How I found my dream job
When I ran the successful recruitment business I headed up in Asia, I used to sit at my desk and dream of doing something different and working somewhere more fulfilling. Without much of an idea what my options were, my thoughts would naturally drift to non-for-profit work and I found myself spending my free time volunteering for organisations who were helping causes I believed in.
In retrospect, I realise that so many of those experiences have shaped who I am today and what I do for a living now (and will likely spend the rest of my life doing!). I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to travel the world and indulge my whims, so I thought I would share my reflections in the hope of inspiring others to go deep and explore your inner purpose.
The first of these steps found me through a US friend in Singapore back in 2013. He told me about an organisation that was being set up to help charitable organisations run more efficiently and wanted to marry leaders within the corporate sector with charity executive committees to share their knowledge and coach them to create more impact. It took a while to get off the ground but I believe it’s still running today. Being on their board helped show me how powerful it can be when passionate people pursue a single vision, fuelled by goodwill.
My next altruistic adventure was to volunteer to join an emergency “last mile” operation which was in response to the Typhoon Haiyan which had destroyed so much of the Philippines that the smaller towns and villages were getting NO aid from the international charities. I used my Christmas holidays to go over and help run 11 projects which were some of the most challenging days I’ve had in my life (including a NDE!). I came back humbled and hungry (no veggie food in the Philippines!). I raised £12k from my network of contacts which was donated to the project directly to rebuild schools and fishing boats in the villages to allow communities to eat and go to work/rebuild their homes whilst the kids were in school.
A friend ran a fundraiser for the next initiative - an orphanage in Cambodia was running an initiative to clean up their village and give their neighbours an alternative to burning their rubbish on the side of the roads, poisoning the air with carcinogenic fumes on a daily basis. Instead, they set up rubbish collection points and arranged pick up trucks to take it to the dump in Phnom Penh, in the hope of convincing the Cambodian government that this was something that people would adopt if they paid for it. Hearing this, I felt compelled to get involved and took a videographer friend over to create a film to help them publicise their work. Their generosity of spirit and seeing the kids get so involved in wanting to help the community truly touched my soul and I will never forget the time I spent with them. I wish I could have done more. Alas the project ended due to lack of funds and government support.
The next was a fundraising event we held as part of a corporate initiative to raise money for a charity called Elephant Family, whose conservation efforts were protecting Asian wildlife from being displaced by deforestation, development or tourism. You might have seen their painted elephants dotted around global cities - the Elephant Parade!
I think making a difference for animals who can’t ask for our help helped guide me to veganism and I’ve always loved elephants (fellow vegans!) whose hulking grace is quite something to behold up close IRL. I was lucky enough to visit a sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand (Elephant Nature Park) where they rescue elephants who are being used for logging or tourism, and meeting these gentle souls really touched my heart.
I had totally forgotten about this part of my journey in becoming a leader in the sustainability careers space and now I reflect on these memories, I realise what a big part they have played in shaping my sense of justice, generosity and humility. This last one is really a struggle for me as I have realised a weakness in my professional toolbox. I’m terrible at self promotion and find it really cringey to talk about why I’m great, (or even suggest it!) verbally or otherwise. I wonder, is this a British thing or a women thing? If anyone has any suggestions on how to address this without coming across arrogant, cocky or a show off, then I’m all ears!
Here are some ideas for ways you can start to move your career in a new direction:
Look at what is on your doorstep and get involved. Find where help is needed in areas where you can bring some expertise, funds, network or knowledge to the table. Getting involved will boost your confidence, open your eyes to how others see you, and helping others is so rewarding you will feel part of something greater than yourself.
Find your unique community: Join FB and Linkedin groups to meet like minded people, sign up for petitions, contact the charities you connect with and ask them what help they need.
Follow and comment on posts of brands, companies and individuals you like on all social media channels. The algorithms will learn what you like so will know to serve you content on those topics and ads to help you discover new ones.
Tell people you want to change and ask them for their input. How you see yourself isn’t always the most reliable mirror. Ask those you know and whose opinions you trust what they think you would be great at doing if you weren’t doing your current role. The answers might surprise you!
Volunteer your time. There are so many ways you can use your time to create a positive outcome - bring others along with you and share the experience on socials. Altruism is catching!
The most important thing you can do is TAKE ACTION. Even if it is a small step, it will lead you somewhere and taking action regularly outside your comfort zone is a great habit to start. There is so much work to be done at the moment to protect the world and all its creatures from climate change and hundreds of angles and areas to get involved in - councils, food, environmental, policy making, waste, transport, energy, social justice, racial justice, poverty, homelessness, digitisation,.... the list is endless! Who knows where it could lead you?