Sustainable Ambition Forum - 09.14.21

 
 

Are you feeling it, too? A need for new inspiration, a new challenge, something that will shake us out of a malaise? I’m realizing my environment has become too stale. I’ve gotten too comfortable staying inside my house and not getting out, and I’m recognizing that what was once comforting has become a bit of a drag. I’m being called to shake things up a little, start new projects, and seek interesting experiences.

What’s becoming clear is that stagnation can become draining, rather than restful. Coasting can be good for a time to get recharged, but letting ourselves stall for too long can be damaging to one’s motivation and work progression.

When it comes to our careers, we need to keep it interesting to keep us interested, and we need to learn new tricks to maintain our relevance. There’s a reason lifelong learning is such a mantra these days. The changing world calls us to acquire new skills and seek new knowledge. In doing so, we need to get comfortable being uncomfortable in stretching ourselves into the new.

I want to feature two podcast interviews in this newsletter with guests who demonstrate the ability to be lifelong learners and start new tricks later in their careers:

  • Anne LaFollette started a digital business at age 55+ and found success in looking to the experts to show her the way.

  • And, Philip VanDusen is back, who also became an entrepreneur after a long corporate career, and he speaks to the importance of taking ownership of growing our skills and the benefit of being in community to gain confidence when doing so.

Each of them happens to be teaching classes in September, so I want to feature those, too, for your lifelong learning in case of interest (I get no affiliate fee, so sharing just if relevant to you):

  • Are you a doodler? Want to fuel your creativity or make designs that you can turn into products? Check out Anne’s FREE mini-course, From Doodles to Dollars. Learn more here >

  • Philip offers a lot of free content to creatives and entrepreneurs, has a community to help reduce isolation and build confidence, and offers courses, which I encourage you to check out. Learn more about his Brand Strategy 101 course for creative professionals looking to up their game. (This may have just closed, but check-out all the other content Philip offers and keep this on your radar, if interested, for the next time he offers it.)

Back-to-school time is a reminder that we all can benefit from continual growth and learning to fuel what’s next for our careers. Or, as our Monthly Progress Practice challenges, what do you want to do to stay interesting?

I’ll close with one of my favorite mantras—choose growth and learning over comfort and safety.

Cheers to new tricks,
Kathy Oneto
Founder of Sustainable Ambition


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Coming Workshops! I’m considering hosting workshops in October-December’21 and want to select the topic(s) that would be of most interest.

Workshop Topics

  • Uncover Your Leadership Brand: Want to be a better leader? In this workshop, get clear on who you want to be as a leader and the impact you want to have on those around you to elevate your leadership performance.

  • Build Your Work-Life Resilience Plan: Seeking to have a more sustainable work-life? Craft your plan to create what will work for you to have more work-life resilience.

  • Guide to a Career Transition: Are you at a career inflection point? Or, do you want to have more clarity and a vision for what’s next for your career? This program will help you get clear on what's important, know what you want to carry forward from the past, and start to look forward and craft what’s next.

If you’re interested in joining one of the above, please shoot me a quick email and let me know which you’d be interested in and what you’d hope to gain from the program. Thanks!


The Round-Up

Right Success: Why we need to move away from being success addicts.

Right Aspiration: While this study might not reflect all reading this newsletter, it still is confirmation that training and reskilling matter throughout your career and especially as you get later in your career.

Right Effort: Build your work-life resilience with wonder.

Reading: I’m revisiting Chip Conley’s latest book, “Wisdom@ Work: The Making of a Modern Elder.” If you are an “older” professional working with younger colleagues, it can be a helpful read to reframe how you think about your role in the workplace. Granted Conley calls on his experience going into Airbnb as an expert in a senior level role, yet I still think there are lessons we can all apply to how we think about our work roles within intergenerational settings. If you are a younger professional working alongside or managing those older than you, it would be forward-thinking of you to read this book, too, to learn how to leverage and benefit from all the diversity our workplaces have to offer (i.e., help to cut out ageism towards young and old).

Smiling: Want to experience some awe and wonder? Check out Yoann Bourgeois and his trampoline dancing.


Featuring: Navigating the New World of Hybrid Work

  • I appreciate this article’s approach on “How to do Hybrid Right.” It’s one of the most holistic views I’ve read that simply breaks down the elements companies need to think through. If you’re a leader who can influence what you create, see it as a guide for what you can build and how to do it. For an individual, I think it is also helpful to learn what drives functioning work environments, how you might fit into your company’s structures, and how you might frame what to ask for.

  • This is a good podcast episode with Tsedal Neeley, professor at Harvard Business School, who studies remote work and global teams. She offers tips here on how to lead remote teams—again, I think a good listen for leaders and employees alike.

  • Want to negotiate a remote work arrangement? This article and this article offer some good tips.

  • What are the legal really really’s around remote work?


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The Sustainable Ambition Podcast - Episode 25 & 27

Join me for conversations with experts, authors, and friends on
what it means to live with Sustainable Ambition.

Episode #25: On Burnout, Focus, & Gaining Confidence in Networks with Philip VanDusen


In Part 2 of my conversation with friend and mentor Philip VanDusen, we discuss burnout, the issue with confidence that many, especially creative people, are experiencing during the pandemic, and how to find confidence in building meaningful networks. Philip always has great insight to share.


Find it on Apple Podcast here
Or, listen on our website here

Episode #27: On Finding Joy as a Digital Entrepreneur at 55+ with Anne LaFollette

In this conversation, Anne LaFollette, owner of Anne LaFollette Art, shares advice on how to manage a career transition after corporate, building a digital business at age 55+, finding more joy in working for oneself, and achieving a more sustainable work-life while still being ambitious.

Find it on Apple Podcast here
Or, listen on our website here


You can also find the podcast, subscribe, and listen on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Overcast.


A New FREE Assessment: Principles You

From Adam Grant and Ray Dalio, a new assessment that helps you understand how you prefer to work. It considers how you like to think, engage with others, and apply yourself.

I’m always a fan of tools that help you understand yourself better and gain more comfort in the work you are doing or nudge you in a new direction to further optimize your fulfillment.

Want to try it out? Find it here >


A Monthly Progress Practice: September


At the beginning of the year, we shared our Monthly Progress Practice. Progress happens through small actions, so we offer a monthly practice of small actions or micro-habits to inspire positive change this year.

Our guidance for September: Be interesting. What’s something new to try? What is a goal you want to pursue? What is a problem you want to solve? What do you want to contribute?



“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”

— Max Depree

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SUSTAINABLE AMBITION™ IS ABOUT CRAFTING A FULFILLING CAREER TO SUPPORT YOUR LIFE FROM DECADE TO DECADE.

It is centered around articulating your personal definition of success and achieving that without burnout while honoring your personal aspirations and ambitions as they ebb and flow over time. The end game—more fulfillment and ease in your professional and personal life, while still being ambitious.

We offer 1:1 Executive Coaching, Leadership Coaching, or Career Strategy Coaching, as well as VIP Leadership Brand Sessions and Workshops on a range of Sustainable Ambition topics. We also provide tips and inspiration, advice on career management over the decades, guides on key Sustainable Ambition topics of interest, and coverage of tools and inspiration.