Find work that excites you...

Young people often ask me for career advice – I tell them it starts with what you love to do. And surprisingly, many don’t know. They should start with the school subjects they liked most – science, math, English, history – each can be tied to job choices. If it’s their first job, think about all the work you’ve seen people do, and make a list. While everyone says they like working with people, I ask them to define that, and many can’t. Did they like playing with others in school sports or the band and did they like working with others on school projects. If yes, look for jobs that emulate that and if no, then look for jobs where they can be individual contributors. And when considering a service job, I ask if they like being interrupted – because that happens all the time. It’s best to start with industries, then companies and the jobs within them. Recruiters can tell you about each and you can look up more info online. The point I’m trying to make is this: your work is to discover the right work for you, so take time to whittle the choices down. See if you can shadow someone you know – I did… it was a friend of my parents, and he always took time to talk to me. When I asked, he took me to the paper manufacturing company where he was the HR Manager and though I didn’t know beforehand what that was, he made an impression on me that lasted throughout my career. When that happens, as it did with me, you’ll have found something that you can put you’re your heart and soul into it today.

 

Siddhartha Gautama, commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.

You have the right to love your job...

When hiring for attitude, passion is a good one to screen for. Problem is, you can’t just ask someone in an interview if they’re passionate about what they do – of course they’ll say yes. Instead, ask them what they like to do best at work, then ask them why. If their answers (that’s right – multiple answers to make their point) don’t include a light in their eyes, a straightening of their posture (almost like they’re sitting on the edge of their seat), a smile that lights up their face, gesturing with both hands, and genuine excitement then they don’t have it. Don’t make excuses for them like it’s not professional to get excited – an interview is the place where they should get excited. Face it – if they don’t get excited there, they never will. But if they do all those things, you’ll know they can be passionate about their work; then remind them when you hire them that you know they’re passionate and you expect them to bring that to work every day. And any day after that when they’re not passionate, find out why. And if the reason is because you and the work environment somehow don’t allow it, fix that. Because the worst thing is to have people with a passion not be able to show it today.

 

William "Willem" Dafoe (born 1955): American actor and recipient of a Volpi Cup Award for Best Actor, nominations for four Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards. 

Get everyone involved...

The workplace is one of the last great melting pots – companies hire a diverse group of people who then respond to a strong incentive to get along. The trick is for leaders to learn the strengths and weaknesses of their team and manage them appropriately. And creatively. There will be outgoing employees – they’re like an open book. There will be introverts – they need a careful and gentle approach to learn what they can contribute. Angry ones looking for reasons not to get along and quiet ones looking to just get by. This is the perfect environment for unfreezing, team building, and nurturing engaging discussions to break down barriers and open everyone up. Assigning special duties, creating teams, listening to suggestions – all designed to learn what perspectives and ideas they might bring to the group. In this you’ll most likely find the ones who have the most to teach the team. Even if it’s only one thing, something they’ve seen or learned before – those can be gems. Often from the ones you least expect. Teams don’t happen quickly or without a little help – step in when you see openings, engage with everyone (especially those most receptive) – even the slightest ember can be fanned into a good flame. Get everyone on your team involved in the work at hand and see the kinds of learnings that develop today.

 

Malcolm Gladwell (born 1963): Canadian journalist, author, public speaker, podcast host (Revisionist History), and staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996. 

We're captive on the carousel of time...

When people are young, old age seems impossibly far off, too far in the distant future to think about. Once there, it’s hard to fathom where the time went. I can’t believe that I’m now the old guy in the room – I don’t quite feel it (although that’s less true every day) and not sure I measure up to those I used to look up to. I remember meeting the man who mentored my father, and the man who my father mentored who ended up mentoring me; I was in awe of that continuum and am blown away that I’m now older than the guy who mentored my father. When I broke into the gaming business, there were old-timers we sat and listened to who seemed older and wiser than we could ever become; I’m now older than they were then. Truth be told, I feel more out of breath now than they seemed back then, and I’m not sure the breadth of my experience is nearly as deep as theirs was. But that’s the way it is – people listen to our stories like we listened to theirs.  We must accept it when our time comes and use it to help others develop their own perspectives; and learn to enjoy the view of passing times; and remember the mountains climbed. And know with certainty that the youngsters will be right where we are today.

