it’s vital to set a pace and maintain it, no matter
what. This is important: The power of the Sugar Grain Process comes
from your commitment to keep up your pace even when you feel like
you are out of ideas or don’t have the time.
5) Maintain records. Keeping track of your Grains helps ensure
the success of your process. Your recordkeeping will help you
see your progress, bring you new insights, and inspire additional
Grains. How you do it, whether it’s on paper or in the Cloud, is
your choice. In addition to holding onto your lists of completed
things, consider using logs for tracking your activity. For exam-
ple, whether you’re making notes on your calendar or maintain-
ing an Excel spreadsheet, you’re more likely to stick to an exercise
or other program if you record each minute you spend. Another
valuable tool can be your journal. Writing about your efforts pro-
motes self-reflection, helps you explore and keep track of new
ideas, and gives you a way to manage frustration and setbacks in
the course of your transition.
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As with any change effort, the most difficult part of the Sugar Grain
Process can be getting started. But once you build up a cadence of Grains, the Process generates its own energy. You’ll start to trust it and feel sure that it’s taking you somewhere interesting and important. You’ll probably go through
several iterations, tweaking your goals as you move closer to your destination.
Then, like many of my clients, you may hear yourself saying, “I’ll kind of miss the Sugar Grain Process. It was getting to be fun.”
18
How to take a career
side step, one sugar
grain at a time
In the last chapter I wrote about the “Sugar Grain Process,” the approach I
use to create change in my career, as well as to guide mentees and clients.
The essential idea is develop a vision of what you want next, and then com-
mit to regularly doing little things that will move you in that direction. The things you do needn’t be big—they can be as small as grains of sugar—but
if you keep doing them at a regular pace, the process inevitably brings posi-
tive change.
A while back I received an e-mail from Susan*, a reader whom I’ve not
met. She described herself as a woman in her 50s who wants to find a different kind of job, while remaining in the same broad career field.
“I am physically fit and healthy, and plan on working eight to 10 more
years. I want to get out of [this] environment, have a different set of responsibilities, and make more money. Can you advise me?” Susan asked.
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Well, that was a big question. And if Susan were a coaching client I’d start
by asking
her lots of questions in return. However, because an investment in
coaching doesn’t seem to be an option for Susan, I told her I’d take up the
challenge of laying out a plan that could lead to her new job.
If you want to stay in your field, but find a
different kind of job, get started one sugar
Grain at a Time
Susan had no idea how to start her search for a different kind of job within her industry. I applied the Sugar Grain Process and came up with this plan
for launching her transition:
1) Write a big wish list. Start by listing everything you want in
your next phase. Dream about what would be great not only
in your job, but also in the rest of your life. Sometimes we start
wishing for a career shift, but part of what we want may be avail-
able without a job change. For example, if you’re bored or lonely,
you might create a richer life by pursuing new interests in your
free time. Or, if you love your job but want more income, you
might consider creating a side business.
2) Organize your wish list. Break your list into categories within
your new life. Think broadly, and include headings like “health
and fitness” or “social life,” as well as “ideal job attributes.” You
are creating this larger vision partly because it will help you to
see that not everything must be found through your work. But
there may be exciting career benefits, as well, because creating
positive change in any part of your life can bring new energy to
your job. I often see that when clients make progress in one area,
like their fitness program or their volunteer activity, it resonates
in their work lives.
3) Commit to regular cadence of Sugar Grains. Once you have
your categories, start moving by doing little things—the tiny
Grains—to support each one. Decide how many Grains you’ll
undertake each week for each category. It’s important to find a
realistic pace, and then stick with it faithfully. For example, you
might decide that each week for the first two months you will:
How to take a career side step, one sugar grain at a time
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◆
Support your job search with three Grains. The first
week might include (1) e-mailing to arrange a lunch date
with a professional contact, (2) spending 20 minutes doing
research on the Internet, and (3) working on your resume
for 30 minutes.
◆
Start exercising by walking for 20 minutes three times
during the week.
◆
Take one social step, like making a phone call to arrange a
future dinner with friends.
4) Do research and notice trends. While you’ve been busy in your
day job, you may not have been tracking developments in your
professional area. Your job-related Grains should include look-
ing around, identifying people who are making contributions,
money, or headlines. Read everything you can, but don’t stop
there. Look for conferences and associations where you can learn
from people working in fields not far removed from yours.
