WORK: Everything centers around who we think we are or are not.--DuAnne

Are you working to live or living to work? What do you consider the fruits of your labor? Life and work are very entwined for most of us although we may want to keep them in separate categories.

We start out as little kids imagining ourselves as superheroes. Somewhere before we become adults, we get stuck somewhere between our imaginings of how life should, could, must be, and the real world of expectations from others. We may take aptitude assessments to find out what jobs would be best for us-whether they fit what we want or not. Seldom do many of us discover the work about which we are passionately engaged.

Most of us will have as many as 6-7 types of jobs in our lifetime. Interestingly, these are jobs we bump into without much choice. And, of course, there are those professionals who study for long years to become experts at something they hate in the long run!

My research shows that a shift is happening in the world. This shift is partly stimulated by the emerging global economy, and partially because people are hungry for more meaningful work. A study conducted by Paul H. Ray, Ph.D., has now been published with co-author Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D. The book is called "The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World." Drawing upon 13 years of survey research studies on more than 100,000 Americans and more than 100 focus groups, the book details how the value systems are changing in the United States.

Working to live or living to work Work is thought of as purposeful and meaningful among the "Cultural Creatives". With 26% of the population in the US re-shaping how it thinks of itself and what is important, we can expect the social patterns to shift. The same research has begun in Europe with a belief that the pattern will be similar. The question is, "What do we want that shift to look like?"

The world is entering a new paradigm in the workplace. Key business leaders are calling it “the Age of Integrity”. No longer are the standards in business such that ENRON, WorldCom fiascos will be hidden. The wake-up call has been sounded around the world to re-identify the rules for work. Every employee needs to understand what is most important to them as individuals so that each can recognize when integrity is being compromised.

This profile is an on-line assessment that helps individuals and their team members understand what approach you most naturally use when working with others to accomplish a specific purpose and to identify what role you and other team members play.

The Action Plan will provide you and your team with a snapshot of the approaches and roles used by your team so that you can identify specific tasks and ensure that tasks are handed off and the “Z” process is used to accomplish your team objectives.

Email us for your Free GIFT to assess the dimensions of how you and your co-workers approach business tasks and solutions.