Jim Gray is outspoken on the subject of passion and work, believing that people should do what they love and not be afraid of changing gears late in life to find what truly engages them professionally.JOHN MORSTAD
I just turned 60. I haven't shot the lights out in my career - certainly not financially, and definitely not in comparison with some of my friends - but I absolutely love my work. I do it well. And that makes me a success.
There have been some rough times along the way, most of my own making. In fact, I've made every mistake in the career development handbook, and then some. But I got stuff right, too. I came to understand a few things along the way. Consider them career lessons from a 60-year-old, who still has a great deal to learn.
FIND YOUR PASSION
Communication has always been my passion, but in my mid-20s I inexplicably left a good job in my chosen field to go into real estate. It was a disaster. Over the last 35 years, I've often recalled the misery I felt during that particular vocational malfunction. Mercifully, it was brief.
The older I get, the more outspoken I become on the subject of passion and work. That's because I've seen so many people, including some highly-paid professionals, miserable and frustrated in their careers. They stay for the paycheque, the pension and the perks. But they pay a heavy price for the financial benefits. When you're unhappy in your career, every aspect of your life suffers. The cumulative effect, after years in a job you loathe, can be devastating.
Yes, you have to make a living, and support your family and meet your financial obligations. That's understood. But you live in Canada - arguably the best country in the world in which to find work that brings you meaning, and then get paid for doing it.
Recently, at a political fundraiser, I was chatting with two sharp, 20-something university graduates about their uncertain career plans. I think I shocked them.
"Only do what you love," I said. "If you hate your job, quit. Find out what makes you happy, what fulfills you, and then do it - whatever it takes."
EMBRACE OPTIMISM
I've learned that what separates accomplished leaders - the top 5 per cent - from the rest of the pack is that they've made the conscious decision to be optimistic, however challenging the circumstances.
One optimistic person can galvanize a room, or an organization. It's easy to be negative and cynical; you'll have lots of company. But it won't get you ahead. Negativity undermines you and your credibility, and after a while no one will want to be around you any more, let alone do business with you.
There are fewer experiences more unsettling than dealing with gloomy, pessimistic colleagues, seething with resentment over some real or perceived slight and making everybody in the vicinity queasy. The behaviour simply means they haven't done the work - either to take on the personal issues that may be affecting their attitude, or honestly examining the professional setbacks and disappointments that leaders deal with forthrightly and learn from.
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It's a cliché, but ever true: You learn more from your failures than from your successes, but only if you have the courage to thoroughly examine the failures. Now, after you've learned from them, move on.
BE GRATEFUL
The older I get, the more time I spend checking out the obituaries. I'm continually moved by the photographs I see there, pictures of attractive, successful men and women, many in their 40s and 50s, now gone. Certainly, when they began their careers they weren't expecting to die young of cancer, or ALS, or a motor vehicle accident, but they did just the same. Ambition is a wonderful thing, and we need it to be successful.
But ambition without acknowledging the fragility of life reveals a lack of perspective. Ambition without gratitude - for your health, your family, your opportunities - reveals a lack of character. The most successful people I know are immensely grateful for their good fortune, and never take it for granted. They're aware it can all disappear in a heartbeat. And one day, it will.
GIVE BACK
In the fall of 2003, I left a secure, well-paying job with a prestigious national firm to go out on my own as a communication consultant. Within a few months I was struggling, and deeply concerned about the future. That's when I asked a competitor, a popular presentation skills coach named Peter Urs Bender, for help. And help he did. Over a lengthy lunch, Peter provided me with much-needed support and advice, and for more than a year afterward continued to encourage me. Eventually, my business began to gain traction.
In March of 2005, Peter died of cancer. He was 60. I think about him a lot these days. Peter knew that success - true success - comes from giving back, while you're around, and after you're gone.
Lesson learned.
Jim Gray is a speaker, communication skills coach, principal of Media Strategy Inc. in Toronto, and the author of How Leaders Speak.