Steven Joiner

What's on your mind?

Feel free to jump ahead to the ‘Video Page’ if you’re getting tired of all this text. After all, reading about a speaking is kind of like looking at sheet music.

… and then there is the majestic moment when insight descends, perspective shifts, comprehension dawns, and, even after 20+ years of standing in front of groups, I get ‘the teacher tingles’. You know that feeling when the hair on your arms stands up and you’re kind of lightheaded and jazzed at the same time? That’s what I’m talking about… and that’s what I live for.

I lovelovelove seeing ‘the lightbulb go on’. It’s kind of a drug for me. A friend/colleague said to me, “I love how you still get nervous when you speak. It shows you still care.” Amen sista’.

How do I do this?

• Start with a Beginner’s Mind.
• Add one part critical thinking and 
• One part perspective shifting.
• Throw in a dash of immediately useful steps,
• Let it all swirl around in the brain (no need to shake or stir) until fully cooked (not half-baked).

When people see their current situation from a different, more informed angle plus have the space and tools to map out a course of conscious, intentional decision-making steps, they tend to arrive at a well-informed, more enlightened, more balanced place.

This page is in three parts: What I talk about now (as compellingly vague or vaguely compelling as possible), what I will be speaking about in the future, and what I spoke about in the past.  My hope is that all three perspectives give you the fullest possible picture.

Check out the ‘Video Page’ to see and hear snippets of my talks. Check out the ‘Who the hell is this guy?!?’ page to see who I am.

‘Start with the assumption that people, like all life, are creative and good at change.’

Margaret Wheatley

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The Ever-present Now

My favorite and, fortuitously, most popular recent topics are:

• “The 21st Century Worklife” Simply put (for once): The workplace is broken and we the workers suffer as a result.  We think of career, work, jobs, professions, etc. with old notions (what we call the Career Caretaker Model) that are breaking down before our eyes. So, instead of the traditional career topics–resumes, networking, interviewing, tracking “hot hiring markets”–this conversation starts from a more fundamental (and useful) place. The truth of the matter is that we have the power to shift our perceptions of workforce reality and that new perception leads to a more satisfying, holistic approach to life (what we call the Career Entrepreneur Model). We have a responsibility to change the face of work. Get involved!

• Talent Management in the 21st Century: I’m taking cliché language and giving it a makeover. After all, talent management tends down the ‘Road of R’s': recruit, reward, retain, retire. For me, talent management is about: 1) Engaging staff fully–their passions, interests, abilities, and desires, 2) Getting the most out of your time together (largely because they’re ‘all in’), and then 3) Opening lots of doors for them… either within your company or elsewhere. Retention of people? Ha! Retention of their best work? Much more realistic. Want loyalty? Give them a meaningful, engaging experience and you have a lifelong loyal adherent… no matter where they go off and work. Imagine a workplace where we cultivated talent without the traditional proprietary pissing matches that go on over talent. Imagine all the cool, competent people making real differences in the worklife and workplace as a result? Yeah, I’d love to see that too.

• Resistance Management: There is one really easy way to kill a good idea: think about all the reasons it won’t work. Remember when you were a kid and anything was possible? Remember when you would make statements like, “I’m really good at…”, “I’m really smart/strong/fast”, and/or “I’m going to be an archeologist fighter-pilot with a PhD and a black belt who used to play football for the Air Force Academy” (yeah, that was me)? Resistance comes in many forms but it starts in the mind. We have a society that encourages deficiency thinking, doubting, and pessimism. We have a society telling us we’re never worried and afraid enough (“Tonight on the evening news: 6 ways you can die in your sleep followed by a report on how you might never see your children again!”). There is plenty to worry about, plenty to doubt, plenty to resistance. Funny thing though is there is plenty more to embrace… if you have a different perspective.

• Community Impact and Intentional Engagement: People often come to me and ask for resources to help them find that ‘dream’ job, that ‘meaningful’ volunteer opportunity ‘where I really fit it’, and/or that ‘place where they can make a difference’. People come looking for the magic career bullet. They’re looking for that hidden resource list to which no one else is privy. Whenever I encounter this perspective (which is often), I tell folks, ‘There is actually a magic bullet and that magic bullet is to take responsibility for your trajectory, to stop relying on others to tell you what you’re looking for, and to approach the world from a perspective of intentionality, integrity, and focus. Who wants in?’

