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Mind The Gaps–Short Version April 28, 2009
- 1. Mind the Gaps– Professional Skill Development During Times of Illness
- 2. Who Am I?What Do I know? 1980 BA in Soc-Anthropology/Clinical Psychology from Western Illinois University (after 14 majors/minors)
- 3. 1977-2001 Volunteered invarious communities with low income and unemployed individuals to help find employment and develop job skills (Worked about 42 different jobs.)
- 4. 2002 Pfizer downsizedoffice and I began caring for family with significant long & short term illnesses
- 5. 2005 Graduated fromSNL with MA while caring for family
- 6. 2005-2008 Focused onskill development planning to help friends and others with illnesses – got others jobs.
- 7. 2008- Present Part-timeJob Coach / Developer for UCP in Chicago Understanding the GapsA Job is….DoingNowPerformance basedGrowing skills or learn elements of workTitles may differ, work remains the sameJobs are added or lostA Career is….BecomeOver TimeRecognized ExpertiseTeaching skills or elements to othersClear identity of skill field or industry Careers change, but never are lost
- 8. Sage InsightsMake surethe reality of your expertise lives up to perceptions of those around you – if not, identify areas for improvement and fix NOW, not later.Reality shows prove that many of us think we have talents that make us stars or winners. Mirror, Mirror on the wall. Who is the best worker? Syndrome -Performance reviews and co-worker comments are not best places to see reality for career choices.Remember : Jobs are the things we DO. Careers are what we BECOME. Gaps can become the garden bridge between them.
- 9. Personal Mission StatementSimpleone sentence statementEasily understood by 4th graderAble to memorize and repeat any time / anywhere / under any life stressGuides both personal and professional lifeClearly defines passion and life goal Simply is a life compass – States boldly “This is what I am about.”
- 10. Mind MappingWhat ismind mapping?According to Wikipedia: A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing.A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added.
- 11. How to usea SWOT ANALYSIS with a MIND MAPSWOT ANALYSISA SWOT analysis is a popular project management tool used in business planning to determine a snapshot of where a project or team is, what it faces , and see gaps or connections not yet made.In working with planning gaps, this method allows a quick, compact view of situations or sudden detours that might otherwise cause gaps in skill development. I call it the opportunity maker, as you can see problems and brainstorm around them.
- 12. FamilyJob (s)FamilyCareerEducation /Professional Training Volunteer Volunteer Starting PointILLNESS
- 13. How to Mapthe GapsDrawing a mind map: Start in the center of a blank page and draw or write central theme – This is the Career focus. The “Illness” is under career.Place sub-heading in each corner - These are areas of life such as hobbies, education, family, etc. Connect sub-headings/areas of life with branches/ arrows to central theme if a relationship to career or skill development opportunity can be shownFrom areas of life corners, more than one sub-heading activity can be placed. Consider all opportunities to learn or develop new skills and add to map with dashed lines and consider using colors.
- 14. Mind MappingThe basicRules: Use colors, pictures, images, words, symbols, etc. Use one word or very simple phrasesUse both straight and curved lines or arrows for branchesUse circles, boxes, etc to capture key sub-headings and place in corners Depth or focus on sub-headings should be placed on separate “focus map”
- 15. Looking for OpportunityTEACHINGWhere & what can I teach? In my illness, What can I learn to share with others?During my recovery time, Can I add to my skills?ILLNESS
- 16. Charting the GapsLookat the Big picture of how jobs and life fit toward career goals Look for Opportunities that have been over looked or never consideredSkill knowledge or experience brushed off because not gained on a “job” or at schoolChart skills needed for career goal and best choices of time / money use
- 17. Skill Gap Chartingfor Career SchedulingBurger King Fry Cook/PTBurger King Fry Cook/PTTimingAM Paper RouteListeningTEACHING ASSISTANTCustomerServiceCounter helpChildren Sunday schoolIllnessLocal Library ChurchMedical ResearchTutoring
- 18. Mapping 101What shelovedTeaching othersBlack /White ethical linesDetails Finding errorsWorking independentlyCreating data analysis reports or spread sheetsWhat are her skills Natural gift for breaking down ideas or conceptsKnack for editing and proofing anythingManaging projects aloneMaintaining ethical self Ability to compile data into easy to understand formats
- 19. Illness verses theMapWhat Illness gaveTime to research field and study for auditing examMet many new people and made network contactsOpportunity to reinvent self and adjust career to illnessInsights to personal limitsWhat map gaveClear goal pathAssessment of skills from all areas of her lifeRefocus on life and career Learned what she is about – Teaching and Resource Targets without time limits
- 20. Minding the Gaps- ResultsGiven the knowledge of illness ups and downs, Lyn could see down times as skill sharpening opportunitiesGaps in her resume no longer are illness or job loss excuses, but have a planned purpose Planning for detours gave her options and control/power illness thus increasing energy
Editor's Notes
- #3 Career planning did not work for me in college – At WIU I managed to have 14 majors and minors my first three years. It was not that I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just could not connect my skills to a career area that was a real major or in the want ads when I began looking for a job. However, I could help others find their way. And over the years, I have discovered mapping skills or gaps in employment allowed opportunities to be seen and corrected. The funny thing that happened on my way to a new career after I was downsized, was everyone around me got sick. With a map, family sickness or the economy could not stop my career plans or goals. In fact, mapping often helps to find jobs that I would not have thought of otherwise, like my current one. My career goal was to work in HR recruitment, but I had no actual education or paid experience – I had only volunteered. So, I turned to my map and took a closer look at where I could turn volunteer to employee. Now, I help map around illnesses and other road blocks to encourage others to map their ways to a long term career.
