Cartoons are great for your career – Photo credit: http://abcpartyideasforgirls.org
I watch a lot of cartoons, much more than I ever thought I would. Not because over time, my taste drastically changed and I evolved from Sex and the City to Doc Mcstuffins. I just happen to be a mom of toddlers.
Yet, have you ever wondered what cartoons had to do, if anything, with your career? In an era where work appears to be (and not so seamlessly so) integrated with our lives, what could seasoned professionals learn from a bunch of cartoon characters?
I believe all our experiences enrich us, and the different areas of our lives happen to all work together to make us who we are. And that also would happen to be who we take to work and expect all kinds of successful achievements from…So if we can enjoy Doc McStuffins, or sing along Frozen’s lyrics, why could we not leverage our cartoon acumen all the way into our careers:
1. Cartoons remind us it’s OK to dream…Actually, it’s recommended to dream, especially in our careers. It’s because work has lost its ability to make us aspire to bigger and better that we stop trying as hard. Or maybe because our aspirations have changed? Our baby boomer parents worked for their white picket fenced-homes, now under water. What is our generation of millenials dreaming of? Are we even dreaming any more?
2. The Impossible is really disguised Possibility…In the midst of all the career strategizing, professional path charting, planning and predicting, we often forget to make room for some good ol’ faith in the seemingly Impossible! We forget we CAN have the career of our dreams, we CAN look forward to work, and we CAN make a difference, yes, at work…
3. Good guys do finish first. Last but not least, I believe the most important career lesson of cartoons is just that. Good guys win! Even though it seems they’re destined to lose, they do end up winning, and saving a whole lot of people in the process. It wouldn’t be as much fun to watch the hypocritical financier, or the corrupt investment banker, win and screw everyone over, right? Well, then maybe we should keep those same values, good ol’ Integrity, Honesty and Hard Work as part of our corporate jungle too…
The Corporate Sis
