Years ago I worked for a non-profit training organization, NTL (National Training Laboratories) Institute. I credit the organization for opening my eyes to see that training and consulting was destined to be my life’s work. While I was employed there I interacted with some of the brightest minds of the day in the field of human behavior training. Even today, I revisit my foundation at NTL to help my current clients. Recently I had a client who made a strange, yet familiar comment to me as she explained the difficulty she was having in her present job situation. She said, “I feel like an O in the land of X’s. I’ll never be like the other people at my job. I just don’t fit in.” I immediately thought about the late Kaleel Jamison and The Nibble Theory. Kaleel was an NTL member.

If you haven’t read the book, The Nibble Theory and the Kernel of Power by Kaleel Jamison, try to find a copy. It is a wonderful testament to empowering ones self. There is no shortage of people waiting in the wings to nibble at us for whatever reason. We are too young, too old, too fat, too skinny, too pretty, too ugly, too confident, too smart and the lists are endless. We often collude in the nibbling by self- effacing behavior or negative self- talk.  I asked my client, what was so important about “fitting” in at her job? Was ‘fitting in” worth changing herself? What value did she have by being different? I asked her, if she valued herself? She did not like the isolation that she felt by not going along with others on her job but she had her own set of principles. It was a quandary and she could find no easy answers. After much discussion, we moved on until she was ready to seek her kernel of power.

The kernel of power, according to Kaleel, is finding your special gifts and perfecting them. It is more important for you to empower yourself than to let others usurp your power. Empowering oneself is a lifelong commitment to pursuing what makes you a unique individual. Kaleel speaks about “growing yourself’. Let yourself shine. Discover the special gifts you possess that make you the individual that you are. Choose to be powerful. Revel in positive affirmations. Do not let others define you, box you, bully you or nibble at you.

At the conclusion of our session my client wanted to know more about The Nibble Theory as she busily compiled a list of what she considered her kernels of power. I let her borrow my copy of the book. She now looks at her O status in the land of X’s from a different perspective. The difference is a choice and she chooses to stay in touch with that power.

Though Kaleel is no longer with us, I could feel her smiling, with a fist in the air shouting out a self-assured Yes!

While I was driving in the car the other day what I thought was mindless background conversation on the radio turned out to be the catalyst for this week’s article. The commentator was giving advice to job hunters. She said, during an interview make sure to use the word “you” several times. You, apparently, is one of the predominant words in the English language. Our ears are used to hearing it and we react favorably when we hear it. That tidbit of information started my wheels turning. If “you” is an important word in the interview process, why shouldn’t you ask yourself questions about how to energize yourself once you are in your career?

I have come up with a checklist of ten considerations to help you energize your career.

• Reassess your career path
  Are you headed in a direction that is fulfilling both personally and professionally?
  Is it time for a change? Do you need a mentor? Do you have room to grow or are
  you at a plateau?

• Update your portfolio
  Are you keeping accurate accounts of your successes? Is your account current?
  You need to be ready at a moments notice to show your value to the company.

• Network
  Summer is an excellent time to mingle at social occasions. Make sure your business cards reflect your latest position. Keep them available. Remember, many deals are consummated on the golf course. You can have fun and advance your career.

• Seek professional development opportunities
  What type of training does your company offer? Do you look for opportunities to sharpen your skills? You are in charge of your professional development.

• Online training
  Have you checked out online training in your industry? Many companies and universities are offering courses online for you to sharpen your skills and/or get new business certifications.

• Travel or become familiar with another language
  Business is a global marketplace. The more diverse you are the more opportunities exist for you in the workplace. Expand your world.

• Health Assessment
  You require periodic health checks much like your automobile. A tune up is an opportunity to make sure you are in proper running order. You do that for your car, why not do the same for yourself.

• Read local papers
  You can keep your hand on the pulse of the community by reading local papers either online or in paper form. Business news is everywhere but you have to look for it. Remember the movie “Working Girl” back in the 80’s with Harrison Ford and Melanie Griffith. Rent a copy if you have not seen it. She used articles in the paper to further her career.

• Volunteer
  You step out of yourself when you volunteer. Giving to others is a healthy pursuit as well as an opportunity to meet other people. You may find another career through volunteering or enhance the career you are in.

• Plan for Retirement
  You are never too young or too old to set goals. Retirement planning is goal setting. You need to know where you are going and plan how to get there.

If you would like to read more about goal setting or ways to revamp your career, stop by the APLS Online store.

While trying to help my twenty something year old son organize himself to meet the challenges of the work world I realized that the best advice I could give him came down to two words: responsibility and values. If you doubt my “aha moment” consider the news last week about the oil spill in the Gulf. Whether you are a supporter of President Obama or not you have to admit (talk to popular radio talk show host and author Michael Smerconish about the denial of some folks) he put the pressure on BP to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the incident. The President’s intention was very clear in his speech to the American people and the actions of the Congressional Committee. He expects BP to take responsibility, pay retribution and he wants truthful answers to why the incident occurred in the first place. Could it have been a case of monetary gain over environmental safety or wreck less indifference to the consequences of overtaxing sensitive equipment? I suspect the drilling in the Gulf waters was both a business decision and a value decision.

Mary King wrote an article for careercoaching.suite101.com entitled Teenagers at Work How to Stay Employed after Being Hired for a Job. After reading the article I thought, it starts here. If we begin our work life with the understanding that work is not only a means to finance our lifestyle but it is also a reflection of our values and how we view responsibility. The following is some of the advice that King shares in her article:

1. Always be on time. That means checking the work schedule daily in case any changes have been made.   (RESPONSIBILTY)
2. Attend to personal hygiene. No responsible adult should have to be told to shower, brush his teeth, or use deodorant.  (RESPONSIBILITY)
3. Never say, “It’s not my job.” Credit goes to the worker who is willing to take on a challenge and learn as much as possible about the company.  (VALUE)
4. An employee who consistently shows initiative, and is willing to put in a little overtime now and then to complete a task, is literally banking on the extra effort. (VALUE)

When I do training around the country I have noticed a common complaint that Mary King mentioned. I call it the “ it’s not my job syndrome”.  It is not always blatant but it has become pervasive in American business. There is a disconnect between what an employee is willing to do versus what is in the job description. In a bad economy workers are asked to do much more than one job. Workers can become disgruntled but the economy will not always be in the state it is in now. What has been lost is the big picture of the task at hand and how that affects the business at large. The employee has become so focused on “I’m only doing my share and I’m not responsible for…” that both the business and the employee suffer. Remember what Ms. King said in her advice to teens about the importance of learning as much as you can about the company. When the economy turns around who will benefit? Will credit be given to the employee who went the extra mile or will a promotion be given to “it’s not my job”?  Should risk takers be rewarded for going the extra mile? The relationship between responsibility and values gets cloudy right here.

However, I was encouraged to discover that Harvard Business School shares my sentiments about the influence of responsibility and values on work life.  They have a program called the Community Values.  Harvard goes a step further by incorporating leadership with values and ethics. The program stresses that a person is accountable for his/her actions. Personal responsibility is a mandate. The goal of the program is for members to reach the high standards of leadership by ascribing to the values of mutual respect, honesty, integrity and personal responsibility.  Harvard Business School provides a program that includes alumni speakers, industry speakers, and student-lead roundtable discussions and debates on current ethical business issues.

So in the end I still maintain that the best advice I can give my son is to make sure his value system includes taking responsibility for his actions. If he follows that advice it will serve him well in life and work.

Don’t forget to visit the APLS Online Store for more information on values, ethics and responsibility.