The Career Generalists Blog
Take Charge of Your Career Path | Master the Art of Self-Improvement | Enjoy the Confidence of a Hopeful Future
Asking Children: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
What do you want to be when you grow up? As a child, my ideas about how to answer this question changed frequently. Whenever I found a subject, industry, or a job that seemed interesting, I would “dive in” (a generalist’s attribute) and envision myself in those roles. My parents expected me to stay in school, and one day, have a career. I wanted to embrace that expectation but couldn’t figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. However, I only wanted to pursue work in a particular field if I genuinely found it interesting.
The Career Path of the Generalist is Worth Consideration
Our society expects us to choose a career and focus on developing skills and expertise in “one field” for the rest of our lives. In other words, everyone expects us to have discovered our career choice and decide how we’re going to develop expertise and prepare to land our ideal job. Furthermore, we need to make many of our preliminary career choices and decisions before graduating from high school. A hundred years earlier, in a society with less complexity and diversity of career roles, the above goals and timetable probably seemed reasonable. However, maybe it’s time to consider that a generalist may also benefit from preparing for a diverse but progressive career.
The Career Generalists Blog — Perspective, Value, and Opportunity
Why launch a blog about career generalists when it has little to do with our core business? It’s not as far-fetched an idea as you might think. This introduction will explain what I’m doing by transitioning this blog and why I’m doing it.
The Benefits of a Positive Attitude for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
Entrepreneurs (or small business owners) with positive attitudes are hopeful and confident about the future success of the businesses they start, regardless of the challenging circumstances of the present.
It’s hardly breaking news, but most surveys indicate individuals prefer to work with someone who is positive rather than negative. What is interesting is that a more positive attitude can dramatically improve the decisions we make, the opportunities we pursue, the people we connect with, the focus on our current mission, the determination to continue learning, and the level of our performance.
Self-confidence Supports Greater Business Success
There is an inevitable connection between self-confidence and business success. Those who struggle with inadequacies, whether real or imagined, often find it difficult to succeed. In contrast, confident individuals stand tall and proud as they manage stressful situations.
Restoring Credibility at Work Requires a Plan of Action
Little things usually blow over, but when you mess up “big time,” you can lose credibility with your stakeholders, lenders, vendors, and even customers/clients. Whenever this happens at work, it can be difficult to regain the credibility you’ve lost.
You may have taken a “short-cut” to get something done quickly, and now you’re in trouble. Maybe you didn’t handle a customer’s problem adequately, and now the account is in jeopardy. Perhaps you took a significant risk, it proved disastrous, and now your employer is considering your possible termination.