Today, we're delving into Halloween with a twist. It's not just about the candy, it's about strategic career moves. Life's a lot like Halloween – a blend of fun and strategy. So, let's put on our metaphorical costumes and uncover how Halloween's three stages can pave the way for career success. Keep an eye out for how these holiday lessons translate into your professional journey. 🎃📈
STAGE ONE: PREPARATION
Preparation is the key that unlocks confidence, the ability to problem solve and ease. It saves money, time, and energy. It greases the wheels and helps to make an experience feel more enjoyable. This applies to all things in life, and especially Halloween.
Halloween prep entails choosing your costume wisely, scoping out the neighborhood, determining your co trick or treaters and checking your gear. These steps will help you secure a hefty amount of candy.
Your Costume
Choose a costume that resonates for you. It’s easy to get caught up in what others think is a good idea or is trendy. Everyone has an opinion. Listen to your intuition so you can be aligned with what’s important to you. It takes effort to choose a costume that resonates for you.
I got stuck being a witch when I was a kid. My mom made the costume and worked hard on it. As a child, I didn’t have the tools to tell my mom that I wanted to be Jan Brady (from the Brady Bunch) – and as a people pleaser (it starts young), I didn’t want to disappoint her.
These days, my Halloween costume is a cat because it aligns with my preference of wearing all black, low maintenance and comfortable.
PRO-TIP: The key with your Halloween costume is that it be lightweight and designed for full movement. You have to be able to run safely from house to house and not be weighed down by un-necessary pomp and circumstance. Carrying baggage can lead to face planting.
The Neighborhood
Never assume that the world is ready for you just because you’ve chosen who or what you want to be.
You must strategize on the neighborhood and not assume there will be candy available in every hood.
Here are six key criteria in choosing which neighborhood to trick or treat:
Look for lots of houses. Houses = opportunity.
Houses need to be close together. You expel a lot of energy running from house to house so the closer they are the better for extending your stamina.
Look for houses and neighborhoods with decorations. This is a prime indicator that the community is into Halloween and will have candy.
Map the houses and find a clear trajectory so you’re not wandering all over the place or having to double-back.
If a house is dark, don’t bother knocking on the door. It’s highly unlikely someone is hiding behind the curtains and will suddenly decide they are into giving out candy. Don’t waste your time.
It’s ok to pivot if your strategic scoping doesn’t pan out. Don’t beat yourself about it - just move on to the next best neighborhood.
Your Co Trick or Treaters
Work with people who share your values and goals – and are willing to have difficult conversations. The hard truth is that even the best relationships run into speed bumps. The long-term success and satisfaction of a relationship is based on one’s ability to navigate conflict - not avoid it.
My big brother Jimmy was my go-to trick or treat companion. I tried trick or treating with several friends, but they slowed me down and were more interested in chit-chatting vs. candy accumulation. Jimmy was fast and strong and could help me carry my bag if needed.
One time we got in a tussle because one of us wanted to go a second time to the house that gave out full size candy bars. Ok, it was me. I was scared we would get in trouble, but the idea of two big Snickers bars … Jimmy acquiesced because he’s all about supporting his little sister even if it means we are lying little hoodlums. (The lady of the house did recognize us and booted us to the curb.)
Your Gear
Ask yourself what you really truly need and don’t armor up unless the data supports it. Sometimes we rely too heavily on the latest gadgets that do the same stuff in a fancier package for more money. Don’t be fooled.
I did not need a cute plastic pumpkin bucket to hold my candy. And I didn’t get one. We were on a budget. So I used a paper bag. That was a disaster. It was rainy and it fell apart. Next year I used a pillowcase. It’s much more durable, easy to fling over the shoulder, and can hold a lot. Live and learn.
P.S. No regrets. These days kids wear reflective clothing. If I knew then what I know now, I would have worn reflective clothing or at least carried a flashlight.
STAGE TWO: IMPLEMENTATION
If preparation is about choosing the recipe and pulling the ingredients together, then implementation is about cooking with gas. Trust that you know what you’re doing and go out into the world having fun and trust that you can respond to any challenge thrown your way.
Identify the rules of the road
It’s important to recognize that just because something exists in your world, it does not necessarily exist in the rest of the world. It’s your responsibility to be curious and seek to understand cultural differences and respect the soil you walk upon.
Halloween is a cultural phenomenon that came to America from colonists who were English Puritans and celebrated Samhain. Samhain is a Celtic Festival in which people would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare away ghosts and spirits. Today it has evolved to a tradition in which young people dress up in costumes and go door to door saying “trick or treat” and receive candy. Here’s a cool timeline and deeper context from History.com if you want more details about Halloween.
In my neighborhood of Darien, Illinois, it was tradition to wear our costumes to school and to have a Halloween party. After school, we’d go home and start our trick or treating just as the sun went down. The trick or treaters typically stopped by 8 pm and if you were older than 6th grade, you’d get serious shade from neighbors.
It was also the custom to let the little kids jump in line to get their candy first. While I would follow that custom, my brother and I would leapfrog over them between houses so we wouldn’t get stuck behind the slow pokes.
When we did get stuck waiting in line at the door, we would use the time to catch our breath and get ready for the next sprint. Remember, your breath is your friend and can help keep you grounded and access stamina.
