Bring Your Whole Self to Work

Related to how to bring your whole self to work.

When It’s OK not to Talk About It

Haig Chahinian

Superstar race car driver Danica Patrick shuns talking about bringing her whole self to work. And we’re OK with that.

We know that many benefits come from learning about how our reference groups–meaning our gender, race, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and physical ability–influence the way we work. Sometimes, however, talking about these ideas can distract us from our primary job.

Patrick has many achievements, including  winning the 2008 Indy Japan 300, and placing 3rd in the 2009 Indianapolis 500. She’s making a successful go of NASCAR racing in addition to IndyCar.  And at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, she has raced faster, and finished higher, than any other woman.

Yet she seems uninterested in focusing on the feminist themes of her rise in the race car ranks. Or she may simply prefer to dedicate her energy to becoming a better racer, as her male compatriots do, although without the typical haranguing about how their gender impacts their sport. From her New Yorker profile:

When reporters asked Patrick if [her win] had made a point about women in racing, her answer suggested that the burden of history did not weigh heavily upon her. “I made a hell of a point for anybody, are you kidding me?” she said.

And then, in reference to steamy photos of her widely broadcast:

Patrick says, “It helped me get the ride. The bottom line is, it takes money to go racing. If there’s money there, and it puts me in a really good car, then I can go show what I can do.” Regarding the objectification of women, she said, “I think people say that it takes away from what I do, it takes away from the driving, because people see that side of things, and it kind of overpowers what I’m doing. So, yeah. I catch flak. And I totally don’t care.”

Her unwillingness to dialogue and accept the mantle for women pioneers is surprisingly refreshing. She would much rather talk about the races. “I had so much fun in a race car today,” she recently told the press. “I can’t wait to do it again.”

Sometimes it’s critical to explore how our reference groups and our internal life affect the work we do. That’s what this blog is all about. And then, sometimes, perhaps because many are already examining the dynamics of personal identity in the workplace, we all don’t have to talk about it ad infinitum. We can just get in our cars and race.

Have you been asked at work to talk about your race or gender, for example, and effectively been seduced away from your primary task? How did you deal with this?

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What Drives a Superhero to Work?

Haig Chahinian

Today is the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, so we’re thinking about superheroes like Dr. King himself.

Present-day superhero Nathan Wolfe is the director of the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative and a professor of biology at Stanford University. Big deal, so what?  He travels the globe on the lookout for viruses that could cause the next deadly pandemic. Imagine: he tasks himself with the super-heroic job of identifying and stopping the next (write-in your favorite sci-fi doomsday virus) outbreak. And the very real viral outbreak after that, and the one after that, too.

What drives someone to pursue this line of work? Yes, with the Department of Defense knocking at his door for help, and with partners that include google.org, the National Institutes of Health, and the Skoll Foundation, his paycheck is probably not too shabby. Yet financial reward is likely only secondary compensation for him. We expect that he’s driven primarily by the internal gratification that comes from immersing himself in a subject he finds totally fascinating. And maybe also from helping save the world from large-scale devastation.

What led him initially to this field? As an undergraduate, Wolfe became interested in the way animals use plants as medicine, just like humans do. Indeed his interest may have stemmed from his own self-medicating behavior as a cigarette smoker. Then in graduate school a mentor advised him that while this subject would make an engaging thesis, studying the infectious diseases of animals and becoming an expert in viruses would have a greater impact. Wolfe was sold, and “got completely hooked on viruses.”

For the record, when he considers the fundamental questions “Where do major diseases come from?” and “Why are some viruses so much more deadly than others?” his reply is “We have no answers for many of those questions.” As a preeminent expert, he’s open about what he doesn’t know, which reflects what’s not known, period.

What question(s) drive you to solve the problems you address in your work?

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Being Critical of a Company Can Get You Hired

Haig Chahinian

Harsh thoughts and negative feelings are among the aspects of our internal life that we often strive to hide at work. Yet Sean Ryan, formerly of News Corp, demonstrates that coming out with your true thoughts, however uncomfortable, can advance your career. For Ryan, being critical of Facebook may have helped him land a plum new role at the social networking giant.

