Comments on: Get A Life (Not A Job)

By: Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog » Curious Cat Management Carnival #96

Sun, 02 May 2010 18:36:50 +0000

[...] Get A Life (Not A Job) by Mark Stelzner – “Great career acts: They all share five key elements – 1) Self-awareness; 2) Continuous self-development; 3) Unique and critical roles; 4) Well-managed time, money and human resources; and 5) Harmony among your work, family and personal life” – buy the book [...]

By: Marsha Keeffer

Marsha Keeffer — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:51:55 +0000

Makes a lot of sense that after everything we all do for our careers, it’s really up to us to select. Kudos to you for having the guts to opt out of something you thought was great when you found it wasn’t your style.

By: Here’s the Not So Corporate #HRCarnival | ImSoCorporate.com

Here’s the Not So Corporate #HRCarnival | ImSoCorporate.com — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 05:16:46 +0000

[...] Mark Stelzner at Inflexion Advisors tells you how to Get a Life – Not a Job! [...]

By: Beth N. Carvin

Beth N. Carvin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:14:08 +0000

I love that this book espouses personal responsibility in regard to your career and life happiness. Some people like to grumble, some people like to blame others/circumstances and some people simply don’t know they are in charge of their own life and its outcomes.

It’s a great reminder that it’s up to YOU to live your best life.

The only part I disagree with (you knew I couldn’t agree completely!) is this: “Employers have no long-term commitment to their employees and employees should feel no sense of long-term commitment to their employers.”

Employers DO have long term commitments to employees. Think about how much time and money is put into each hire and how much responsibility is given to each employee. (Those are the company’s incredibly valuable customers that you are either making happy or making miserable.) When you leave a company after only a year or two you generally have not yet contributed to your fullest potential.

I think it’s a cop-out and an excuse to say I’m not going to be loyal to a company because they aren’t loyal to me. Nine times out of ten, they will be as loyal to you as the effort you put into them.

Part of building your best life is selecting a great company (or making your own) and then jumping in and doing the best damn job you can.

By: Kevin W. Grossman

Kevin W. Grossman — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:14:16 +0000

Mark, I wanted to be an astronaut too, but never got as far as you. When I was 12 I actually had them stop a twirling ride at Magic Mountain in Southern California because I was green with sick.

No twirling rides, no astronaut training.

I’m picking up the book.

By: Nancy Hilpert

Nancy Hilpert — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:59:47 +0000

Mark–thanks for this. I love the concept of multiple ‘career acts’ and have personally found that the more time I devote to ‘my other life’ the more fulfillment I find in my work AND I start to find ways that they can feed each other. The author’s advice and encouragement for pursuing multiple paths is especially appropriate for these times of systems change and economic uncertainty (and aren’t all times best described that way after all?). And it’s good advice for finding more than personal satisfaction; It also helps to diversify your earning channels. I do some work in the financial inclusion sector and had the opportunity to interview some of the leading academic researchers in the field of poverty alleviation. They looked at how people and households responded to major events that threw off entire economies (like a Tsunami or civil war) and found that those who survived and even thrived through the toughest times had multiple income strategies. In addition to a cocoa farm, they also had a sewing machine and perhaps a dairy cow or an ox. When the conditions ruined the cocoa crop, they still had options for earning and trade through the other channels which gave them much more security then their ‘single threaded’ neighbors. The same concept works here on another level — you are a great example of diversification through following your various passions.

By: Institutional Fit – #SACHAT Recap « The Student Affairs Collaborative

Institutional Fit – #SACHAT Recap « The Student Affairs Collaborative — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:33:56 +0000

[...] Get A Life (Not A Job) Where You Work Matters Three Signs of a Miserable Job The Toxic Workplace Test Don’t Drink the Water [...]

By: Traci Walker

Traci Walker — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:33:58 +0000

Mark, thank you for your informative post. The book sounds like a must-read. I am going to buy a copy this weekend. We all continue to face adversity but that is how we grow. Thanks for sharing!

By: mark.stelzner

mark.stelzner — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:33:49 +0000

@Ben – I think having that intestinal fortitude is a really important point. Thanks for the comment!

@Steve Browne – Assessing fit is one of the most undervalued processes (on both sides of the equation). Great point Steve.

@Steve Boese – I’ll trade you my copy for control of your radio empire.

@Shennee – Do pick it up. I think you’d really enjoy it.

@Leanne – Learning. Growing. Changing our minds. If only these were at the forefront of the conversation. Thanks so much for weighing in!

By: Leanne Chase - @LeanneCLC

Leanne Chase - @LeanneCLC — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 17:19:04 +0000

Mark –

I feel for your journey (I’m in the middle of my own) and love your words. I’m not sure why we have been “trained” to move up, up, up or we are failures…but I think it’s a system that clearly needs to change. It is rare that anyone can continue to climb without setbacks or quite frankly learning, growing and changing our minds.

Great review…thanks for posting!