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Pam Slim

What’s Your Body of Work?

January 5, 2014 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment

Pam SLim Body of Work

 

When you read the following, what do you think about the person I’m describing?

– at age 13 was paid by lifeguards out of their own pockets to scrub the scum line and clean the bathrooms at the community pool

– at age 14 had a successful pet-sitting business

– was the first girl to run the grill and the meat slicer at a particular restaurant where she worked in high school

– was also the first girl in her high school’s history to be elected student body President

– worked two jobs and paid her own way through college

– crossed the stage to pick up her diploma with a job offer in her hand

– traveled the country with setting up events for a large corporation

– traveled the world working for The White House

– started her own consulting business in 1997, which morphed into a successful coaching practice in 2004

– single mom of two fairly normal kids

– Girl Scout leader, Assistant Cub Scout leader, softball booster, soccer snack mom

– always remembers your name but – for the life of her – cannot remember your birthday

– has written four books and blogged every week for over seven years

OK, so now you know – it’s me I’m writing about. And when you connect the dots created by the above sketch, what do you see?

Maybe you see an industrious, creative, successful, productive human being who has a weird thing about birthdays. I hope you see someone who has worked hard, but smart, and always with heart.

You see my body of work. 

Which just happens to be the title of the new book by my sister-by-choice, Pam Slim. In Body of Work, Pam talks about taking the big view of your career – to tease out the connecting dots – and then to use the resulting image to create a path forward towards greater satisfaction and accomplishment.

Reading the book is like getting three months of one-on-one coaching with Pam. I know, because Pam and I have coached each other through thick and thin for the last seven years. I am intimately aware of how Pam works, and the value she brings to everyone she helps. This book reflects Pam at her best – thoughtful, caring, smart, engaged, helpful – and it was a delight to read. She uses great, accessible stories to illustrate her points and if telling John Legend’s career story doesn’t get her back stage passes to his next show in Phoenix, I will be truly astounded.

[She’s sort of a John Legend fan girl.]

If you are at a crossroads in your career, or if what you’re doing lacks oomph or focus, pick up Pam’s book. In it, you will find a new way to think about who you are, what you’ve done… and what you will naturally do next.

When my advance copy arrived in the mail, I did what we in my hometown call The DC Read. That is, you go to the Index and see if you are mentioned. Then you read those pages first. If you are treated well, you read the rest of the book.

All I am going to say is I read the whole thing (with special attention paid to pp. 62, 143 and 224). So, in one way, part of Pam’s body of work has become part of mine, too.

Which is kind of the point she makes in the book. When you have fantastic collaborators, supporters and advocates, you will do your best work.

And, Pam – you have done your best work with this book. No wonder it’s #1 in Amazon’s career section.

Well done, sister.

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Career Coaching, Clarity, Getting Unstuck, Uncategorized, WiseWork Tagged With: Body of Work, Pam Slim, telling a story

Let’s Play Ball

June 27, 2010 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment



Do you know Seth Godin? OK, I don’t know Seth Godin – but my friend Pam does, so that makes me one degree of separation from Seth. [Just for the record, I am also one step from Kevin Bacon two different ways – Anne will write me later today to say, “He’s my neighbor!”, and Kevin played my friend Mike’s dad in a film.

So, obviously, I win “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon“, thank you very much.]

But back to Seth.

Seth is a blogger. A writer. A thought leader. Every day, he writes a shortish blog post that usually prompts great thinking.

I say “usually” because, frankly, sometimes what he writes kinda misses. Sometimes it’s out there. Or just a bit off.

Which, naturally, reminds me of baseball.

Bear with me.

Do you know that the guy who has the all-time highest batting average in the history of baseball, Ty Cobb, failed two out of three times he was at the plate? Yep, Ty Cobb’s sterling average was .366, which means that he got one hit just about every three times he was at bat.

And he’s the all-time leader.  All-time.  Which, for those keeping score at home, means “amazing”.

So, it’s OK if Seth swings and misses once in a while. At least he’s in the batter’s box, taking a swipe at it.

Seth uses a word to describe being up at the plate – he calls it “shipping”. His point, and it’s a good one, is that shipping – being out there doing what you do – is more important than being perfect.

And here’s where so many people struggle. They anguish, and languish, and never, ever ship. Because what they’re doing has to be perfect. Because every time they stand at the plate, they have to hit a home run.

