Attitude plays a big role in your career growth

At 52, Fred, a senior project manager with a large manufacturing firm, felt he was ready for a career change. Because he loves “fixing things” he found a position as maintenance manager for a large apartment complex.

Fred still enjoys fixing things, but he also has fun sharing jokes with the tenants. “If you’re doing something you like, then it’s not really work and you’re making money,” Fred says. “Your best work goes into it because you like it.”

Fred’s decision to become a maintenance manager may mean dropping several notches down the traditionally perceived career status ladder, but Fred is happy with his new work and lifestyle. So is his family.

Dixie talked to me because she wanted support for her decision to go back to school to study a new field.  She left her position as vice president of a Marin county bank to follow her long-term dream of studying architecture. Now she is in her third month of classes and loves it.

Fred and Dixie represent the new career attitude, which I call Questers. What makes them different? Is it important to develop those characteristics?

Like many of us, they will spend a third to half of their waking hours working, commuting to work or thinking about their jobs. But Questers also share many of the same personality traits, including the willingness to risk, to take charge of their careers and lives, and to be true to themselves.

Questers are optimistic, self reliant, inner-directed, and represent all occupations, ages and walks of life. They move up-down-and sideways on the occupational prestige ladder to achieve growth.  They view failure as learning experiences and measure success by internal standards.

They reevaluate their career goals periodically. Other qualities include a sense of purpose, confidence, resilience, the ability to combine the best of male and female strengths, and desires for such things as autonomy, challenge and achievement.

As we grow older, various life experiences may influence us to lose the excitement for learning and set up barriers to growth that are manifested in expressions of resistance such as fear, denial, delaying tactics, impatience, and low self-confidence. We lose touch with the inner child as well as the Quester characteristics.  But we all retain those traits within that can be strengthened if we desire.

People who suppress the traits tend to be traditionalists. Sometimes crises such as layoffs, illnesses and death of loved ones force traditionalists to come to terms with who they are and what they really want to do.

Are You a Quester? By answering “yes” or “no” to the following questions, you will have an idea of whether or not you lean toward Quester or traditionalist characteristics:

1. When you want something, are you willing to risk?

2. Do you have a sense of purpose in your life?

3. Do you feel comfortable doing what you feel is right for you?

4. Do you enjoy challenge?  A sense of achievement?

5. Are you usually optimistic?

6. Do you thoroughly enjoy your job?  Your lifestyle?

7. Do you feel good about yourself?

8. Do you set high standards for yourself?

9. Do you like trying new things?

10. Do you place more value on personal growth than security?  Money?  Prestige?

11. Do you periodically assess your values and goals?

12. When you set desired goals, do I work hard to achieve these?

13. Do you listen to your feelings and other intuitive cues as well as your intellect?

14. Do you make your own decisions, and when need be, even swim against the tide?

If you answered “yes” to 10 or more of the above questions, you tend to be a Quester. If you got 5 to 9 “yes” answers, you have some Quester and some traditionalist qualities. You seem to be a traditionalist if you answered “yes” to less than five.