School is Work -- Introducing a Strategic Conversation Introducing Students or Children to the Idea that Tasks Performed in School are the Exact Tasks Performed in the World of Work

As I review this storyboard, I am reminded of the importance of this concept. Its relevance was important thirty years ago and it is important today. All learners need to know that the tasks they master in the learning process are also the tasks they will perform in the world of work. Students of all ages need to realize this -- from elementary school to graduate studies!

Why Strategic Conversations?

Recently I read the book by Chris Ertel and Lisa Kay Solomon titled, Moments of Impact (How to Design Strategic Conversations That Accelerate Change). As I read this book, I found myself introduced to the idea of "strategic conversations" as applied to corporations, small businesses, and nonprofits as a way towards organizational change. By reading this book, I realized that strategic conversations also apply to our lives, our families, and our friendships. We deserve to participate in these conversations with our loved ones and closest friends for these are the conversations that will enrich our lives and create a blueprint for lifework and family success.

Hopefully, the content of this blog will help its readers to explore new approaches that will bring to their lives -- meaning, value and purpose.

It is with gratitude that I thank and recognize Ken Hamilton for his contributions to my life. Ken's application of Earl Nightingale's definition of success in his H.O.P.E. work greatly contributed to the development of "LifeWork Imaging" and the process of career deciding.

Givers -- Takers -- Negotiators -- A Topic for Strategic Conversations

Recently, I read a book by Adam Grant titled Give and Take. In this book Grant takes a look at the behavior of people in terms of giving and taking, those who choose to negotiate giving and taking, and finaly takers who disguise themselves as givers. Giving and Taking would be a great subject for strategic conversations.

ISBN: 978-0-670-02655-5

Engagement -- Success -- Strategic Conversations

Mike Shannon contributed the article, 'Facilitating Good Strategic Conversation' by Chris Nichols, to the Game Change Knowledge Base. Nichols is a faculty member at the Ashridge Business School in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. By taking into account psychological approaches in the preparation for and during a strategic conversation, guides will create trust for open and honest communication.

Engage--The Secret to Strategy Success by Chris Nichols

Articles by Chris Nichols including Facilitating Good Strategic Conversations

Chris Nichols -- His Background and Specialties (Ashridge Business School, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Trust: The Essence of LifeWork and Strategic Conversations

This afternoon, Ken Hamilton dropped by our house before going to the Hallowell H.O.P.E. Group Meeting. Ken guided me through a brief discussion on the essence of this work I have called "Game Change: Create Your LifeWork through Strategic Conversations." As I described to Ken the process of strategic conversations, he looked at me and said, "Steve, you are talking about trust." Trust in that through these conversations no harm is done and that those who guide strategic conversations will honor the spirit and the worthy ideals of others joining in the conversation.

LifeWork -- Marketing -- Balance -- Worthy Ideals & Success -- Attitudes for Success

A Sample Career Development MindMap Template Created by ThinkBuzan, the Inventors of Mind Mapping

Scenario Planning -- A Strategic Conversation for Parents and their Children, Students, and Adults

In the book, Moments of Impact, the authors offer options for framing issues. One method is called "Scenario Planning." The authors, Ertel and Solomon, define scenario planning as "basically a future-simulation exercise."

"It asks a group to imagine operating with several different yet plausible future environments, and to experiment with possible strategic directions within each."

The scenario in this storyboard presents a discussion involving choosing from educational and training options and how these choices will impact future careers, avocations, and lifestyles.

Mindful Alertness -- An Excerpt from The Mentor's Spirit by Marsha Sinetar

The work of Marsha Sinetar has been inspirational for business and for individuals. Her classic, Do What You Want, The Money will Follow, is perhaps her most read book. 

In a later book titled The Mentor's Spirit, Sinetar provides "life lessons on leadership and the art of encouragement."



In this book, the author introduces the notion of mindful alertness. Following is a small excerpt from her book (p. 20).

"With Mindful Alertness, we'll observe . . .

• Whom we admire and why
• How Others succeed
• What it costs them to survive
• What we imagine their life says to us about our own next steps (and to take them, what we must improve or accept in ourselves."

Sinetar asks, "What happens to you at your spiritual best?"

I would ask . . .