Back in April, Ryan blogged about gaming platforms, writing:

I’d strongly recommend producing a great OpenSocial version of your game and trying to strike deals with a set of SNS not named Facebook – there are lots of them around the world with 10 million or more monthly unique users…

Which was published on the Web and became part of his online footprint. Scary, right? Not at all. His sentiments built upon his breadth of knowledge on the subject, and were grounded in careful analysis. He could thus stand proudly behind his articulate trashing of the social network.

We recall Sun Tzu’s words, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” The hiring managers at Facebook may be guided by this ancient wisdom.

So feel free to speak your thoughtful mind at work. A new job, or perhaps a promotion may be awaiting you.

Have you attracted someone by criticizing them? What ensued?

Tell Everything, Hide Nothing, Become Superstar

Haig Chahinian

Sometimes at work we obfuscate what we think and feel, to the extent that when we speak our point, it becomes nearly unrecognizable. Yet when we’re completely up front with ourselves about our work, we’re able to relate more directly with those around us. And the outcome can be truly transformational.

George Papandreou is a surprising example of saying what he means. Surprising, because he’s a politician!

In December 2009, the Prime Minister of Greece was in Brussels for his first meeting with European leaders. From the New York Times story:

[Prime Minister George Papandreaou] might have tried to play for time. Instead, he told them everything. Not only was the Greek deficit twice as high as previously reported, but his country’s finances were also a mess. Corruption was pervasive. Tax evasion, rampant.

“I said, listen, let’s not, you know, beat around the bush,” Mr. Papandreou recalled recently, sitting in his cavernous office at the Maximos mansion, his backpack at his feet, his Kindle on the coffee table. “This is a problem. I will tell you what my view is and what I am trying to do.”

Improbably, perhaps, his strategy worked. Within months, he had managed to secure the bailout he needed while still maintaining good relations with his fellow European leaders — quite a feat, many observers say.

The Prime Minister doesn’t present a candy-coated picture in order to look more favorable. He understands that he needs help, and to procure the assistance he desires, he chooses to be totally candid with his European peers. Which is necessarily a product of being honest with himself, first.

In showing his country’s vulnerabilities, he demonstrates personal confidence, which then yields his allies’ confidence in him. So brilliant.

Have you had a conversation with a peer in which you were up front about the problems you were facing? How did it go?

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Career Talk Live: Jennifer Vidbel Pt. 1

Haig Chahinian

We considered calling this post “Jennifer Vidbel Revealed,” yet we’re starting a new feature focusing on guests of our talk show “Career Talk Live,” and this is the kick-off. The irony of course is that she was one of our most revealing stars to date!

We’re quite proud of ourselves — following our visit to the circus, we reached out to the director of communications at the Big Apple Circus and asked if we could interview Vidbel on the show. His response was yes, and we taped two segments two nights ago.

Through the whole ordeal we laughed, and then we cried. During the taping we giggled at unexpected turns in Jenny’s story, and then we cried when we were dubbing the master tapes to DVD and realized we hadn’t eliminated the tone from the beginning of the second tape. So you can see and hear the interview, along with a deafening ringing from beginning to end. Boo! A transcript of the second show will follow soon.

What did we discuss on air? In the first show Vidbel talked about the elephant who lay on top of her during childhood circus performances; hiking up mountains and going to the beach with her entourage of horses, dogs and goats; and how to run away with the circus, natch. Plus plenty more — her candor was engaging and charming, and she was fearless in answering our prodding questions.

Catch the first segment when it airs Tuesday, January 4th at 6:00pm ET (GMT-5) at mnn.org on MNN2. Just press play.

Have you ever dreamed of joining the circus?

Photo of Vidbel via. Video footage of Big Apple Circus used with permission.

How to Be Overjoyed at Work

Haig Chahinian

Two weekends ago we went to the Big Apple Circus, which turned out to be a highly enjoyable spectacle. When they carted out the animals, something pretty special happened:  Jenny Vidbel, the animal trainer, appeared. She was fully in charge as she directed the performances of the dogs, ponies, horses and goats that pranced around the ring so delightfully. And we thought we were jaded New Yorkers!

