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June 1, 2016 at 12:49 pm #24116
Introducing Superwork!
Superwork (working title) is a fun, playful, colourful and bold universe where new recruits come to learn about and go through the process of career change. This course will take them from feeling lost, stuck, confused and frustrated in dissatisfying work to feeling clear, powerful, confident, and in action, with a clear path to follow.
The theme for the course is superheroes. Recruits join the programme as trainee superheroes aiming to discover their Superwork. I’m imagining a campus a bit like Professor X’s school in X-men. There’ll be a central school area, and then loads of other weird and wonderful locations for different transformations to happen. Most of the learning will take place at the Academy. There’ll also be a bonus mission list and combat training (mini lessons to address specific challenges or career change ‘monsters’). All the elements will be gamified.
The main milestones will be called missions, I think, with individual lessons being called checkpoints. I’m tentatively referring to my learners / customers as ‘recruits’ but that might change. Here are my module and lesson notes. Bit scrappy but you get the idea.
Orientation
This is about helping recruits to understand the new universe they’ve entered and to immerse them in this world. Making recruits feel chosen, special. It’s about buddying up (pairing up into ‘Dynamic duos’), knowing what can be found where, and understanding the game aspects. How the route will look. This is also about giving permission to have fun with career change. Inviting new recruits to relax because they’re on the path to work they love. Easing them into the process.Origins Library
When recruits join they are taken to a beautiful library where they check in by documenting for posterity how they got to where they are. This is about helping people to feel the relief of being seen, heard, understood. Story sharing. This is where recruits voice their story and puts it in the context of a superhero origins story. It’s a point to start from, not what will be forever. It’s also a chance to vent and to record all the motivation for change (this will be important for later). Past achievements, peak experiences, highs and lows. What has the recruit come from that has shaped who they are today? How would they like to change the story?Crystal Lake
This beautiful, open, perfectly clear lake is the next stop and the first real mission on the learning journey. Here, recruits will get to work on creating mental space and actual space in a schedule to allow change to happen. Committing to time on the programme weekly. Committing to showing up. Committing to getting into action. This module is also about not waiting for the shift to experience life now. Not putting things off. Starting to live fully now. Work is just one part of who recruits are. Don’t let the rest stagnate. How do they want to feel in the career that’s different to how they feel now? Honouring the whole self and honouring balance. Making a personal promise to avoid a reactive shift (a bit like the career version of a rebound relationship). Lots of inspiration, commitment and affirmation.
The Oracle
“Temet nosce” – Know thyself
The oracle is a place where recruits will gaze into the mystical waters (i.e. something about reflecting on themselves, not an actual Delphic-style oracle). This section is about starting to look objectively, taking stock of what the recruit is or has. It’s about acknowledging their talents, characteristics and qualities, objectively appraising their strengths and interests. It’s the first chance to reflect on who they are, what makes them that way, and to really appreciate that. It’s also about understanding how they are different to others and really ‘owning their awesome’.
Atlantis
Every superhero needs to feel comfortable in the underwater realm, right? On this day trip to the mythical underwater city of Atlantis, recruits will take an inner deep dive into their core. This section builds on the work started in the previous module but goes much deeper. This is about connecting with core motivation, purpose, calling, and contribution. Woo woo with a purpose.Flying school
This module is about understand the changing careers horizon and all the unlimited possibilities that are out there. This is about freeing recruits from the restrictions of what they believe is ‘realistic’, ‘feasible’, or what they’re ‘qualified’ for. It’s about thinking big, ditching outdated work models, understanding new working paradigms, and why what they learnt about work growing up isn’t the whole picture. The landscape of what’s possible gets bigger, freer and more exciting. Need to keep this super engaging. Could feature success stories who work in different ways.The telephone box
This is a big transformational module where recruits crystallise what they’ve learnt up till now and articulate their super-self – their best, most powerful, most capable self. Through a series of exercises and powerful visualisations, they condense all their learning into a ‘blueprint’ and give their super-self a name. The blueprint will have an important role in evaluating forthcoming career ideas. There’s then a ceremony where they step into this self. This is a fun, creative module where recruits step into the best, most powerful versions of themselves. Now they can move on to discovering their Superwork.The database
The database is a storage area for career ideas. It’s managed by a lovable, quirky computer character (whose name I haven’t decided on yet, but think Jarvis from Iron Man). In this module recruits get to work beefing up and filling up this database, which they will have already starting using in Orientation, then mining it for information beyond what’s obvious. By the end of the module they will understand the ‘through line’ of the kinds of work they’re attracted to, which they can use to understand what might underpin their future Superwork. They will also have identified some career ideas they want to explore further.People (name tbc – Assemble?)
