Who are you?
I’m a man whose older brothers when growing up emigrated to live in Australia, and who found himself many years later doing the same thing. Part of the deal in the move was to teach Vocational Psychology, and that is where I got my career development mojo.
I am a person who loves humour and likes to perform, to make career development entertaining but with a deadly serious message inside – so I am like a reverse Christmas Cracker – pull apart the glitz and bang, and inside is a serious message wrapped up in a corny joke!
What do you do for fun?
Well according to the probation agreement I have undertaken not to do THAT for fun anymore!!!! I was watching a program tonight on politics, wine and cooking combined – and that covers a lot of my interests. My pleasure is cooking a feast for a table full of friends, playing some great music (very often Canada’s Oscar Peterson or other jazz), great Australian wine and a discussion about music, politics, philosophy, cricket or all of them combined. I also enjoy sailing and racing socially on the beautiful Pittwater north of Sydney where I live. Often time on the boat ends up with food, drinks, music and conversation.
I also have a passion for comedy, comics and comic films, and will watch Laurel & Hardy, Marx Brothers, Peter Ustinov, Woody Allen and many many others for hours.
Currently one of my favourite things is sitting on my deck under the stars listening to Cannonball Adderly with the Possums (the native Aussie animal not a backing group!!!), with something good from the Barossa Valley (Shiraz) or a good unwooded Chardonnay.
Going sailing with my kids and friends either social racing, or overnighting with picnics etc
Watching good quality cricket. Cooking for dinner parties with good friends
Technology is also a passion. I had a personal computer in my early teens in the early 1980s and have been brought up with them. I got an early agreement with Virgin games to write a computer game, got an “O” level in electronics and since then have been hooked. My dining table often has 3 MacBook pros on it, and I’ve etherneted most rooms in my home and have set up a wireless music system that allows me to play different music in four different parts of the house simultaneously, something I can set up from anywhere in the world!! I am never far from my iPad, MacBook Pro or iPhone. Indeed recently my friend Jennifer in the USA mailed me on LinkedIn asking me about my iPad that I was using just after they were released at the NCDA conference a few years back!
What is your favourite community? Why?
The local and international community of careers practitioners because they are devoting themselves to bettering the lives of people within their communities in very tangible ways and often for little reward or recognition. More personally, my family are beyond immensely important to me.
What is your superpower?
I am told I can be both entertaining and informative when I talk, I think talking and presenting is my strongest suit. I hope to convey my passion for Career Development and convey complex ideas in simple and/or amusing ways. I have a wicked sense of humor that I occasionally let loose on twitter or on stage, but I have to be careful as it can be quite screwball and runs the risks of being misunderstood.
How do you use it to build community?
I try to spread the message about the importance and the possibilities of Career Development and to develop innovative ideas to take our field forward. I do this by speaking to professional groups and communities and through my journalism, blogging, podcasts and radio work.
My Three Favourite Things About Jim Are…
1. Edutainment. The man is a role model of mine when it comes to the combination of learning, humour and media. Jim’s shift happens moniker and his hilarious tweets are the stuff of learners’ delight. I’m lucky to have seen Jim present a few times and certainly enjoy engaging with him throughout the Twitterverse. I mean, it’s hard to not be edutained by a gentleman who speaks of public houses as one of the best places to explore and discuss career possibilities.
2. Visionary. Check out The Factory Pod and learn more about Jim’s collaboration with Robert Pryor on the visionary concept called The Chaos Theory of Careers. I apply the idea to my work with students and their career curiosity each and every day. Let’s face it, the chaotic and ever-changing world of work affects my approach to life, the universe and everything, too.
3. Connectively Engaging. Whether it’s a LinkedIn discussion group or a listserve, Jim brings his ideas, opinions and creativity to many career-minded conversations. Through the questions he asks and myths he seeks to debunk, Jim makes us all better practitioners.
As told by John Horn