fail like you mean it
I’m sure you don’t struggle with this, but I look at innovators in technology, business, church planting, leadership, the arts, and many other fields and think one of two things: either…….
a) they make it look so easy, and here I am beating my head against the green walls of my office seeking just one halfway decent solution to one eighth of one problem – or -
b) I could totally do what they’re doing–why haven’t I received the opportunity?
As Dean Kamen charmingly and kindly reminds us in this short video from bigthink.com, both assumptions are incorrect. It’s not easy, and it’s not (usually) about being handed opportunities to shine—it’s almost always about hard work and failing a lot lot lot. Check it out.
work in progress
Lately I’ve had several discussions in which I found myself saying versions of what I don’t do:
Grant writing is a very specific niche and requires a lot of expertise to get dollars, so I would be more helpful in proofing your first or second draft.
The type of book you’re suggesting is equivalent in work and research to a master’s thesis and I can’t ghostwrite it for you; perhaps if you do the initial version I can edit it and make it better.
I can easily write SEO web copy but, trust me, it’s better for all of us if I don’t do the programming.
Also there was one conversation I thought but did not verbalize about my preference for getting a colonoscopy rather than working with a particular software company again.
The common theme—besides being asked to do things way above my experience level, which in its own way is kind of nice—is that after three years of freelancing (Latin for “do whatever pays the bills”) I have lost sight of my mission.
In broad terms, I help organizations doing good to do better—I work primarily with nonprofits because that’s where I have connections, and I typically provide organizational consulting, marketing ideas, copywriting, or project management to get it done.
And it’s successful because I usually can pay the bills. But that’s not good enough anymore; I need to think about other questions: What work is so fun I lose track of time? What ideas or causes mean the most to me? How do I want to spend 40-65 hours a week?
To kick things off I am rethinking what I’m best at. Here’s what I have so far:
• Finding great decorating ideas in magazines
• Leaving my house without an umbrella
• Buying used books
• Memorizing kind of lame Kelly Clarkson songs
• Updating my Facebook status
• Losing my keys
• Saving the environment by using a toaster oven to cook 75% of my food
• Feeling too lazy to flip the switch on the toaster and eating sherbet for dinner instead
• Walking in heels
• Planting begonias
This is why Stephen Covey makes so much money.
eighth track
Every person is a CD with recurring “tracks”—comments, opinions or rants they can always be counted on to share when a given topic comes up.
For instance, my mom’s blood starts boiling when the conversation turns to Bible college students (often preaching majors) who think studying literature or anything non-hermeneutical is a waste of time. And it’s a righteous anger, too, because who are these 21 year old kids who have so much life experience and wisdom that they don’t—at the least—need artistic works as sources for sermon illustrations? (Read this for more on that.)
Or there’s my wonderful dad who, two minutes into watching any rerun, even the Cosby Show episodes my brother and I have memorized, will say, “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen this one.” (Hey, there are worse things than regular happy surprises from new-to-you TV.)
And today yet another phone call with yet another leader pushed the button for my own recurring track: Politics and Personalities will always negatively fill the void created by a lack of Processes and Procedure.
Call it “P4,” and think about the organizational dysfunctions you’re involved in—have the leaders made thoughtful, intentional choices about where things are going and how everyone’s going to get there? Have they communicated them? Have they made consistent decisions based on them?
The IT department that never solves your problem but creates plenty of new ones—is a leader developing a help desk system and holding team members accountable?
The blistering friction between sales and marketing—has anyone defined “customer service” and delegated the authority for developing new strategies?
The hours lost forever to phone calls, emails and meetings just to put out fires or resolve misunderstandings among frustrated people—is someone creating a work flow and communication structure to keep the same scenario from playing out again?
It’s not always this simple, of course; there are many other factors (and people) contributing to conflicts. A few systems won’t fix everything, and a focus on policies over mission can backfire.
But we also veer off mission if our people have to navigate chaos or infighting to make progress. And I’ve seen it enough that “P4″ has earned a place on Jen Taylor’s greatest hits.
trust fun
My years in California prevented me from developing geographical snobbery, that condition in which you assume your city/county/state has the corner on all things progressive and everywhere else is a barren wasteland. It’s a hobby along that coast; one California megachurch pastor (CMCP) actually told me Willowcreek grew to its current ginormity because “there’s nothing else to do out there. What’s in Illinois, yaks?” Yep, buddy, their church is just way bigger than yours because Chicago’s boring.