Bottom line: we can change our attitude and by changing our attitude, we change our perspective which leads to all sorts of new insight. To quote Maya Angelou: “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

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Feedback

Here is what folks are saying:

“Steve was very engaging, his enthusiasm was infectious.”

“For a young kid he is pretty wise.”

“What a wonderful program tonight.  The speaker is wonderfully forward thinking, and helped bring my thinking about ‘designing my own job’ into a clearer focus.  He is a talented presenter with a great sense of humor and clear, critical thinking.  I wouldn’t have missed it.”

“Steven’s talk was great.  Just what I needed to hear!  He is full of great ideas and I thought his talk had something for everyone.”

“The talk today was exactly what I needed to pull myself out my panic about finding a job. I’m energized now to work on ‘developing’ a job that speaks to my passion.”

“I needed the confirmation that I’m not just deluding myself about being on the right path. Thanks for bringing Steven at just the right time!”

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Coming Soon

Upcoming speaking engagements include:

The Art of the Belly (Hyogo Business and Cultural Center, Seattle, WA. October 29th, 2011). Click here for more)

Personal Talent Management for the 21st Century Worklife (Pacific Northwest JET Alumni Association Transitions, Northwest University, October 29th, 2011)

The workplace is broken and, while professionals are suffering as a result, we’re also partly responsible. Too often we think of careers, jobs, and professions with an antiquated, 20th century perspective. Instead of the outdated career topics like resumes, networking, interviewing, and tracking “hot hiring markets”, let’s start from a more useful place.

The truth of the matter is that we have the power to shift how we think, to change our perceptions of the workplace, and, as a result, to be more fully engaged rather than cogs in someone else’s machine. It is our responsibility to ourselves and our 21st Century Worklife colleagues to change the face of work and demand a workplace where we can fully invest our talents and passion. But we can only succeed if we all get involved.

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Featured Presentations:

Personal Talent Management for the 21st Century Worklife (Harvard University, October 18th, 2011)

The workplace is broken and, while professionals are suffering as a result, we’re also partly responsible.

Too often we think of careers, jobs, and professions with an antiquated, 20th century perspective (the Career Caretaker Model). So, instead of the outdated career topics like resumes, networking, interviewing, and tracking “hot hiring markets”, let’s start from a more useful place.

The truth of the matter is that we have the power to shift our perceptions of workforce reality, to embrace our potential as Mobile Talent Mavens, and to create a satisfying, holistic worklife (the Career Entrepreneur Model) in which we’re all fully engaged because we’re more than cogs in someone else’s machine.

It is our responsibility to ourselves and our 21st Century Worklife colleagues to change the face of work and demand a workplace where we can fully invest our talents and passion. But we can only succeed if we all get involved.

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Reclaiming Work: Realizing Your Potential and Finding Peace of Mind (NYC, April 16-17, 2011)

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn a whole new creative way of thinking and to gain the set of tools now necessary to find and keep the career and worklife that you want.

If you’re on a budget, this is a particularly great way to get rolling and join the growing national movement of empowered and intentional individuals who are ready to shape the future of work.

Move from feeling overworked, underpaid, anxious, and underutilized in the rat-race job market to having a practical, personalized roadmap whether you’re:

• Looking for new work
• Hoping to get more out of your current job, and/or
• Seeking to begin a new project or business, but not sure how to start

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“Succeeding in the New Career Paradigm” (Marylhurst university, Career Development Workshop, March 1, 2011)

Steve Joiner—co-founder of 21st Century Worklife, an organization dedicated to helping individuals reclaim their power, potential and peace of mind at work— will lead a career development workshop at Marylhurst university about the new concept of being a career entrepreneur. He will discuss how the workplace is moving away from the career-caretaker model of giving time and talent to an employer in exchange for the security of health insurance and a paycheck. Joiner will explore a new paradigm where professionals manage their talents, control their careers and create opportunities that keep them excited.

