What are three things you love and three things you find challenging or frustrating about your work?
Love:
1.
Feeling that my work matters and makes a difference
2.
Writing for a public audience
3.
The variety of tasks and meetings each day
Challenging or frustrating:
1.
Lack of financial resources
2.
Leaders who cannot make decisions
3.
Apathetic citizens and educators
What is the most important task on your desk right now?
Writing the PEN Weekly NewsBlast which features education and school fundraising news and which goes out to 45,000 subscribers every Friday.
What drives you to do this work? What makes you want to get out of bed every morning?
Good and rewarding work strengthens your self-identity. Work needs to be more than just a job. My work is a big part of who I am and how I bring meaning to my life.
How often do you "dress up" for work? Describe the culture of your organization.
I only wear a suit and tie for big meetings. Most of the time I wear comfortable but stylish clothes. I am all for casual dress, but wearing jeans to the office is going a bit too far. Work is not summer camp or a road trip. I tend to
be more casual than others in the office, but they are kind enough to bend the rules for me because of my seniority. Our culture tends to be more corporate than most nonprofits, but that is because we think that the work of social justice is very serious.
In a typical month, about what percentage of your time is spent on the following activities?
Talking on the phone
20%
Dealing with email
5%
Meetings with individuals
10%
Meetings with groups/committees
30%
Traveling
10%
Writing
70%
Reading
10%
Researching
10%
(Note: respondents could allow their answers to add up to be more than 100%)
What do you do when you are feeling burned out at work?
I tend to take a day or a half day off to get some sleep. If I am feeling stressed at work I usually go for a walk or search eBay for useless trinkets for a half hour.
