Speaker: Work shouldn’t mean checking your values at the door

For many people, clocking into the workplace every day means checking their personal passions at the door. Earning a paycheck would seem to have little to do with their values or ideas about what makes life worth living.

Mark Albion found himself in that position back in the early 1980s. He had great career success: At the age of 31, he was a Harvard professor and one of the foremost experts in consumer branding. Some of the largest corporations, including Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola, sought his consultancy advice, and paid him well to provide it. He appeared on shows including “Nightline” and was profiled on “60 Minutes.”

But he was miserable. His unhappiness eventually led him to make a critical professional change that transformed not only his life, but untold others through his books and lectures that preach a central message: You can make both a living, and a life.

On Jan. 28 (Friday), Albion will discuss the role of personal fulfillment in career development during his presentation, “Leadership for the Greater Good,” at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. His talk will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Jordan Auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public, although registration is required. To register, attendees can visit business.nd.edu/greatergood, e-mail mbacareer@nd.edu or call 574-631-8488. His talk is part of the fourth annual “Greater Good Series”: hosted by the Mendoza College of Business, which is co-sponsored by the Notre Dame MBA and the Nonprofit Professional Development programs.

Albion’s books include New York Times bestsellers “Making a Life, Making a Living” and “True to Yourself: Leading a Values-Based Business.” He also has started several entrepreneurial ventures and founded Net Impact, a global student leadership network that has more than 20,000 members in 129 countries.

His message about the vital importance of values and passion in the workplace is more needed than ever, said the event sponsors.

“In today’s world, where the economy is tentative and people feel the pressure to take a job so that they can sustain themselves, it is even more critical to heed Dr. Albion’s guidelines,” said Kimberly Brennan, program manager for the Notre Dame Master of Nonprofit Administration. “Take an introspective look at what passions you possess and align those with your professional skills. This will enable you to secure a job that engages you so as to make a difference and a positive impact.

“Our hope is that students garner knowledge about having a focused discernment process of how to have a career that weaves their sense of self, passions, and educational skills,” she added.

“This is a vital perspective, whether the person is entry level or a corporate executive, working for a social venture or nonprofit, or a giant multinational company,” said Cynthia Proffitt, assistant director of Notre Dame MBA Career Development. “It can be difficult to know exactly where your career path may lead you, but having a passion for your job should travel with you.”

The Greater Good Series is a Notre Dame Forum-related event. This year, the forum, “The Global Marketplace and the Greater Good,” is a year-long discussion of the morals, values and ethics in the rebuilding and reshaping of the global economy. For more information about the forum, visit forum.nd.edu.

Contact: Notre Dame MBA Office, 574-631-8488

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