What happens to you at your competitive best?
What happens to you at your reflective best?

To guide strategic conversations and the process of career deciding, the element of "Mindful Alertness" just might be one of the keys to success.

The Mentor's Spirit -- ISBN: 0-312-18630-4

The Sinetar Center

In Business Marketing is Everything -- What is Everything to Your Family

From Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson -- pages 193-194

ISBN: 9780-307-46374-6 

According to this book, "Marketing is Everything." The authors believe the following:

"Everytime you answer the telephone, you are marketing."

"You send an e-mail, it is marketing."

"Every word you write that goes to the Internet, you are marketing."

"Marketing is the sum of everything you do."

Are you the sum of everything you do?
Can this be considered a form of marketing?

Achieving Balance

As one self-invents one needs to consider how to balance vocation, avocation, and lifestyle. This balancing becomes more difficult if you decide to marry or have a significant other. Other aspects of self-invention involve your commitment to faith and your commitment to community. 

As Your "Self-Invent" and "Self-Define, You Create Your Brand!

"Career Deciding" is a process as is the process of self-invention. It is a matter of how the choices we make define who we are and how we are understood and perceived by others. As Catherine Kaputa points out in the title of her book, "You are a Brand!"

Will Your Brand lead you to Success? How do you define success? 

Here's a definition to think about -- "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal?" (Earl Nightingale)

What is your worthy LifeWork ideal?

Even at the age of nine, a young boy recognized his need to "Re-Invent" --- "Strategic Conversations sometimes are synonymous with "Inner Work"

Recently as we drove back from Florida we listened to the audio book, Ireland, a novel by Frank Delaney. Following you can read the brief description of this novel. The text was copied from text description of the novel on Amazon.com.

"In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle." (Description from Amazon.com)

As Ronan started this journey he took time for introspective. Ronan realized that his nature was a bit angry and frustrated as he engaged others in conversation. He realized that if he were to be successful in his quest to find the storyteller, he would have to change. He would need to be pleasant and a person to be enjoyed as he interacted with others. With this new insight, Ronan realized he had to change and so he did. 

Sometimes, it all about attitude and that you can change. We self-invent and when we realize that our initial invention need tuning up we change and we re-invent. 

LifeWork and Strategic Conversations are  all about this process we call "Self-Invention" and "Re-Invention."

A process that needs guidance and that ability to understand that changed is needed.

Ireland by Frank Delaney, a recommended read!

Supportive Literature: Content Support for LifeWork Imaging & Strategic Conversations

The years between 1988 and 1993 represent the time period when LifeWork Imaging was developed and presented at two national conferences. In 2008, Ken Hamilton and I presented at the Maine Career Development Conference. On June 6th, LifeWork Imaging will be rebranded with the powerful concept of strategic conversations. LifeWork Imaging's birth began with dream work associated with guided visualizations that were an integral part of HOPE Groups in 1988. LifeWork Imaging can be an empowering process for many as they self-invent or re-invent. 

As this blog develops followers will be introduced to activities or topics that will serve as the basis for strategic conversations, career and educational decision-making, relationship building, exploring balancing vocation, avocation, and lifestyle. health and family, leading a successful life. 

Questions can be e-mailed to Stephen Thompson!lifeworkgamechange@gmail.com

The resources listed below represent a selected bibliography.

Mindfulness by Ellen Langer -- ISBN: 0-201-52341-8
Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain -- ISBN: 1-880032-62-7
The Secret World of Drawings (healing through Art) By Gregg Furth -- ISBN: 0-938434-46-2
You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay -- ISBN: 1-56170-628-0
Your Mythic Journey  by Sam Keen & Anne Valley-Fox -- ISBN: 0-87477-543-4
The Reinvention of Work by Matthew Fox -- ISBN: 0-06-063062-0
Inner Work by Robert A. Johnson -- ISBN: 0-06-20431-2
The Mentor's Spirit by Marsha -- ISBN: 0-312-18630-4
The Laws of Success by Napoleon Hill -- ISBN: 978-1-58542-689-8
The Essence of Success from the Earl Nightingale Library 
ZEN and the Art of Making a Living by Laurence G. Boldt -- ISBN: 0-14-019469-x
The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge -- ISBN: 0-385-51725-4