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From Good Intention to Action, From Action to Career: Exploring Social-Impact Opportunities (Columbia University, Alumni Career Development Seminar Series, July 20th, 2o10)

As more and more professionals are looking for way to align their passions with their careers, paid social-impact opportunities are becoming more and more competitive. To make applications more appealing to employers, this seminar takes a holistic view of the career search by helping participants to see themselves–and their career path–in a more complex and complete way. Attendees are introduced to several self-assessment tools that will help them both to see their career search as a part of their complete person as well as to articulate their experiences, skills, values, and priorities in a compelling way. Participants will also explore the “nuts and bolts” of the nonprofit world in order to gain a larger view of this vital social-impact sector. Finally, attendees will explore ways to create intentional opportunities with organizations by exploring the synergy between their self and sector understanding.

Back Then

Here are titles (heavy on the word ‘connect’) and, when available, blurbs from past presentations.

Recreating the Second Half: Intentional Volunteerism and Re-Careering (Portland State University Alumni “Boomer Series”, May 14th & 21st, 2011)

The 21st Century workplace is one that has moved away from the career caretaker model—where you give your time and talent to an employer in exchange for the security of health insurance and a paycheck—to a career entrepreneur and mobile talent model where we have to manage our own career trajectory and traditional workplace security.

This session will cover the steps involved in managing personal and professional talent, transitioning into encore careers, intentional volunteerism (with an eye toward employment), and being able to make a substantive community impact throughout the process.

‘Engage! Community Involvement with an Impact!’ (Portland Community College, May/June 2011)

How can you make real, transformative change in your community? How can you create opportunities that allow you the greatest possible positive impact? Join this 4-week class to learn how to create intentional opportunities, generate more skill-based volunteerism possibilities, and effectively network with other like-minded, passionate individuals. We will explore civic engagement through multiple lenses– nonprofit, public, and private sector opportunities; individual to large organizational opportunities; and issue-area engagement (environment, education, healthcare).

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Volunteer Management Institute (Nonprofit Connect, Kansas City, MO, April 27-29, 2011)

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a nonprofit and the successful management of those volunteers is often the difference between effectively serving your mission and simply getting by with the limited fiscal and human resources under which many charities operate.

Do you currently manage volunteers in or out of your workplace? Are you interested in becoming an even better volunteer manager? Are you a seasoned volunteer-management professional looking for a refresher and some new tools? Or new to the field and looking to discover effective practices to help your volunteers best contribute to your mission?

If you are a manager or leader of volunteers, then Nonprofit Connect’s three-day intensive Volunteer Management Institute (VMI) is the training for you.  Discover new tools and strategies, brush up on your skills, network with other Kansas City area volunteer managers, and connect with local leaders in the field.

The VMI will address the following key issues:

21st Century Talent Management (Nonprofit Connect, Kansas City, MO May 3rd, 2011)

Reconnecting Your Worklife Power and Potential (Beyond Boomer Blast 2010, St. Louis, MO, October 5th, 2010)

For decades, you were told that if you work hard enough and long enough, pay your dues, follow the rules, and give yourself over to a Career Caretaker—your organization, company, or some other entity—your reward will be a good salary, job security, upward mobility, and endless golfing during retirement. Today, this is a Faustian Bargain; your ‘security’ is now a line item to cut from the budget.

In order to successful navigate today’s worklife, professionals need to practice Self-Leadership, get to know their ‘Calling Card’, and reclaim their job security and potential be reconnecting with their Professional Power. This session will provide tips and tools to unite passion, purpose and paycheck.

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Work and Encore Careers (Steven Joiner and Judy Goggin (VP Civic Ventures), Western Regional Fellowship Training: Transforming Life After 50, Portland, OR September 15-17, 2010)

The IMLS Western Regional Fellowship: Transforming Life After 50 (TLA50) has been created as a collaborative effort of the California State Library, Idaho Commission for Libraries, Oregon State Library, and Washington State Library in partnership with the Pacific Library Partnership. The year-long Fellowship provides a continuing education scholarship for public library staff and library professionals to advance their library and information science skills related to improving services to and engagement with active, older adults.

The Fellowship will focus on three primary areas: (1) concepts and research underlying new approaches to working with midlife adults; (2) promising practices in public library services; and (3) leadership skills in community librarianship, including partnership development, assessment strategies, outreach and facilitation, and the uses of new social media.

