The Satisfying Work Curve

Here is another gem from Mike Pegg (which I came across via Katie Ledger and Barrie Hopson’s Portfolio Careers site).

You should read Mike’s article for a full explanation but I love the way it blends elements of Charles Handy’s Sigmoid Curve (The Empty Raincoat, 1994) with the Boston Consulting Group matrix approach.  Anyone (of the ever increasing number) with a portfolio career needs to be aware of how each element of their portfolio fits within Mike model.  Which roles/activities/revenue streams are heading towards being Spent Forces – where you risk a negative spiral of low energy, leading to less than professional work, leading to overall damage to reputation – and where are you investing time and effort planting out Seed Corn?

I’ve just dusted off my old copy of the Empty Raincoat.  As with 1997’s The Sovereign Individual, I am fascinated how the changes presaged in these books are now coming to pass.