Let’s explore the 6 reasons why having more than 1 career at the time can be ace.
Who says?
Who says you cannot pursue 2 career paths simultaneously, having an ‘and’ rather than an ‘or’ in their careers?
If they cannot pursue 2 career paths simultaneously, they have too either:
Squish it into a side hustle
Having to decide one way or the other
In the work that I do with professionals, I am seeing people wanting to pursue two careers at once, rather than sequentially (#oldschool). You can be a snail trainer and a hairdresser, a real estate agent and a professional knife thrower. The people I work with are looking for the ‘and’ and no longer the ‘or’, when it comes to their career.
This makes sense to me for a number of reasons (6 to be precise).
WHAT IS NORMAL REALLY?
What we expected was the “norm” was flipped on its head when we hit Covid 19. You can be a productive member of an organisation and work from home. What? You can live in a location that is removed from the head office and still get a lot done. No Way!
EXPLORE SAFELY
If you are considering investigating a different career, the logical and safe bet is to do this while you are gainfully employed. You do not throw away what you need to sustain your family and wellbeing, while you pursue something you are unsure about. You can test the waters. Yes, you can do this as a side hustle, but there will come a time when it needs to move into something more than nights and weekends, but will still require care and feeding. Maintaining both is a great way to confirm it works. Plus, there is this thing called rest. I have learnt it is super important, so allow your employees to have hybrid careers, means they will bring the best of themselves to the office (actually work, as the office is hybrid now), rested and ready to go.
DIFFERENT GIGS SATISFY DIFFERENT NEEDS
Why can you not do both? If you get value out of them both in different ways, why do we need to do one or the other. It does not make sense to me. I love working with corporates on large scale changes, they are complicated, tricky and super exciting. But, I equally love working with individuals and small teams and business on helping them navigate and plan change to create a desirable future. As long as both are aware of how they will be supported and when, why can I not do both?
FULLY FORMED HUMANS, WITH AMBITIONS AND DREAMS ARE GOOD FOR ORGANISATIONS
For an organisation, if you want fully formed humans to be working for you then, they come with ambitions and dreams that might not line up completely with you and your organisation. Why would you lose that talent?
BUILD SKILLS IN CREATIVITY AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Pursuing something you are unsure of will require some creativity and problem-solving skills, stretching you. I am pretty sure those skills are what every organisation, wants as well. Creativity and innovation come from the edges and not the fully formed middle. Bringing those skills back to an organisation will be invaluable for the individual and the organisation.
FUTURE PROOFING
Finally, future proofing. If you look back at the history of business, there is always disruption. A business or a whole industry will disappear, when something different comes along. In recent memory; taxis disrupted by uber, hotels by Airbnb, music distribution companies by streaming services, retail by instagram & online shopping, credit card companies by afterpay, corporate office buildings by hybrid working. A real democratisation is happening, so future proofing your career will help ensure you have a career, when your industry is disrupted.
So, what does this mean for you?
Just because everyone is going one way, you can choose to go an entirely different direction. I want you to do the thing you have been avoiding, thinking it was not right or odd. It is doable. Ignore the naysayers and go do your thing.
2 examples that are inspirational to me are Drew Barrymore and Reese Witherspoon, long term fan!
Drew amazing actress, producer, production company and also creator of Flower Cosmetics, Homeware line and Hair tools, as well as Author, and wine maker. Lots of ‘ands’ there!
Reese amazing actress, producer, production company and book club curator.
What AND could you add to your life?
Let’s get you started on an AND career and not an OR career by designing a Strategic Life Map
Yours Collaboratively,
CMM
Ready to Go?
Book in for your free 30 min session to explore possibilities!
WANNA WORK WITH ME - HERE IS HOW?
Items just for you….
Book in for a free 30 mins possibilities exploration
Read more books - join the free Incahoots Business Book Club
Create a Strategic Life Map, moving you from directionless to purposeful in your career/life (Design Your Life on Purpose)
Unleash your uniqueness by knowing your Clifton strengths
Items for you and your team…
Book me as a Guest speaker
Work incahoots to design and deliver an outcome focused workshop
Strengthen your Strategy by aligning your team’s strengths to your strategy