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Aligning Passion and Purpose in the Next Chapter of Life (Next Chapter KC and KCK Community College, July 29 and August 5, 2010)

“Aligning Passion and Purpose in the Next Chapter of Life” will provide an opportunity for you to look back, look around, and look ahead as you determine your life’s next chapter. You will have the opportunity to explore, evaluate, and experience the thinking and tools that will assist you in achieving a productive and satisfying transition.

1. The Third Age Perspective (What does life look like in the “Encore Chapter”?)
2. Looking Inward: A chance for meaningful self-discovery (Know yourself to know where you’re going)
3. Visioning and exploring possibilities (Resources, tools, and tips to find the opportunities that are right for you)
4. Making choices and implementing goals

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The Holistic Professional (The Center for Spirit At Work’s Career Transition Support Group June 28th, 2010)

Click HERE to see a video of this presentation.

Read more about the Pecha Kucha movement here or, if you want the short version: PK is a forum for thinkers to present their ideas. The rules are simple: you have 20 slides that advance at a rate of one every 20 seconds (no stopping, pausing, speeding up, or slowing down). This means that every presentation is exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds long.

I am going to (finally!) present on the book I am writing entitled “The Art of the Belly: Navigating Culture at the Gut Level”. It is a book about using the cultural metaphor of sumo to understand Japan with the overarching notion that cultural engagement usually happens at the “gut level”.

Professionals today juggle a host of obligations and responsibilities. Many professionals make career decisions as though their work exists in a vacuum while others make career choices in order to alleviate pressure in other areas of their life. Addend this session to gain tips and tools that will help you create that holistic professional whose passion, purpose and paycheck are united. Topics include: the differences between a job hunter and a job developer, exploring continuums vs. polarized thinking, learning about the brain and new ways of thinking, and avoiding common career pitfalls.

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Career Services Online Conference: Operation Social Impact: Presented by InternBridge and Idealist.org March 9th, 2010 (Everything Career Services Professionals Need To Know About Government, Nonprofit, and Green Career Counseling) Passion, Purpose, Paycheck: Helping Sector Switchers Connect to Social Impact Work (Christina Gilyutin, Bright Green Talent, Monisha Kapila, ProInspire, and Steven Joiner, Workforce Consultant)

More and more working professionals want to find work that has a positive social impact. This webinar provides a roadmap for helping working professionals anywhere along the career continuum–from recent college grads to mid-career to experienced “encore” professionals looking for second (or third) careers–to help them navigate the process of finding work with meaning. We first explore “personal and professional mission” self-assessment tools and ways for professionals to revitalize (or recreate) their social-impact networks. We then connect these findings with the realities of the social sector: from hiring practices to the fiscal and human resource constraints facing many organizations. Finally, we discuss how students and alumni can prepare a career path that will enable them to move into a mission driven organization at a later stage. We also discuss ways that social-impact organizations can create a workplace that honors and best utilizes the range of skills and experiences these “sector switchers” have to offer.

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“Aligning Passion and Purpose in the Next Chapter of Life” Presentations for Unified Government Employees of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, March 8th and 19th, 2010

This will be a free informational session for persons retiring in the next 5-10  years. Offered by Next Chapter Kansas City for employees of the Unified Government, it will provide an introduction to thinking and tools to assist you in achieving a productive and satisfying transition to the next chapter of your life.

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Boomer Blast 2010: March 13th Metropolitan Community College Longview Campus

Nuts & Bolts of the Social Impact Sector

Explore the diverse range of opportunities available to you from nonprofits to government agencies to socially-minded businesses—the possibilities are endless to get your foot in the door.

The Holistic Professional

Professionals today juggle a host of obligations and responsibilities. Many professionals make career decisions as though their work exists in a vacuum while others make career choices in order to alleviate pressure in other areas of their life. Gain tips and tools that will help you create that holistic professional whose passion, purpose and paycheck are united.

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The Blending of Avocation and Vocation: Connecting Good Intention to Action (Drake Beam Morin, Inc. Portland, OR 2009)

The Nuts and Bolts of the Nonprofit Sector: Saying “I want to make a difference!” isn’t enough (Reed College, Portland, OR 2009)

Create Your Next Nonprofit Opportunity (Oregon Civic Engagement Conference, Salem, OR 2009)

Creative volunteers and professionals need to do more than search for opportunities available right now. Instead, they should identify needs they can address and create opportunities to engage. This workshop provides steps to creating intentional opportunities for individuals while also helping ready organizations for when these individuals come calling.

