Be Prepared
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How many of you were in some kind of Scouting organization when you were younger? Perhaps Cub scouts? Webelos? Boy or Girl Scouts??Whether or not you were, odds are pretty high you’d recognize that the motto for the Boy Scouts is simply, “Be Prepared.”?
What you may not know is that there’s more to it than that. The tag line for the motto is, “you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your?duty.”?Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, was very intentional with this foundation for the Scouts when he coined this phrase and tagline in 1907. We learn more from the Boy Scouts Handbook, where he writes, “His idea was that Scouts should prepare themselves to become productive citizens and strong leaders and to bring joy to other people. He wanted each Scout to be ready in mind and body and to meet with a strong heart whatever challenges?await him.”?
Hmmm, some pretty good application for anyone who’s unemployed.?Of course, you’ve probably heard some of the standard stuff around being prepared for an interview, but today I’d like you to consider a few items that might not immediately come to mind.?
Biblical Application
Let’s start with a Biblical application.?The first verse that struck me when thinking about “Be Prepared,” was 1 Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always BE PREPARED (Caps mine) to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” That doesn’t necessarily mean a memorized mantra, but a genuine, authentic reality of what God has done for each of us. Each of us will have something different to say about God’s work in our lives, but the themes will be the same.?
Now, most of you have probably heard plenty about being prepared for an interview. Things like arriving early, doing background research on the company and the role, finding out something about the hiring manager, understanding the business model for the organization, knowing what economic factors could affect the organization, being ready with STAR stories for your accomplishments, and even doing practice mock interviews with a friend or peer. (PAUSE – many people know about this last one…I’ve found that FEW actually do it! Opportunity!)?
The story goes on with Robert Baden-Powell. After hearing the motto of “Be Prepared,” someone asked him the inevitable question, “Prepared for what?” Baden-Powell responded, “Why, for any old thing!” ??
Where People Tend to “Not” Be Prepared
As I thought about this in relation to interviewing, I’d suggest 4 areas where I’ve seen most people, “Not Prepared.”?
Prayer?
This is an area that I wrestle with every day, so it’s an easy one for me to highlight.??
Purpose
“To thine own self be true” is a line from Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and one that has become fairly popular in today’s societal culture. A fair number of interpretations exist around exactly what this phrase actually means, but if we take it at face value and want to be true to ourselves, a prerequisite is actually knowing ourselves.?Yet, most of us (myself included), couldn’t articulate why they get out of bed in the morning with an aim toward a higher purpose than just eating breakfast.
Why are you here??If I were to ask you, “What’s it like to be you?”, what would your response be??Do you have a purpose that transcends your daily activities? ??
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Core Values
What are the attributes so core to you that you use them to guide the decision-making process for your life??We often hear a lot of talk about values from a political (those good ole “midwestern values”) and corporate (we need to drive innovation and accountability as values for our company) view, but we don’t often have conversations with others about our own personal core values.?Why is that? Why don’t we give ourselves just a few minutes to reflect and think about which guideposts are going to be the beacons for our future??
Vocational Calling
The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics defines vocational calling as “the call to God and to his service in the vocational sphere of life based on giftedness, desires, affirmations, and human need.”?There is a lot packed in there and in every other definition I’ve seen for this topic. ??
In fact, the end goal of our Work Calling workbook is to help you define your vocational calling, and we take seven weeks as an online group to allow enough time for exercises and reflection for participants to develop their Calling Canvas, basically, their life outline on a page. Discovering what that is for you isn’t a linear process, or a formula or recipe. It takes listening for God’s call while working through who He made you to be. ??
Are you “prayed up?” Can you articulate your purpose, core values, and vocational calling? Do you understand what environment helps you to flourish in your work??If you’re like most people, you could give yourself the gift of some time and intent to be able to “be prepared” for just “any old thing!”?
P.S. –?If you’d like some help with these, click HERE to get a conversation going with one of our Crossroads Guides!?Blessings!?
Dave Sparkman currently serves as the volunteer Crossroads Career board chair and local ministry leader. He is also the founder and managing director of Spark Your Culture, a corporate culture consulting firm. Prior to that he worked at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune #5 public company, serving in the role of Chief Culture Officer. His unemployment experience came from the implosion of Arthur Andersen, where he served as the West Region Managing Partner, People.
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