Dr. Stewart Friedman: Finding a Good Job Doesn’t Need to Be So Frustrating

In the book “Total Leadership” and in conversation with JobMob, Dr. Stewart Friedman explains what you can do to increase your chances of finding a good job.

Does this ever happen to you?

You hear a new, unfamiliar term and then realize that it applies to you. You knew what you were doing/thinking/feeling, but you didn't know that there was an actual name for it until you stumbled upon that name.

It happens to me all the time.

Tim Ferriss published a post on his blog where founder of the Wharton School's Work/Life Integration Project Dr. Stewart Friedman explains the notion of what he calls a “four-way win.”

A four-way win is when you harmonize your goals along the 4 spheres of activity in your life – self, work, home and community – and then achieve those goals.

When I started JobMob, I was hoping to employ myself (“work”) by taking my job search expertise (“self”) and sharing it with you (“community”). Certain aspects of how my company works has ensured that my home life has improved as a result (“home”). Using blogging, I've set myself up for a four-way win. (And so can you, more on that soon…)

But you don't need to be self-employed to align your goals this way, as you'll see from my conversation with Dr. Friedman. After hearing about his book “Total Leadership” – which I bought and will review for you later – I contacted “Stew” with some questions for job seekers.

3 questions with Dr. Stewart Friedman

	1) What can a job seeker do to understand in which direction they should turn their job search with the best chance of achieving a four-way win?
	Start with knowing what's really important to you and, then, to the most important people in your life. This will give you a solid foundation on which to build your search.
	2) For job seekers, what are the outward signs of a company that will be more conducive to a four-way win? In other words, a company worth working for.
	I think the most valuable information comes from the people who work there–what's your feeling about them as they talk about their affiliation with the company? Do they seem like they are pursuing things that matter to them personally as well as professionally? If not, then this isn't the place for you.
	3) Which questions should a job seeker ask in an interview to find out as much?
	The important thing is to ask what you're truly interested in finding out and then, most importantly, to listen carefully and continue inquiring until you're satisfied.

Conclusion

Take the time to determine you and your family's life priorities before setting out on your next job search. Ask interviewers the questions that will confirm whether or not your next job will progress you in sync with those priorities.

How could you get your four-way win?

Additional reading about Dr. Friedman

• About Dr. Stewart Friedman and Total Leadership
• NY Times- Hot Ticket in B-School: Bringing Life Values to Corporate Ethics
• On Dr. Stewart Friedman: Become a Successful Leader in All Dimensions of Life

This article was part of the Rich Life blog carnival.
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