Podcast Summary
Reflecting on childhood interests and skills for career guidance: Focus on core skills, not just passions, for career success. Reflect on childhood experiences and interests to identify potential career paths.
Discovering a fulfilling career involves looking back to our childhood interests and skills. Ashley Stahl, an entrepreneur, speaker, and bestselling author, shares her unique journey from being an administrative assistant to a career coach, having worked in counterterrorism along the way. In her interview, she emphasizes the importance of focusing on core skill sets rather than passions when building a career. Ashley also encourages listeners to reflect on their childhood experiences and interests to help identify potential career paths. Her advice is rooted in the belief that our natural talents and inclinations, which are often evident in our childhood, can guide us towards meaningful and successful careers.
Formative experiences shaping careers: Career paths can be influenced by personal experiences, determination, authenticity, and hard work can help overcome challenges and lead to success
Our career decisions can be significantly influenced by formative experiences and moments in our lives. The speaker shares an experience in France where they witnessed domestic violence and felt compelled to help and protect people, leading them to pursue a career in national security. Despite facing challenges and setbacks, their determination, authenticity, and hard work ultimately led them to success and a leadership role at the Pentagon. It's important to remember that limiting beliefs and lack of experience can be overcome with energy, authenticity, and a strong work ethic. Career decisions are not always linear, but can be shaped by the experiences and vulnerabilities we encounter along the way.
Identifying and utilizing your core skill set: Instead of following your passion alone, focus on identifying and utilizing your core skill set to find a fulfilling career. Common core skill sets include analytical thinking, communication, creativity, leadership, problem-solving, and technical expertise.
Following your passion alone may not lead to a fulfilling career. Instead, it's essential to identify and focus on your core skill set. This was a valuable lesson the speaker learned when they transitioned from a top-secret government job to becoming a career coach. They found that their passion for fashion or cupcakes didn't equate to a skill set in those areas. Instead, they discovered their primary skill set was communication and helping others. By identifying and utilizing their core skill set, they were able to find a career path that aligned with their strengths and led to personal and professional growth. The speaker also emphasized the importance of asking high-quality questions to gain clarity in your career. Instead of asking what industry you're passionate about, ask what your best core skill set is and how you can express it. By focusing on your skill set first, you can explore various job titles and responsibilities that align with your strengths. Some common core skill sets include: * Analytical thinking * Communication * Creativity * Leadership * Problem-solving * Technical expertise By identifying and utilizing your core skill set, you can find a career path that leads to personal and professional growth.
Ten core skill sets for personal growth and career success: Reflect on your unique skill sets, whether innate or learned, to lead with your strengths and find success in your career and personal life.
There are ten distinct core skill sets that drive individuals' careers and personal growth. These skill sets include innovation, building, words, motion, service, coordination, analysis, numbers, and technology. Each skill set represents a unique way of thinking, doing, and using energy. For instance, innovation is the domain of creative problem solvers, while building is about constructing or designing. Words is the realm of communicators and writers, and motion is for those who thrive in physical environments. Service is for helpers and supporters, coordination is for detail-oriented individuals, analysis is for those who interpret data, numbers is for number crunchers, and technology is for tech-savvy individuals. It's important to reflect on which skill sets resonate with us the most and how they manifest in our careers and personal lives. Additionally, understanding where our skill sets come from, whether they are innate or learned, can help us stay authentic and lead with our strengths.
Identifying strengths and passions for successful careers: Discover core competencies to inform career decisions, manage finances effectively, and leverage platforms like Shopify for business growth.
Everyone has the potential to excel in various fields, and it's essential to identify our strengths and passions to find suitable careers. The discussion highlighted ten different skill sets, ranging from innovation and technology to beauty and art. These skills can be found in various professions, and one isn't limited to just one area. For instance, someone might resonate with innovation, writing, project management, technology, and even a bit of beauty. By discovering our core competencies, we can make informed decisions about potential careers and paths to success. Moreover, the conversation touched upon the importance of managing finances effectively. Using a unified platform like Yahoo Finance to keep track of all investment accounts can simplify the process and provide valuable insights for making informed decisions. Lastly, the mention of Shopify as a platform for selling various products, from digital to physical, emphasizes the ease of starting a business and focusing on growth rather than the technical aspects.
Understanding core skills and values for a fulfilling career: Clarify core values and skills for a rewarding career, not just a 5-year plan. Focus on both 'what' and 'how' to align with who you are.