Which, is, of course, statistically impossible.

I shipped last week. I launched the 5 Questions That Can Change Your Life. I wrote it on Monday and tested it, talked about it, edited it, and put it up for sale by Sunday. This past Friday, I did a class about the 5 Questions, which you can download here.

Hundreds of people have been exposed to this idea in the last week, and tell me that they’re clearer and have a better direction as a result. For that, I am gratified.

But most of all, I’m really happy that I shipped.

I didn’t anguish, or languish. I got it out there.

Using this same strategy, my new book I Am Not Superwoman: Further Essays on Happier Living, should be available next month.  (I receive the physical proof this week!)  But here’s what you need to know – this collection of essays took a little over two months to go from manuscript to physical book.  No anxiety, no hand-wringing, no second guessing.  Why?  Because my focus was on shipping, and shipping soon.

So let me ask you this simple question: where do you need to ship? Where do you need to get in that batter’s box and take a swing?

Kiddo, stop sitting in the bleachers, a spectator at the game of your own life.  Get in there.  Take a swing.  Because, statistically speaking, one of these at-bats you’re going to get a hit.  And it just might be a homer.

Filed Under: Clarity, Getting Unstuck, Happier Living Tagged With: 5 Questions That Can Change Your Life, batting average, making things happen, Pam Slim, Seth Godin, shipping, taking action, Ty Cobb

The New Rules of Work – Part 1

May 16, 2010 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment



The rules of work have changed. And if you’re still operating under the old rules, you will fail.

Got your attention, have I?

The Old Rules

The old rules went something like this:  you take a job in a hierarchical, structured, stable organization with a solid bricks and mortar business model –  and stay there for thirty-plus years, moving up the ladder and getting pay raises according to the rules, until you retire with a pension and benefits provided by the kindly Big Daddy that is the company.

The New Rules

No job is secure. You can expect to change careers five to seven times in the course of your life. You can be laid off from any job at any time. Your CEO can be fired at any time. Your company’s products or services can become outmoded and obsolete in the blink of an eye. You will not have a pension. You might not even have a employer match to your retirement account contributions. You might not get health insurance through an employer.

Nothing is certain.  Nothing is sure.

In today’s uncertain work world, there’s only one way to cope.

And it might be a challenge to wrap your head around.  Ready?

Today, to be successful, you have to be a freelancer.

I’m not saying to quit your job and start your own gig.  Although, 40 million Americans have done precisely that.   I’m suggesting that you operate from the liberating mindset of being a freelance consultant.  “I’m here, I’m doing the work, I’m succeeding – until I’m not, and then I’ll move on to something else.”

A freelance mindset alleviates a lot of problems.  Like caring too much.

Now I’m sure I have your attention.

I have had clients who have been so immersed and over-involved with their work that they have had to be hospitalized for exhaustion.  I have had people come to me after being fired from a job they loved – and astounded that the organization could go on without them.

But it can.  It does.  It will.

Plenty of us over-identify with our work.  Work becomes Who We Are, rather than letting who and what we love be Who We Are.  Coming at your job the way a freelance consultant would – committed, connected, productive, slightly detached – allows you a little breathing room.  Enough breathing room to have a life.

When you think, “Geez, I am going to have to be in this job for thirty years, I better play it safe,” guess what you do?  You play it safe.  You work to CYA rather than create.  You move slowly, cautiously.

Maybe you even walk on eggshells around your boss, because you can’t risk losing your job.

Because you have to be there for thirty years, right?

When I’m a freelancer and you’re a freelancer and the boss is a freelancer and we all know that we are here until we’re not – collaboration can happen more easily.  Office politics diminish.  Productivity soars.

Because we take some of the emotion out, and replace it with a little bit of detachment. We can dare to risk.  We can challenge each other to create.

Freelancers are always looking out for the next assignment, the next gig, the next thing.  My pal Pam Slim recommends having a “side hustle” – that thing you have going on the side, that – if push comes to shove – you could turn into your job.  Like my sister-in-law who is a teacher and has a high school reunion planning business.  Which is the side hustle?  Guess it depends on the day you ask her.  🙂

Under the new rules of work, when even teachers, government workers and people at IBM are losing their jobs, having a viable side hustle keeps you from walking on eggshells.  Because, people, with a side hustle all your eggs are not invested in one tiny little basket of a job.