 

Ingrid Bergman (1915 – 1982): Swedish actress often regarded as one of the most influential actresses in the history of cinema.[1]

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[1] She won numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award; these accolades make her the youngest performer to achieve Triple Crown of Acting and one of only four actresses to have received at least three acting Academy Awards (only Katharine Hepburn has four).

 

Dig deep to find what you're made of...

My wife and I had the occasion recently to watch a season of Municipal Girls Softball - young teenagers learning the thrills and challenges of team sports. They were learning the sport of softball, the dynamics of team play, and, as Jim McKay of ABC Sports used to say, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. With any league play, it kept track of wins and losses, and at the end of the regular season, qualifying teams began a championship series. In this case, it was double elimination. As we watched, one of the teams won their first playoff game and lost the second, after which their players nearly melted down while experiencing that agony of defeat. As spectators, we watched them going through that emotional roller coast and felt their pain. But the games must go on, so we came back the next day to see how they’d do – they were tentative with each other and the game at first, but each found that well of strength that’s the result of a little bit of talent and a lot of hard work. They fell behind and battled back to win their two quarter-final games, qualifying for the finals. Because of rain, the next day’s games were cancelled, and they had to play and win three back-to-back games today to win. And they did! I love team dynamics and often used sport’s metaphors in the workplace, so I’ve seen teams of employees come together, overcome challenges, and accomplish great things. Like those employees, these young girls came together, learned to trust each other, and found the thrill of fighting for a collective achievement.  We cheered and loved the look on their faces at the end. And knew that through it all, they each found out who they could be. A worthwhile and satisfying personal achievement today.

 

Massimo Bottura (born 1962): Italian chef and owner of Osteria Francescana, which has earned three Michelin stars, a green Michelin star, and has been ranked among the top restaurants in the world.

Own your future...

I learned so much opening casinos. The first, Mirage, was a planning project like no other. We studied the opening of more than 200 companies worldwide, finding out what they did that was successful, what wasn’t so successful, and what, if they had the chance to do it again, they would do differently. From that research came the plan to build and open that casino. It was slated to be the most expensive hotel casino ever, and we felt a deep responsibility to get it right. And as soon as the dust settled, we began planning how to do things better the next time, which was how the planning for Treasure Island and, after that, Bellagio began.  It’s the same for any project, big or small. Feeling a sense of responsibility and ownership for whatever is in the future. I love working on projects as part of a team -  where it's like a jigsaw puzzle that each team member has a section of. When it all comes together, the pride of ownership is amazing. At the completion of any project, like on every opening day, most are overwhelmed with the emotions of completing something bigger than themselves. Take responsibility for your future by getting fully engaged in what you’re doing today.

 

George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950): Irish playwright, critic, polemicist, and political activist.[1]

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[1] His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Accountability is a great teacher...

Think about putting today’s quote in your employee handbook and new hire training programs. 

·      Imagine telling employees it’s okay to make mistakes – just be sure to acknowledge them, own up to them, learn from them, and try not to make that same mistake again.

·      Imagine telling supervisors not to expect perfection – that their employees may make mistakes and you should nurture an environment where they can admit and learn from them… and that you support that.

·      Imagine telling department managers to discuss mistakes at their staff meetings – and asking the employee who made one to tell what they learned from that experience.

·      Imagine including a section on your performance reviews that listed mistakes, what was learned, and how an employee didn’t make that one again.

·      Imagine promoting continuous learning, some of which is gleaned from the recovery from a mistake.

Leaders at all levels: 

·      Stop extolling employees to be perfect because perfection is the enemy of good as well as progress… and it overlooks the fact that hardly anyone does things perfectly. 

·      Start extolling your employees to always do their best and when things don’t work out, share it freely and learn how to be better the next time. 

·      Start thanking them for their good efforts as well as for owning up to the ones that are less than good… and learning from both (that's continuous learning.)

Promote accountability:

·      Start in onboarding and job training by showing them you’re there to help them in good efforts and bad. 

·      Let them know it’s safe to tell you and that you’re there to help them be better.

Put that in your handbook and policies today.

Whitney Goodman is the radically honest psychotherapist behind the popular Instagram account @sitwithwhit and owner of the Collaborative Counseling Center, a private therapy practice in Miami.