Print. Staple. Stamp.

A moment of self-clarity yesterday.

Due to a specific request at work, I set aside other tasks on which I was working and moved directly to fill it immediately. As I sat there working off a list for which I was preparing, I suddenly realized that I was sitting there printing copies, stapling them, and then stamping them with an "uncontrolled copy" stamp.

I was suddenly struck by the fact that this was what 7 years of college, 2 degrees, and 13 years of industry experience had gotten me: administrative work.

On the one hand, this is the critical error with any sort of thinking that discusses the concept of the "working manager": given the option between leading/executing and doing work, the work will always get done at the cost of leading because while many people say they want leaders, they insist all the more that the work is completed. This becomes extras difficult when goals are set around leadership tasks.

On the other hand, it is a good reminder of this season I seem to be undergoing about re-examining my life and what I am doing and where I am going. The reality is that I want - crave to do more than just sit at a desk stapling and printing. I long to do something that makes a difference somewhere, in something - not just preparing piles of paperwork to be looked at once and then moved on.

On the third hand, it's a good reminder as well that education and experience are not as relevant as I might think in the career market. Ofttimes things come to the doers, not the people who with the education and experience happen to be there.

So here's the thought for today: how do I find something that executes leadership, makes a difference, and is a "doer" job rather than requiring education and experience as the gatekeeper?