Friday, September 20th 2019 will be a day to remember. Close to 300 thousand people inundated NYC streets to attend the Global Climate Strike alongside hundreds of thousands more across the world. A great imagery of passionate, confident young people fighting peacefully for their beliefs and their life. Seeing such an engaged movement made me think about how it all started.
I was shocked when reading that it all started only 15 months ago and by only 1 person, Greta Thunberg.
For the ones who don’t know her story, Greta learned about climate change at 11 years old at school. It made such an impression on her that she suffered an episode of severe depression. She stopped school “I felt everything was meaningless and there was no point going to school if there was no future”. After some time, depression lifted a bit. However last summer it came back. But this time Greta pushed back and decided to transform her sadness into action.
“I promised myself I was going to do everything I could do to make a difference.” she says.
Inspired by the Parkland survivors, she decided to school strike on August 28th, and from there on every Friday, in front of the Swedish parliament in order to raise awareness for climate change and demand action from global leaders. It took weeks of solitary protest, before media got interested in her story. And from there, it’s history, UN Climate summits, Davos, European Parliament, meeting the Pope, etc.
So, coming back to my shock…. What an impact from one individual in such short period of time!!
Greta’s story showcases 3 key concepts you should reflect on when looking for a fulfilling career:
>> IMPACT
Greta’s very clear on the impact she is looking for, “governments to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels.”
Are you clear on your impact?
Could you word the impact of your daily work?
Is your work meant to be improving or changing something?
If you have an answer to these questions, that’s awesome!! I’m curious then about how fulfilling is the impact you are making? Is it aligned with your values, with who you are, with your passions?
Many questions to digest…. And not easy ones to answer. So take your time.
It’s been hugely demonstrated that contributing to others, helping others is a source of fulfillment. And I’m a firm believer that business is a force for good. So what about mixing both concepts? What about having a career, a business whose impact is to contribute to others?
For the ones who don’t know, the world, through the UN, has a global strategic plan to make the world a better place, called the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). Have you ever thought to align your career to one or several of them? Big corporations are doing it already. But what would be possible if all of us individually would be clear on the impact we want to have and would pursue consciously a career around it?
That’s my invitation to all of you.
«Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.»
Dr. Seuss
>> AUTHENTICITY
Greta has Asperger Syndrome. She doesn’t hide from it. In fact, what could be perceived by some as a weakness she says it’s her superpower: “It makes me see the world differently. I see through lies more easily,” she says. “I don’t like compromising. For me, it’s either you are sustainable or not — you can’t be a little bit sustainable.”
“To be different is not a weakness. It’s a strength in many ways, because you stand out from the crowd.”
Greta Thunberg
So what’s your super power? What makes you different?
I can hear already some of you thinking, “But I’m no different to anybody else”, “I don’t have anything special”, right?
Yes, you are different to anybody else as you are unique.
There’s no other you in this planet. Nor there will be. So your perspective of the world, your way of doing, thinking, interacting, solving problems, coming up with ideas is unique to you.
So be conscious of it, own it and lead from there.
There are two sides to authenticity and a fullfiling career.
The first one is that you don’t have to pretend to be who you are not. You are clear on your super powers, who you are and you build your career on it. No need to try to please anyone or compromise anymore. This will make everything much easier, enjoyable and will help you have a greater impact.
The second side of authenticity is connection. People connect with authenticity. So being authentic will get you closer to people and it will help you build relationships. Being in relationship with others is a source of fulfillment and the essence of leadership and communication.
>> LEADERSHIP
“Leadership is the power of one harnessing the power of many.”
John Maxwell
Greta’s story illustrates perfectly John Maxwell’s quote. The power of Greta to harness the power of all of us individuals to take action and support her in reaching her goals. But anyone of us can be Greta, anyone of us can have this power and lead. She had the courage to face depression and take action. That was a great moment of leadership of self that is impacting everyone of us.
So how are you doing on leading yourself? Are you leading your career or your career is leading you?
If you are not fulfilled, what about being courageous and take action to spark change?
Being fulfilled with your career is not an easy nor obvious task. It requires work and investment. And I’m not meaning monetary investment. I mean investment in terms of dedication. It requires growing your self awareness, working on your mindset and taking action.
Are you ready to lead yourself?
To your fulfillment,
Sophie
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Image Creator Kevin Lamarque @Reuters