This module is all about people. Finding your tribe; building a support network; and reaching out and making authentic connections. The module offers an alternative to networking and the problems that inevitably come with that slimy term. Why people are important in career change and why recruits need them in their superhero support team. Relationships as routes into new fields. CV / Resume not so important anymore, and sometimes a hindrance for career changers. Superwork philosophy around the responsibilities of alumni.The Lab
This is a hugely gamified module about getting into experimentation and action. Trying on new careers for size. No commitment. Having fun. Designing play projects. Experimenting like a crazy scientist. Exploring ideas without attachment. Appreciative inquiry and consciousness / competence models. Being curious, playful. Failure is good.How does the experience align with the blueprint they completed in module 7? Evaluation. Rinse and repeat.Goldmine (name tbc)
When recruits have an idea they love and are ready to start taking next steps, they then need to start looking at the practicalities and how they’ll resource the shift. What will they need to move into their chosen superwork? Do they need to get a new qualification (and is this really true?)? Do they need savings? Do they need more connections? Do they need more experience? This is not based on conjecture or assumption. This will involve harnessing the connections from module 9 to create an objective, tested understanding of what their new career really requires. If something turns out to be impossible it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the idea – it may just need tweaking.Superwork HQ (name tbc)
Now recruits take up residence at Superwork HQ for the actual mission. Recruits design an action plan that address all of their practicalities. They’ll learn how to adapt the plan when life gets in the way, how to stay motivated, how to keep going when things get tough. They understand that their new career doesn’t have to be forever and why. This module takes the big shift recruits have identified they want to make and breaks it down into smaller, measurable, achievable actions. We’ll explore goal monitoring tools online. Setting time frames on actions. Discovering opportunities and following them (not sure whether this needs to be its own module). Checking in and reviewing the plan. When it’s complete committing to coming back and helping other recruits up and over (this could even be a module of its own – Graduation?).Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
June 1, 2016 at 10:08 pm #24176Wow!! Lisa this is fantastic! Love the whole idea, and the way you present it. The Checkpoints are very clear, and you are so good at bringing out the transformation that happens in each of them! Plus there is a LOT of content. How long will your course run for? From reading it, I imagine a longer time frame (6 months?) to allow for all the cool stuff to happen and to think in.
The whole course sounds exciting and really useful at the same time. So cool xJune 2, 2016 at 12:25 am #24178Good job, buddy!
Glad to see you getting this out there for other people to enjoy and gush over as well!
Keep it up, super friend. 🙂
June 2, 2016 at 7:51 am #24187Wow! Just. Wow. Everything is very well thought out and love how you related all of it to your theme. Great job! Makes me want to take the course!
June 2, 2016 at 11:31 am #24212This is amazing! What a well integrated and super fun theme, I am taking notes!
June 2, 2016 at 12:17 pm #24221YES yes YES! This is so fun and so awesome. I’m sure this course is gonna be a breath of awesomeness in the lives of people who are feeling lost, confused and unsure of what direction to take in their lives.
I love the fun feel and practical teachings that’ll go into facilitating this transformation.
You are no doubt gonna learn to love creating magic with your green screen to bring this vision to life!!
Be sure to ask the Medias Brothers and @blairfrancis for support as you create 🙂
June 2, 2016 at 12:36 pm #24227Wow. Thanks for the positive vibes guys! So encouraging!
@jutta – Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. Yes, this is a meaty course. I’m imagining at least 6 months. My career change. from starting to do something about it to actually making the shift, took close to 2 years, though I had no help or direction to start with, so I’m hoping to help people do things faster than that, but it really does depend on each individual situation as to how long it will take.
@waynebuckhanan – Thank for your awesome feedback, here and previously, and for helping me refine this draft in ways I hadn’t even thought of. Now, to the bat cave!
@teenlaunchacademy – Wow, Deanna, thank you! So kind…
@jescantonelli – Thanks lady!
@bradleytmorris – Thanks dude! I literally cannot wait to get to the magical stuff. I had so much fun editing my intro video. Serious light-bulb moment for me! Camp Medias is feeling a whole lot closer now.
Now to settle on a name!
🙂
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