FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE
In my work with many diverse and creative cultures and mentalities, in workplaces as well at schools, I have always found three types of people besides the few for whom everything is clear and who know exactly where to go:
1. Those who don’t know where to go. They never really thought about it.
2. Those who know where to go, but only because someone told them. They don’t understand why.
3. Those who know where to go, but not with whom. Remember, you cannot do everything by yourself.
No matter how old you are, what level of experience you have or what position you are in, you should start to find out who you are.
The benefits are worth the effort of thinking, reflecting on and refining your goals, vision and mission as well as the strategy you will need to get there. This is a complex task. It was never an easy one, either emotionally or intellectually, and it has been made harder by the pressures on all of us today. Listening to my Grandpa or my Dad — who belongs to the baby boomer generation — is like listening to Jurassic Park when it comes to their professional advice. This is not disrespectful, it simply is not real for us. We, primarily members of Generation X, and you, members of Generation Y (digital from day one — that’s probably you), now choose where to live, study, work and die. That is a real generation gap. We have total choice, but nothing left to rely on when it comes to work. With so many choices comes this strange feeling of making the wrong decisions. That puts a lot of pressure on the individual and, inevitably, affects your personality.
My own emotional reaction to these changes, when I listen to my Grandpa or Dad falls somewere between envy and anger. As I reflect on the current situation with them, I feel like an agent provocateur.
For knowing ourselves is made harder one the one hand by an environment that is confused by possibilities, opportunities and freedom, and on the other hand by pressures, demands and competition in an ever changing environment.
