Where do you work? And, how do you approach that space?
If you work from home, you should read this post you should read from Steven Pressfield.
Continue reading “A sacred space”
Tag: Work
Here’s an important question for sovereign professionals. Are you doing the important part or the hard part?
It may not be what you think:
Continue reading “Important versus hard – @ThisIsSeth”
Here’s a fascinating read. It’s an interview with Danny Goldberg, onetime manager of Nirvana, Bonnie Raitt, Belinda Carlisle, Steve Earle and others.
He talks about reputation and the differences in small business and big business experience. Also, of course, he talks about the complexity of the artist-manager relationship.
Continue reading “Greatest [music] managers: Danny Goldberg”
Yes, you can dream. You can devote hours to seeking hacks and work-arounds and short-cuts. You can refuse the call and distract yourself with the siren-call of the mundane: the lawn always needs cutting, there’s always more news to read, those books could be tidied and re-ordered.
But, in the end, there is no real escape.
The essential Nicholas Bate reminds us of the basics of Hard Work…
1. What you seek will take hard work.
2. There is no quick fix for health, publication nor financial security.
3. Hard work-once started-feels good.
4. …
Read the rest, here. Then get to work.
Photo by Jordan Whitfield on Unsplash
Harvard Business Review has charted research data from the ADP Research Institute on employee engagement around the world. It’s quite comprehensive and throws up a couple of interesting data points for fans (or sceptics) of non-traditional working models.
The overall finding is that around the world only 16% of workers are “fully engaged”, which seems surprisingly low.
However, those who work remotely are more engaged than their office-bound colleagues.
And, gig workers (i.e. sovereign professionals) on full-time projects are more engaged than traditional “permanent employees”.
The full analysis (with country and sector analyses) is on HBR.org, here.
Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash
The Sunday Times has a profile and short interview with social philosopher Charles Handy. At 87, he has a new book out.
Handy foresaw and defined the concept of a portfolio career. His Shamrock Organisation predicted the world of outsourcing, the gig economy and B2B freelancing in the manner of the sovereign professional.
Continue reading “Charles Handy – sage of sovereign professionals”
Creative services show the biggest growth in two reports on the freelance and independent sector in the US and UK.
In the UK, Simply Business reports a 31% year-on-year growth in the number of freelancers. They note that:
Continue reading “Creatives lead the way in freelance growth”the real growth in this space is being driven by a wave of emerging lifestyle and creative businesses. This suggests that more people are attempting to turn their hobbies and passions into businesses.
Execupundit’s Michael Wade on an eternal truth:
Continue reading “On spite, casual cruelty and kindnesses – @execupundit”No matter how small an act may be, if it is kind or cruel and needlessly done, there is a good chance that it will be remembered for many years.
Losing your job can be hard. For some, though, it’s the spur they need to start out on their own.
Here’s some interesting research from Harvard Business Review (Eliana Crosina of Babson College and Michael G. Pratt of the Carroll School of Management, Boston College). The researchers find that such job-seekers fall into two categories: Recreators and Repurposers:
Continue reading “Getting laid off. Starting again. @HarvardBiz”
Nicholas Bate is always worth a visit. His posts are pithy, grounding and insightful.
Here’s a selection from his recent Basics 7 series:
Get out of your Head, Saturday
Continue reading “Leave your shelter with Nicholas Bate”1. Cook: chop, slice, kneed
2. Clear: garage, study, garden
…
6. Sit outside: fresh coffee, a view, un-focused thoughts.