If you’re in a toxic work environment, if you’re not happy, if you are stuck – what you’ve got to do is simple.  Realize that the rules have changed, and go with it.  Become a freelancer in your mind, and watch your attitude at work change.  Then, watch your work change.

Filed Under: Books, Career Coaching, Getting Unstuck, Happier Living Tagged With: career strategy, change, coping, lay-offs, Pam Slim, rules of work, side hustle, work

Happy Virtual Birthday To Me

March 14, 2010 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment


When I thought about all the ways I could possibly celebrate my upcoming 50th birthday – big blow out party, inspiring foreign travel, expensive jewelry, a weekend in a double-wide – it occurred to me that I could never, possibly gather all the people I love and who make me laugh in one space.

Friends far afield does not a party make.

Unless.

Unless I did a Virtual Birthday Party!  Via teleconference!  And invited everyone to call in and give me advice about turning fifty!

So, it’s on.  Please plan to join me on Monday, March 22nd, at 2pm EDT – dial (703) 344-2171 and enter Conference ID: 520811#.

Just in case no one calls in (the worst nightmare of any hostess), I have asked these friends to dial in throughout the hour to dispense kindly (and perhaps barbed) advice, direction and commentary for this next phase of my life:

Pam Slim, sister-by-choice, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur and my business partner on Kick Ass Mentoring and Career Invention.

Patti Digh, author of Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, wry and inspiring observer at  37days.com

Jeannette Maw, the Good Vibe Coach, author of a number of great books on attracting what you want… and my partner on our monthly Conversation program.

Jen Louden, Comfort Queen, chatelaine of The Comfort Cafe, lovely person, and author of wonderful books and programs for women.

Hiro Boga, the Flourishing Muse and one of the finest writers and kindest souls I know.

Liz Lynch, networking pro and author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, who always seems to find time to laugh at my jokes. Bless her.

Debbie Phillips, Woman On Fire, and author of Women on Fire: 20 Inspiring Women Share Their Life Secrets (and Save You Years of Struggle!). Debbie generously talked to a newbie coach (me) one afternoon many years ago, and set me on a path I love.

Cady Coleman, NASA astronaut and friend since 7th grade.  Cady is due to go up for her third space mission this December – to the International Space Station for a three month stay. Having seen the Earth from space, maybe Cady will help me put this birthday into a really big context.

Of course, there’s you.

I really want to talk to you.  So please plan to call in – and I’ll mingle and talk to as many folks as I possibly can. Just like an in-person party. 🙂

Believe me: Your presence is the greatest gift I’ll receive.

Filed Under: Happier Living Tagged With: Cady Coleman, Debbie Phillips, happy birthday, Hiro Boga, Jeannette Maw, Jen Louden, Liz Lynch, Pam Slim, Patti Digh, virtual party

Inspiration Out Of The Blue

December 13, 2009 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment



As I sit here on a Sunday morning, it’s raining outside – a steady, cold drizzle.

“Sunday morning?” you wonder. Isn’t that kinda late to be writing something that usually goes out on… Sunday?

Yep.

It is.

But I’ve struggled this week to find the right subject to write about. Just couldn’t find anything. I have, I fear, lacked for inspiration.

And when I find myself in this situation – oh, yes, believe me, it’s happened before – I step back, let my vision get all fuzzy, and see what happens.

And guess what?

Something happened this morning. Something that brought a great topic right into focus. And I wasn’t even looking for it. Cool, huh?

It happened when I read novelist Ann Patchett’s great piece in the Washington Post this morning. I am fond of Ann Patchett’s writing. You may know some of her books – Run, Bel Canto, The Patron Saint of Liars. In the Washington Post, Patchett writes that she fears she doesn’t treat her writing as if it’s a full time job, and resolves to do so in 2010. At least for the first 32 days of the year. Because, you see, a friend told her that doing something different for 32 days will make a permanent change.

So, Ann Patchett, 46 year-old author of five novels, two non-fiction books and a zillion essays and articles needs to make her writing a full-time job?

Funny, that. And familiar.

See, this week two different people told me that I didn’t work full-time.

I know. Me. Not full-time. Funny, right?

And I think it’s all about their idea of what full-time looks like. It’s all about quantity over quality. As if being chained to a desk for 60+ hours a week is the only respectable measure of full-time work. And the idea that you can set office hours, and not work on weekends, and make a respectable living is a mind blower.

