In mid-August I left for a 2-week overseas vacation. 2 glorious weeks with family and no e-mail or voice mail! I was so relaxed when I returned that I extended my that marvelous "vacation glow" by not being particularly ambitious (including not blogging) for two more weeks. But - a leopard does not change it's spots, and I cannot change who I am. I think about career development a lot and I have a lot I want to say on the topic.
A couple of days ago I was at the grocery store and was leafing through people magazine in the checkout line. There was an article about minority authors and how they chose to write about the things they wrote about. There was an interesting quote by Toni Morrison - I didn't actually buy the magazine so I am going to paraphrase - it went something like this: "Once you decide that you are NOT going to write about the white man and his establishment, you open the door wide to all kinds of possibilities." (my apologies to Ms. Morrison if I have misrepresented her meaning!).
The quote really got me because I think that on this blog I often write and give advice from the perspective of the establishment. I grew up poor and in some ways sheltered (isolated?). So when I entered Corporate America I had a lot of new things to figure out. I have spent the last several years figuring out the "game" so I could have success and I like to share what I learned so that others can succeed also. But I realize I do often represent the "establishment."
Do I want to take Ms. Morrison's advice and take that off the table? What would happen to this blog if I did?
Welcome back. I began to wonder if you'd gone native or something...
Write what you want. I think it's permissable for that to be a moving target, given that you and your life also continue to move and develop.
So what if you lose few readers here and there? You'll get them back somewhere else. That's the way the blog bounces. And hey, I should know...:)
Posted by: almostgotit | September 17, 2008 at 05:58 PM
Maybe it partly depends on if your client is the Corporation who's footing the bill or private individuals acting on their own initiative.
One of the advantages of being a consultant/coach is that you can go your own way i.e. the colour of your beliefs really can shine through.
Anyway, in my experience, most private clients hire a coach precisely because they want an objective, external and confidential sounding board in addition to what they have available within (say) a corporate environment.
Possibly many corporate clients may also appreciate this breath of fresh hour you bring - especially if they're constrained (by culture and protocol) from expressing what you are unafraid to put out there.
So, in effect you end up performing a valuable service for them by proxy, even if they might not publicly admit to it (and doing a private survey of such clients attitudes might be very useful and powerful marketing info!)
BTW - The original Japanese version of "Shall We Dance" is a delightful movie. Can you get it with English Subtitles in US?
Posted by: Mark McClure | September 17, 2008 at 06:11 PM
Write what-EVER you want.
I'm new here and I WANT advice from somebody who grew up poor.
(1)
How can I get along with my boss who breaks promises, needs ego uplifting, and says things behind my back like "It would be easier if (MY NAME HERE) didn't work here." Let's say I do my job, I'm not the only target of the boss, and leaving the job isn't realistic now.
(2)
How to deal with it that some coworkers have family who help with personal expenses, which makes it easier for them to raise families + make ends meet. Meanwhile for a few (uh, ME), making ends meet is hard -- helping support a parent, single. It's hard to see the over-time some coworkers do on projects to get ahead while I have to a part-time weekend job. Saying to myself "don't feel mad" doesn't work (been there done that). So how to deal with the rock in my gut - thanx
Posted by: Joe | September 17, 2008 at 08:50 PM
Welcome back Peggy - I wondered where you had gone. I too have just returned from vacation and found that there was more space in my head while I was away to think of new angles and aspects to all sorts of things. So I say -you go girl and write whatever you want from whatever perspective. Your readers will choose to follow or not - and new ones will probably come along the way!
Posted by: Jackie Cameron | September 19, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Great to have you back.
It looks like 75% of the responses here agree you should write about whatever you feel.
I concur - write about whatever you like. My vote now takes you to 80%. This is a good thing Peggy, it means you are moving up in the polls.
On second thoughts, disregard the polls and go for it!
Posted by: Marcia Robinson @ BullsEye | September 25, 2008 at 07:22 AM