So I anticipated my first-ever visit to Nebraska with an open mind. However, already today I have….
–been called “doll” by two different men, each my age or younger.
–driven 17 minutes on a country road without seeing another car (I clocked it).
–spent three hours in a building Mapquest doesn’t have a record of.
–held a meeting in which one of the other participants sat across from me and knit a sweater.
And I don’t want to be negative, but let’s just say that if CMCP’s theory had any merit, the churches out here would make Southeast look like a small group.
Fortunately I am here on a good mission. I work part-time for Financial Planning Ministry, an organization that creates living trusts which allow couples and individuals to plan their estates, choose medical conservators, and name guardians for minor children. Unlike wills, living trusts avoid probate completely and free thousands of those dollars for gifts to family and ministry. And unlike wills or trusts prepared by an attorney, FPM offers a living trust at no cost; we simply ask each family to consider a gift out of their estate—when they’ve passed away and won’t care!—to one of our sponsors. More than 50 Christian churches and parachurches sponsor FPM and make its ministry possible.
So Christian families practice good stewardship with their lifetime accumulation of assets, Christian ministries receive a portion of those funds, and FPM offers a valuable service free of charge. It’s a great business model and a great organization, one I’m even willing to brave Nebraska for. Cornhuskers, I’ll be here all week—holler if you want to learn more about living trusts, practice condescending nicknames, or teach me to knit.
tipping point
As of this week, I’ve been a full-time freelancer for two years. And although most days still find me scrambling to keep up with this total lifestyle change, I’ve achieved some measures of success: I pay all my bills, only occasionally carry on entire conversations with my cat, and receive requests from other aspiring freelancers to share tips for how they can do the same.
This last one surprises me; what suggestion could I make that isn’t totally obvious (“work hard”) or somewhat unique to my situation (“have a dad who’s the editor of a magazine, and then get a job writing for that magazine based on other people’s recommendations, but go through life with most people thinking you’re just a beneficiary of nepotism”)?
But after a conversation with my friend Tabitha this week, I realized there are pointers to pass along, and many apply to fields other than writing. So here’s my top ten. And if you need a good graphic designer, Tabitha’s your lady. Leave me a note and I’ll get you two in touch. (See #3.)
1. Learn to self-promote.
You are now your own marketing department, and no one will know how talented you are unless you tell them. Interestingly, more entrepreneurs than you’d think are also somewhat shy, and this can be difficult. But it doesn’t have to be obnoxious (and shouldn’t be). Work on your elevator speech—get comfortable sharing the scope of your work and skills in 15-30 seconds, and have a couple recent projects in mind to share anytime someone asks what you’re working on.
2. Talk to people.
This is related but different, because it could just as easily say “listen to people.” In other words, be friendly and build relationships with no expectation of a payday. Some of my most interesting jobs—doing voiceover work for a children’s musical, drafting the bio for a potential nominee to Obama’s Cabinet, ghostwriting portions of a textbook—have come from friendships that began outside work.
3. Pay it forward.
Or network. Or be nice. However you want to say it, you will get some of your jobs because your friends and colleagues recommend you. Keep the karma flowing by identifying the talented folks in your own circle who you’d work with yourself, and let others know about them too.
4. Get organized.
If you have any work at all, it’s likely going to mean multiple clients and multiple deadlines. Whether you’re a BlackBerry addict or you want everything written down on paper, find a method that works for you and use it. And don’t forget a filing system for receipts, check stubs, and mileage logs, because…..
5. Turbo Tax is your best friend.
Whether you’re full-time or part-time, self-employment = additional taxes. If you’re earning anything substantial you’ll want to pay those taxes in four quarterly payments throughout the year; the IRS aptly calls these “estimated” taxes because correctly guessing the right amount is truly a marketable skill in itself. TurboTax makes it easier, plus it finds every possible (legal) deduction associated with your home office, vehicle, and business expenses. Yes, it costs a little money—it’s worth every penny (and deductible next year, anyway).
6. Get a logo and a website.
Blogging platforms make this easier than ever, and your site doesn’t have to cost a mint (although it wouldn’t hurt if it looked like it did). Ask around—someone in your network knows a reasonably-priced web designer, and the conversations will give you more practice with non-annoying self-promotion.
