15 Feb LOVE YOUR WORK! Practical Ways to Pivot In Today’s Job Market: Robert Dickie
Mitch interviews Robert Dickie, author of Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career.
If you’ve had the inkling that there might be a change on the horizon for you and your career, you’re going to want to listen to this interview.
My guest on the DREAM THINK DO podcast is Robert Dickie.
We talk about his newest book, “Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career.”
You know I LOVE this subject… and we dive deep into specific strategies you can use to get clear and find more of the work that you were created to do.
Listen To The Podcast:
Robert Dickie was a decorated Air Force officer and a successful executive, but then he found himself in a “bad fit” job. He needed to change. He needed to be intentional about it. He started to experiment.
That lead him to work that is fulfilling, rewarding and profitable.
Over the past few years, Robert has started to teach others these strategies and people have benefited from them too. They have used them to redesign their careers and/or find entirely new ones that we’re a better fit!
So, I wanted to bring him on the show so we could share some of these concepts with you!
If you’ve been thinking that you might need a change… listen in for some real world strategies that will help!
Plus, I’d love to hear from you! What’s a story or a strategy that stands out to you? Leave a comment and let me know.
In the meantime, keep bringing your awesome,
Mitch
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career
Robert’s website: http://robertdickie.com/
Here are the show notes…
Summary
You can’t underestimate the importance of not just settling for a job, but finding your best and most fulfilling work. Robert Dickie, author of Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career had a career that was anything but linear. He was a decorated air force officer, an executive for hire, and now, with Crown Financial Ministries, he helps people in over one hundred countries.
Time-Stamped Show Notes
[03:22] Introduction of Robert Dickie and his book, Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career.
[05:02] Discussing Career Pivots, how he has used them, and how you can use them too.
[10:05] Why facing your fears and adding new skills are crucial to your success.
[15:40] Examining the Four Career Quadrants, from Dickie’s latest book.
[22:10] Crafting your plan, and who can help.
[28:09] How to approach your boss for a win/win situation where you will both benefit.
[37:15] Strategies to reinvent yourself and take advantage of the newest high-growth industries.
[44:30] What that gnawing feeling in your gut really is, and how to cure it.
[47:07] Reach out to Robert Dickie, read his blog, and pick up a copy of his latest book.
Robert Dickie and the Reinvented Career
A Non-Linear Career
In his newest book, Love Your Work: 4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career, Robert Dickie explores how you can find your best and most fulfilling work. He was a decorated Air Force officer, an executive for hire, author, coach, mentor, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur. Now, with Crown Financial Ministries, he is privileged to help people in over one hundred countries around the world. Dickie is married and lives with his wife, six children, and two dogs in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Two Signs That It Is Time for a Pivot in Your Career
Dickie has implemented pivots on his career path. The first was when he terminated a successful military career. In late 2000, he left his job as CEO in Flint, Michigan. He felt stagnant in his career, and knew he had to take a radical leap. In that pivot, he launched a start-up, and people thought he was crazy for leaving such a successful career. But others who had gone before him helped him craft a plan of intentional design which took some of the risk out of such a radical move.
“One of the things I learned was that we will always be faced with fear. I’ve never met anyone in their career who hasn’t had some element of fear. Once we start taking steps, if fear was a fog, it starts to clear up with each step. It’s amazing how quickly it dissipates.” Dickie says the two top signs that you need a change are boredom and lack of growth. He cautions that if you are not adding new skills all the time, the world will pass you by.
The Four Career Quadrants
In his newest book, Dickie introduces readers to the Four Career Quadrants. He says that people will find themselves in one of the four spots during their career. He titles the quadrants, Reinvent, Repurpose, Revector, and Renew.
Dickie tells a true story about a friend who had worked hard in his law career and was just about to be made partner. Instead, he handed in his resignation. He knew he was ready for a change, and began studies at Baylor Seminary. Along with his new career as a pastor, he continued to use his legal expertise to help people in his community.
Another friend was a two-time Olympian, and one of the top distance runners in the U.S. He won many national titles but was getting up in years, and was no longer the athlete he was at twenty years old. He retired from being a full-time athlete and went into athletic sales. In his spare time, he earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He was drawn to start a new company and career. Now he loves traveling to college campuses across the country, teaching women about personal safety and self-defense. “He is super passionate about his work, and business is booming.”
Crafting a Plan
“We know we need to make a change but don’t even know where to begin,” says Dickie. “It’s time to craft a plan. Understand where you want to go, have a destination. Recognize where you are right now, and start to draft the intermediary steps to get there.” Dickie highly recommends you find a coach or mentor to help you map your plan. If the person knows you well, he will be able to help you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. You may have overlooked or overrated some of your skills, and undervalued others.
When it comes to finding a good coach or mentor, people often want to reach out to their boss, but if you’re a star performer, that person may have a vested interest in keeping you in the company. “Maybe find someone who is about twenty years ahead of you and who won’t try to point you in a direction from which they could benefit,” advises Dickie. He found mentors in his YPO (Young Presidents Organization) group. As well, his pastor is a good mentor. He quickly adds, “If you’re married, you ought to be getting some counsel and advice from your spouse. If you are married, for success, and for happiness at home, it’s important that your wife is on board and supportive.”
How to Talk to Your Boss for a Win/Win
Sometimes people like the company they work for, but they want an opportunity to learn and grow. How you approach your boss can make all the difference to your outcome. “Often times there is latent potential inside the company that they are not aware of. Your greatest opportunity might be right in front of you. Go have a talk with your boss if you’re feeling a little bit stagnant. Ask him what you can do to make his job more manageable. Your gut reaction is probably, I’m already tapped out. But if you’re overworked, your boss is even more overworked. Rising stars who are going to get the best promotions are the ones who are right by their boss’s side, taking work off their desk.”
Strategies to Reinvent Yourself
“Take a look into your past. A lot of time, trails of success in our past will help predict where we will find success in our future. You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you have to reinvent yourself again in two or three years, so put yourself in a place of profit in an area that will continue to grow. Find a company and a segment of that industry. Latch onto that rocket ship because you will be taken along for the ride.”
Harvard Business Review’s “Sexiest Job of this Century”
The fastest growing segment of education right now is in data analytics. According to a friend of Dickie’s who is a professor, some people are halfway through their course, not even graduated yet, and they are getting six-figure offers from companies all over the country. Even for executives who don’t have time to go back to school, there are opportunities to study in this field. “Go and take a look for a MOOC Massive Open Online Course,” says Dickie, “I recommend EdX , Coursera, or Udacity. You can get nanodegrees online, related to data science and analytics. Those skilled in these areas are in such high demand that Google, one of the hardest companies to get hired by, is actually monitoring this program, a free online degree that you can take from home, and they are offering jobs on the spot to people who graduate with high enough scores on the assessments.”
Parting Words of Wisdom
Dickie cautions against just chasing dollars, or cool-sounding opportunities. “Look for ways you can live out your passion in areas of high opportunity but in a way that you are impacting society, making a difference, and you’re serving others. I think that’s where you’re going to find your greatest joy, and your greatest opportunity.”
How to Connect with Robert Dickie
Dickie’s newest book, Love Your Work:4 Practical Ways You Can Pivot to Your Best Career is available at Amazon and B&N across the country. Check out his website, http://robertdickie.com/. Enjoy his blog, and make a connection. He would love to hear from you.
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