The Jump - #4 - May 2024
Balancing Ambition & Family, A Chicago Bears Lesson, & Insights from Gallup
Welcome to the 4th installment of The Jump. It offers monthly musings, tips, and reads to inspire you on your career adventures. We all need help fueling life’s vocational journey.
We often miss the daily inspiration that surrounds us. It could be listening to music, reading the news, or taking a walk. These quick thoughts can offer powerful contemplative points in time. They can catalyze your career.
In this edition, I’m talking balancing ambition & priorities, an inspirational NFL story, and workplace engagement. We’ve got…
Two quotes on channeling your ambition
A tip courtesy of the Chicago Bears
Gallup’s latest data on engagement at work
Two Quotes - Be Ambitious, But Remember Family First
“While the home must always be the centre of one’s life, it should not be the boundary of one’s ambition.”
Margaret Thatcher & Irene Ward
I read modern stoic Ryan Holiday’s The Daily Dad at bedtime a few times each week. It’s cathartic. It grounds me. It helps me take account of where I’m succeeding as a career adventurer, a man, a husband, and a father.
Thatcher and Ward’s quote was one of two quotes that resonated with me recently. Here’s the other one…
“Your career is important. But family is forever. It must be the top priority.”
Ryan Holiday
Each quote is a reminder of the tension many of us feel in managing careers and parenthood. This is especially challenging since >60% of households have two parents that work.
“Why share this?” you may ask. Because managing a career adventure isn’t only about oneself. Others you love or will love have ambition too. These things do not have to be mutually exclusive. You can fuel your adventure while encouraging others to do the same. But remember, we all must have guard rails. We can become too self centered, without overt recognition of them. Family is a great reminder of this.
A Growth Mindset Tip - Courtesy of Da Bears
Much of the pre-NFL draft coverage was on what the Bears should do at the quarterback position. The Bear’s GM, Ryan Poles, was faced with a decision. Should they keep the talented but yet to perform consistently Justin Fields? Or, should they draft the uber-talented USC phenom of the future Caleb Williams. The Bear’s picked Caleb Williams. But, in the process they showed that parting ways doesn’t have to be so cold-hearted.
The best part of the story is how both Ryan Poles and Justin Fields have handled themselves. From afar, it seems as if they’ve handled this with class. As career adventurers and managers of them, we should all take note.
Here’s the quick synopsis. Ryan Poles said he’d “do right” by Justin Fields. Justin Fields indicated he wanted to become a Pittsburgh Steeler. Poles traded Fields to the Steelers as he requested. Other teams were reportedly interested in Justin Fields and offered more value to the Bears than the Steelers did. Poles honored Fields wishes, while “giving up value” in the process. Here’s what Fields had to say
"Shoutout to Poles, we communicated to him through my agent, and I told him where I wanted to be and this was a place I wanted to be, so he honored that and I appreciate him for that and glad he was able to put me in a spot where I wanted to be at."
Justin Fields
Tip #1 - As managers of Career Adventures, channel your inner Ryan Poles. How are you “doing right” by your team members? They say they want something, a new role or responsibilities, figure out a way to work with them. They will leave you if you don’t.
Now, onto Fields. Fields has taken this in stride, with a growth mindset. How would you respond to losing your job as starting QB. Would you fold? Fields hasn’t. He is focused on getting the starting QB job over former Pro-Bowl QB and Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson.
Tip #2 - Career Adventurers look at challenges as opportunities. My dad used to tell me that “life isn’t fair.” It’s not. You’re presented with obstacles everyday. You could say ‘this is bull-crap’ and give up. Don’t! Embrace the challenge. Bust through it. Change people’s minds.
Two Reads - Gallup on Engagement
Did you know that worker engagement is at an eleven year low?! Millions of people feel less engaged with their work than they did a year ago. Engagement dropped most with late Millennial and Gen Z employees.
People want purpose in their lives. They will be less engaged without a powerful enough north star in their work-life. This is especially true for Gen Zers. They want to do things that are interesting and important, everyday. So do I! Shouldn’t we all?
I start to feel disengaged if I go more than three or four days without checking the interesting or important criteria checklist in my work. Weave this into your work. Not just for yourself, but also for your team members.
Other notes
Since April’s The Jump, I’ve released two more podcast episodes. Here are highlights and links to the episodes:
Digital Tech Pioneer - Kendra Ramirez, an AI mover and shaker in Cincinnati shared her career story paving the way and navigating tech. She has great insights on bouncing back from failure to succeed.
Modern Water Mover - Aaron Burkhardt, a Civil Engineer focused on all things water related shared his journey improving water. He has great perspective on how one finds joy within the same industry.
Thanks for reading The Jump! Like and Re-stack with you own thoughts to spread the word!
Paul G. Fisher
The Career Adventurer