7. Get business cards and don’t leave home without them.
Just trust me on this one.
8. Work on spec.
Give your work away occasionally if it seems like a wise investment. When trying to land a new job, offer to do a small portion at no charge. This also means no risk, because if the client is unsatisfied they’re out nothing but a few days or weeks. If they do like it, your combination of talent, self-confidence and concern for their business means you’ll likely get the job.
9. But don’t apologize for your fee.
Assuming you’ve done your homework in setting that fee, most professionals won’t blink. But if they do, remember three things: 1. Many of them have never figured out their own hourly rate. Even if they have, they’re coming to you because they can’t do this work themselves. 2. They often forget you have overhead (office rental, health insurance, those higher taxes) which must be covered. They don’t have to pay you benefits, but they have to pay you enough so that you can. 3. If they really can’t stomach it, they’re probably not a client you want, anyway. If you’re convinced I’m wrong, see #8.
10. Remember the Sabbath.
That may be a day, an afternoon, or a 24-hour time span, and it may vary from week to week. Whatever timeframe works for you, plan it and do it. I worked too many hours last year and I’ll probably work too many this year, but Sundays have become non-negotiable days of worship, friends, naps, movies, reading, and take-out. There will always be something urgent—learn to work hard, then walk away. Push yourself too hard and you’ll do worse than talk to a cat.
2.0
I’ve spent the afternoon working on a new blog post and finally finishing the last of the reformatting changes left over from the Blogger-to-WordPress transition. (Blogger is free for a reason.)
Between writer’s block on the new post and re-reading the old ones, it strikes me I’ve never asked you for topics or ideas. Occasionally someone will email and ask me to talk about something specific, but usually I’m writing out of my own experiences. That’s fine, but this blog is almost three years old and probably overdue for some reinvention.
So I welcome ideas: any recurring features you’d like to see or topics you wish we’d discuss? (I say “we” because some of the best stuff happens in the comments.) What posts do you find helpful (and not)? Why do you read, and what would keep you coming back?
I’ll have the latest all-about-me post up soon enough. In the meantime, tell me about you.
south bound
It’s probably not cool to mention that tomorrow I’m headed to Florida, because it is cool—no, it is gird-your-loins COLD—pretty much everywhere else today. But I am, and I’m super excited for a day at Disney, good seafood, and some warmer temps. I’ve had cold feet since October, and I don’t mean that metaphorically.
I’m just as excited to head to my fourth or fifth Christian Standard contributing editors meeting, which is the real reason for the trip. This meeting has become such a fixture in my Januaries that I honestly can’t remember whether this is year four or five. Either way, I hope it’s not the last. Many of the contributing editors have served on the team as long as I have, and catching up on each other’s personal journeys is as meaningful as the annual planning we do for CS.
We’ll be meeting Monday-Wednesday of next week, and as always we’d love your feedback about the magazine, the weekly online edition, the website, or all three. Leave a comment here or email me (buzz@standardpub.com). Meanwhile, I’m off to choose between pink and red toenail polish. I don’t care if it is only 65 in Florida this weekend—you better believe I’m wearing sandals.
going postal
Letters, we get letters…..Actually, I rarely receive any about my writing. I’m quite fine with this—although some affirmation would be nice now and then, people usually write only when they’re unhappy, so the absence of mail about my Buzz column usually indicates I’ve at least gotten my facts straight.
My recent “Share Dance” Buzz entry didn’t have any inaccuracies, but it did get me one note. (Actually, an email—no one writes letters anymore, even critics.) “Share Dance” talked about a homeless ministry in Pittsburgh and its recent “sock hop” which included 1950s-style music and dancing. (Yep, you know where this is going.) The theme also fit with the ministry’s purpose behind the event—to gather dozens of pairs of new socks for the men and women living on the city’s streets.
You can read the whole thing here. And below you can read the almost-as-short critique I received this week:
The article by Jennifer Taylor on SHARE DANCE page 13 of the December 3rd issue of Christian Standard was inappropriate, repulsive, and anti-scriptural. (I John 2:15).
I can’t imagine Sam Stone, Ed Hayden, or Burris Butler permitting such things in the Christian Standard.
