Steve Jobs Inspired Motto – ‘Do what you love’

by Stephen Xavier on October 6, 2011

From today’s Wall Street Journal – Steve Jobs, who died Wednesday, reflected on his life, career and mortality in a well-known commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.
Steve Jobs speaks at graduation ceremonies at Stanford University, in Palo Alto, Calif., on June 12, 2005.
The first story is about connecting the dots. Here, read the text of of that address:
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.
Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203388804576613572842080228.html#ixzz1a12ar6t2
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Great article from Harvard Business Review on the 9 things successful people do differently – use this link to access the article.

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently – Heidi Grant Halvorson – Harvard Business Review.

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Well folks, the big news has finally arrived! It’s cool to be a Geezer again! The workplace gurus have finally caught up to what we all knew all along – older workers rock! Dedicated, loyal, not afraid to work and, know that “5 o’clock” is not necessarily clock-out time when there is work to be done. So there Gen Xers! Go to Starbucks to meet your Buds. we’re taking over again.

See this great article from Forbes by Kerry Hannon -

Financial services companies and consultants love to do surveys. The cynic in me suggests their motivation is to show the need for their products. That said, I find they can be interesting reading about the state of the aging boomer workplace.

Here are two that caught my eye of late- Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Workplace Benefits Report and Deloitte’s “Talent Edge 2020: Building the Recovery Together—What Talent Expects and How Leaders Are Responding”.

First up, Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Report that landed last week. It shows that employers really do like older employees and place “significant importance on retaining” them.

A key finding–an overwhelming 94 percent of employers feel it is important to retain older employees for a longer period of time before they retire because of the talent and skills they possess.

If you are one of these workers, you already know that your expertise isn’t easily replaced. Older workers are the backbone of many companies–the hidden strength, the Popeye Spinach-infusion, if you will.

BofA Merrill’s online survey, conducted in late April by Market Strategies International, includes responses from 650 C-level executives (CEOs, CFOs etc.) and human resources and benefit plan leaders from a wide range of companies.

More age friendly workplaces.  “Longer life expectancies and baby boomers’ desire or need to keep working are leading to an aging population of American employees that will require more age friendly workplaces and benefit plans designed to meet the unique needs of multiple generations,” Andy Sieg, head of Retirement Services for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, says in the report.

“HR leaders are playing more strategic roles within organizations seeking to harness the experience and intellectual capital of older employees in order to remain competitive, while adapting both physical and operational aspects of their businesses to accommodate them,” he observes.

So what are employers doing about it? The survey found the following.

• Flexible or customized work schedules –offered by 50 percent of surveyed employees.

• Education around retirement income and health care topics –33 percent.

• Continuing education and development opportunities –32 percent.

• Opportunities to work remotely –22 percent.

The survey does not reveal firms canvassed. Five flextime friendly companies, though, recognized not too long ago by Careerbuider.com are Sun Microsystems, Inc. a subsidiary of Oracle, KPMG LLP, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Best Buy and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Not feeling the love. Apparently there’s a woeful disconnect when it comes to workers feeling the benevolence of their boss. More than half of the companies surveyed feel an increased sense of  “responsibility toward the financial future of their employees ” and offer access to financial education and research, according to the researchers. But alas, they say employees don’t seem to care.

The majority of employers find that less than half of their employees take advantage of the financial education and advice made available to them.

When asked why their workforce fails to take advantage of these resources, more than half of employers believe their employees do not view it as relevant to them, and that their employees perceive them as too complicated. Nearly half believe that their employees may simply be too busy and a quarter think their employees may not know these resources exist.

When asked how frequently they communicate the broader value of their financial benefit plans to employees, 86 percent of companies cited doing so just twice annually or less frequently, and 61 percent provide only basic information about financial benefits when they do communicate. Nearly one-third of employers admit they could do a better job of communicating the broader value of these offerings to their employees.

Let’s get those channels of communication open.

Now pair this study with one that came out in May from Deloitte. That study shows that employees are eying the door because companies aren’t showing their loyalty to them.

Looking for the Exit Ramp. One quarter of baby boomers surveyed by Deloitte cited dissatisfaction with their employers as one of the three most significant facts that would cause them to look for new employment during the next 12 months, compared to 18 percent of Gen Xers and 11 percent of millennials.

With “the economy improving, nearly two out of three employees surveyed are actively testing the job market,” according to the Deloitte study, “Talent Edge 2020: Building the Recovery Together—What Talent Expects and How Leaders Are Responding.” The first report of Deloitte’s new survey series polled more than 300 global business executives across industries.

“We’re living in a world where each generation in the workforce has vastly different goals, expectations, and desires,” Jeff Schwartz, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and U.S. Talent Services leader, recounts in the report. “As employees eye the exit signs following a hard hitting recession, employers need to tailor and target their talent strategies to satisfy each employee group from baby boomers to millennials.”

Some findings include:

Baby boomers, among all workforce generations surveyed, expressed the strongest discontent with their employers and the greatest frustration that their loyalty and hard work has been neither recognized nor rewarded.

Almost one-third of baby boomers surveyed say a lack of trust in leadership is a top turnover trigger—the highest ranking by any workforce generation.

