All transformation processes, in nature as in society, require a protected space for change—the cocoon, the chrysalis, the womb, the make-believe space, the apprenticeship, or the internship. Making a career transition likewise requires psychological safety.[15] To come up with a creative solution for a next career, we have to be able to test unformed, even…

Read the rest of this entry

The term “communities of practice” was coined to describe a kind of social participation that is crucial for “learning to be.”[11 ]The argument is that learning any line of work is a social process in which we become active participants in the practices of a social community, constructing new identities in relation to this community…

Read the rest of this entry

Yale psychologist Daniel Levinson, whose book The Seasons of a Man’s Life explained the midlife crisis, emphasized the importance of guiding figures: people from whom the person in transition gets encouragement and learns new ways to live and work.[8 ]Guiding figures help us to endure the ambiguity of the in-between period by conferring blessings, believing…

Read the rest of this entry

For Mr. Smith, who is now a registered customer of Acme’s online brokerage, receipt of the product or service entails having access to Acme’s online self-service trading desk, as well as the firm’s branch offices and brokers who Mr. Smith can contact via Acme’s toll-free telephone number. Share and Enjoy:

Even before Harris started to look for work outside his firm, he began to shift his point of reference to a new peer group. His boss left for a start-up, followed by a highly regarded peer, Georgina. On the heels of her departure, he attended an alumni reunion event where he met others who had…

Read the rest of this entry