Know your exit strategy
Identify the conditions in which you decide to opt out. It’s best to articulate these to yourself or your partner or team before implementation. This helps to bypass actions that are triggered by emotional upsets or an unexpected change of conditions. The goal is to use your intellect, logic and rationality to choose to leave vs. an emotional upset that you may later regret.
When I was trick or treating, my brother and I had two criteria that would determine when we stopped trick or treating.
My bag is too heavy for me to hold.
My bag is too heavy for my brother to hold.
Once the bag is at maximum heaviness (which is why it’s important to be able to to sling the pillowcase over one shoulder), it’s time to go home and start stage three.
STAGE THREE: ASSESSMENT
One of the best tools you have at your disposal is self-assessment after a project has been completed. Identifying mistakes or mis-alignments and creating best practices truly helps one achieve goals in a more fulfilling and efficient manner.
The key to self-assessment is to never judge. Develop data points to help remove judgment from the assessment. And you can always use outside counsel for objectivity. Sometimes we’re simply too close to see the truth.
Halloween assessment has six stages.
Dump the candy out
I recommend each person getting their own table to dump the candy so there’s no danger of candy inter-mingling.
PRO-TIP: Revel in the bounty. Take stock and express gratitude. Don't be a jerk.
Divide the candy into like candy piles
M&Ms go with M&Ms. Separate by plain and peanut. Smarties with smarties. Licorice with licorice, etc, etc. You get the idea.
Count how many pieces of candy there are
How does this compare to previous years? Were you going for more, less, the same? Look for new best practices at this stage to meet goals.
Divide candies into three categories - favorites, take it or leave it, rejects
Put favorites into one part (i.e. swedish fish, blow pops, a prized ring pop), take or leave it candies into another part (jelly bellys, bottle caps), and then rejects (Reese’s pieces) into another part.
Trade the rejects for favorites
Wear a poker face. Do not let your brother know that you don’t like peanut butter & chocolate. Being nonchalant can help you swap one milk dud for two twix bars.
PRO-TIP: Don’t hoard the take it or leave it candies. If you don’t feel passionate then be willing to let it go. Save your intake for your best candies.
Eat candy
Personally, I liked to make my candy last. So I divided up my favorites into 21 or 28 piles so I have candy for at least 3-4 weeks. After that time horizon the candy starts to lose its freshness. Plus it’s almost Thanksgiving so time to move on to a new treat category.
BOTTOM LINE
So there you have it, a Halloween adventure that's also a “masterclass” in strategic thinking. We've covered Preparation, where you build the foundation for your success, Implementation, where you execute like a pro, and finally, Assessment, where you learn from your haul. Just like in your career, Halloween's about smart choices, navigating obstacles, and constant improvement. Now, as you dive into your candy stash, remember – Halloween isn't just about treats; it's about turning those treats into strategic wins. 🎃💼
JOURNAL QUESTIONS
To help you unpack the metaphors and align your career strategy, here are several journal prompts.
1. Reflect on your own professional journey. In what ways have you prepared, implemented and assessed your career? Which places might you have spent more time and care? What are you most proud of when it comes to career preparation, implementation and assessment?
2. How did you choose “your costume?” Was your career path actually your choice or were you living someone else’s values? How does your career currently align with your values and life purpose? Does the “costume” fit? Does it give you the flexibility you need in your life?
3. Consider the “neighborhood” in which you are working. How does your industry align with your values and what’s important to you in your life right now? Does the company culture feel like a match to you? If not, what needs to change? If yes, what do you appreciate about your industry and company culture?
4. Making mistakes is a part of any journey whether it’s trick or treating or in your career. Reflect on a professional setback or misalignment. How can you apply the principles of assessment mentioned in the blog to learn from it and grow?
5. Take inventory of your current professional projects or responsibilities. Categorize them into "favorites," "take it or leave it," and "rejects." How can you trade your "rejects" for "favorites" in your career, just like you would with Halloween candy?
6. Think about how you balance fun and strategy in your career. Are there areas where you lean too heavily in one direction, and it impacts your success? How can you find the right balance, similar to the way Halloween combines enjoyment and planning?
Happy journaling! 📝🎃📈
🙌🏾 Questions? Would you like additional support in accessing resilience? I offer private coaching sessions as well as in-person and virtual group work. Reach out directly here to set up a complimentary consultation.
If you’re resonating with what you’re reading, please consider subscribing. What’s that mean?
🙌🏾 You’ll receive regular emails (with lots of heart and a bit of humor) that share a tool or insight from my coaching practice.
🙌🏾 Typically the blog and blogcast will have a question at the end to provoke thought that supports you in your growth.
🙌🏾 Updates on offerings, free stuff, recommendations, referrals.
My blog aims to help people achieve their ambitious goals, their moonshot if you will. 😃 Oftentimes, though, we neglect an essential aspect of pursuing our dreams: the inevitable missteps, obstacles, and failures that come our way. Failing to acknowledge and process these losses properly can lead to imposter syndrome, burnout, low self-esteem, confusion, and even result in completely abandoning our dreams. 😟 That's why I strongly advocate for embracing grief awareness (along with other tools like values identification, knowing your why, sharpening executive function, habit forming, and more.) By doing so, we can effectively navigate challenges, regain motivation, and hit our moonshots. ✌🏾️ If you know someone who could benefit, please share this newsletter or recommend me to them. 🙏
What I Learned About Career Strategy From Trick or Treating