Career Anchors Reimagined, 5th Edition

2Building a Relationship Map

Dr. Seuss:

“… Somehow you'll escape

all that waiting and staying.

You'll find the bright places

where Boom Bands are playing …”

Because of pandemic “stay at home” and “lockdowns,” how, where, and with whom we work on a daily basis is still changing. Many of us have (a) learned to work from home, (b) have had to interrupt our work for unanticipated durations, (c) have left or lost our pre‐pandemic jobs, and/or (d) are considering a new line of work altogether.

These changes in work lives will inevitably affect relationships in our family and with our informal lives with friends and colleagues and the “boom bands” that help us through the tough times.

Many of you will face the following questions

1. What kind of work will you do?
2. Where will you work?
3. How much will you work?
4. With whom will you work?
5. What kind of relationships will you have at work, in your family, and with friends?

Before you tackle the career aspiration issues in the first three questions, it seems inevitable that some old relationships will have to be reestablished, some new relationships will have to be created, and adaptations will have to be made in the balance of work, family, and personal pursuits. This will be true in how you relate to colleagues, the people above you and below you, and the people with whom you share tasks and objectives, whether in person or in virtual office settings.

We now provide you an opportunity to examine those relationships so as to visualize ...