second career

Stephen Poole’s guest blog part 3 of 3 about his portfolio career

April 14, 2019 By // by Rachel Brushfield

This is a three-part guest blog by Stephen Poole for Energise, The Talent Liberation Company. This is part 3

Read part 1: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/stephen-pooles-guest-blog-part-1-of-3-about-his-portfolio-career/

Read part 2: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/stephen-pooles-guest-blog-part-2-of-3-about-his-portfolio-career/

Biog

Stephen Poole is a self-employed, award-winning values driven Project Management and Learning & Development professional delivering solutions with passion, drive and with a talent for bringing people together to build relationships. He uses a blend of empathy, creativity and customer focus to deliver results. He possesses a substantial delivery track record in the international trade and development, UK logistics, not for profit sectors and the UK Civil Service. He has delivered in complex, high profile and politically sensitive roles and programmes directly contributing to; London bidding for and winning the 2012 Olympics, the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium, Social Care Learning & Development operations and building capacity in Governments overseas. Engaging with ease and diplomacy with all stakeholders, the many roles undertaken have directly supported members of the public, Top Civil Servants, Cabinet Ministers, Senior Business representatives and Governments across the world. Committed to delivering sustainable outcomes, Stephen began building a portfolio career in the Summer of 2016.

Who or what helps you to manage your portfolio career?

Who? My supportive partner, who initially had concerns about the sudden loss of income certainty from a salary, but who has since seen me happier overall, whilst meeting my commitments.

What? For me, it is my values and the changes I have made to my own behaviour. Overcoming very entrenched fears around certainty, particularly financial, have been addressed by sufficiently planning ahead and trying to build reserves has enabled me not to get stressed, and to be proactive if I do become concerned. This has been a major influence in my ability to manage a portfolio of diverse activities. Today I could not imagine taking on a permanent role, it is just not who I am.

I do not take myself too seriously. I do not take the view that everything I do must be at a certain level or remuneration…. I am senior therefore everything I do should be senior (I used to hear that in the Civil Service..:‘Stephen it is not good value for money for you to be doing your own photocopying’. Note: when I left, we all did our own typing and photocopying!). At one point last year, I took part in a International Video Seminar working with a major international donor organisation and was leading a presentation and discussion on an aspect of UK Civil Service reform with a Government Minister and his team. Visible above my desk, shirt and tie. Unseen, under my desk, cycling shoes and shorts as I had to go straight out when the seminar was complete. Use all your talent I say!

How do you approach marketing your portfolio career?

I use LinkedIn and personal networking. A chance conversation can be a door opener, but they do need to know a bit about what you do now or have done – so powerful content can help keep that door open. I know that there is constantly room for improvement – this is my next target development area – changing my behaviour around this. Rachel also helps her clients to market themselves, so this is useful as part of what she gives as a coach.

What if any, is the personal brand used for your portfolio career?

Personal branding is an area I need to look into.

What advice would you give to someone considering a portfolio career?

If you feel something is wrong with your current career…it is. If you have an idea, or even better an opportunity waiting – go for it, but in a way that suits your circumstances and comfort zone. Don’t get me wrong, you will need to challenge your comfort zone, but not to the point where you set yourself up to fail.

The world of work is changing rapidly. Employers are thinking more creatively and using technology to resource their businesses… so opportunities are being created in place of more traditional employee or employer relationships, which are diminishing. For example, the food delivery business I work in manages the business operations, scheduling, communication and payroll through a telephone app.

Variety as they say is ‘the spice of life’!

What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?

1 Gradual transition – do something in addition to your paid employment.

2 If you do it – love what you do, do what you love – it will show.

3 Plan for the unexpected – even projects with certainty can move.

4 Allocate time in your week to plan for 3 and look for opportunities at 2.

5 Be flexible and open to exploring your ideas.

More

View Stephen Poole’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stpoole/

Contact Rachel Brushfield for a no-obligation chat about creating, marketing and managing your portfolio career: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Thanks alot to Stephen Poole for making the time to share his portfolio career.

Stephen Poole’s guest blog part 1 of 3 about his portfolio career

April 3, 2019 By // by Rachel Brushfield

This is a three-part guest blog by Stephen Poole for Energise, The Talent Liberation Company. This is part 1.

Mini biog

What are the components of your portfolio career e.g. study, paid freelance work, part time job, volunteering etc.?

I am a consultant, get paid to cycle and spend lots of time outdoors. I specialise in Learning & Development working with overseas administrations to share my experience, insights and the lessons I learnt during a successful 22+ year Civil Service career at the very centre of the UK Government. I have a passion for cycling and food – so became a food delivery cyclist courier, and most recently a temporary Postman. Given the flexibility this gives me, I have also volunteered with a service run by my old employer that supports people with mental health challenges through gardening. The latter two activities subsidise the first which is my primary passion. I am now researching interim opportunities in a range of sectors that fit my values.