Vidbel seemed overjoyed to be interacting with the furry beasts, smiling broadly and sometimes giggling. Once the formal program concluded, we had the rare opportunity to attend a meet-and-greet with the performers, and Vidbel was the star attraction.

She introduced her favorite horse, who bowed to the audience elegantly, and she talked about her work.  When the floor opened for questions, we jumped at the chance to inquire about the zeal she exudes in working with the animals.

“You seem overjoyed to be training these circus animals. How did you come into your work?” we asked.

Vidbel related how she’s a third-generation circus performer and animal trainer who grew up traveling with her grandparents and their animals on various circuses throughout the country. As she grew, so did her love of ponies. Over the years her herd has grown to twelve, including a beautiful Arabian stallion.

So the job was basically handed to her? Not so much.

A small reception followed the meet-and-greet, and we approached her to continue the thread about her career. She talked about how she wakes up thinking about the animals, and how her role in the Big Apple Circus doesn’t feel like a job. All her siblings, in fact, were introduced to circus animals at a tender age, yet she was the only one to feel an affinity to the animals.

We started thinking about the skills of the circus animal trainer. Among the characteristics of the successful trainer, we noted:

  • full presence in the moment, since she must be attuned to each one of the animals
  • relaxed demeanor, to facilitate improvised interactions with the furry creatures as needed
  • bundles of energy, for endurance in performing in front of large audiences.

It takes so much more, to be sure, and when you love what you’re doing, these requirements come naturally. In Vidbel’s case, it shows.

Video of Jennifer Vidbel in action, plus photo via

Come Out at Work: With Two Jobs

Haig Chahinian

The New York Times recently missed an opportunity to talk about bringing your whole self to work, as writer Michael R. Gordon wrote a piece about the work life of David Richardson, yet didn’t challenge the subject’s assertions that his two professions are mutually exclusive. Here’s the story.

Lt. Col. David Richardson in his own words is a “painter who fights.”  He’s an artist showing his colorful Expressionist paintings in a Georgetown gallery through the end of January, and in February he’ll be deployed to work with Afghan security forces. Unfortunately, he doesn’t view his disparate occupations–artist and Marine–as integrable, even though they’re both extensions of himself.

Directly from “Faithful to Two Worlds: The Marines and the Artistic Life”:

Colonel Richardson does acknowledge the considerable influence of his tours of duty in Asia on his painting. During a tour in South Korea, for example, he had small canvases made for him by a local carpenter, hauled them back to his studio on his bicycle, painted symbols on the individual squares and then clamped them together to form larger works, which comprise part of his “R Series” on display in Washington DC. The faint arrows, similar to the directional markings on a tactical map, are one of the rare carry-overs from his military world.

Interestingly, his mother is an artist who paints landscapes and flowers, and his father had been a Navy diver in World War II.

Now, the catalog for the show mentions his travels to Japan and Korea, but at his request never suggests that his military service took him there. As well, during the long lulls between patrols when he and his Marines were holed up with Iraqi troops in a dilapidated soap factory in Fallujah, he never hinted that he had a passion for art.

By his own account he has long led a double existence. “It’s been pretty compartmentalized,” he said about his two lives.”  “My father taught me to talk the talk. You don’t talk about art with the Marines, and you don’t talk about the Marines with artists.”

So it sure would be tidy to blame his father for limiting his worldview. Yet as an adult, he bears some responsibility to challenge what he’s been taught. At the same time, his gestalt smacks of the restrictions imposed by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Clearly, these two distinct areas of work are related — within Colonel Richardson. Yet it’s difficult for him to work openly as a Marine and a painter. While we acknowledge that the stress of war impacts each troops’ state of mind in complicated ways, we have a hypothesis that if Col. Richardson were to come out in both worlds, his openness and mindfulness would make him a better artist and a better Marine.

Do you lead two or more distinct professional lives? What are the challenges you face in integrating them?

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