Dateline-Melbourne, Australia
Reflecting on a tremendous week in Australia, it’s clear that while the conversations down under sound a lot like the conversations taking place up over, my interactions with a group of top-of-their-game executives is further evidence that the meaning of career is changing…
Lifestyle opportunities:
As organizations become increasingly virtual and global, younger executives seek out opportunities to work and live in different parts of the world. Extended vacations, taken to the extreme; many workers view their careers as tickets to the world, for themselves and their families. To paraphrase the comments of one young ex-patriot, “it was a great opportunity for our kids to learn a second language and experience life in another culture firsthand“.
Dynamic roles and true partnerships:
Increasingly, domestic partners approach the development of their careers as a joint affair, leveraging the opportunities created by one partner without regard to the traditional roles assigned in a double income family. Instead of one partner having a ‘real‘ career and the other simply working to generate a paycheck, double-income teams are combining their two jobs into one career;following opportunities without regard to which partner generated it.
No boundaries:
Industrial-functional typecasting, the belief that experience in an unrelated industry or unrelated function is non-transferable or even a disqualifying factor, seems to be melting away. My discussions this week included, among others, a well-established diamond industry executive seamlessly transitioning into high-tech business development.
ONE WORD OF ADVICE:
During this trip, I also had the privilege of interviewing Abby Walsh, an upcoming cosmetics executive that’s redefining the art of the possible with the warp-speed development of her international sales organization. Abby’s entrepreneurial skills helped her move from first-dollar to 7-digit revenuesin less than a year. When asked for the one piece of advice she’d give others hoping to emulate her success, the former nurse and mother of three (with another on the way) made it simple…
“If you want to succeed, you have to have the courage to stop being afraid and just do what you already know needs to be done.”
Great advice Abby!!
And a big cheers to all my new Aussie mates – thank you for a great week!
As always, I welcome your comments and questions directly atjeff@jeffkaplan.com.
Stay connected,
-Jeff
