Inquisitive workmates, friends or close relations have most likely asked anyone involved with Personal Development: “What are you doing all this for?”
Perhaps these questions have caused you to pause and reflect for a time? But did you bail out of giving an answer because you couldn’t find the words, felt ashamed or just didn’t want to go there?
I’ve been there too. And I remember that some of their generally well-meaning questions made me somewhat ashamed that I even needed to focus on personal development. It was real easy to start looking for what might be really “wrong” with me to have created the PD need in the first place.
Heck, I thought maybe I should just go recycle all those PD books and tapes and CDs. And settle for whatever may come…
Fortunately, I was able to engineer a change of mindset to deal with these self-doubts. And that change became centered on the belief that the best of Personal Development is all about developing the potential of the whole person. It’s definitely not about focusing on faults, limitations and lack of ability.
This new mode of thinking became effectively hardwired after I decided to enroll with the International Coach Academy in Winter 2004. I already had a successful IT role in a global financial services corporation and was not looking for a full-time coaching role. Although part-time participation in a mentoring project with other staff was in the early preparation stages.
My self-proclaimed objective throughout the 1.5 years it took me to complete the Certified Professional Coaching program, was to find out how to use my personal development experience in a self-coaching context. During the program I made the following two life empowering discoveries:
1: A realization that “raising awareness” is the secret to becoming more alive and to the very act of living itself…
Number 2: I am able to choose my degree of responsibility for most or all of my actions.
‘Never-ending change’ is now almost a documented procedure in many global companies! I was therefore not at all alarmed to hear that a major IT outsourcing project was about to get underway!
With the knowledge that outsourcing was about to make an appearance in my world, I decided to concentrate on applying my two discoveries to help coach myself smoothly out of a 20 year employee mind-set and into the new and uncharted waters of Internet business ownership – and all this in under two years! This PD-coaching stuff rocks!
Concurrently with the outsourcing project, I also made it a daily habit of asking myself this question before the start of almost every major task: “What is the point of doing this?” This felt weird but I soon got used to it. What remained tricky was to remember to pose the same question when the task was completed!
Do you want to give it a go? If you do, you might be shocked to realize that you often don’t really know why you are doing any one particular task – it just appeared on your to-do list. And once you begin to question your reasons for engaging in probably 80% of the stuff that comes your way – the time for changing the game has probably arrived.
Over time, the answers I got from repeated use of this question helped me to see that I really was able to choose to accept more or less responsibility for some of these tasks and their outcomes. It was (and remains) a very liberating feeling to know that.
My initial successes with self-enquiry made me curious to know even more about what I was not yet aware of concerning personal development and unrealized potential at this middle stage of my life. Though it was clear that I could develop myself further within my existing employee career role (with or without outsourcing scenarios), I wondered what other roles existed beyond my day-to-day conscious awareness of “this is what I expect of myself”.
All this pondering concluded with the emergence of a simple but subtly effective self-awareness tool I refer to as “the Bio Map”.
The tool has 7 straightforward tasks each requiring only a one-word “answer”. Get a pen and some paper if you want to test it out. Here it is:
- Write down your Family name.
- Write down where you were born.
- Write down where you live now.
- Write down your current job title.
- Give one word that recalls a big goal you have already achieved in your life.
- Write down a major goal you really want to achieve.
- Write down the date.
Good job! You just made your first Bio Map! And to finish up, here is the tiebreaker! Take your list of words and write a brief paragraph on what these words mean to you and your life right now.
This marks the beginning of all effective goal creation.

When “career counselor” was a new word (and a “coach” blew the whistle at basketball practice), we all read the Parachute book. The standard career advice line went something like this:
“People are bored. They love to talk about what they do. So call them up and ask for information. Eventually someone will offer you a job.”
In my experience, that advice is as outdated as the typewriters we used back when the first Parachute edition appeared in the bookstores.
Today networking matters more than ever before. But you have to work your way into everyone’s outrageously busy schedule.
(1) Create a professional presence on the Internet, using Facebook, Myspace, and/or LinkedIn. Zoodango has become popular among corporate executives.
You can be outgoing and personal but share only what your next uptight business contact needs to know…unless you refuse to ever work with the uptight set, which is another article.