Please stay. The top four retention incentives offered by employers surveyed by Deloitte:

1. Promotion/job advancement (53 percent)

2. Increased compensation (39 percent)

3. Additional bonuses or other financial incentives (34 percent).

4. Boosting employee support/recognition from their managers, a non-financial incentive, was also ranked as an effective retention tactic (30 percent)

I know that it’s workers of all ages, not just older ones, who are frustrated and tired of treading water as the lagging recession has played out. We all want recognition, a promotion, something more than a mere pat on the back.

Those spared the cuts of layoffs and downsizing now feel stuck, overworked with no way up, or great next move out. It’s a plus to learn that leading firms are focusing on ways to hang on to older workers and presumably taking action.

But are the companies that Deloitte and Bank of America Merrill Lynch surveyed really doing those things? So far, by the looks of these surveys, employees are giving them the big thumbs down. I’d like to learn more. Wouldn’t you? Lip-service is great, but is the rubber meeting the road?”

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1 in 3 US Workers Prepared To Quit Current Job

by Stephen Xavier on June 21, 2011

In the June 20 online edition of Bloomberg News it was reported that 1 in 3 US workers are seriously considering quitting their current jobs.

In an economy like this such a move sounds like economic suicide. Although traditionally younger workers were more likely to leave jobs with higher frequency due to less responsibilities than their older counterparts, I think they need to rethink this option as a non-option. Even with fewer bills, no spouse and no kids, in many instances, even a move or migration somewhere else will likely produce little or no better results with so many regions in the US still reeling from the crash of ’08

If they do make the move, my advice is simple; know where you are going, have enough liquidity to survive on for 6-12 months, network like crazy and, hope for the best but, plan for the worst.

Here’s the Bloomberg story -

“About one-third of U.S. workers are considering leaving their jobs, with younger workers most likely to quit, according to human-resources consultant Mercer LLC.

A survey of 2,400 workers found 32 percent are “seriously considering” leaving his or her organization, up from 23 percent in 2005. Another 21 percent said they view their employers unfavorably and don’t feel engaged at work, though they don’t want to leave, according to a statement today.

Dissatisfaction is growing as workers think they are getting less out of their employment. Workers satisfied with base pay dropped to 53 percent from 58 percent in 2005, according to Mercer. Sixty-eight percent of employees rate their overall benefits as good or very good, down from 76 percent.

“They feel less attached to the organization emotionally and psychologically, and they don’t necessarily believe that the organization they work for has their best interests in mind,” said Jason Jeffay, a senior partner at Mercer.

Among employees 25 to 34 years old, 40 percent are contemplating leaving their jobs. Among employees 24 and younger, the figure is 44 percent, Mercer said.

Depressed housing prices and underwater mortgages mean older workers, who are more likely to own a home, are less mobile than they once were, Jeffay said. This means they are less able to seek out jobs and pursue the most satisfying one.

Young Americans

“Their ability to relocate, which has traditionally been a strength of the American labor market, is no longer a factor,” Jeffay said in an interview.

Young U.S. workers tend to be more optimistic about opportunities outside of their current employer, according to Stacey Randall, chief consultant at the Charlotte, North Carolina-based SBR Consulting LLC. A recent SBR study found that 70 percent of workers 21 to 30 years old said there is a possibility they will change jobs once the economy improves.

“They have bills to think about, but they are more mobile than other demographics,” Randall said. “They’ve been riding out the recession and recovery, like everybody else.”

Randall’s advice to workers hoping to change jobs in the near future: “Network, be prepared and save.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Devin Banerjee in New York at dbanerjee2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net

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In Memoriam – Alice Shepard – Writer, Editor, Friend

March 23, 2011

Alice Shepard, who many of  you have had some contact with through me and Cornerstone, died last week. From what we have found out she was diagnosed with bone cancer only a short time ago and died within a month or so offinding out about this new round of cancer. Very likely Alice had interviewed [...]

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Talent Management & Succession Planning in F500′s In Bad State of Affairs

February 2, 2011

My book “Not On My Watch: A Leader’s Guide to Navigating the Impending Retirement Bubble Disaster, Building a Bench and Leaving a Legacy of Success” may have been just a bit ahead of it’s time – or published at a bad time – not sure which Now, as the US economy is starting to turn [...]

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Executive Health Tip #3 – Martial Arts! Yes, Martial Arts!

January 11, 2011

Executive Health Tip #3 For 2011! Martial Arts for the older adult, the Quest Center, Hardee Merritt and how he drives me! In the last half of 2010 several stories appeared in large media outlets including the Wall Street Journal about a resurgence of Martial Arts practices for older adults. Yes, the Boomers have arrived [...]

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Executive Health Tip #2 For 2011

January 11, 2011

This is the second in what will prove to be a long series of posts related to “Executive Health”. Too many of my Senior Executive clients – most in their 40s and 50s – are suffering from a wide range of maladies – all stress-related – and this needs to stop! Tip #1 was “Get [...]

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Crying At Work – From Forbes.com – Jenna Goudreau

January 11, 2011

I was fortunate today to be quoted by Jenna Goudeau at Forbes.com on the topic of “Crying At Work” – see excerpt below: “Career coach Stephen Xavier has dealt with many executives on this issue and says that men become very uncomfortable when a female colleague cries. “In their minds, they see their own wife, [...]

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Leadership in 2011? Let’s Wait And See

January 3, 2011

In this current, long and painful economy, it’s virtually impossible to separate business and politics. With the 112th Congress being seated tomorrow many of us in the “real world” i.e., the business world, are waiting and watching anxiously to see if “Real Change” is coming. It’s hard to argue that these past 24-30 months have [...]

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