Work with Meaning: Finding a career in today’s nonprofit world and beyond

Better understand possible nonprofit opportunities, how to frame your search, and how to identify career paths that are a great fit for you in the vast scope of the nonprofit sector. After all, knowing what you’re looking for at the outset will help you lead a more efficient and effective job search. Presented at:

• Center on Education and Work Conference. Madison, WI 2008
• Oregon Liberal Arts Placement Consortium Conference Opening Address 2008
• Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 2009
• University of California Los Angeles/Idealist.org Career Fair Los Angeles, CA 2009
• Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR 2009

Connecting Intention to Action. Connecting Action to Career.

This workshop takes a holistic view of the career search by helping participants to see themselves–and their career path–in a more complex and complete way. Attendees are introduced to several self-assessment tools that will help them not only see their career search as a part of their complete person but also to be able to articulate their experiences, skills, values, and priorities in a compelling way. Participants will also explore the “nuts and bolts” of the nonprofit sector in order to gain a larger view of the sector. Finally, attendees will explore ways to create intentional opportunities with organizations by exploring the synergy between their self and sector understanding.

• Oregon State University Nonprofit Career Fair, Corvallis, OR 2008 and 2009
• Portland State University, Portland, OR 2007-2009
• Seattle University 2007-2009
• University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Service Minneapolis, MN 2009
• Roosevelt College, Chicago, IL 2009
• National Career Development Association Annual Conference, St. Louis, MO 2009

Valuable Resources at Your Fingertips. Welcome to Idealist.org (Financial Stewardship Resources Nonprofit Board Training Conference, Corvallis, OR 2009)

Office Politics in the Multi-Generational Workplace (Multnomah County Library Speakers Series, Portland, OR 2008)

We now have four generations under the same roof for the first time in workplace history. Each has different perspectives, communication styles and expectations adding spice to old adages about office politics.

Preparing Organizations and Older Individuals for Nonprofit Career Opportunities (American Society on Aging Annual Conference 2008, Washington D.C.)

This discussion will provide an overview of research into nonprofit organizational best practices, a discussion of policy changes that need to occur at multiple levels of nonprofit work (including organizational structure and funding issues), and practical tips for older adults to successfully transition into meaningful nonprofit work.

Benefits and Learning Objectives: Participants will:  1. Understand the gap between much of the nonprofit sector and those nonprofit organizations that are successfully engaging older workers. 2. Discuss policy changes that need to occur at multiple levels of involvement, including in nonprofit organizational structure and funding policies. 3. Explore practical methods for helping older adults successfully enter the nonprofit sector.

Bridgers and Encore Careerists: What They Bring to the Table, and What Are Their Needs and Aspirations? (Simulcast Presentation for the Facing Change Retreat: A Future Planning Retreat for Nonprofit Executive Directors, University of Connecticut, 2008).

Together with David Simms of Bridgespan and Phyllis Segal of Civic Ventures (all speaking via a simulcast internet link), we spoke to 26 Connecticut nonprofit leaders about the emerging “Encore Career” trend in the workforce with an emphasis on the data showing that the majority of boomers in transition are looking for work with meaning in the second half of life.

How to Create Intentional Relationships Between Encore Adults and Bay-Area Nonprofits (Stanford University 2008)

Connecting the Entertaiment/Performing Arts Community with the Nonprofit Sector (The Actors Fund/Career Transitions for Dancers, Los Angeles, CA 2008)

Connecting Good Intentions with Action: Making your next transition meaningful(Japan Exchange and Teaching Program Returning Participant Conference, Seattle, WA 2008)

Connecting Mid-Career Professionals with Meaningful Nonprofit  Careers (Catholic Network of Volunteer Services Annual Conference, Portland, OR 2008)

Creating Intentional Relationships between Sectoring Switchers and Los Angeles Area Nonprofits (University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 2008)

Idealist.org as a Resource and Research Tool (Special Presentation to The Conference Board Aging Workforce Workgroup, New York City, NY 2008)

Who will be the next generation of nonprofit leadership? (The National Career Development Association Annual Conference, Washington D.C. 2008)

Co-Creating the Future: Where Nonprofits and Encore Careers Converge (‘Lunch and Learn’ Leaders Series, Portland, OR 2007)