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Know Thyself: Launch a Business Doing What You Love
June 18, 2010
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“Julie and Julia” and your career -Part One
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Know Thyself: and Then Forget What You Know
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Know Thyself: Feeling Gracious? Or is It Something Else?
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Know Thyself: Emotional Intelligence and Your Viability as a Job Candidate.
June 8, 2010
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Know Thyself: Put Your Best You Forward.
June 4, 2010
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Inauguration Day: 5 Lessons We Can Learn From Presidents
January 20, 2009 | Author: Lisa Strand | Filed under: Setting Goals
On this historic Inauguration Day, we here at UpMo.com can’t help but do what we do best: Look at the career paths of those who have attained the presidency of the United States, focusing on similar traits, habits or actions that helped these men land this rather important job.
Our initial take was simple: if you’re a Democrat, you need a law degree. If you’re a Republican, you need to have achieved fame and/or fortune (not necessarily in that order).
On closer inspection, it’s more complex. But, it turns out that there’s some common ground among presidents, Republican or Democrat. Whether we have political aspirations or not, there’s some career insight for everyone here:
PRESIDENTS DON’T ALWAYS START OUT IN THE LIMELIGHT. President Barack Obama’s first job out of school was writing for Business International Money Report - a newsletter covering currency issues and monetary policy. That’s a far cry from his work as a community organizer in Chicago. Reagan started in show business, but as a college football announcer in Iowa. Just goes to show that career paths can twist and turn, and still lead to becoming president of the United States.
THEY WANTED THE JOB. FOR A LONG TIME. Connecticut Senator Prescott Bush fostered an environment that encouraged his son George H.W., and then his grandson, George W., into pursuing a political career. Bill Clinton realized in high school that he might not become a world-changing musician or doctor, but he knew he could be good at public service. There IS something to be said for setting long-term goals.
LIKEABILITY IS PART OF THE JOB. George W. is well-known for his ability to remember names. As for Obama, his role as a community leader exposed him to the idea of gaining public support and being loved within the communities he was serving. Remember that actor-turned-president who defined engagement, turning news conferences into opportunities to share cute, yet politically astute, jokes? Learning to connect with people can bridge the gap between being a competent leader and a respected leader.
MOST JUMPED INTO LEADERSHIP ROLES EARLY ON. Obama was elected president of the Harvard Law Review. As a prep school student, George Bush Senior was elected class president at Phillips Academy. Reagan got politically involved during his acting career, serving on the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild at the age of 30. There are natural leaders in this world, yet even natural leaders need to give themselves opportunities to exercise their leadership skills - and learn whether a life of leading others suits them.
COMFORTABLE WORKING IN PUBLIC. Clinton was elected State Attorney General within years of getting his law degree. George W. spent his years before being Texas Governor as an oil industry, and later baseball, executive - yet was most comfortable being the frontman that made connections with others. Reagan was known as the “Teflon President”: always on his toes and engaging in even the toughest of press battles. Being in the public eye is not enough – it’s developing the skill and passion for making a genuine, lasting positive impression.
For more inauguration news, check out Alltop.
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I liked the point about career paths twisting and turning since one can’t always control their career trajectory as much as one would like to in these uncertain times.