Prompt #1: Follow the instructions for the “Career and Life Orientation Index” in your textbook.  What was your average score – and what category (from “highly organizational” to “highly protean” did you fall into?  Based on what you have read about the organizational versus protean career models (review Chapter 1 / Our Career and Work-Life Model / page 11), do you feel that the instrument accurately captured your orientation?  Why or why not?  Please provide an example or two from your own life.

Here is how I scored on The Career and Life Orientation Index.

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Total Score 130 or 3.93 (Moderately Protean)

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Self-Direction- 3.5

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Organizational Orientation- 2.6

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Value Expression- 4

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Whole life balance focus- 4.6

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Family Focus- 4.6

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Community Involvement- 4.25

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In my mind, this index assessment provides a relatively accurate depiction of my personal values and motivators. Much of my career to date has been focused on the corporate structure. With that has come a focus on developing upward movement in a traditional hierarchy of power and achievement. With this focus on a traditional/organizational career path, much of my development was being dictated by the requirements of the “next level”. Unfortunately, this meant that much of my development was put on hold while I awaited approval for position change. I was strictly developing myself on a need basis – relying on others to determine when I was ready to learn more. Fortunately for me, though, my mindset has shifted to a more protean approach. I have focused my efforts and energy on developing myself as a way of becoming a better person – regardless of immediate advancement opportunities. I have worked hard to develop an understanding of who I am and what is important to me as an individual. I’ve also learned that there is a tremendous amount of value in a balanced approach to work and family. In past years, I have focused far too much time on work at the sacrifice of other elements of my life (family and education). Now, however, I try to approach each of my life roles with appropriate levels of attention. I am more than an organizational leader at work, I’m also a committed husband and dedicated father. Defining balance between those roles allows me to be more effective all together.

 

Prompt #2: As you review the hypothesized career and life facets, (self direction / organizational orientation / values expression / whole-life balance / family focus / community involvement), comment on your scores / priorities there.  Which of these are most important to you?  Which are least important to you?  What implications does this have on your career choices?  (Make some connections to your self-assessments).

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As I reflect on the various values and themes of my life, I’ve noticed that there are some that seem more prevalent than others. These are the ones that I intentionally include as I work to achieve better balance between my work, my family, and my own personal needs.

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1. My ability to serve others is a core element of who I am. I use my role as a leader to develop and serve the people at my work. I use my free time (as minimal as it is) to work with local organizations as a volunteer – trying to support the needs of my direct community.

2. My wife and son are incredibly important in my life. Not only to they support and guide me in my endeavors, but they also help keep me grounded when things get challenging. Nearly every decision I make in life is filtered through the lens of family impact.

3. Stability is also an important consideration for me. I am willing to forgo high levels of reward in exchange for reduced risk and increased stability. I work for companies that I feel closely aligned with in order to ensure long-term success with them and work to minimize the need for constant change.

4. I value my role as a leader and see coaching and development as a way of giving back to others. Not only am I able to utilize this skill at work, but also use it when volunteering with community youth as well as when teaching my son.

 

Whole Life Balance and Family focus have proven to be the most valuable areas in my life simply because I associate so much of my personal ability to achieve joy with them. Balance and family focus allow me to feel a sense of satisfaction that I was never able to achieve when work was my sole primary focus. What’s more is the fact that working to support elements of balance and family need have challenged me to develop skills and behaviors that I was lacking for many years. Being able to see value in endeavors other than work has given me the opportunity to increase my sense of self-worth. Not only have I been perfectly capable of still performing my job, but I have been able to contribute to my relationship with my wife and the growth and development of my son.

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Surprisingly, the lower ranking career elements were in Organizational Orientation and in Self-Direction. Based on my tendency to commit to organizations long-term, I honestly expected the organizational element to score higher on my assessment. However, I’ve come to the realization that Organizational Orientation, while important to me, does not define my performance or personal level of ability. Instead, those aspects are determined by my own values and beliefs – not those of the company I work with. While I choose to work for companies that share my values and cultural beliefs, I would very likely move on if I saw a large disparity between organizational culture and my own. In terms of my score with Self-Direction, I was both surprised and not surprised by the result. Many times, I feel like I am better able to accomplish tasks when I work by myself. I have developed a large sense of self-direction as I have worked for many years under my own influence. However, I have also recognized that my pursuits seem somewhat empty when they are accomplished on my own. I derive so much more pleasure and joy from helping others to achieve goals as a team. In this sense, a lower score in this category seems appropriate despite my ability to be self-directed. This also probably relates to my comfort with organizational structures and defined team roles. Perhaps this is why the assessment of my career anchors came in with a high focus on Sense of Service and Managerial Competence and a low ranking on Entrepreneurial Creativity. I need the involvement of others in order to be truly successful.

 

Prompt #3:  Please provide your own Personal Purpose Statement and Mission Statement here.

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My Personal Purpose Statement can be defined as follows:

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To always work towards my own betterment while contributing to the development, growth, and success of others.

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My Mission Statement, then, can be defined as:

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Filtering decisions through a lens of positive growth – always striving to support long-term development over short-term recognition or success. This positive growth will be defined through the achievement of my own goals, the participation of others in that achievement, and my ability to balance the various roles and responsibilities of my life.

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Defining my Personal Purpose and Mission Statement required me to really look at the core elements of who I am as a person. As I worked through my defining values, I took note of my need for personal development, service to others, the value of family, and the achievement of my goals. I tried to look at the root factors that will guide each day of my life – not the decisions that guide my day to day tasks. More than that, though, I had to identify why I do what I do. What is important in the long run? What motivates me most in work and personal pursuits? Once I had those thoughts in mind, it seemed relatively clear what my personal purpose and mission should be. Not only do these statements define what I want from life (development, growth, and service to others) but they also acknowledge potential barriers in my path (need for recognition, tendency to approach challenges on an individual level). With these guidelines in place, I am far more likely to reach my goals and successfully support my values.