Sincerely in Christ,
xxxxxx
Well. I could talk about 1 John’s admonition not to love the world or anything in it, and speculate about which worldly things—food? TV? really right-wing talk radio?—the critic loves a little too much. Or I could describe the difference between 1950s-style dancing and the get-a-room dancing in clubs today. Or I could question how one finds an outreach to homeless people inappropriate and repulsive.
But……..no. I’ll just mention one mistake by the note’s author—”Share Dance” actually appeared in the November 30 issue. Perhaps reading glasses are too worldly.
leading women
So far in my career, I’ve worked for half a dozen men, many of them hard-driving and lacking the warm fuzzy gene. In volunteer and freelance assignments I’ve worked with at least a dozen more. I’ve gotten along famously with all of them.
In that same time span, I’ve worked directly for one woman and alongside a couple others. These relationships are the only serious professional conflicts I’ve experienced.
Sometimes only a member of the group is permitted to generalize about its members or talk honestly about its failures, so I’ll share something a man would be tarred and feathered for saying—women in leadership do not play well together.
I’m not sure why. Does the salary disparity and glass ceiling still experienced by modern career women allow only the most politically-skilled or aggressive to find success—and then inevitably cause conflict when they start managing others?
Is it generational? I’m sure the women before me had more to prove than my friends and I do today. It could be threatening, infuriating, or both to see my generation climbing the ladder without quite as many male feet stomping us back down.
Or is it culturally learned behavior? For millennia women without muscle or means have been taught to find our power more covertly, from the relatively innocuous (“Honey, just let him think it was his idea”) to the more damaging (you remember Delilah, right?). Although the workplace’s job descriptions and more blatant power structure theoretically eliminate the need for such power games, do we still play them instinctively?
Or is it the mothering instinct? My experiences with women in leadership over me were positive as long as they could be framed as adult/child relationships, with these women teaching me or directing my work. When I wanted to relate as adult/adult—still respecting their authority, but with my own strengths and ideas—things took a turn for the worse.
Or maybe it’s just me—I am, after all, the constant among these situations, so perhaps the log in my own eye is divisiveness and insubordination. Except that no one else seems to think so, and a lot of other women I know—when pressed—will admit to having the same experiences.
In fact, when the guys are in another room, my girlfriends and I discuss these issues. In a way, we’re searching for answers to determine our own options. If only the pushy or manipulative woman can succeed in corporate America (or the corporate megachurch), that means we can either achieve our goals or like who we are. It seems an unnecessary choice.
There are wonderful women leading out there, too, several of whom I consider friends as well as colleagues. But it is interesting that my heartburn and headaches can all be traced back to women. Ladies, this is bad branding for all of us. Our mothers and grandmothers worked hard for appreciation and respect in the workplace. We can’t blow it now that we have some corner offices.
living dangerously
My friend Amanda uses the acronym “HALT” as a barometer for herself; becoming too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired signals a danger point, a condition she needs to address for her physical or emotional health.
Tonight I discovered my own danger point: resenting others for their free time. I had just booked tickets for yet another work-related trip, bringing my grand total for days home in November to eight. (And no, I am not saying which eight, in case you are a Nashville-area burglar. Then again, if you really want my DVD player from 2001, have at it.)
So, while pondering the exhausting month ahead of me, I drifted over to Facebook and noticed my new friend Anne’s status update: “Anne is so looking forward to a relaxing weekend, with rain!!” And I thought to myself, Anne has written a book, her blog gets way more hits than mine, yet she gets a relaxing weekend and I will spend it working. I want to sit on the couch in a blanket and listen to the rain. I want to go to the movies and then waste two hours at a bookstore. I want to spent an entire day NOT sitting at my computer.
For over a year now, I’ve lived by the freelancer’s credo: always say yes. Can you help me write a company newsletter? Sure. Can you help us redesign our website? Yep. Can you do the graphic design for my textbook? Absolutely. (Always say yes—even when you don’t have a clue—and figure it out later.)
I’ve accepted all these jobs and more because I have to make a living, and I’m really not complaining. I’m grateful for work and usually energized by the many different organizations I’m able to help. But tonight the danger alarm started buzzing, and I wondered if this really is living.
I think it’s time to say no to some things and trust that the clients really worth working for will understand, and possibly even ask again another time. It’s time to be more selective about my opportunities–which is actually a wonderful place to be. It’s time to set some boundaries, and during my eight days at home I’m going to get right on that.
Jennifer Taylor
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