It’s no accident that my “personal” public persona showcases my dog, with occasional glimpses of the cats. I’ve seen too many innocent disclosures get distorted… anyone following the Amanda Knox case?
(2) Attend professional meetings and conferences.
In some fields, you’ll make awesome contacts. In others, you’ll just get information about what’s really happening, outside your own office.
And when you need to make calls, you may be able to say, “I’d like to use your name when I call your associate at MegaBig company…”
Or, “Do you know anyone who worked at SoNew Company? I’d like to get more info before applying…”
(3) Go back to school the grown-up executive way.
If appropriate, consider teaching courses at local universities and learning centers. Choose topics that enhance your most marketable strengths.
You won’t get rich from the stipends but you get exposure and credibility. You’ll often make some helpful contacts and gain new perspectives on the field.
Or consider the other side of the desk.
If you have funds and opportunity, a graduate degree can open doors – not just from the degree, but also from contacts you make. Programs offering face-to-face meetings on weekends or evenings tend to be most effective – and I have met people who got jobs through fellow students.
(4) Attend networking events designed for business owners (even if you love the corporate world and plan to stay forever).
You never know. Remember the Mary Poppins line: “I’ll stay till the wind changes.” I’ve met many savvy business people who encountered a tornado in their own offices.
When that happens, especially if you’re over 50, you may see income faster from self-employment than from sending out resumes. I wouldn’t stop job-hunting but hey, why not explore this path too?
Being around business owners will give you a boost: “If they can, I can.” And if you think like an entrepreneur, you may find corporate life a little easier to take (and more rewarding, too).
Just about everyone who attends those meetings has corporate contacts…and they’re very comfortable making referrals and introductions. That’s how they grow their own businesses.
(5) Talk to everybody.
One of my acquaintances found herself sitting next to some corporate executives at a basketball game. Turns out they were using tickets from a corporate sponsor…and that company often had openings in her field. That particular contact didn’t lead to a job, but she did gain some ideas that she used to make a quantum career leap.
University alumni groups tend to be especially friendly and open. It’s an easy place to say, “I’m looking for a job in X industry. Do you know…”
Bottom Line: We’re not calling strangers anymore to ask for “advice.” Everybody knows what you’re really after…and if they don’t, they’re too clueless to help. But we have newer, more user-friendly and more effective ways to build a network (before we *need* one).

Clients considering a midlife career change often call with the question, “Should I go back to school for another degree? So I wasn’t surprised to find an article in a major business journal, featuring a Q&A around the question, “Should I get an Executive MBA after 50?”
Frankly, I wonder why the question even comes up. The real question is, “How will I benefit from a new educational credential? And how can I steer clear of embarrassing headlines, like ‘Top Executive Reveals Degree from Diploma Mill?’”
(1) Instead of asking “Am I too old,” ask, “What do I need now.”
For an under-30 student, a traditional MBA can be an express elevator to the executive suite. For a midlife career change, you’re more likely to use your MBA for networking, starting a business, or jump-starting a new career.
But will you get a lower return on your investment, with fewer years remaining in your career?
Who cares?
Five or ten years after completing your degree, you’re facing a brand new career with technologies that weren’t invented when you started out. Or you realize you’ve outgrown your career.
So these days any degree, at any age, has a ten-year life span at most. Midlife career change happens more than once in a lifetime.
(2) Education programs offer unparalleled networking opportunities.
Midlife career change usually requires networking. Degree programs offer a unique way to network without feeling pressure, bypassing informational interviews.
Your fellow students will have information about other companies, industries and professions. Professors at business schools (and other specialized degree programs, such as psychology, engineering and even music) often maintain a network of contacts.
Once I taught a class for an executive MBA program. Shortly after entering the program, student “Meredith” lost her job. Her resume landed on the desk of her classmate “Rodney.” Rodney recognized her immediately, as they’d been on a class project team together.
(3) Degree programs give you new ideals.
You’ll meet people and take classes on subjects you’d never consider otherwise. Most career change comes from serendipitous encounters, so you’ll raise your chances of finding the best opportunity for your next move.
(4) Choose a program that won’t land you on the wrong side of Sixty Minutes.
You’ve probably seen the horror stories flashed across your television screen. Mid-career professional gets doctoral degree — and then gets fired for displaying bogus credentials. Senior executive discredited when sources reveal degree from non-accredited university.