- #4 I start off with my clients with this simple question. What is the difference between a job and a career? Some think it is a joke and wait for a punch line. Others stare blankly. Then I say, “How many jobs were lost in the news today? How many careers were lost today?” Job lost yes. Career lost? Who has ever picked up a paper and read, 100K careers were lost today? Most people forget that jobs come and go, but career fields are established, long recognized fields or roles that involve a personal commitment to expertise. Jobs are created by businesses to do a function or hold a role. Jobs come and go. We change jobs or roles…but the expertise of a skill often enhances a career area or field. Skills are transferred across industries as are careers. My skilled bookkeeper client (who learned his skill while volunteering at his neighborhood child care center while battling cancer), can work in the Ford plant or at my local hospital. And yes, that bookkeeper can become an CPA accountant on his own time, during his illness gaps.
- #5 What do reality shows and performance reviews have in common? They both show where our real skills or talents are when measured by a given standard. The mirror standard fails us because we want to listen to the lies of those we like or love over the harsh truth of reality. The mirror syndrome places a performance review or “how am I doing?” into a competition of “I AM better than…” For those with long term illnesses, the mirror can cause illness identity and career to get voted off the job. Focusing only on the illness and disruption in job can either cause deceptions of actual skills or physical abilities. Jobs can be adapted to include an illness’ limitations and adapting to the gap can become the gateways to careers not imagined before an illness.
- #6 Briefly, the goal of a personal mission statement is to be the compass for the mind map. There are several great books on this topic. The one I recommend and have worn out two copies of is by Lori Beth Jones. I do warn the book is from a Christian perspective, but the principles are very clear to follow with real life examples of application. In 1989 wrote my own mission as, “ To joyfully encourage, quietly educate, and fiercely engage all those around me with the “what if’s in life” while being an ambassador of love, hope, and social justice of life”.
- #7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map
- #8 SWOT analysis is a simple what to self assess career, skills, or other situations by looking at all sides of a topic, issue, or project. Finding a strategy is easier when all sides of the issue are on one page and then ranked. I will have clients do this for homework and then discuss prior to mapping or do a basic four area question when doing a first map of career direction.
- #9 This is a simple diagram of how a map can be set up. Note how Illness, as a triangle balances career but is not connected by arrows. That is to keep illness from being career. Keep it separate.
- #10 Example of connections and sub heading life areas: Volunteer can list several places where a person volunteer’s their time and skills are used or developed. It is common to have many sub-areas –thus why to do a “focus map”.
- #11 Write the career goal or skill to develop you're exploring in the center of a page and draw a circle around it. Major aspects of a person’s life that relate or can be connected to main career goal (or Skill area) can be drawn and placed in each corner. On lines out from the center circle or the sub-areas, write word(s) of skills or knowledge gained from involvement.As you "burrow" into the different life areas and uncover other skills gained, draw lines linking back to career. Finally, for individual skills gaps or need more knowledge, draw dash lines out from the appropriate heading line. (These are skills identified to work on.)As you gain new skills or knowledge, connect the dash lines as they are no longer gaps on the map.Set quarterly skill development goals, benchmarks of growth allowing maps to be updated. Balance areas where skills are learned or used to give a better life-work harmony to self growth.
- #12 This is a simple diagram of how to look for an opportunity. Ask open ended questions to explore what can be gained from each sub-heading, especially how illness can be seen as career enhancer instead of career killer. Explore how to find skill development opportunities that can relate or transfer to career or job performance. Don’t make them up. Sometimes it takes days or weeks to discover. Remember it is a process and can be refined over time.
- #13 What to watch out for when creating map.
- #14 This is an example of what a map might look like if career goal was Teaching and current life had two part-time jobs with church and going to library all person could manage due to illness or limitation. Opportunities of skills are noted at each area. Over time more skills or places to learn would be added.
- #15 Lyn’s skills were broken down by what she loved verses what were her major skills that showed up in various areas of her life. Developing new skills could build from this simple SWOT analysis. Placing both life and work on her map, Lyn drilled down to find what mattered and her skills that could move to a new career focus. Lyn’s skills were broken down by what she loved verses what were her major skills that showed up in various areas of her life. Developing new skills could build from this simple SWOT analysis. Placing both life and work on her map, Lyn drilled down to find what mattered and her skills that could move to a new career focus.
- #16 Using the illness for opportunity and a map to chart a new direction, Lyn found a new career which built upon her skills and career area. Lyn did not go too far from computers, ending up as an IT auditor. But the need for lower energy levels and flexible hours fit around the illness, allowing her to earn a living at a higher pay rate for less time spent at work.
- #17 For Lyn, planning for future ups and downs in her health has allowed her to take on projects such as living in Paris for a month knowing she could have time off equal to time spent on project when she returned. That project gave her more experience and while allowing flexible work hours to get enough rest. Planning around down times or natural cycles in her illness prevents her having to worry about the “what do I do now?” because they are part of the skill development map. The bigger career picture is including the illness and seeing as an opportunity maker. Lyn has greatly increased directions she can take her career by managing the map, updating it as her health cycles, jobs change, opportunities arise, or new skills are learned.