|
The easy way to find your career direction is to do what comes naturally.
Forget about career titles, they're just names.
Pay attention to the activities that you perform with ease, even without training. Do you enjoy your work
tasks, or are you bored with them? If you're an Information Technology
specialist, do you eat, sleep, and drink technology in your free time? If not,
then remind me not to call you for computer help. Career titles and
credentials don't make you good at what you do--your inborn talent is the secret to your success.
Human beings have different proclivities. Although most of us are taught
the same way in school, in the same subjects, we are not alike in terms of
inborn talent. The people who excel in high school, without much effort, were
lucky to born with the raw talents needed to learn the typical subjects. They
are no smarter than someone who did not do so well, they just happen to have
the innate talents necessary to easily learn the "standard skills" mandated by
most states. The majority of American school systems have not yet evolved to
take into account the differences in human aptitude. For the most part,
students (at all ages) are viewed as a blank slate, able to "learn" all
subjects, and expected to put in "hard" work if they're struggling. Yet, we
all know that working hard doesn't always add up to better performance. In
fact, it's often apparent that people who excel don't struggle much. They are
"naturals" in specific subjects. Since most schools (and parents) do not
understand inborn ability, they usually don't make clear distinctions between
someone being generally "smart" and someone who is natural in specific areas.
As a result, most young people are encouraged to specialize in fields and
professions that don't fit their strongest inborn ability. The result of
misdirecting people over the last 40 years is a staggering: 7 out 10
mid-career professionals say they are in a career that doesn't fit.
Today, highly specialized aptitude tests can measure about 15 different
inborn human abilities. What are aptitudes? Think of an aptitude as one tool
in your mental tool belt. You are born with these tools; they are not acquired
through learned skill or practice. Your talents are Mother Nature's gift to
you, and will remain the same throughout your life. Depending on the situation
at hand, you'll pull out the aptitude (or combination of aptitudes) best able
to handle the job. If you are trying to solve a problem that requires aptitude
"tools" you don't have, your work will feel like an uphill climb. Your ability
to choose a career that fits you well will rely heavily on knowing your inborn
talent. Like your DNA, you have a unique profile of natural talents that play
a major role in shaping who you are.
Once you understand your inborn aptitudes (through talent testing), then
you can begin exploring work activities that engage your unique "mix" of
inborn abilities. Our research shows that many really bright people find
themselves burned out in their career because they are performing tasks that
mainly engage their weaker talents. For example, many mid-career clients will
say they were good at math and science in high school, so it seemed logical to
major in a physical science, engineering, or medicine. After being tested for
the aptitudes, they find that they are only natural at one or two of the
abilities required for their work, while missing several other essential
abilities and personality traits. For example, we've tested many engineers who
do not have a natural ability to mentally visualize in a 3-D spatial
orientation, yet they were able to do well in high school-level physics.
Likely, they were able to rely on other inborn reasoning aptitudes to solve
simple physical science problems. This is like using a pipe wrench to pound in
a nail if you don't have a hammer lying around; it works, but it's not the
most effective tool to use. As the problems got more spatially complex at the
college and professional level, these "non-spatial" students began to struggle
and lose interest in the field. The key to a well-fitted career is to choose a
field that requires you to perform tasks and activities that engage the
perfect combination of all your natural talents.
A neurologist, nude sculptor, computer architect, and global climatologist
all have something in common. What combination of abilities do each of these
professionals use everyday? To solve this riddle you'll have to go beyond the
career "title," and look at the "activities" performed by each. To draw on an
analogy, what are the common ingredients of a loaf of bread, bagel, doughnut,
and croissant? You got it, flour, water, salt, sugar, butter, etc. On the
surface, the neurologist and the computer architect look very different, just
as do the loaf of bread and the bagel. However, the ingredients that make up a
good tasting bagel are not that much different than those of a loaf of bread.
In the same way, inborn human aptitudes are the "ingredients" that combine
together into work activities or job "functions." Neurologists and computer
architects perform similar work functions everyday, they both work with
complex 3-D systems. Once you understand how your inborn abilities and
personality combine into functions, and how these functions fit the career
world, you'll have unlocked one of the key secrets to choosing a career that
makes you feel like a squirrel in a tree.
Before illustrating how talents combine, let's define two aptitude
continuums: Spatial & Non-spatial orientation, and Intuition & Sensing
perception. Many people are a mix of each of these pairs of opposites, so as
you read these descriptions note whether you are near either extreme of each
continuum or somewhere in the middle.
Spatial & Non-spatial Continuum
Spatial
Orientation: People natural at spatial visualization tend to play
with objects, things, and tools. This ability is common among very talented
architects, mechanical engineers, physicians, sculptors, technology
designers, and physicists. Three-dimensional (3-D) visualization is the
ability to see "all sides" of a physical object (including internal organs)
by "rotating" it in your mind's eye. About 50% of men and 25% of women
measure as more spatial.
Non-spatial
Orientation: On the other end of the continuum are non-spatial
people who tend to play with concepts, theories, and ideas. They have
difficulty visualizing in 3-D, therefore, thrive more naturally in
conceptual fields like psychology, business management, law, economics,
history, and language. About 50% of men and 75% of women measure as more
non-spatial.