Did you know that there are 42 million Americans who are self-employed, freelance or do temp work? That’s 30 percent of our workforce. Forty-two million people who decide what their work hours will be. Forty-two million people who make their own salaries, pay their own health insurance and fund their own retirement accounts. Forty-two million people who have decided for themselves what full-time looks like.

My dear friend Pam Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, tackles the subject of becoming one of the 42 million beautifully.

And I’m going to suggest her next book be titled Escape From Cubicle Mindset.

Because Cubicle Mindset says that the only work that’s valid is done from sunrise to sunset in an office, directed by a supervisor a pay grade above you, and rewarded with a steady, reliable, marginally increasing paycheck.

But Cubicle Mindset is woefully outdated. Cubicle Mindset tells us that there is only one way to make money. And be productive. And be valued.

And I disagree. And plenty of other people disagree, too. Forty-two million disagreers, actually.

Because I can make more money working on my terms than I have ever made working for someone else. And the best thing? I have time. I have time to create, to connect, and to let inspiration find me.

Oh, and it comes in the most unlikely places. Especially when I’m not looking. Or when I don’t look like I’m working.

And what Ann Patchett may find she’s missing when she moves to writing one hour a day to writing ten or how many ever hours she considers “full-time”, is the time to gestate. The time to let inspiration find her, maybe even find her while she’s at Costco with her mother. After 32 days she may have a quantity of words on paper, but as to quality?

Maybe she’ll write a book about it.

Filed Under: Career Coaching, Clarity, Getting Unstuck Tagged With: Ann Patchett, entrepreneur, inspiration, Pam Slim, writing

The Results Club

January 10, 2009 By Michele Woodward Leave a Comment

My friend and fellow Master Coach Chris Brandt and I were talking about how we could contribute to the world in 2009. If we were to use our skills to “be a force for good,” as I put it, what would that look like? How could we put our skills and talents together to meet a need? The result of that conversation is The Results Club.

The headlines tell the story: “Unemployment Rises,” “No Sector Untouched,” “Executives Downsized.” The global unemployment is higher than many of us have ever seen. And finding a job right now can be tough. Especially for a mid-career executive who’s highly skilled, and highly paid.

To answer precisely this need, Chris and I have built an 8-week support program for mid/upper-level professionals who find themselves in job search mode, called The Results Club.

This unique and innovative program provides a step-by-step approach to any executive job search. Plus, each class is supplemented by a secure discussion forum, where tools, ideas, tactics and information can be shared within The Results Club community.

Drawing on our own networks and our many years of experience — Chris as a Human Resources executive with organizations like News Corporation and Swiss Re, plus various financial services companies and startups, and my leadership positions in corporate America, with dot-com startups, and at the White House, as well as my job as Career Advice Coach at www.BettyConfidential.com — we have assembled a fantastic slate of speakers who can offer cutting edge advice to today’s job search.

Each webinar class will feature an interview with an expert, offer innovative tips & tools, and the opportunity for one-on-one coaching with me and Chris. Here’s the schedule:

January 28th – Taking Stock & Making a Plan: Featuring an interview with Dr. Martha Beck, author of Finding Your Own North Star and Steering By Starlight

February 4th – Creating a Resume that Works: Featuring an interview with Bonnie Kurka, Vice President of the National Resume Writers Association

February 11th – Speak Up! How to Interview: Featuring an interview with Cyndi Maxey and Kevin O’Connor, co-authors of Speak Up! How to Present Like a Pro

February 18th – Networking: Featuring an interview with Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking

February 25th – Maximizing Social Media: Featuring an interview with Pam Slim, blogging expert and author of Escape From Cubicle Nation

March 4th – Reinventing Your Career in Mid-life: Featuring an interview with Mary Beth Sammons, author of Second Acts That Change Lives

March 11th – Salary Negotiations/Working with Recruiters: Featuring an interview with executive recruiters

March 18th Staying on Course: tips, tactics and plans to keep your job search moving forward, featuring a panel of career coaches.

The total cost for the 8-week program is $375 (USD). Space is limited – register today!

Filed Under: Career Coaching Tagged With: BettyConfidential.com, classes, executive coach, finding a job, job search, Liz Lynch, Martha Beck, Mary Beth Sammons, Pam Slim

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