Both women moved forward in this area. Tanya reignited her interest in her current job, while Tracy found out she wants to make even bigger changes.
Tanya's original goals: Find fulfilling work in the mental health field that meets financial needs and evokes passion.
Outcome: Tanya found value and meaning in the job she already had (mental health worker at Calgary Urban Project Society, a not-for-profit community health centre). Her Success Circle workshop and Success Spy Cam contest (colleagues "spy" on workmates and report their job success) were very well received. And while money is still important for Tanya, it is not as big of a concern as it once was. She now has a goal to take her successful workshops to partnering agencies. She also started to incorporate Appreciative Inquiry (a formalized approach to human resources that builds on what creates successes rather than on trying to fix what doesn't work) into the one-on-one counselling she does at work.
Crawford's advice: "Focus on training and development and remember that everything we do moves us toward our goal or away from it."
Tracy's original goal: Obtain a fulfilling job that meets financial needs and evokes passion.
Outcome: After Tracy lost her job, it took six months before she was offered a position she really wanted. The downtime gave Tracy the opportunity to explore her career aspirations and develop tools to identify innate talents, one of which is "the gift of WOO" (winning others over). "I'm approachable and people talk to me freely," she says. Her new job – a contract position with the Assured Income for Severely Handicapped, a financial benefits program in the Seniors and Community Supports Department of the Alberta government – recently became permanent. Her long-term goal is to start her own business in the environmental area. She's working on a business plan and plans to take a Women's Venture Program in the evening.
Crawford's advice: "Realistically look at the positives and negatives of starting your own business, network and be positioned to move into the environmental area, and surround yourself with people (especially a mentor) in the environmental industry and small-business owners who can share their experiences.”
Did you miss the best friends makeover series? Check out Best friends makeover: Month 1.
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