Intuition & Sensing Continuum
Intuitive
Perception: Intuitive people understand the world through the
lens of metaphor, meaning, systemic connections, and possibilities.
Intuitives look at a grain of sand and "see" the universe. They prefer to
understand the whole forest, getting bored with the trees. The are poetic,
inventive, and spend a lot of time imagining how the world "could be" in the
long-term. Intuitives are often teased for being dreamers, idealistic, with
their head in the clouds. About 24% of the American population measure as
more Intuitive (N) in the Myers-Briggs typology.
Sensing
Perception: Sensate people understand the world the lens of their
five senses, paying attention to what is real, immediate, factual, and
practical. To sensors, a grain of sand is a grain of sand. They prefer to
play with "parts" of system, enjoying one tree at a time, rather than
contemplating the meaning of the whole forest. They are sensual, observant,
and tend to focus on what is doable in the short-term. Sensors are often
teased for being too traditional, practical, and unimaginative. About 76% of
the American population measure as more Sensing (S) in the Myers-Briggs
typology.
We can now illustrate four talent combinations by showing how these inborn
talents form specific work functions. If you don't fit perfectly into one of
these functional categories, then you are likely a combination of a two. To
keep this article at a reasonable length, I did not define the Feeling (F) and
Thinking (T) Myers-Brigg's components. You'll also notice that I clumped the
NF's with the NT's, and the SF's with the ST's, without making separate
categories. As well, the testing program measures many other aptitudes that
play into the mix of work functions that were not included in this example.
The following is a taste test of a small part of The Careerfinder Program, which also measures Tribal/Maestro™ frame of reference, Spatial/Non-spatial orientation,
Diagnostic Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Idea Flow™, Visualizing Possibilities, Visual Dexterity,
Associative Memory, Number Memory, Design Memory, Manual Speed & Accuracy,
and Extroversion & Introversion.
Also, see Part 1
of this column to investigate further how the following talent combinations
would mix with the Tribal and Maestro personality traits.
Spatial iNtuitive (NF
& NT) Functions: Holistic family doctors, impressionist art
sculptors, computer scientists, network designers, software systems
programmers, 3-D graphic artists, product designers, physicists,
paleontologists, and global warming scientists use spatial orientation with
intuition to perform the functions of designing innovative solutions and
solving complex 3-D systems problems. Their preference is to work with and
create whole new processes, technologies, techniques, models, and
perspectives in the 3-D realm. Einstein, Rodin, Thomas Edison, and Jim Clark
(of Netscape) are among this group. They have a gift for the functions of
inventing, pioneering new spatial possibilities, and are usually talented at
using "metaphor" to communicate complex topics. They imagine themselves as
pioneers and designers of 3-D objects, tools, art, science, and
technologies.
Non-spatial iNtuitive
(NF & NT) Functions: Sociologists, economists, venture
capitalists, politicians, organization development consultants, advertising
copywriters, editors, strategic planners, counselors, evolutionary
psychologists, social historians, poets, playwrights, and web content
writers use non-spatial orientation with intuition to perform the functions
of originating new ideas and solving complex conceptual problems. Their
functional preference is to work with and create new concepts, paradigms,
and theories in the social sciences, arts, humanities, and entrepreneurial
business realms. Carl Jung, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, and
Abraham Lincoln are among this group. They often have a gift for using
poetry and storytelling to communicate the complexities of the human
condition. They imagine themselves as researchers, artists, poets,
novelists, social scientists, entrepreneurs, trial lawyers, and public
policy makers.
Spatial Sensor (SF
& ST) Functions: Surgeons, dentists, nurses, furniture
craftsman, graphic artists, gardeners, hairstylists, make-up artists,
electronics engineers, IT network administrators, database administrators,
PC technicians, lab technicians, military commanders, gymnastic athletes,
dancers, and appliance repairmen use spatial orientation with sensing to
perform the functions of solving practical 3-D problems that usually require
immediate attention. Spatial sensors are masters at keen five-sensory
observation, especially out in the field or on the factory floor. Naturals
in the 3-D realm, they are best at performing functions of practical
application with tools, technologies, as well as visual arts like
photography and kinesthetic dance arts. Spatial sensors often enjoy hands-on
work, where the functions of tinkering, fixing, crafting, and operating
physical technologies, components, and systems. Experts at troubleshooting
mechanical systems. They are usually disinterested in abstraction, theory,
and would rather build or repair something useful that satisfies a
short-term real-world need.
Non-spatial Sensor
(SF & ST) Functions: Technical writers, accountants,
financial officers, help-desk managers, business information analysts,
Fortune 500 CEO's and general managers, quality & reliability experts,
and retail store managers use non-spatial orientation with sensing to
perform the functions of solving operational problems that usually require
immediate attention, and using common sense. Naturals at accomplishing goals
and executing plans, they are attuned to practical day-to-day functions of
operations, budgeting, organizing, and smooth running of organizations.
Non-spatial sensors often enjoy applying checks and balances to assure
quality and efficiency in the running of a consumer product businesses,
retail shops, or manufacturing plants. As with spatial sensors, they are
disinterested in abstraction, theory, and would rather execute and operate
programs, projects, and production-oriented business
operations.
The terms Tribal™, Maestro™, and Idea
Flow™ are Trademarks of Nicholas Lore and Rockport
Institute.
|
