Anthony spadafore biography

Is it wise to change your career in today’s economy?

They are beginning to look for the rare bird, someone who’s a “natural” and has the sparkle in their eye and paying more attention to subtler signals, like whether you actually eat, sleep and drink the subject matter and have an innate knack for the work.

In the most innovative, creative workplaces, CEOs are saying that formal education and fancy credentials are taking a back seat to natural talent.

From San Francisco’s cable cars to New York’s subways, you can practically hear the chorus: “There has to be more than this.” American workers, en masse, are reevaluating their lives, their jobs, and their employers.

» Successful & Miserable

Rethinking the Definition of Career

People that excel at what they do, and make it look easy, think very differently about what a career is.

Although based in New York, he traveled to Europe and Latin America regularly. Why? “When I joined the bank, I was put through an international management training program with many bright people who had graduated from top business schools,” he says. It depends on how mismatched you are. Roll all of those characteristics together, translate them into corporate parlance, and what you have is increased productivity. 

Yet, cynics will tell you that there are limits to what companies can do for their employees.

Now, between ski trips, he is searching for work that is more satisfying internally. 

Is That All There Is?

Blackwell is not alone. Few Americans have been conditioned to think of work as something that should be meaningful. “Today, people want jobs that matter,” says John Challenger, executive vice president of Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, an international out placement company based in Chicago.

The current paradigm of prestigious credentials as a signal of your value is fading into history. Challenger, who has been in the business for 34 years, says he has never heard so many people talk about finding meaning in their work. 

Why should training and human resource professionals be concerned with this soul-searching trend?

“Sitting in the classroom, you could see the bright lights burning behind their eyes. After all, businesses exist to make profits, not to make sure that employees are fulfilled. Few college courses–or high school classes, for that matter—emphasize the importance of doing work that is satisfying.

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He joined the bank just out of business school and by combining his youth, education, and enthusiasm, he was able to rise quickly.