How did your portfolio career come about?

After I left the Civil Service in 2011, I took some time out after a 22 year career in which I had become deeply institutionalised. I was determined to do something different, but to be who I really was in my future life and work – I looked at trades, cookery and lots of things I felt I would enjoy. Nothing really ‘grabbed me’, but at least I can now plaster a square or rectangular wall or ceiling and prepare a whole fish for cooking! So I decided to invest time to look really hard at myself and undertook some coaching, working with Rachel Brushfield. I gained some valuable insights about being values led – the most important of which are helping people, being independent / entrepreneurial and having the need for adventure. The insights, gained via coaching, have a become a guide in my choices, and today, 7 years on, I still refer to my notes and workbook.

In September 2012, I moved into something completely new, something I would never have considered – Learning and Development. I started a short contract with Royal Mail training postmen and women and then became Learning and Development Manager for an outstanding Mental Health Charity near my home in Bromley. In 2016 I was, by luck, given the opportunity to use those new skills to share my government experience by taking part in an International Development contract working with an overseas government. I loved it, so that was the beginning… It was clear after my first few days of working that I had significantly underestimated the value of my government insight and experience and being able to use it to help people. The experience was powerful enough to confirm the insights I had gained during my coaching with Energise in 2012. So I began my portfolio career by being in employment and managing my contract deliverables around that role.

What 5 tips can you share for people considering a portfolio career?

1 Gradual transition – do something in addition to your paid employment.

2 If you do it – love what you do, do what you love – it will show.

3 Plan for the unexpected – even projects with certainty can move.

4 Allocate time in your week to plan for 3 and look for opportunities at 2.

5 Be flexible and open to exploring your ideas.

More

View Stephen Poole’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stpoole/

Find out common times in a career when people choose a portfolio career: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/when/

Contact Rachel Brushfield for a no-obligation chat about creating, marketing and managing your portfolio career: https://www.inspiringportfoliocareers.com/portfolio/connect/

Portfolio careerist – Jonathan Green #1

March 12, 2015 By // by DigitalJenIPC

This is part 1 of a 2 part blog by one of our clients. Jonathan Green. We coached Jon to create his second career – a portfolio career. The rest of this blog is in Jon’s own words.

My current portfolio career

I am a musician, a writer, a speaker and I also work for a national faith based organisation on a part-time basis. When I met Rachel in 2007, I described myself as a “songwriter trapped in a church planter’s body” and the songwriter in me didn’t know how to escape! Even then, I instinctively knew that a portfolio career would allow my various “vocations” to dance together rather than constantly fight for position, but I was stuck; I didn’t know how to move forward and make that dream a reality. Eight years later and I am finding my groove and learning how to flow with a portfolio of meaningful work.

Before my portfolio career

Back in 2007 I was working 65 hours a week doing the thing I had felt called to do for such a long time. However, I had a problem, I had many things I wanted to do and I didn’t want to wait until this work was over to begin all of the other things! My job, the thing that paid out money and provided a house in Central London was developing fast – some might say too fast – and although it provided some space for music and writing, it was all connected to that role and the role was all consuming.

How coaching helps

Coaching provided me with the space to reflect and think, it gave me time to articulate things that I didn’t even think I was allowed to say, to want, to desire. Coaching gave voice to the writer in me and helped me to formulate a plan to break the songwriter out of prison. Rachel helped me to focus upon my deepest values and to see myself from many different perspectives – all of which were valid and needed to find an expression if I was ever to feel whole. For instance, one of my core skills is knowing how to start with a blank sheet of paper and create something meaningful which has the potential to change the world for good. I had confused that gift with church planting and severely restricted myself in the process. ‘Church planting’ means starting a church in a new community by the way! As I have worked with and understood that specific talent, I have realised that it works brilliantly far beyond just starting churches and this insight has served me well in recent years and made me more flexible, versatile, dynamic and responsive.

Career transition

18 months of coaching sessions helped me to set some firm boundaries which allowed me to scale back my paying job in order to write more and record and release my songs – this involved some conflict with my boss which coaching also helped me to navigate successfully. The money that I was going to spend on a PhD – the obvious “next step” for me, which would “open doors” – was shelved and I set up a recording studio in a spare bedroom instead. I submitted a song to a national song writing competition and ended up winning it, which led to the song being played on the radio.

Keep an eye out for part 2 of Jon’s story.

You can listen to lots of my music over at www.soundcloud.com/recreativemedia for free and you can buy my first Single – Rest in My Love from every online store and streaming service in the world! I live on Twitter @recre8ivemedia