Encore (Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life) -- ISBN: 978-1-58648-483-5

You are a Brand! by Catherine Kaputa -- ISBN: 978-185788-545-3
Give and Take by Adam Grant -- ISBN: 978-0-670-02655-5
Engage! by Brian Solis -- ISBN: 978-1-118-00376-3
Moments of Impact by Chris Ertel & Lisa Kay Solomon -- ISBN: 978-1-4516-9762-9
The Social Media Bible by Lon Safko -- ISBN: 978-1-118-26974-9

Discussion Points: Strategic Conversations Leading to a Success Mindset

HOPE and Strategic Conversations

In their book, Ertel and Solomon state -- "There are just three reasons to call a strategic conversation: Building Understanding, Shaping Choices, or Making Decisions." 

Guided HOPE Groups following a set of principles are structured to provide an open forum to explore life's issues. HOPE Groups begin with group members reading the HOPE Group Principles. Upon the completion of this reading, group members check in and if there is a new member, then each member introduces themselves to the new member. Their introductions include what brought them to HOPE. 

HOPE Groups help build understanding and shape choices. However, decisions are left to each group member. 

As I reflect upon my HOPE Group experience, my HOPE Group was a safe haven where I could share aspects of my life and do my inner work leading to attitudinal change and new understandings. The most important question asked, "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?" The rest of your life could be that day, next week, or years away. As I explored this question, the exploration was to create or re-create a life with meaning, value, and purpose.

HOPE's key question led me to the realization that our lives deserve Strategic Conversations. With loved ones, significant others, trusted friends, a HOPE Guide, or a counselor we need to take the time to design strategic conversations that will build self-understanding/increase self-knowledge, shape the choices that are critical to our happiness, and make those decisions that will make a difference.

As this work continues I will present the theoretical proposition of LifeWork Imaging, define the process of career deciding, and frame this work with strategies for success.

Foundations for Strategic Conversations for Success

Introducing LifeWork Imaging

Defining LifeWork

Most dictionary definitions of the word lifework state the definition as being "the complete or principal work, labor, or task of a lifetime."

The work of LifeWork Imaging purposely capitalizes the L and the W in LifeWork. In part to emphasize to the reader that one's life and one's work are of equal importance. LifeWork is the integration of the choices you have made in your life to live life and to live your life performing the tasks that bring meaning, value and purpose to your life. This work is done in a manner to achieve a balance in your personal life and your work life. 

Our LifeWork, our families, and our futures deserve to be framed through this process known  as "Strategic Conversations." We need to know the questions to ask ourselves and our loved ones.

Game Change: Strategic Conversations for Families, Careers, and Retirement

As this blog evolves, action statements will be created that will present the questions that will be model designs for strategic conversations for families, for career decisions, and for retirement.

Career Deciding -- Imagery -- Risk -- Life Style

"Career Deciding" is the often recursive process wherein individuals integrate the images of their lives and define the possibilities of work.

For best reading open these storyboards in a new window or under a new tab. Place your cursor over the storyboard, right click and select either open in new window or open in new tab.

The Action Themes of LifeWork Imaging

As individuals move through the early stages of LifeWork Imaging, they must acquire life skills that are captured by the concepts of hope, possibility thinking, visioning, and work as being "in-service to others." Through skillful thorugh application of these themes, individuals move through the developmental, yet at times, recursive stages of LifeWork Imaging."

The Theme of Hope -- "that memory you hold for your future"

Hope is the practical notion of "no matter how things turn our, they can make sense." Hope is not pie in the sky. Hope is fundamental to the human spirit and the dignity of all human beings. The notion of hope preceded by "I" is often the action verb of visioning and personal aspirations.

The Theme of Possibility Thinking

"Possibility Thinking" represents the frame through which we live our lives. Everyday presents opportunities for new possibilities. The frame which combats the overriding limiter of human potential is fear. Hope and possibility thinking allows individuals to create pathways for their futures. If we are to create and act on new possibilities, the we can not dwell in past problems nor can we be haunted by what may have been.

The Developmental Stages of LifeWork Imaging

Career Deciding is the often recursive process wherein individuals integrate the images of their lives and define the possibilities of work

The Four Cornerstones of Self-Invention