Welcome to July! We're already halfway through the year, and summer is in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere. This is a good time to ask yourself how the year is
going so far professionally. Are you happy, fulfilled, productive? If not, you need to figure out why, and we're here to help. Summer is also a great time for reading, and we've recommended a few recently released books for you. We'll be adding profiles of some leading career voices to our website this month, such as Dorie Clark, Marshall Goldsmith, and Simon Sinek. And we'll continue to produce our weekly Career Sessions podcast and post new content on social media and on our site. Keep reading for more info!
PATHWISE BELIEF OF THE MONTH
Belief #9: Live your values
Get clear on what’s most important to you early in your career. Then stay true to those principles, even when it’s hard. As you protect what’s most important, it will get easier to keep doing so over time.
In his recent book, The Power of Regret, Daniel Pink, provides a contrarian perspective to the view that we should aspire to "no regrets." Based on a study of 16,000 people from more than 100 countries, he argues that there are 4 core types of regrets:
1. Foundation Regrets. Education, finance, and health regrets are expressions of the same core: failure to be responsible, conscientious, and
prudent. When we make irresponsible choices, and then we have to deal with consequences, we feel regret. These regrets sound like, “If only I had done the work.”
2. Boldness Regrets. As we age, we are more likely to regret what we didn’t do than what we did. What haunts us is the inaction itself, the forgone opportunities. These regrets are often said as, “If only I had taken that risk.”
3. Moral Regrets. Most of us want to be good people. But sometimes, we fall under the temptation of bad choices. The realm in which they occur – deceiving a spouse or cheating on a test – is often not as significant as the act itself. When we compromise our values and beliefs, we can feel persistent regret. Moral regrets sound like, “If only I’d done the right thing.”
4. Connection Regrets. Connection regrets arise when we neglect the people whom we love and who love us. When those relationships fray, we feel loss and regret. These regrets sound like, “If only I’d reached out.”
He covers these four regret types in detail and discusses how we can learn from each.
In his most recent book, renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith reveals that the key to living the earned life, unbound by regret, requires connecting the habit of earning rewards to something greater than our personal successes.
You hear this request a lot from senior managers. It’s
their way of getting you to think about how you might solve the problem, rather than just coming to them with only the problem itself. It's good guidance but it’s not always practical. Read more in post from June.
The summer is a good time to evaluate your career. This article by Jena McGregor for Forbes shows us five factors that are currently in flux in the career world. Is this a time to make a shift or a complete change?
The grass is not always greener. Before switching jobs, there are several things about which you need to make certain to ensure you don’t regret your decision. This article by Susan Peppercorn for Harvard Business Review highlights the things to do before taking the leap.
Maybe you don’t need to quit your job. Maybe you just need to job craft. Read more about how to
job craft to make your job one that you love. This article by PathWise Coach and Advisor Becca Carnahan will tell you 5 things you need to do.