5) Network methodically. On your list of potential Grains will be
the names of people who might be willing to brainstorm with
you. Include not only those you’ve known well through the years,
but also professional acquaintances who seem career savvy. Then
work your list. Set up coffee dates, or find other ways to visit with
just about anybody who might be able to spot trends or suggest
opportunities. Ask your contacts if they can suggest others who
might be willing to talk with you. If people are too busy to help,
they’ll let you know. And, if they are willing to chat, know that
someday you’ll be able to return the favor or pay it forward with
another job seeker.
6) Engage online. Social media is now playing a major role in the
job search arena. Today’s job seekers are at a disadvantage if they
don’t at least have profiles on LinkedIn.com. Twitter is also a tool
that allows you to connect with recruiters and others you might
not be able to reach by phone or e-mail.
7) Learn something new. Taking classes is an excellent way to
pick up new skills and broaden your perspective. When you
are engaged in learning, it helps you see your routine work in
new ways and become more creative. And certifications earned
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Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO
through course work can demonstrate your commitment to
excellence. Enrolling in classes at a local college could have the
additional benefit of broadening your network. But if there’s no
nearby option, explore distance learning.
8) Volunteer. If you want to build additional skills, look for ways to get new kinds of experience. A good starting point can be to join
clubs or service organizations.
9) Find a buddy. Making a career shift can be a lonely process.
Find a friend who is also engaged in reinvention and meet reg-
ularly to share ideas, networks, and encouragement. You don’t
have to have similar careers. Somebody in a different line of work
might offer a new way of looking at things.
I never heard back from Susan, but I’ve shared this plan with other read-
ers, and more than one has reported good results.
19
those Annoying
speech Habits
may cost You
Innovation often flows from collaboration among people who have different
views, backgrounds, and skill sets. Varied teams are more likely to come up
with something new than a group of professionals with similar backgrounds.
When people are able to get along, diversity can give rise to startling creativity. And it can be deeply satisfying when you’re part of a diverse team that
clicks along.
But it’s not always easy to fit within a mixed team. One thing that can
hold you back is a conversational style that other members find annoying.
Here’s a game to build awareness among
members of the older set
In today’s workplace, one way that managers are learning to foster fresh thinking is by partnering 45-and-older expert professionals with younger and more
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Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO
tech, and social media-savvy colleagues. Work teams cutting across genera-
tions have so much potential that it’s a shame the trend isn’t building even
faster. However, one barrier to cooperation across the decades is that people of different ages sometimes communicate in dissimilar ways.
Let’s face it: At times Baby Boomers and Millennials find each other’s
conversation to be boring. Ageism seems to be on the rise, and at work the
communication gap may have the most serious consequences for the Boomers.
People who are older than the group average can lose professional credibility if they indulge in tedious conversational patterns, whether they’re speaking in meetings or during a casual lunch. And if their coworkers see them as out of
date, they could be excluded from the most interesting projects.
Recently, a group of Boomer friends were talking about the tedious
chatter of our age cohort. In particular, we all confessed
to occasionally
indulging in prolonged accounts of our various aches and pains. We bore
even each other with this kind of talk and could drive a younger colleague
out of the room.
So we invented “Code Blue,” a game that allows us to remind each other
to avoid annoying old person talk. The goal of the game is to gently cue friends to change gears when their speech is falling into a geezer pattern. The primary rule is that reminders must be offered in a spirit of kindness, and only to willing players.
To play the game, when the occasion arises, you quietly mention one
of three applicable warning codes:
→ Code Blue (for blue hair) is our signal to end a stream of com-
plaints about the speaker’s less than perfect physical condition.
I’m not talking about interrupting a serious talk about health
challenges with a dear friend. Rather, the idea is to help each
other resist the temptation to complain about our sore backs in
any setting where the conversation would be better focused on
something else. If you want to play, empower your colleague or
partner to give you a gentle “Code Blue” reminder should you
start to rant about the state of your body.
→ Code Green is a signal I invented while eavesdropping on the
next table at a local bistro. There, a prosperous looking young
couple was buying dinner for the man’s mother, a woman in
her 60s or older. Instead of expressing appreciation for the great
choices, Mom embarrassed her son by going through the menu
loudly complaining about the current cost of restaurant food.
those Annoying speech Habits may cost You
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When the waiter took her order, she said, “Well, what I really
want is the swordfish, but I’d never let him pay that much, so
bring me the pasta.” The son seemed mortified and adjoining
diners were rolling their eyes. This can happen in many differ-
ent discussions about how much things cost today, including in
a business context. So when your office pal once again wastes
time with the discovery that prices have gone up since 1995,
offer the gentle reminder: “Code Green.”
→ Code Golden Harvest is used when people interrupt a discus-
sion about a current topic with yet another story of what it was