ExodusMagSep2017

CAREER FOCUS
By Bernard Bushe
Career choice construction:
more important now than ever – Part III
Researchers in USA estimate that about two
thirds of humans have no idea what they are
good at or what their strengths are. One
wonders if the majority of humans in whatever
areas of work and industry are doing
what they love if only a third know what they
love. We always say do what you love and
love what you do – what if you do not know
them and have not anchored your career
choice construction around them from the
very start?
In the last article I discussed how to discover
your strengths as a very important life project
in the formative years of your life. If you
missed that opportunity early you may need
to reconsider it now. Bring some passion to
your life. Remember you and I spend about
80% of our life at work. You therefore do not
want to spend 80% of your life in misery of a
career you hate because it does not resonate
with your passion and strengths. That is
not different from dyeing within you while
you still live.
It is important to (1) appreciate the benefits
of your career around your areas of dominant
ability and strengths – discussed in the
previous article, (2) discover your dominant
ability and strengths – also discussed in the
article preceding this one and finally (3) how
How do you benefit from your strengths?
First, build your strengths. You won’t benefit
amply from strengths you have not fully developed.
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
provides a profound informed view that
it takes ten thousand hours, at a minimum, to
become a pro (expert) in any field of human
endeavour. It means that those that desire to
excel in any field, rather than be just average
performers, have to take a deliberate
decision to put in more time and specialised
training. Basketball players like Michael Jordan
on record put in the time, waking up
early and making 500 shots daily to become
proficient at the game. Best swimmers spend
hours and hours in the water. Musicians who
excel spend many hours practicing their art.
Best lawyers spend time in research, coming
to grips with jurisprudence.
Back in the days, Jewish lawyers in the 1970s
spent years developing skills in tax law and
hostile takeovers where many in Manhattan
did not want to focus, and they became the
best tax lawyers in the passage of time. You
will excel in any field to the degree that you
put the effort to build your strengths so that
you can produce extra-ordinary results.
Second, build on your strengths. It is one
thing to build strengths and quite another to
build on them. Once your strengths are built
you need to take a deliberate step to build
to benefit from your strengths – the focus of
your career around them.
this article.
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