32 Years of One Awesome Surprise

Thirty-Two Years ago today, I was standing in front of forty people at the beautiful Loew's Beach Hotel. I promised that each participant would transform their relationship toward work. We didn't ask for a podium, but there it was. Thank-you God. Now, I could hide my terror. From the shoulders up, I looked like someone who had been doing this work for years. But my knees and ankles betrayed I was a fraud, a disappointment, someone rich with potential and the ethics of Napoleon Hill. 

My friend and colleague Bob Maurer said that loving someone for their potential is a cruel game. I used to invest enormous energy in getting people to use our programs. Eventually, I came up with an effective short mantra:

"Pushed by the pain or pulled by vision."

A traumatic year had pushed me to that podium. A long relationship, the one I believed was my soulmate, ended so badly that my heart had shattered.

I had just endured the greatest career disappointment. For thirteen years, I worked in the staffing industry. Most of my time was as an executive. Musicians refer to a gig like that as "my day job." As for music, I gave my first concert when I was eight years old, studied piano performance at USC, and successfully made a painful transition from classical to jazz in my early 20s. I recall saying, "I will no longer perform dead people's music."

Eight months before standing at the Loew's Beach Hotel, a highly respected producer called me. He had just inherited a lot of money and wanted me to be their first artist. My friends in the staffing industry said I left so quickly; you could see the skid marks as I ran out the door.

I was already pulling together musicians, continuing my performances at two clubs, and happily working at my piano, writing arrangements, and keeping up those chops. Back then, my favorite spot in the world was before my concert grand with the lid open. Behind it was a wall of glass overlooking the ocean.

A day before everything changed, we had a heavy winter storm. The wind was blowing up monstrous chop and spray. I closed my eyes and played for about a half hour. When I finally opened my eyes, there was a scene I will never forget. Hundreds of Dolphins were headed south in a pack. They were jumping through the water and catching spray in the air.

Based on all that was going on outside, I felt like a spec of sand. Then, for the first time, I thought, "You have been telling God what you will do for a long time. But you have never asked what God wants you to do."

Two days later, I got another call from my producer's girlfriend. She was sobbing. Her words pulled the rug from under anyone who knew him. "Two days ago, Lyman walked to the bottom of the stairs, I was making breakfast in the kitchen, and he was late for a meeting. I looked up, and he said, 'I love you.' Then, he dropped dead from a heart attack."

I sank to the floor and didn't recall how long I had been there. But when I sat up, one of the most sobering thoughts came along for the ride. I knew nothing of value in how to have consistent and present-time happiness. Throughout my life, I fixated on working towards happiness in the future.

I've always believed the best way to find the truth is to ask great questions. So every morning, I walked down to the beach with a pen and a pad. For the next two months, I wrote my way into a solution. During that time, I realized that most of the standards many of us have about work are mediocre. And yet, this is where we spend most of our waking hours, develop self-esteem, and how we establish meaning throughout our lives. Yet, for 300 years, people told us to settle for predictability and survival.

The intent of that first program was straightforward:

• We redesign our work based on happiness, a unique definition for all of us.
• We identify and learn how to develop the life skills to succeed in whatever we choose to do for a living.
• We learn how to get the right people to help us.
• Most importantly, we learn how to change ourselves.

Thirty-two years ago tomorrow, 40 people walked out the Loew's Beach Hotel door. Some launched their first business, others reinvented their work to get more out of it, and many launched vastly different careers. Most importantly, almost everyone traded the need to fit in with the rewards of being themselves. My biggest surprise was despite having a very diverse group of people, what they observed in each other moved them to form an alumni group that continues to meet today.

A few years ago, my ex-boss and I had lunch. Her first words to me were, "What is it like for you to wake up every morning?"

I smiled and said, "You know, you were the one who taught me to start a conversation with a disarming question."

She leaned in, "I'm quite serious. Your business has helped over 50,000 people find their best possible lives. You've helped even more people by bringing your work to organizations. How does that feel?"

Tears flowed with each word.  

"It feels like redemption."

Workskunk

This year, we began a restructuring of our business model to assist everyone that wants or needs to change their work lives for the better.

Workskunk provides the resources to learn the most important skills for thriving in the new world of work. Our offerings include comprehensive programs for members to develop successful career campaigns and for organizations to develop surprisingly effective skills for talent acquisition and development. Even teenagers are welcome to use our services, so they steer around underemployment because the ideal job or career is waiting for them. 

We are the only human development with an original music score.

All memberships are free.

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www.workskunk.com

Inspired Work

Big news!

To support the growth of workskunk, the fee for the Inspired Work Program has been lowered from $800 to $100.

 Each program is virtual and includes live facilitators to ensure the best possible outcome.

Click below to reserve your spot for the next program:

We continue to offer customized services for individuals and organizations.workskunkTV

WorkskunkTV

Our new YouTube channel offers interviews with ground breaking innovations with careers, and insights in how to meet the needs of the new work.

workskunkTV features Tips of the Day, a Weekly New Briefing, and interviews with rock stars, business leaders, business authors, and more.

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