Having a rigid 5-year plan and focusing solely on doing what you love may not be the most effective approach to career growth. Instead, understanding your core skill set and values, and allowing your career to be an experiment that aligns with who you are, can lead to greater impact and fulfillment. For example, in the past, one might have pursued a career in counterterrorism out of love, but if it misaligned with one's core values or skills, it could lead to dissatisfaction and eventual departure from the field. Therefore, it's essential to clarify what your core values truly mean to you, as they can vary greatly from person to person, and prioritize them in your career decisions. By focusing on both the "what" of your core skills and the "how" of your work environment, you can create a fulfilling and evolving career path.
Understanding your core values and intuition: Identify core values, follow intuition for fulfilling career, distinguish fear from intuition, consider joyful experiences to determine guidance
Identifying your core values and following your intuition are essential for finding a fulfilling career. Kristen Sherry, a career coach, emphasizes the importance of understanding who you truly are and what you cannot exist without. For her, humor is a core value that makes her who she is. When it comes to pursuing a side hustle or turning it into a full-time business, it's crucial to distinguish between intuition and fear. Intuition, according to Kristen, is clear and absolute, while fear can be confusing. To determine which one is guiding you, consider the experiences that bring you the most joy and fulfillment. For Kristen, it was helping friends with their job hunts, which eventually led her to start her career coaching business despite the initial fear and uncertainty. Remember, following your intuition and staying open to new opportunities can lead you to a career that aligns with your core values and brings you true happiness.
Leaving a stable job for a new career leads to unexpected opportunities: Taking bold action can lead to success despite uncertainty or fear, but it's important to learn from failures and diversify revenue streams.
Taking bold action and fully committing to something new can lead to unexpected opportunities and success, even in the face of uncertainty or fear. Ashley C. Moody shared her story of leaving a stable job to pursue a career in coaching, which ultimately led to her giving multiple webinars and turning her debt into $5 million in revenue. However, she also warned about the risks of relying on a single revenue stream and the importance of learning from failures, as she experienced when investing heavily in advertising and ending up in debt. Through perseverance and learning from her mistakes, she was able to turn her business around and find success.
Staying true to oneself is crucial for business success: Focus on strengths, have multiple revenue streams, and adapt to rework and reoffer services for a sustainable and profitable business.
Staying true to yourself and your strengths is crucial for business success. Ashley shared her experience of facing financial difficulties despite having a large team and a million dollars locked in payment plans. She was advised to close the doors and start over but held on due to her attachment to her team. However, she eventually let go and returned to her roots in private coaching, which led her to discover her passion for writing and podcasting. Ashley emphasized the importance of having multiple revenue streams and mastering one service before expanding. She also highlighted the significance of being adaptable and knowing when to rework and reoffer new services. Ashley's story underscores the importance of staying true to oneself and focusing on strengths to build a sustainable and profitable business.
Effective Hiring and Writing a Book: Investing in a reliable hiring platform like Indeed saves time and resources, while allowing a business to attract, interview, and hire all in one place. Writing a book requires patience and a natural concept, with a focus on creating a compelling narrative and effective communication to potential publishers.
Relying solely on YouTube ads for business success is uncertain, and it's essential to have a reliable hiring platform like Indeed to streamline the recruitment process. The speaker, a full-time entrepreneur, emphasizes the importance of hiring based on character, attitude, and reliability, but acknowledges the time-consuming process of ensuring candidates possess these qualities. Indeed, with its powerful hiring platform, allows businesses to attract, interview, and hire all in one place, saving time and resources. Additionally, the speaker shares his experience of writing a book by emphasizing the importance of allowing the concept to develop naturally and creating a narrative with prescriptive guidance. He also discusses the challenge of finding a genre for his unique blend of memoir and self-help and the importance of learning how to effectively communicate the concept to potential publishers.
A Year of Planning and Persistence Leads to Publishing Success: Authentic self-expression and meaningful conversations are keys to success in work and life.
Writing a book is a labor of love, and publishers appreciate a grounded approach to career advice with practical tools. Ashley spent a year working on the initial chapters and marketing plan of her book before getting an agent. It took about three weeks for offers from publishing houses to come in, with some requesting changes she wasn't willing to make. Ashley ultimately paid back a six-figure advance and found a publisher who appreciated her title, "U-turn, you." The main takeaway of her book is that who you are always wins, and it's essential to own and express your authentic self in the workforce. Ashley emphasizes the importance of conversations and experiences in expanding one's life and business. Her secret to profiting in life is staying engaged and having meaningful conversations.