One technique: Does the university have an alumni program? If the answer is “no,” don’t bother applying. If yes, attend a few meetings as a guest. Talk to alums about their success, experiences and their memories of academic rigor.
(5) For any educational program, set realistic goals and decide whether you can meet them.
Signing up is easy. These days, you’ll find a warm welcome at universities, certificate programs, coaching programs – just about anything you might consider.
Figuring out the benefits? That’s the hard part. Let’s say your local university offers a certificate program in Human Resources. It sounds great: just four courses and you get to write on your resume, “Earned HR certificate from Local U.”
How will future employers regard your certification? That depends on the reputation of Local U, the experience you bring to the table and the qualifications of your competitors.
Any of those factors could change overnight. So entering Local U with the goal of “a career change to human resources” may not be realistic.
But your certificate can pay off through networking opportunities, an extra edge if you change jobs, even a jump start to your bored professional self.
Bottom Line: You get my favorite answer. It depends.

If you’re a career-changing Baby Boomer, you may feel like you’ve gotten lost with Dorothy in Oz. You’ve achieved success in your career. You’ve built skills and a strong work ethic. And now you’re ready to move on…and it’s not working.
Many of my own clients tell me, “I haven’t had to look for a job for 20 years.”
Twenty years ago, you probably didn’t have a cell phone or an email account. A worm was something you put on a fish hook and a virus was something you caught from visiting friends. You could bring your whole set of kitchen knives onto an airplane and gas prices…well, we won’t go there.
And career counselors were handing out tests that promised to predict our aptitude and attitude.
Today as many as 90% of workers wish they could find a new career, but few actually succeed. Most are held back because they’re still guiding their progress by what they learned when they begin their careers, 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
Myth #1: Science supports the traditional linear career change model: test for interests, identify careers and go find a job.
Reality #1: You probably discovered this idea in a self-help book. Maybe you hired a career counselor. But it doesn’t work. Clients often call me because they’re stuck in the first stage: looking inward for guidance. They take tests and contemplate “what I really want.”
But researchers at Stanford and Harvard have found that career exploration proceeds in a zig-zag trial-and-error path. The word “serendipity” has been used in mainstream career research journals. Action, not introspection, is the key.
Myth #2: Starting a business is riskier than seeking a new job.
Reality #2: I would never tell anyone, “Stop job hunting and start your own entrepreneurial venture!” But these days, I recommend moving in parallel paths. Keep looking for a job but get serious about self-employment.
If you have a high profile in your industry or community, you may have trouble getting hired – but you might find yourself in demand as a self-employed business person. And if you’re above a certain age, you may meet resistance from the traditional job market.
Myth #3: Skills that brought you career success are the same skills you need for career change.
Reality #3: Career and business achievement calls for football skills: teamwork, planning and playing your position. You get rewarded for being in the right place at the right time.
But career change typically happens like playground basketball. Your biggest successes will be unplanned. The rules change and if you want a team, you will have to find them — or even hire them.
Myth #4: Ignore unexpected thoughts like, “Maybe it’s time to move.” They’ll soon go away.
Reality #4: These hints come from your intuition, which is not a woo-woo concept but a reliable source of insight that has been recognized by mainstream psychologists and scientists. When you ignore these whispers, you may find yourself sabotaging your own success.
Myth #5: Make tough career decisions like business decisions: run the numbers.
Reality #5: In my experience, career decisions follow their own logic. You develop scenarios and stories. You ask, “Can I live with my worst case scenario? If not, what can I do now to avoid having this scenario unfold?”
Myth #6: Fear is a signal to stay where you are, not challenge the status quo.
Reality #6: Contemporary psychologists recognize that fear can be your friend, especially when you’re moving outside your comfort zone into a new adventure. Fear means you’re taking care of yourself as you move into the unknown.
Sometimes you will work in and through the fear. And sometimes you experience fear for a good reason: time to gather more information before moving ahead.
Myth #7: Career change means feeling stressed and miserable.
Reality #7: Career change can become a source of meaning and growth. Most people look back with gratitude on this time in their lives.
As you progress, you begin to feel strong and powerful. You recognize more and more of what you want. The magic happens when you connect with a glimpse of, “This could be good.”