Good Works Show guest Mandy Williams, founder and executive director of Northern Star Independent Transitional Living, offers listeners a leadership tip for finding a job they love. “Follow your dreams,” she says. “If you are passionate about something, stick with it. Ask for help. Learn all you can.”
What if you know what you like, but aren’t sure of your passion? Here are some tips to pinpoint your dream job:

  1. Think  about who you admire. Professionals, family members, community leaders. What are they doing? Maybe you admire them because they are doing what you want to do. And, if their path doesn’t exactly align with your wants, you can at least look to them for advice on how they got to where they are.
  2. Evaluate what you spend your time on outside of work. What you do after the 9-5 is often the most important to you. Can you turn that into a job or career?
  3. Forget the money. Sure, paying the bills is important. Passion work, though, is about what you would do if money was no object. Try to leave the money part out of the initial search for the right path.
  4. Make a list of deal breakers. What don’t you want to do? What is a work environment that you couldn’t handle? Sometimes gauging what you don’t like will lead you to something you do.
  5. Do your research. Read biographies of established leaders and learn how they got to their position. Check out professional development books like What Color is Your Parachute? Peruse career and lifestyle websites like Levo League (www.levo.com) and Clarity on Fire (www.clarityonfire.com).

Catch this episode’s podcast to hear more from Mandy Williams.